Getting that traditional look

The one thing I find the most difficult to do with digital art programs is getting an authentic traditional look. Some programs do it better than others, but it usually comes down to a lot of factors. Factors like the brushes, canvas settings, how much you want to re-work, etc.

Similar to traditional artwork, comfortability with the tools you're working with is a huge deal too. It's like when you're young and naive, you ask your favorite artists things like, "what kind of pencils do you use?" or "what paper is that?" as if that's the secret to creating masterpieces. Then you see someone like Carlos Grangel drawing on cereal box cardboard and creating masterpieces and realize it's just getting used to tools and learning by repeating and studying in a very specific way to improve the skills you're wanting to develop.

By the way, I love that series of YouTube videos. They have some absolute masters on there including, Claire Wendling, Karl Kopinski, Kim Jung Gi...so many amazing artists. It's awesome to see them in their kind of raw, just hanging out kind of element. I think Karl Kopinski is probably my favorite though, dude just seems to have a really good vibe about him. Okay, okay, where were we?

The art of being self-taught

Drawing, painting, coloring, animating. Whatever it is, just keep experimenting and be really specific in what you're trying to achieve when you're experimenting and studying and you'll get it. That's really all art is. In that way, every single artist out there is "self-taught". Sure you may have gone to college or gotten some education somewhere along the way, but the artist themselves had to practice over and over until it clicked. Ok, that's enough for me, get off the internet and go make something.