(Part 2) Best products from r/DigitalPainting

I've been trying to strengthen my anatomy and proportions over the last 6 months or so and the only advice I can give to this is draw draw draw. Don't worry about it looking wonky but if it does, find out why and see what you can do to improve it.

There seems to be a point when a light bulb just goes off and all of a sudden you understand how to get consistent results of how you want things to look and translating it to the paper/screen.

Check out these, I've found them pretty useful:

http://www.amazon.com/Bridgmans-Drawing-Dover-Anatomy-Artists/dp/0486227103

http://www.amazon.com/Constructive-Anatomy-Dover-Artists/dp/0486211045/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418314804&sr=1-1&keywords=Constructive+Anatomy

For less than the price as the cintiq, get a Surface Pro 3. They had wacom screens, I forget the company they changed to, but I have one and I use for drawing and digital painting. Couple weeks ago I finished my first fully digital drawing on it and found it to be completely capable of being an awesome, and portable, drawing tablet. I've also used a cintiq and found this to be a waaaay better alternative.

Thank you. This is precisely the information I was looking for. I'll hold off on the GTS-191, then, I think.

Photoshop does seem like industry standard.
Not to be too demanding, at what point/for what purposes will things like Corel Painter Essentials or Clip Studio Paint Pro be useful?

Thanks again. I appreciate it.

I suggest getting a starter tablet like one of the 2 I linked. Many people don't have issues with offbrand tablets but Wacom is seen as industry standard and is a bit expensive. So that is why the Huion seems to have more for the same price. So yeah, get a cheaper tablet and maybe pay for some software. Good luck!


https://www.amazon.com/Huion-H610-Pro-Graphic-Carrying/dp/B00ZWRSQ4I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491776838&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=wacom+drawing+tablet&psc=1


https://www.amazon.com/Wacom-CTL490DW-Digital-Drawing-Graphics/dp/B010LHRFM2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1491776838&sr=8-3&keywords=wacom+drawing+tablet

I highly recommend this book. It teaches how to structure faces and bodies without forcing you to copy images or do studies. This is a great skill to learn when designing your own characters (which seems to be what you want to do) because it helps you be realistic but not overly so, and gives a great foundation for consistently drawing unique features of your character in different poses.

You've definitely wandered beyond the 'beginner' stages of digital art, and are clearly pretty damn serious about it. That said, a thousand dollar investment is a lot, for something whose purpose is strictly for art. It'd make perfect sense if you were using it to generate an income in some way. Of course, that's all my personal opinion.

This is the one I was mentioning as an alternative: Intuos Pro Medium. I was working in a small game studio until just under a year ago, and all of the artists (texture artists and concept artists) were using a comparable model (I think at the time it was intuos 4 or 5). It's solid, and I use it myself. At $300 it might be a somewhat less significant investment.

Of course, it is still just another tablet.

Keep in mind it will have older specs and that may be an issue. Intuos Art Medium is great at 150 refurb / 200 new, or https://www.amazon.com/Huion-KAMVAS-Drawing-Pressure-Sensitivity/dp/B072N2C2PB/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_147_tr_t_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=16BYSYPDT97DQWE91XGD

https://www.amazon.com/Artisul-D13-Graphics-Display-Freestyle/dp/B01E4R1T68/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500607199&sr=8-1&keywords=artisul+d13 are two of the best cintiq alternatives for cheap.

Hey! I use a surface too. The best way to make things work for me has been using photoshop with the coolorus add-on and a shuttle xpress that I mapped shortcuts to like alt, shift, clear, and the big wheel changes brush size.

thanks brother for giving best possible advice

what would you say about Huion Inspiroy H950P (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079HHZ63W/)

or the

Huion KAMVAS Pro 13 GT-133 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BGZ81N3)

This is the one I use. It works pretty well. Happy painting!

It's a little dated now, but this book helped set a nice foundation in photoshop techniques and tools. It's also nice to try photoshop projects that are outside of painting every once in a while!

I think If you can't get your hands on even a tablet to try a minute, Is to see if you can get a cheap used one from Craigslist or ebay , some of the cheap chinese ones are not bad for even $60.

I only say that because my first experience with a Wacom tablet was not terrible, but I could not get the hang of it and sold it within a few months.

I guess I am one of the few who has a hard time drawing on a surface while looking up at a screen.

I ended up saving up about a year and got a Parblo Coast22. https://smile.amazon.com/Parblo-Graphics-Cordless-Battery-free-Protector/dp/B01CTVHHKS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518745237&sr=8-1&keywords=parblo+coast+22


Honestly it's changed my life. A little pricey compared to your budget at around $450 + but for me It's a lifesaver being able to draw directly on a big screen compared to a tab. And a hell of a lot cheaper than a Cintiq :)

Definitely classes. If you're not doing classes for whatever reason. I suggest making these three books your bible.

How to draw - Scott Robertson

Color and light

And finally

Bridgman's Drawing from life

No need to get them all at once. But these three books are chock full of lessons that you will revisit over and over as you progress in your art. Strongly recommended.

Huion's products are solid if you can live without tilt detection. Much better bang for your buck than Wacom's, especially when you go to the higher end.

Also bear in mind that the Huion you linked is about credit-card sized, less than half the size of the Wacom you linked. Not exactly a good art tool. I own https://www.amazon.com/Huion-Graphic-Drawing-MicroSD-Express/dp/B01FTE9HS2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483764446&sr=8-1&keywords=huion+1060+new+plus and it's fantastic.

I absolutely highly suggest looking into the toshiba encore 2 write. It's a 10.1 inch windows tablet with pressure sensitive pen. It's super cheap and perfect for beginners

http://www.amazon.com/Adonit-Point-Stylus-iPhone-Kindle/dp/B00931K1QK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413330956&sr=8-1&keywords=adonit+jot

This is the one I use. It has a precision tip. I really like it. But you have to be careful if any small particles get under the little plastic disc on the tip, it could scratch your screen. The easiest way to prevent this is just to use a microfiber cloth, and wipe down the screen before use.