Digital Fantasy Illustration

There are only two basic things you’ll need for this class: 1: Hardware to draw on (Computer, tablet etc.) 2: Drawing software on that device Many students are already familiar with digital drawing and painting and will be ready to go. For families who have questions about these materials, here’s a breakdown. Hardware There are a variety of hardware devices that can be used for digital painting, with two main categories. You will need one of the following: · Desktop or laptop computer, paired with an external tablet device, which allows you to use a pen with pressure sensitivity to draw and paint. There are three main companies that make tablets that pair with your computer: Wacom, XP-Pen and Huion. Wacom is the most expensive, but generally considered to be the highest quality. XP-Pen and Huion tablets are cheaper but perfectly usable. There are a huge variety of tablets from these companies at many different price points, but any will work well for this class. · All-in-one tablet device with pressure-sensitive pen. These devices include the iPad Pro, Microsoft Surface tablets, and Samsung Galaxy Tab with S-Pen. Please make sure that your tablet has a pen and pressure-sensitive screen – tablets without a pressure-sensitive screen, such as the standard iPad, are not usable for this class. Pressure-sensitivity allows students to have control over their digital brush strokes based on how hard they press down on the screen. Software Similarly, there is a wide variety of software that can be used for this class. Most digital art software packages come with similar features, and if your student has a preferred software, there’s a good chance it will work just fine. If you’re not sure, here are my recommendations: · Procreate: Students using the iPad Pro for this class should use ProCreate. It costs $10 and is the best painting app available on that device. · Adobe Photoshop: This is a good choice for students who will be painting on a desktop or laptop computer, and overall, the best option for this class since it’s the software the instructor is most familiar with. Photoshop is the program that I will be using to demo and provide critique to students. It is somewhat expensive because it is based on a subscription model and can be downloaded and used for $10/month. · Clip Studio Paint: This is also a good choice for students who will be painting on a desktop or laptop computer. Clip Studio Paint is a full-featured digital art package that matches very well with Photoshop. You can purchase and download it online for a one-time payment of $50. · Krita: This is a solid and free digital painting program for desktop or laptop computers. · Infinite Painter: This is a good option for students drawing on an Android tablet such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab. It is a free app. Families who still have questions can watch this video to get a good overview of digital painting hardware and software: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiDe0fYzH2s Please feel free to email your instructor Brett Nuckles at brettnuckles@gmail.com if you have any questions about materials.