Question

[Danimal the Canibal]

Is there any one else that made the switch to digital and feels like they have to re-teach themselves how to draw?

[Inkthinker]

Yes. That's entirely normal, and in my case it was actually quite beneficial. I had to re-address a lot of skills I took for granted, and in doing so I learned to do them better than before.

It does take a while, and you have to stick with it. For me, about 3 months for the weird "drawing on glass" feeling to become more-or-less normal, and about 6 months to a year before I felt like I had my old confidence back (and better). Six years later, I don't ever want to go back.

There was also a period after I got comfortable with digital drawing where I felt like I'd lost the skills to draw on paper. This is also normal, and to get around it requires that you keep up drawing, at least sketching. But even so, I feel like when I work with real paper (or, god forbid, actual ink) that I'm flying without a net, so to speak. You really get used to the ability to Layer, Duplicate and Undo (functions which have no real equivalent in physical media).

[50%grey]

Is he talking about drawing in a scholastic sense?

Because if you have studied enough, and figured out everything then it doesn't matter what you draw with. You can be drawing with a paintbrush the size of a broom, and you will still be able to make a legitimately good piece of artwork.

If you are talking about relearning the tool like Inkthinker just explained. Yeah, there is going to be an adjustment period.

To me digital is soo much easier just in speed. Also the fact the lighting is even/perfect on the canvas, and the ability to erase/move/flipping canvas/zoom in on things instantly. As well as using layers, and the fact your hand isn't in the way. You also dont have to worry about cleaning up afterwords (smudging, brush cleaning, etc)

There is allot of advantages in using digital in a production pipeline just for the speed alone.

But back to learning how to draw. Layout, Composition, Design,Color Theory, Lighting, rendering, perspective, anatomy of human/beast/clothing, cleanup, and storytelling skills never change. You don't relearn those things, you only add to them, and that all comes from what your mastered.

That's why it's important to have a strong foundation because it will allow you to move through any medium very easily.

If you have that stuff down, like I said earlier, it doesn't matter what you draw with.

[50%grey]

Ack the double post got me...

But to drive home the point, as Artists we should only have to struggle with coming up with the idea, the execution of the idea we can aim to never struggle with.

If as an artist you struggle with the execution then you need to attack whatever subject you are having problems with through research, and study.

[Danimal the Canibal]

I don't know, maybe my foundation was really crappy and I never noticed before. All I know is I keep on referring back to the good old' "how to draw comics the marvel way" a lot in the past few days just refreshing my self on all of the basics and stuff. It could also be cause I took 3 months off preparing for a kickboxing match so its not some thing I'm horribly worried about.
Thanks though.

[Inkthinker]

Don't just refer to "how to draw comics", refer to sources that teach you how to draw in general, and then use what you learn to draw better comics.

The fundamentals of drawing are separate from style. Anatomy, Perspective and Composition are universally applicable. All that really tedious stuff that looks like realism lessons aren't just about learning how to draw, they're about learning how to solve drawing problems.

[shannonh]

If you have drawn with a paint brush and pencil for 30 years, you're going to have some difficulty. The thing with digital is that you have to learn a different way to produce the same result as you learned with traditional. Not to mention, you can't swivel a Wacom tablet at all and a Cintiq doesn't swivel like you can a piece of paper. I get online and see artists do some really cool stuff digitally and gets me motivated to get back on my Wacom....But I ALWAYS end up back with traditional before I'm done. I always have to realize that MOST of these great digital artists went to SCHOOL to learn it. That may be what we have to do.

[Inkthinker]

I don't know if most digital artists go to school for it... most of the ones I know (including myself) are self-taught, with the closest equivalent to "school" being Youtube videos and articles in Imagine FX. It's one of the reasons there's not much in the way of standardized technique, almost everyone has their own way of achieving results.

[amadarwin]

Actually, I do believe certain cintiqs DO swivel. It's the wacom tablets that don't, unless you like fiddling with the rotate option in PS as you draw.

I draw at an angle and rotate my paper a lot, so when I try going digital, it's a steep learning curve for me. I usually get frustrated and go back to pen n paper.

[Repo Man]

My Cintiq 20 inch swivels 360 degrees (but the attached cable allows you about 90 degrees realistically). I can even orient the unit like an 11 by 17 inch paper.

The thing that helped me "get" working digital was imagining my wacom pen was a brush. With a natural brush there is always a bit of a lag as you drag it across the paper. The point of a brush seems a little disconnected and spongy. You just have to watch and direct the brush tip. Same is true for the disconnect of a digital pen and the virtual tip-point through the glass. Just watch and direct the point. Also, I do have my pen cursors set to an actual "dot" or "point." I can't draw with some of the default cursors used in Photoshop or Manga Studio.

At least that's what I thought. Your mileage may vary.