So as many of you know, I´m going through a phase of recapping what I've been up to in the year, going into more detail with the bits I liked best - today's post is on tablet sketching.
In my opinion, I think that my iPad is the best!!! I do...and I always use it for socialising and listening to music. I know that a lot of people think they're not all that great, with all the new technology and people's days are just being wasted. However I also use my iPad for drawing. It's a brilliant past time and really good for mapping ideas without wasting paper so it IS economical in that sense. Even if you're not a drawer or an artist, you can still use these apps to your advantage. Just drawing simple ideas can spark your creativity and before you know it you've got something you quite like the look of.
There are so many drawing apps available for tablets nower days, I can't really comment on them since I have only used one but a friend of mine showed me another that has a whole selection of coloured pencils. It's worth having a little look about and seeing what you feel would suit you best - you will have to pay for some but the fee isn't much and is worth it. Of course certain apps will only be available for apple and not windows and vice-versa. Sadly the app I use - Procreate - is as far as I'm aware not available for windows which is a shame as it is very nice to use but I'm certain that there will be apps just as good as this one.
Anyway cracking on, I like to use Procreate to draw characters as well as draw my ideas. It takes some getting used to but if you stick at it and take your time then the end results can be very pleasing. I have a sort of routine when it comes to drawing these characters - that is when I've thought about the idea enough that it is in my head quite vividly. This is't a tutorial as such but more of a walk-through that you may find useful. I have used a similar principle when using acrylic so I think it is quite effective but of course each to their own.
First of all I map out - in a bright and thick brush - a sort of basic shape for the character:
I add a little darker colour for the facial elements before drawing the line art over the top:
I then add the skin tone of the face except for the eyes and lips which I do on a separate layer. For this I tend to use a light and dark shade of grey and a few browns that are saved into my pallet so I can change between them without losing the colours. I add them generously with a wide and rustic brush not worrying about smoothness until I've got a general idea of where the colours are laying. Then I blend them with a smudging tool before neatening the edges with an eraser:
The line art is then deleted OR hidden and the eyes and mouth are painted in using a similar method with different colours. For the eyebrows I paint a single tone of colour (usually a dark beige) and then add texture with dark and fine brush strokes:
For this design, the character was wearing a sort of scarf, so I mapped out the design of the scarf and then added tone before using some of the brushes to create a sort of fabric texture:
I tend to have problems with backgrounds, that is that I love drawing the characters but then find doing backgrounds a mediocre task - I have to get over this, however the good thing is that you can make the background less detailed than the foreground which takes less time. Using all sorts of brushes and colours I was able to create a city background with a sunlight effect:
So that was my little cover on drawing with Procreate, for this I used an Adonit Jot Pro stylus - a neat and precise bit of kit that makes the experience that little bit fluid-er. Anyway that's it for now, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm always interested in seeing and hearing about your own art experiences and as always, am open for comments and questions. Make sure you share and follow this blog and be sure to check out my Bloglovin profile.
Have a nice summer,
Will Baker Illustrator
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