I make all of my money through digital art, and despite how good it is as an actual tool, I find myself running into the same problems. I ENJOY making art traditionally, but digital gives me tools to make a finished product that can sustain me. I hope one day I'll get along far enough in my art journey to where these two bridges connect, and I can enjoy both processes somewhat equally, but I'm not sure digital will ever truly feel as satisfying as making something that is tangible. I'm a more tactile person by nature, always liked collecting stationary, love owning physical artbooks, and I switch up the tools I use depending on what I feel like using, and I think all of that adds to the appeal and enjoyment of drawing traditionally. What IS useful though, is that the separation allows me to segment things better. I have a process that's less fun, but allows me to make what I need to for work, and that's digital. And I have a process that I find satisfying and fun, for personal enjoyment, and that's traditional. Even though it has become my career, drawing and making art is still enjoyable for me, in part thanks to the fact I have a clear separation of when I'm doing something for others, and when I 'm doing something for myself.
Nice thumbnail! That's how I feel about it too. I don't like the idea that I need electricity just to look at my drawings. And there's just something magical about turning a blank piece of paper into a work of art using nothing but a pencil.
With Ai images being so rampant, I think making physical artwork is becoming more appealing, the only downside is that it's less forgiving, I can't adjust the drawing as easily.
@@Silver77cyn It helps to sketch lightly at first, using a hard pencil, and also to roll a kneaded eraser on the drawing so that it almost disappears, but you can still see the lines and redraw them better. That's how Frank Cho does, and his lines are immaculate.
woaaah what, ive made a super similar realization lately too. Ive had a drawing tablet for a little over a year now and i'd like to say ive become pretty used to using it but at the same time it often just doesnt feel right? Drawing traditionally i feel alot more free and my lines have so much more energy, when i get into a flow like state it feels like my pen literally glides across the paper its great. Digital drawing often fails to replicate this feeling for me and even makes me begind to doubt my own skill because of this. Because of this ive been doing alot more of my practice traditionally, but at the same time i really dont want to just stop digital altogether because of just how much more convinent it can be to rectify mistakes and experiment with things like color without having to both purchase paint and put up with the mess they can make. This is a super interesting topic that i've not seen spoken about before so figured i was the only one with this problem, thanks for talking about it this vid was real insightful!
I ended up taking the full digital way because of its accessibility and ease to use. Back in mid 2016, when it all started, I grabbed my pencil and paper like most people who start their art journey, it was neat and even joined some Facebook art groups where people shared art done in both mediums. I was fascinated on the traditional side and really do wanted to make the average "Calarts admission sketchbook", as such my mom bought me a simple sketchbook that was on sale. However, the more I got into traditional the more my frustrations grew towards that medium. I felt restricted as I have no art supplies, it was too demanding as a single mistake could cost the whole piece, that sketchbook was so nice looking that I felt I was wasting it. Even made for myself a DIY sketchbook with A4 paper sheets cut in half just to ease the last 2 frustrations. All for nothing. Eventually, little by little I got into the digital medium as it made me feel truly free. Does your work suck? No worries, create a new file or undo with caution. Want to paint in certain color? Sure, pick any from the color wheel. Want to use watercolors or markers? Go for it, check online for free brushes. Is your character deformed in one part? Don't worry, just lasso and transform the guy to fix it! Time passed and digital art became my job. Hell, I've been considering into going back to pen tablets (aka screenless boys) because those are cheaper and more ergonomic.
during 2020 (the classic pandemic switchover) i completely switched over to digital, and lost all of my traditional skills in the process since yeah, it was the most fast and accessible method i came to your same conclusion and hit that stone wall maybe about 2 years ago? as a way to recover from art block, i’ve been doodling in my old 2020 sketchbook, and genuinely its so much more enjoyable. i believe it’s purely because theres no expectations that comes with making digital art. with making art digitally all the tools are available: undo buttons, thousands of brushes… so i’m pressured to make something good with those tools i guess, since its so easy to access with drawing traditional all i have is a silly sketchbook i bought from 4 years ago, and pencil crayons from my art class. and i’m free to just. art i guess without worrying that i’m doing enough
not sure. i might have agreed with you, if i hadn't sketched two pages monday and then just left them sitting on my desk. i feel like my confidence on paper has taken a hit. its cliche, but that undo function is sure something. i did enjoy finally discovering a ruling pen for border lines though. an old complaint was having to use fineliners, and having them run out, or hit the ruler wrong and not make a line at all. and even with watercolour the process is slow and youre lucky if your skin tones dont need rewetting by the time youre halfway through.
Hey! Digital artist here, honestly it’s kind of the opposite for me haha. I quite struggle with traditional artwork and do not find quite the same enjoyment. I completely respect the opposite side of the spectrum however, the struggle with being unable to erase mistakes is insane to me haha. Only recently I have begun to use a stylus, used I used my finger beforehand.
Honestly I feel both methods have pros and cons, and it’s all a matter of preference! I mainly do digital work but sometimes I like to handle paints and stuff- I’m no good at it, but I don’t buy expensive art supplies and I use this stuff for loose experimental stuff- so I don’t have pressure to make anything great If it doesn’t feel right, it’s just not for you and the beauty of art is that you can use the tools you like! It’s definitely not a problem in my opinion, and I think even if digital art is more accessible, traditional works are very important and still necessary And sometimes I do just plain like using paper/canvas!
I worry people feel they absolutely have to use digital to be successful- when that’s definitely not true! Truly no matter how many brushes I try digitally, I still can’t replicate the fun of using a paper mate inking pen- and I got started drawing silly comics on paper for my friends in middle school Every avenue is a tool, and no artist out there uses every single tool available to them!
My personal hypothesis is that: when drawing with digital tools, 1- You are overwhelmed with choices 2- You are learning 2 or more things at once. The first one is obvious. You only have a limited set of tools when drawing traditionally unlike digital drawing where you have to choose the tablet, digital painting software, the brush, the organization of layers, etc. And all of these little things require learning by themselves. You need to learn how to use the tablet and its buttons, how to use the digital painting software, brushes and even how to use the operating system. It's no wonder how many people get burned out when trying to learn drawing form scratch and use digital medium. Sadly my work force my to draw digitally but I make sure I have some fun with traditional drawing once in a while.
Omg i had this exact same experience with digital vs traditional! I wish I'd figured it out sooner, i struggled and fought with digital art for YEARS and almost gave up on drawing. What finally happened is AI art exploded onto the internet and I kind of gave up on digital art 😅 I went back to traditional and now I feel like a kid again! Loving drawing and getting more stuff done way faster, and being excited to draw the next thing!
I'm really beginning to believe I should bite the bullet and grab an entry-level graphical tablet because of how long I've been getting demoralized struggling to make anything that looks good in a reasonable time frame using my gaming mouse and keyboard.
I think its much easier and fast to create original art on paper, however when it comes to anything that "just has to be done" like coloring or perfecting the lines of the logo - digital is a way to go. But for me it always start on paper.
There are a lot of inherent limitations to digital that tend to go unrecognized but can be felt intutively: at the top are issues with latency, tactility, and digitization itself. Latency is somewhat noticed, and it does improve with a higher refresh display. But every tablet will show some waviness if you take a ruler and very, very slowly draw a diagonal line. You can go faster, but now you are drawing differently, and your options to mitigate that are limited to a higher-friction nib or screen overlay. You can crank up the stabilization, but now it's not YOUR line. You can use the technical tools, but now you're disengaged from the language of freehand drawing and are doing graphic design. The feel will never be like the actual pens or brushes since it won't squish down or carve into the screen, and that eliminates an entire dimension of sensation that affects moment-to-moment drawing decisions. If you aren't happy with a detail you will zoom in, which leads you to fix everything, zoom out again, and then see more things needing fixing. All of these things add up into lingering dissatisfaction. When I do pixel art digitally, it's not so bad - the tools cohere well: it's when I aim for something "HD" that it falls into an uncanny valley. So I try not to do that. What I've landed on as a process now embraces traditional with just a bit of digital: I have an A4-sized lightpad ordered off Amazon for 17 USD, and using a T-square, I constructed a premade grid of 1" squares on a blank sheet of 9x12" paper(which isn't precisely A4, but it's very close, and more available here in the US). Then I take my comic page, overlay that over the grid, and blast light through it. I can use the grid to set up other ruled lines or to transfer things from digital sources. If I'm not sure how I want to do layout or I see a tough drawing problem, I can make a sketch on cheaper paper and then lightbox that or do a graphite transfer, or go back and forth between traditional and digital: I can take pictures of the WIP, do digital edits, add in any references, and then transfer it back with more grid drawing. Everyone knows grids are great at transfers - that's how all those "hyperrealism" videos do it. With a preprinted grid, it's easy to apply that technique whenever I want. I can even do this quite late when the page is inked: nothing stops me from doing some compositing, although I find it's slow to rely on that. I have thoughts of lightboxing color work so that it's composited too, although it remains unattempted. No need to use waterproof inks if you keep that page unspoiled 😅 My favorite drafting pencil right now is actually a "coke pen" I found at Daiso: there are a bunch of "no sharpening needed" pencils being marketed online, and the common thing about them is that they make really light lines at a consistent point size. If I want to add more depth to the pencils I switch to something else, but it gives me a starting point that resembles digital consistency before I bring in the pens(and I lean heavily towards using a Tradio Stylo for the bulk of the inks lately, which produces really varied lines). Combine that with some rulers and stencils using the "coin mod" to give them some height and stability, and I'm pretty happy with the design work I can pull off in traditional.
I dont really mind drawing digitally. I like it because of its flexibility when making mistakes but I do believe it is very niche. While we gain the ability to undo mistakes, we don't have the same texfure or feeling when drawing, coloring, or painting on paper. I dont think theres a wrong or right way, but just a way.
IMO Digital tools, much like modern life, while immensely effective and valuable, burns one out fast. Its like deadlines, while it is great to enforce timely achievements, it also takes away the true artistic value the artist places on their work, hence burn out. Ironic, isn't it. Effective tools for creativity bring about the death of it. So the trick is to take more time when doing either digital or manual.
I have never been able to completely switch to digital for the same reason. I really enjoy the tactile feel of drawing by hand and my drawing comes out better as a result. I color digitally, but everything must start with a hand drawn illustration or I will lose interest.
I tried to use one of those drawing tablets. I didn’t like it. It ended up kinda jizzless and creepy. I like oils I do think there is a pile of digital art that is fantastic. Just not mine. Keep making stuff no matter how you make it.
i think it comes down to personal preference. there was a time where i preferred traditional over digital; now it’s vice versa because i discovered that i had a lot of trouble using graphics tablets due to my executive dysfunction; display tablets absolutely changed my life and i regretted never investing in one. personally i just CANNOT stand how 1) streamlined my work becomes when using a graphics tablet, especially as someone who inks religiously! and 2) trying to correlate my hand that isn’t directly on the screen throws me off so fucking much that i can’t finish anything. people who ink with graphics tablets have balls of steel because i could never lmfao. ik i’m getting off-topic but the point is read the first sentence
I also don't like the process of making digital art. I also don't like the finished product as much. There is just something else about traditional art that makes it so much more fun and satisfying.
I make all of my money through digital art, and despite how good it is as an actual tool, I find myself running into the same problems. I ENJOY making art traditionally, but digital gives me tools to make a finished product that can sustain me. I hope one day I'll get along far enough in my art journey to where these two bridges connect, and I can enjoy both processes somewhat equally, but I'm not sure digital will ever truly feel as satisfying as making something that is tangible. I'm a more tactile person by nature, always liked collecting stationary, love owning physical artbooks, and I switch up the tools I use depending on what I feel like using, and I think all of that adds to the appeal and enjoyment of drawing traditionally.
What IS useful though, is that the separation allows me to segment things better. I have a process that's less fun, but allows me to make what I need to for work, and that's digital. And I have a process that I find satisfying and fun, for personal enjoyment, and that's traditional. Even though it has become my career, drawing and making art is still enjoyable for me, in part thanks to the fact I have a clear separation of when I'm doing something for others, and when I 'm doing something for myself.
Nice thumbnail! That's how I feel about it too. I don't like the idea that I need electricity just to look at my drawings. And there's just something magical about turning a blank piece of paper into a work of art using nothing but a pencil.
With Ai images being so rampant, I think making physical artwork is becoming more appealing, the only downside is that it's less forgiving, I can't adjust the drawing as easily.
@@Silver77cyn It helps to sketch lightly at first, using a hard pencil, and also to roll a kneaded eraser on the drawing so that it almost disappears, but you can still see the lines and redraw them better. That's how Frank Cho does, and his lines are immaculate.
woaaah what, ive made a super similar realization lately too. Ive had a drawing tablet for a little over a year now and i'd like to say ive become pretty used to using it but at the same time it often just doesnt feel right? Drawing traditionally i feel alot more free and my lines have so much more energy, when i get into a flow like state it feels like my pen literally glides across the paper its great. Digital drawing often fails to replicate this feeling for me and even makes me begind to doubt my own skill because of this. Because of this ive been doing alot more of my practice traditionally, but at the same time i really dont want to just stop digital altogether because of just how much more convinent it can be to rectify mistakes and experiment with things like color without having to both purchase paint and put up with the mess they can make.
This is a super interesting topic that i've not seen spoken about before so figured i was the only one with this problem, thanks for talking about it this vid was real insightful!
I ended up taking the full digital way because of its accessibility and ease to use.
Back in mid 2016, when it all started, I grabbed my pencil and paper like most people who start their art journey, it was neat and even joined some Facebook art groups where people shared art done in both mediums. I was fascinated on the traditional side and really do wanted to make the average "Calarts admission sketchbook", as such my mom bought me a simple sketchbook that was on sale.
However, the more I got into traditional the more my frustrations grew towards that medium. I felt restricted as I have no art supplies, it was too demanding as a single mistake could cost the whole piece, that sketchbook was so nice looking that I felt I was wasting it. Even made for myself a DIY sketchbook with A4 paper sheets cut in half just to ease the last 2 frustrations.
All for nothing.
Eventually, little by little I got into the digital medium as it made me feel truly free.
Does your work suck? No worries, create a new file or undo with caution. Want to paint in certain color? Sure, pick any from the color wheel. Want to use watercolors or markers? Go for it, check online for free brushes. Is your character deformed in one part? Don't worry, just lasso and transform the guy to fix it!
Time passed and digital art became my job. Hell, I've been considering into going back to pen tablets (aka screenless boys) because those are cheaper and more ergonomic.
I love this style of video, could listen for hours
during 2020 (the classic pandemic switchover) i completely switched over to digital, and lost all of my traditional skills in the process since yeah, it was the most fast and accessible method
i came to your same conclusion and hit that stone wall maybe about 2 years ago? as a way to recover from art block, i’ve been doodling in my old 2020 sketchbook, and genuinely its so much more enjoyable. i believe it’s purely because theres no expectations that comes with making digital art. with making art digitally all the tools are available: undo buttons, thousands of brushes… so i’m pressured to make something good with those tools i guess, since its so easy to access
with drawing traditional all i have is a silly sketchbook i bought from 4 years ago, and pencil crayons from my art class. and i’m free to just. art i guess without worrying that i’m doing enough
not sure. i might have agreed with you, if i hadn't sketched two pages monday and then just left them sitting on my desk.
i feel like my confidence on paper has taken a hit. its cliche, but that undo function is sure something.
i did enjoy finally discovering a ruling pen for border lines though. an old complaint was having to use fineliners, and having them run out, or hit the ruler wrong and not make a line at all.
and even with watercolour the process is slow and youre lucky if your skin tones dont need rewetting by the time youre halfway through.
Hey! Digital artist here, honestly it’s kind of the opposite for me haha. I quite struggle with traditional artwork and do not find quite the same enjoyment. I completely respect the opposite side of the spectrum however, the struggle with being unable to erase mistakes is insane to me haha.
Only recently I have begun to use a stylus, used I used my finger beforehand.
Honestly I feel both methods have pros and cons, and it’s all a matter of preference! I mainly do digital work but sometimes I like to handle paints and stuff- I’m no good at it, but I don’t buy expensive art supplies and I use this stuff for loose experimental stuff- so I don’t have pressure to make anything great
If it doesn’t feel right, it’s just not for you and the beauty of art is that you can use the tools you like!
It’s definitely not a problem in my opinion, and I think even if digital art is more accessible, traditional works are very important and still necessary
And sometimes I do just plain like using paper/canvas!
I worry people feel they absolutely have to use digital to be successful- when that’s definitely not true!
Truly no matter how many brushes I try digitally, I still can’t replicate the fun of using a paper mate inking pen- and I got started drawing silly comics on paper for my friends in middle school
Every avenue is a tool, and no artist out there uses every single tool available to them!
My personal hypothesis is that: when drawing with digital tools, 1- You are overwhelmed with choices 2- You are learning 2 or more things at once. The first one is obvious. You only have a limited set of tools when drawing traditionally unlike digital drawing where you have to choose the tablet, digital painting software, the brush, the organization of layers, etc. And all of these little things require learning by themselves. You need to learn how to use the tablet and its buttons, how to use the digital painting software, brushes and even how to use the operating system. It's no wonder how many people get burned out when trying to learn drawing form scratch and use digital medium.
Sadly my work force my to draw digitally but I make sure I have some fun with traditional drawing once in a while.
Really enjoyed this. And it looks like your comic is interesting, too.
Omg i had this exact same experience with digital vs traditional! I wish I'd figured it out sooner, i struggled and fought with digital art for YEARS and almost gave up on drawing. What finally happened is AI art exploded onto the internet and I kind of gave up on digital art 😅
I went back to traditional and now I feel like a kid again! Loving drawing and getting more stuff done way faster, and being excited to draw the next thing!
I'm really beginning to believe I should bite the bullet and grab an entry-level graphical tablet because of how long I've been getting demoralized struggling to make anything that looks good in a reasonable time frame using my gaming mouse and keyboard.
I think its much easier and fast to create original art on paper, however when it comes to anything that "just has to be done" like coloring or perfecting the lines of the logo - digital is a way to go. But for me it always start on paper.
There are a lot of inherent limitations to digital that tend to go unrecognized but can be felt intutively: at the top are issues with latency, tactility, and digitization itself. Latency is somewhat noticed, and it does improve with a higher refresh display. But every tablet will show some waviness if you take a ruler and very, very slowly draw a diagonal line. You can go faster, but now you are drawing differently, and your options to mitigate that are limited to a higher-friction nib or screen overlay. You can crank up the stabilization, but now it's not YOUR line. You can use the technical tools, but now you're disengaged from the language of freehand drawing and are doing graphic design. The feel will never be like the actual pens or brushes since it won't squish down or carve into the screen, and that eliminates an entire dimension of sensation that affects moment-to-moment drawing decisions. If you aren't happy with a detail you will zoom in, which leads you to fix everything, zoom out again, and then see more things needing fixing. All of these things add up into lingering dissatisfaction. When I do pixel art digitally, it's not so bad - the tools cohere well: it's when I aim for something "HD" that it falls into an uncanny valley. So I try not to do that.
What I've landed on as a process now embraces traditional with just a bit of digital: I have an A4-sized lightpad ordered off Amazon for 17 USD, and using a T-square, I constructed a premade grid of 1" squares on a blank sheet of 9x12" paper(which isn't precisely A4, but it's very close, and more available here in the US). Then I take my comic page, overlay that over the grid, and blast light through it. I can use the grid to set up other ruled lines or to transfer things from digital sources. If I'm not sure how I want to do layout or I see a tough drawing problem, I can make a sketch on cheaper paper and then lightbox that or do a graphite transfer, or go back and forth between traditional and digital: I can take pictures of the WIP, do digital edits, add in any references, and then transfer it back with more grid drawing. Everyone knows grids are great at transfers - that's how all those "hyperrealism" videos do it. With a preprinted grid, it's easy to apply that technique whenever I want. I can even do this quite late when the page is inked: nothing stops me from doing some compositing, although I find it's slow to rely on that. I have thoughts of lightboxing color work so that it's composited too, although it remains unattempted. No need to use waterproof inks if you keep that page unspoiled 😅
My favorite drafting pencil right now is actually a "coke pen" I found at Daiso: there are a bunch of "no sharpening needed" pencils being marketed online, and the common thing about them is that they make really light lines at a consistent point size. If I want to add more depth to the pencils I switch to something else, but it gives me a starting point that resembles digital consistency before I bring in the pens(and I lean heavily towards using a Tradio Stylo for the bulk of the inks lately, which produces really varied lines). Combine that with some rulers and stencils using the "coin mod" to give them some height and stability, and I'm pretty happy with the design work I can pull off in traditional.
I dont really mind drawing digitally. I like it because of its flexibility when making mistakes but I do believe it is very niche. While we gain the ability to undo mistakes, we don't have the same texfure or feeling when drawing, coloring, or painting on paper.
I dont think theres a wrong or right way, but just a way.
IMO
Digital tools, much like modern life, while immensely effective and valuable, burns one out fast.
Its like deadlines, while it is great to enforce timely achievements, it also takes away the true artistic value the artist places on their work, hence burn out. Ironic, isn't it. Effective tools for creativity bring about the death of it.
So the trick is to take more time when doing either digital or manual.
I have never been able to completely switch to digital for the same reason. I really enjoy the tactile feel of drawing by hand and my drawing comes out better as a result. I color digitally, but everything must start with a hand drawn illustration or I will lose interest.
I tried to use one of those drawing tablets.
I didn’t like it.
It ended up kinda jizzless and creepy.
I like oils
I do think there is a pile of digital art that is fantastic. Just not mine.
Keep making stuff no matter how you make it.
i think it comes down to personal preference. there was a time where i preferred traditional over digital; now it’s vice versa because i discovered that i had a lot of trouble using graphics tablets due to my executive dysfunction; display tablets absolutely changed my life and i regretted never investing in one. personally i just CANNOT stand how 1) streamlined my work becomes when using a graphics tablet, especially as someone who inks religiously! and 2) trying to correlate my hand that isn’t directly on the screen throws me off so fucking much that i can’t finish anything. people who ink with graphics tablets have balls of steel because i could never lmfao. ik i’m getting off-topic but the point is read the first sentence
And you know what? Faster isn’t always better,it never was and it never will. Especially when it comes down to digital art.
And that’s another thing I keep hearing these new British words, knackered and kip or kipping.
I also don't like the process of making digital art. I also don't like the finished product as much. There is just something else about traditional art that makes it so much more fun and satisfying.