Going from drawing on paper to Digital drawing.

[Rye_B_P 53]

Ok, I always did draw on paper; So I would like to make the "jump" to digital artwork.  I doodled in the past, but as a side hobby, not a profession.  I would like to do it a little more, now that school is over.  (I graduated with my masters a few weeks ago, so no more homework for me!)  So now I have a lot of time to go back to drawing, since I stopped, when I graduated high school and focused too much on my school work full time.

So anyway, I recently purchase Adobe Master Collection CS6 from my school for Photoshop and adobe premiere, after effects and encore for video editing.  It turns out that with the 80% student discount, it is cheaper for me to get the master collection on CD then it is to buy Photoshop and premiere pro separately, even with a student discount.  So being I paid so much money for these programs, having illustrator and the other programs is a plus, so I would like to take advantage of the programs that I already have.

Anyway...before I derail, I been messing around in Adobe Photoshop CS6 and Adobe Illustrator for some time now. (I had adobe CS4 master collection, then I upgraded to CS6 recently, So I been using these programs off and on.)  Therefore, my question to you all would be as follows…

1. Which program would you find better when drawing digital artwork?  Photoshop or Illustrator, they appear similar, however depending on what tools you use like the pen tool and the brush, they sometimes behave differently in each program.
2.  Do you just draw on paper, scan it in it and then color it?  What is easier for you, when breaking into digital art?
3. I tried with the mouse for a while, but it lacks the precision then drawing with just my regular pencil.  What Pens or drawing tablets, do you recommend?  I would prefer one that works with these programs, since I know of many that just only work with the bundled software.  If you can recommend me one that I can “draw” in Photoshop or illustrator, that would be great.
4. What are the advantages of using Illustrator over Photoshop and vice versa?  I mainly used Photoshop over the last few years, just to manipulate photos and such, I never used either program for artwork, until now, after I upgraded from CS4 to CS6.

Extra information…

1. I like to point out that I have 2 24-inch monitors, so I plan to draw/color on one screen and use a reference picture on the second.  (So I do not have to print out the reference sheets and it saves on ink.)
2. I love using layers in both of these programs, the idea that I can sketch “guide lines” and make them disappear and look at the overall drawing without seeing eraser marks is a big plus for me.

Edited May 13, 2013 by Rye_B_P

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1.  
2. Which program would you find better when drawing digital artwork?  Photoshop or Illustrator, they appear similar, however depending on what tools you use like the pen tool and the brush, they sometimes behave differently in each program.
3.  
4.  Do you just draw on paper, scan it in it and then color it?  What is easier for you, when breaking into digital art?
5.  
6. I tried with the mouse for a while, but it lacks the precision then drawing with just my regular pencil.  What Pens or drawing tablets, do you recommend?  I would prefer one that works with these programs, since I know of many that just only work with the bundled software.  If you can recommend me one that I can “draw” in Photoshop or illustrator, that would be great.
7.  
8. What are the advantages of using Illustrator over Photoshop and vice versa?  I mainly used Photoshop over the last few years, just to manipulate photos and such, I never used either program for artwork, until now, after I upgraded from CS4 to CS6.
9.  

Extra information…

1.  
2. I like to point out that I have 2 24-inch monitors, so I plan to draw/color on one screen and use a reference picture on the second.  (So I do not have to print out the reference sheets and it saves on ink.)
3.  
4. I love using layers in both of these programs, the idea that I can sketch “guide lines” and make them disappear and look at the overall drawing without seeing eraser marks is a big plus for me.
5.  

 

 

 

 

Hey there, I'll give ya some pearls of wisdom. Just bear in mind that I'm still a student and some of this information can be possibly inaccurate, but I have used both interchangeably (even good 'ol SAI.)

 

1. When it comes down to programs, it really depends on what you wish to do. Photoshop is more towards drawing and photo manipulation while Illustrator is a powerful vector program. At the end of the day, I use both based upon what's required with X project.

 

2. I'd suggest sticking with the classic medium, scanning and then inking/coloring in a digital medium before going straight to digital. This way you can stick with what you're comfy with while experimenting with the new digital medium. If you dive straight into a digital program without the aid of what you do know, you'll have a high chance of struggling and feeling as though you can't control this new medium.

 

3. When it comes down to tablets you have a wide arrange to choose from. From Penpower to Monoprice, there's quite a selection, but the most recognized brand so far has been Wacom. I myself use a Wacom tablet and have been very satisfied with my purchase. I plan to give Aiptek tablets a try in the future, but for now I love my little guy. Just be sure that if you do go with a tablet that you'll stick with it friend. Ya don't want a $75+ paper weight now 

 

4. Photoshop is recognized as the industry standard for image manipulation, and for good reason. In terms of it's strength over Illustrator, it topples over it when it comes down to just good 'ol basic drawing and pixel manipulation. It can even output goodies for the web, contains special effects and can even do animation. But when it comes to logos and designs, Illustrator begins to reign dominance in this department. While Photoshop CAN do some 'vector' goods, it's limited and not as refined as what Illustrator can give you. 

 

Illustrator's greatest strength is vector art and overall graphic designs. Whatever you create in Illustrator will have 'infinite' scalability. What do I mean by this? In a nutshell, everything created in Illustrator will have mathematical points for how you construct your image. If you increase or decrease the resolution of your image, the points will automatically adjust and your images quality will not degrade. If you were to do the same in Photoshop, your image will look fine if you shrink it, but will show pixel degradation if you blow it up. 

 

In conclusion, both programs have their strengths and weaknesses. What you'll most likely find though is that while you'll use one heavily, you'll most likely transfer your work into the other so that you can use their strength to your advantage. I'd highly suggest installing both and just play around with them to get an idea. to continue experimenting with both programs. 

 

Hope this helps ya out mate 

Edited May 13, 2013 by Accellerant

[Rye_B_P 53]

 

 

 

 

 

Hey there, I'll give ya some pearls of wisdom. Just bear in mind that I'm still a student and some of this information can be possibly inaccurate, but I have used both interchangeably (even good 'ol SAI.)

 

1. When it comes down to programs, it really depends on what you wish to do. Photoshop is more towards drawing and photo manipulation while Illustrator is a powerful vector program. At the end of the day, I use both based upon what's required with X project.

 

2. I'd suggest sticking with the classic medium, scanning and then inking/coloring in a digital medium before going straight to digital. This way you can stick with what you're comfy with while experimenting with the new digital medium. If you dive straight into a digital program without the aid of what you do know, you'll have a high chance of struggling and feeling as though you can't control this new medium.

 

3. When it comes down to tablets you have a wide arrange to choose from. From Penpower to Monoprice, there's quite a selection, but the most recognized brand so far has been Wacom. I myself use a Wacom tablet and have been very satisfied with my purchase. I plan to give Aiptek tablets a try in the future, but for now I love my little guy. Just be sure that if you do go with a tablet that you'll stick with it friend. Ya don't want a $75+ paper weight now 

 

4. Photoshop is recognized as the industry standard for image manipulation, and for good reason. In terms of it's strength over Illustrator, it topples over it when it comes down to just good 'ol basic drawing and pixel manipulation. It can even output goodies for the web, contains special effects and can even do animation. But when it comes to logos and designs, Illustrator begins to reign dominance in this department. While Photoshop CAN do some 'vector' goods, it's limited and not as refined as what Illustrator can give you. 

 

Illustrator's greatest strength is vector art and overall graphic designs. Whatever you create in Illustrator will have 'infinite' scalability. What do I mean by this? In a nutshell, everything created in Illustrator will have mathematical points for how you construct your image. If you increase or decrease the resolution of your image, the points will automatically adjust and your images quality will not degrade. If you were to do the same in Photoshop, your image will look fine if you shrink it, but will show pixel degradation if you blow it up. 

 

In conclusion, both programs have their strengths and weaknesses. What you'll most likely find though is that while you'll use one heavily, you'll most likely transfer your work into the other so that you can use their strength to your advantage. I'd highly suggest installing both and just play around with them to get an idea. to continue experimenting with both programs. 

 

Hope this helps ya out mate 

 

I see...  I appreciate the great amount of detail in which you went into.  I suppose I will try the “draw a sketch and then color it in” idea first, before making the “Jump” to digital world.

 

I mainly liked the idea of how these program “layers” feature, really helps keep my artwork to look neat and not sloppy.  But I often forget that I can “edit” some or most of these mistakes out in the final draft.

 

I am going to see if I can barrow that "bamboo" tablet off one of my artist friends in town for a few days and see what I can do, before dropping the 75 plus dollars on one.  Like I said I was mainly looking at one that works with more than the bundled software the comes with it.

 

Once I feel more comfortable with my work I will start posting it in my art gallery on deviant Art and links in the appreciate threads.  I admit that I am looking at doing short animation at some point. (I already messed around with small gifs in fireworks and flash already, to get an idea how they were made.)  However, I do not want to get ahead of myself.  My main goal here is once I feel comfortable with my artwork; I will be starting a pony tumbler page as my first tumbler page.

 

Thank you for taking the time to explain to me all the details to my questions and being through with your answers.

 

Brohoof!