Have you ever felt judged or like “less of an artist” because you are able to use cheats in digital art that you can’t use in traditional art?

If that’s the case I have another post that goes into the detail and theory behind why Digital Art is not less than other art forms. However, if you are at peace and just want to know as many cool “cheats” to make your Digital Art even better – read on.

I’m going to discuss 6 cheats in digital art that I use daily. You might surprise yourself and have one or multiple of these in your holster already. Please let me know in the comments if you make use of other ‘cheats’ you didn’t see here. I love learning too!

Let’s get into it:

This is an organization skill but can prove to help in the long run. When starting out with digital art, beginners also tend to forget that they need to work on separate layers and paint everything on one. Its embarrassing how many times I still work on the wrong layer. It helps to see the layers to believe they are there. Layers make elements or colors easier when you can change separate elements.

I do want to mention that in Digital Painting artist aren’t too fixated on layers. The process will resemble paining with oil a lot more. However, if you are new to Digital Art, layers are a good thing to get used to in the beginning.

Layers will be personal to every artist but here are a few good layers to use in different combinations:

• Sketch
• Mask
• Shading Color
• Ink
• Ink color

This is not the tool from Satan even if people want you to believe that. This is one of the best tools to use when it comes to adding specific elements.

Eyes are very intricate and complicated and after making one perfect eye the chances of making a perfect match is very slim. You can copy, paste and flip the done eye to create a copy that is fitting.

However, don’t use the eye just like that. I like playing with the rotation and scale until I find a good match because a direct copy might look fake.

When you are adding a lot of details in the back of images, you could also benefit from copy and paste. Getting your composition to be full and balanced the way you need without spending useless hours redrawing the same element 100 times.

Now, if you are like me, you might enjoy the torture that comes with drawing every detail from scratch. This is nice in a situation where you are drawing for yourself but not the best idea when you are doing commissions for people or assignments with a time limit.

Scale, proportions and perspective are three of the most important elements to keep in mind when creating. Knowing and correctly using these elements could be the difference between a good artwork and a great one. I talk more about the Elements of Art here if you want to learn more.

This is where the transform tool comes in. When you start your base sketch it is easier to change elements without it affecting the colors and details. So using the transform tool here to scale, distort and move elements is a must.

Color selection can go a long way, especially if you are just starting out with digital painting. You want all your colors to complement each other or completely contrast depending on the concept of your artwork.

You don’t want to end up changing the colors of individual elements at the end because something is off. The more you practice art the more you will experience the “something is off” feeling. Your eyes become trained in finding shortcomings. When you start out with art and you find that difficult, ask a friend who has maybe done art for a while and is willing to give you an honest critique. You are also welcome to join my community of new and experienced artists here to get feedback in our groups and from me.

I have found that I use different color selecting processes but the one that helped me the most in the beginning was choosing any base color. Create a circle on your page with this color. Then, with your brush on opacity 15 – 20 put down the colors you were planning on using. Decide whether a color complements the base color or opposes it.

This allows for a harmonious color selection.

This will look different on different software’s so I am going to say test out what you find easier. Use a mask layer or the selection tool.

I personally prefer mask layers because some programs change the color of the selected area. This can influence the tone of color you choose to work with as it fits with the selection color instead of the artwork color. Using a mask allows you to see all colors clearly. I also have worked in programs where the selection border constantly flickers and I can NOT deal with that crazy.

You will never go back after using mask layers. It might take some time to distinguish between layer types. Luckily, most programs have a little indicator on the side to show that it is a mask layer and I would suggest naming your layers in the beginning too.

I also have a Youtube video on the basics of mask layers if you want to learn more about using them.

Leaving the most important one for last. Learn all your commands/ key shortcuts!

Most editing and drawing programs use the same basis for their key shortcuts, but it is very important that you make sure to focus on the things you use most and learn the shortcuts for them. A quick google for the program you are using and whether you are on Windows or Mac will get you a list of all key commands.

The most important one will always be ctrl+S to make sure you keep your progress saved.
Start new blank project = save
Draw a good line = save
Selected all your colors = save

There is no reason you should want to murder after loosing progress because of a program crash or something silly…okay!

Whether you make these cheats a staple in your everyday or use them only when you have hit the undo button 765 times and feel ready to set the world on fire, I hope they will help and that you will not feel ashamed or guilty for making use of the things that make Digital Art its own. Keep creating my friends!

XOXO
Em