Digital Drawing

Setups, Basics, Tutorial & Drills

Whether you've done the in-class Digital Drawing workshop, or not, please do every item on this page, to ensure you have covered all the essential skills and methods.

You will need Adobe Photoshop and a drawing device. Please learn the Photoshop methods first.
Digital Drawing requires regular drills, skills practise, and warmups before classes.

Digital Equipment & Software

What drawing tablet should I use? 5 Reasons a Simple Drawing Tablet is better

Recommendations

Digital:

Drawing Pen Tablet (with Computer / Laptop), or a Pen Computer.
- - An up-to-date computer, large screen, mouse, keyboard and a complete OS is typically required for professional-grade, high-resolution, technical and fine-stage work.
  - Simple, affordable, non-LCD pen tablets quickly jack into a computer's USB port, are reliable, and allow you to work on a large screen. Larger screens are required for higher quality and resolution, for many of the projects in this course, and in industry.
  - For most budgets, Wacom pen tablets, small to medium, new, used, or refurbished, are good. There are many other brands, reviewed online.
  - You may borrow medium-size Wacom pen tablets from the SAE Tech Store on campus. Borrowing time and availability is limited.
  - For higher budgets, large LCD pen displays, Microsoft Surface, or Wacom MobileStudio Pro are awesome.
  - Small LCD tablets are not recommended, and are known for thick, sloppy lines. Minimum size for fine-quality designs is A4, 300ppi.
Adobe Creative Cloud
- - Adobe Photoshop for drawing, painting, and image processing.
  - Adobe Premiere Pro for editing video animatics.
  - BUY an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription with your SAE credentials, and get a student discount.
  - We only support Photoshop and Adobe Creative Cloud apps, due to professional industry-strength features, widespread industry use, and demand for skills. Industry teams frequently share software workflow, skills, features, layers, files, and artists. We have provided workstations on-campus, and the student discount price of an Adobe CC subscription for the duration of your studies is reasonable. We require you to use Photoshop skills and techniques, and supply all formats in editable working condition, including special features. This will affect your grade. Please kindly learn Photoshop, and become comfortable with it.
  - Technical drawing typically requires a desktop PC, large screen, and the full desktop version of Photoshop, compatible with SAE's software environment.
  - Do not auto-update Adobe CC software. Use the same version numbers that are installed at SAE at the beginning of each trimester.
For weekly outside-class time, online remote work, and Photoshop access:
- - To view both a subject as well as a drawing at the same time: use either one very large screen, or two screens.
  - Use SAE Tech Store to borrow equipment e.g. drawing tablets, and in special cases, computers.
  - Inquire about using an SAE workstation via remote VPN through IT Services.
  - You must buy an Adobe subscription, obtain off-site Photoshop access, or attend the college weekly in your scheduled outside-class time, for regular access to Photoshop. Use a calendar.
Headphones/earphones for viewing videos at your workstation.
You are expected to come to class prepared.

Photoshop

Digital Drawing Video Tutorial, 15 mins

Whether or not you've done the in-class Digital Drawing workshop, please do every item on this page, to ensure you have covered all the essential skills. This video will help!

+djs-digital-drawing-brushes-v101.mp4

Tablet Driver

Check your tablet system setup, before running your drawing software.

Experiment until you can control stroke, direction, and width comfortably. Save the settings in a place you can find them again.

Wacom Tablet Settings

and PC Settings

Wacom Desktop Center > Pen Settings > (adjust)

Wacome Desktop Center > Backup Settings

to a place you can find them again

PCs > Settings > Pen & Windows Ink > Turn visual effects off

Get rid of the annoying circle in Windows pen hold

PCs > Control Panel > Pen & Touch

Photoshop

Start

Home Screen > Create New, or File > New
For general Drawings, Designs, and Artwork:
- - Print > A4 300 ppi (minimum size)
  - Please use this A4 Template, 3508x2480px
    - - Home Screen > Open, or File > Open
  - Fill the page with work, please.
  - If you're doing thumbnails/roughs, fill the page with small drawings.
For Storyboard Keyframes for Film/TV/Digital:
- - Film & Video > HD 1920x1080, 72 ppi (minimum size)
  - Please use this HD Template, 1920x1080px
    - - Home Screen > Open, or File > Open
File > Save As: TIF master with layers.
- - File > Export > Export As: PNG or JPG copies for viewing, web pages, client reviews, distribution, etc.. Please do not use screenshots.
  - Regularly save all master files, and back them up on GDrive. Please do not delete or discard anything, put it in a subfolder of backups.

Workspace

Window > Workspace > Painting

Untitled-A4-ls.tif

A4 Template, 3508x2480px

030-Storyboard-Frame-Template.vhero-1920x1080p-Digital.tif

Storyboard Template, HD 1920x1080p

Layers

Create a New Layer
Layers Panel > [+]

Layers

(Example) Please organize your master file

Layer 3: Clean line / ink, high-contrast, opaque (top)
Layer 2: Shading or fill, more opaque (middle)
Layer 1: Start - Rough/Construction non-photo blue (bottom)
Do not draw in the default "Background" layer

Layers Panel

Brush Tool

Select one of your included General Brushes, and modify it. A good start is
"Hard Round Pressure Size"

Brush Tool

(Example Settings)

Brush Size increases with pressure, so that lines/strokes have tapering ends
- - Brush settings > Shape Dynamics > Size Jitter > Control > Pen Pressure
Brush Opacity increases with pressure
- - Brush settings > Transfer > Opacity Jitter > Control > Pen Pressure
Test: Draw in the same tone/color, over your own lines, while varying the opacity, versus painting at 100% opacity, and varying the tones/colors.

Save

Brushes panel > [+] save your brush with a name

See also Digital Drawing - Brushes for import and export of brushes only

Brush
Tool,

Current Color

Brush
detail Settings
Button

Brushes and Settings

Click down arrow >

Brushes Panel

Brush Tool Main Settings, under Menu Bar

Brush Detail Settings Panel

Color

(Example) (your colors will be saved in the Swatches panel)

Construction: Cool Non-Photo Blue, low contrast
- - Light: RGB: 164, 221, 237 or similar
  - Medium: RGB: 88, 166, 188 or similar
  - Brush: Opacity: 20% (keyboard "2") or similar
Shading: Warm Grey, graded contrast
- - Medium: RGB: 177, 166, 155 or similar
  - Dark: RGB: 88, 82, 79 or similar
  - Brush: Opacity: 20% - 40% (keybd "2" – "4")
Ink/Clean Line: Warm Black, high-contrast
- - Dark: RGB: 22, 21, 20 or similar
  - Brush: Opacity: 80% - 100% (keybd "8" – "0")

Brush
Tool,

Current Color

Color Picker Panel

Lasso Selector Tool

Select an area in a regular pixel layer
You can draw a shape with it
Add or subtract with SHIFT or ALT
Edit > Fill, to fill with color
Select > Deselect, when done

Move Tool / Free Transform Tool

Move the current layer or selection, up, down, left, right.
Use the SHIFT key to move in one axis only
Show Transform Controls [on/off]
Left-Click the Transform Controls to go into Free Transform mode, for Scale, Rotate, etc.
Use the SHIFT key to transform one side only, SHIFT-ALT for one axis only, or uncheck the chain link.
Right-Click the Transform Controls to go into Distort mode, or Warp mode
✔ accept changes
See Adobe Help > Free Transform

Main Tool Settings, under Menu Bar, top left

Auto-select may unexpectedly select layers, so switch it [off].

Show Transform Controls [on] for Free Transform, [off] may be more convenient for simple Move Tool

Essential Shortcuts and Tools

Practise regularly

SPACE hold, drag pen Hand/Dragger

r hold, drag pen Rotate Canvas (slowly please)

z hold, drag pen Zoom In/Out (also CTRL -, +)

b Brush Tool (use the regular brush only)

e Eraser Tool

[ ] Brush Size Up/Down

1 - 0 Opacity %

CTRL z Undo / Step backward

CTRL Z Redo / Step forward

Brush tap, SHIFT, tap Straight line (start, end)

1. Tap and release once at the desired start of the line 2. Hold down the SHIFT key 3. Tap and release once at the desired end of the line

l (SHIFT +, ALT -) Lasso Selector (Please CTRL-D deselect when done)

v Move Tool, Free Transform Tool

Layer Organizing

Use Photoshop's Layer Groups, Layer Comps and/or Artboards to organize different drawings, compositions, or pages within the same project master file.

New pages, new drawings

It isn't necessary to create more master files during the same project or work session. When you want to start a new "page", simply create new layers, and turn the visibility of desired layers on or off.

This reduces file management and is the typical preferred way for Photoshop artists.

See image to the right.

For viewing, web pages, etc., please make smaller files for each different page/composition/drawing:

File > Save As a Copy...

File format: PNG or JPG

File > Export > Export As...

File format: PNG or JPG

Please don't use screenshots

You can also export many layers at once, to JPGs or PNGs. See Storyboarding a Scene - Photoshop, Layer Comps - Tutorial, Video, 15 mins

Saving and Versions

File > Save

- - TIF master with layers.
  - Every 20 minutes or so

File > Save a Copy

- - Every big change, and every review
    - - with a version number, e.g. v1, v2, etc.
      - to a subfolder named +backup\

Backup & Sync

- - Save everything to GDrive. Yes, everything.

Layers Panel, layer visibility

Template File(s)

A4 300 ppi, 3508x2480px, layers, guides, TIF
A2 300 ppi, 7016x4961px, layers, guides, TIF
HD Video, Storyboard Template, 72ppi, 1920x1080px, layers, guides, TIF
Or see Project Detail Briefs for Project-specific templates.
Or search the GSite for "Template" (search bar)

Preferences

Edit > Preferences >
- Performance > History States > 100
  - This is how many "Undos" you want.
- Scratch Disks >
  - If you have multiple drives, choose the largest internal drive on your computer, and avoid any System Startup drive if possible. Please also save your work to the largest drive.
- Guides, Grid >
  - Guides > Canvas > - - - - - [light line]
  - Grid > - - - - - [light line]
  - Gridline every 1 centimeter
  - Subdivisions: 10
- Units > Rulers > Millimeters
- OK
View > Rulers [on]
- Right click on margin Ruler, to change units.
- Usually, we use pixels or millimeters.
File > Save
File > Exit Photoshop, to ensure settings are saved.

Export and Import All Brushes and Settings

Backup your tablet driver settings (pen pressure, etc.) from Wacom Desktop Center, to a file, and store it in your GDrive.
All Adobe Photoshop's brushes, preferences, presets, textures, etc. are automatically saved in
- - Windows File Explorer >
    - - C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop [version] folder
      - or %AppData%\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop [version] folder
  - MacOS Finder >
    - - Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop [version] folder
  - This is usually a large folder. Copy the whole folder to your GDrive, and/or to a device.
Brushes and other Presets can be exported and imported by themselves: see Brushes.

For details on specific tools, see

Adobe Photoshop User Guide

Adobe Photoshop in-App Help

Activities

Warm-ups, Doodles, Scribbles, 2D Lines and Shapes

Doodling

5 Drawing Exercises That Will Make Anyone An Artist"I can't draw!" people always say — but is it true? These 5 drawing exercises can help you get better at drawing — and make you more creative.

Podcasts you can listen to while doodling:

Interview with Gabby Rivera the first queer lantina to write for Marvel Comics:
https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-gabby-rivera-on-superheroes-storytelling-and-joy-as-resistance/

Flex Mami is a cult Gen Z influencer on IG & TikTok https://open.spotify.com/episode/1gUI0TViqgzbQ8YcLXvVYM?si=9ZoTbI_GQqOGOIQhmnUSlQ&dl_branch=1

Or pick your favorite music to work to, and play!

2D Shapes and Lines have Personality

How do we draw Straights? Curves? Thin and fat lines? Tapering lines? Wavy lines?
What happens when we put shapes next to each other? How does the relationship feel? What are the negative space shapes in-between?
What happens when we make shapes non-parallel / non-symmetrical?
What happens when we change, split, or bend the shapes?

Hand - Eye Co-ordination Drills, for Digital Tablets

Are you a newcomer to digital drawing / tablets? Trace over your own lines!

Do this for about 5-10 minutes at a time weekly, as part of your warm-ups.
Yes, it feels weird at first, then you get used to it. Digital drawing offers so many advantages for animation production, that for artists who are new to digital, it's worth tolerating the slipperyness and strangeness. Keep practising over and over, until the magical zone of comfort and co-ordination is achieved.
Deliberate practice is a special type of practice that is purposeful and systematic, and it's part of the SAE Transferable Skills philosophy. While ordinary practice might include mindless repetition of inferior habits, deliberate practice requires focused, methodical attention, with tolerance of discomfort, and is conducted with the specific goal of building superior habits, and improving performance.
This is a very tight exercise, so make sure you stretch and shake your arms afterwards, and also do free, loose and fast drawing practise in your warm-ups (e.g. scribbling/doodling), to get the tightness out!

25 Tutorials for Getting Started with your Wacom Tablet

3D Shape Construction - Fundamentals

Basic 3D Forms - use see-through/transparent construction

Basic 3D Forms - Transparent construction

Using this method, draw the lines of 4 basic 3D shapes, a cube, a cone, a sphere, and a cylinder.

Quick roughs

3 minutes, full page: Quick blue roughs in a fast/loose/rough storyboarding style, with 1 - 2 tones of shade. Fill the page with various 3D shapes. Use construction blue, 20%-30% opacity.

Precise Shapes

Start a new page/layer and turn the old layer's visibility off.
View > Rulers (on).
20 minutes, full page: Precise, technically accurate shapes. Use a sharp tip (5px to 8px @ A4 300ppi), in construction blue, a ruler, straight and curved lines. 50% opacity. Tap firmly at desired line start, hold [SHIFT] key, tap firmly at desired line end, for straight lines,. Construct ellipses inside box grids, and smooth the arcs by rotating the drawing, with multiple revision strokes at 20% - 30% opacity. Keep going, until construction is millimeter accurate. Then in a new layer, draw over, with sharp 0.5mm cleanup lines (5px @ A4 300ppi), in 100% opacity black.

Quickies

geometric-shapes-precise.jpg

Precise Shapes

Using Photoshop digital brush tool, straight line technique, ellipse-in-box technique, and rulers only.

ruler 30cm h.png

Ruler

You can use a transparent ruler layer, instead of Photoshop's margin rulers. Download, drag and drop, over your Photoshop canvas.

Shape Tools

You can use Photoshop's geometric shape tools to check your work, afterwards. How close did you get?

Alternative forms

More complex, for advanced students

Other complex shapes can be selected from this folder (optional)

For precise shapes, see also:

Technical Drawing

Vector Shape Tools, Mathematical Drawing, and Geometry

Form and Tone Shading

Fast and Loose style - 1 tone of shading

Good for quick storyboarding

Shade some of your rough shapes this way.

Smoothed and Polished Shading with at least 4 tones

Notice the slight amount of "kick" light on the shaded side edge! Realistic, detailed shading usually does not extend all the way to the dark side edge. In real life, the environment/atmosphere has a small amount of diffused, rebounding light.

Full-illustration-quality shading, with hundreds of tones

Tone, Shading, Ellipses, Silhouettes - TUTORIAL EXERCISES

Pop out this PDF, or slide through the pages, and do all exercises -

Smooth tone shading of your basic 3d forms, using at least 4 tones.
- - Use multiple hatching strokes to build-up the desired tones.
  - Digital: Using opacity build-up is recommended, rather than solid paint tones.
Drawing many ellipses, all inside rectangles
- - Use a low-opacity construction color, and a sharp point / small brush.
  - Sculpt the ellipses using multiple, gentle strokes, to slowly build up nice curves. Rotate the page as you work.
Character shape thumbnails/roughs
- - Digital: fat, artistic brushes can be found under Topics > Photoshop > Brushes or under Digital Drawing - Brushes