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Beginner’s Guide to Start Digital Art Now!

When I decided to become a digital artist, I was clueless about where to start. There are many ways to create a digital art piece. From digital painting to AI art, digital art is a vast world with a wide variety. This article will help you understand what you need to start your digital art journey.

What is Digital Art?

Before I started it was helpful to know “What exactly is Digital Art?” This article from Adobe is a very in-depth explanation of the history and details of Digital Art.

In summary, Digital Art is any form of artwork where digital technology is a primary piece of the creative process. Think about digital painting, it is a digital art because computer algorithms dictate things like color, size, and line weight as you paint.

To start making digital art I needed 3 things: A Device, A Software, and a Class.

Digital Art Device

Digital art can be made using many devices. 89% of American households have a desktop computer which makes it the most accessible device to create digital art. Of course, you can also use your phone, or laptop or even invest in a tablet. As a beginner, I suggest using whatever you have already available because tools for digital art can become expensive, especially if you are buying everything brand new.

Tip: Before buying a new device, decide the type of Digital Art Software you want to use. Some software may only be available on certain devices.

Digital Art Software

Digital Art software is simply the digital technology you will use to create your art. It’s the “digital” part of Digital Art. Here are the 3 most popular software among digital artists:

Adobe Suite

The Adobe Creative Cloud is an online software subscription that allows users to create, edit, and design various forms of digital art. The most common programs among creative digital artists are Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Fresco. The Adobe Creative Cloud subscription is about $60 per month for all the apps. If that is too much, you can purchase only one app for about $23 a month. This option is a good idea to keep from overwhelming yourself as a beginner.

Adobe products can be used on both Desktop and Tablet and are available for Windows and Apple products. The price to use the apps on an iPad is about $15.

Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer is a Graphic Design software developed by a company named Serif. Unlike Adobe, this is the only program needed to create your art, though they do offer more products. Also different from Adobe, Affinity is not a subscription but a one-time purchase of about $70.

Affinity Designer is available on both Desktop and Tablet for both Windows and Apple products. The price to use the software on an iPad is about $11.

Note: Canva recently purchased Affinity Designer and while not much is known yet; a change to their pricing structure is possible.

Procreate

Procreate is an app that is very popular among digital artists. It is sometimes mentioned as the most beginner-friendly software for new digital artists. Procreate can be purchased with a one-time purchase of about $10. However, it is only available on an Apple iPad.

Digital Art Classes

Thanks to the internet, learning something new is easy and accessible. Once you have everything you need to start making digital art, you will be ready to start learning digital art. A single class or tutorial is all a beginner needs to go from clueless to confident. I recommend 2 sources for education about digital art: YouTube and Skillshare.

YouTube

YouTube is a free and easily accessible platform for learning and entertainment. I first learned about Digital Art through YouTube. I watched multiple artists as they did step-by-step tutorials and Paint with Me videos to create beautiful digital paintings. There are several channels dedicated to teaching others everything they need to learn digital art. I love Art with Flo and Genevieve’s Design Studio.

The only con I have found with some of these channels is that they have classes and in-depth tutorials behind a paywall, typically a Patreon membership. It is like taking an introductory course for free but needing to pay for the advanced lessons. However, you only get access to one teacher.

This is why I also recommend Skillshare.

Skillshare

Skillshare is an online learning platform designed for creatives. It gives you access to classes from hundreds of teachers and creators on hundreds of topics including digital art. There are lessons for beginners to advanced learners and it is all at one annual price of about $170. I love this platform because makes me feel like I am getting a university-level education for one low price. Which is great because I have enough student loan debt.

You can sign up using this link for a 1 month Free Trial and 40% off your first subscription payment (monthly or annual).

Start Digital Art!

These 3 easy steps will help you start digital art in no time and maybe join me on my journey to become a digital artist.