1. Actions

For an example of how to use Actions to create thumbnail images, check this tutorial.

2. HSB Sliders

3. Color Balance

Use Image > Adjustments > Color Balance or CTRL-B to access the Color Balance controls. Use Color Balance to tweak washed-out or bland images.

4. Adjustment Layers

Adjustment layers work differently in Photoshop CS4. If you’re using an earlier version, you’ll find them immensely handy. Adjustment layers allow you to do all the usual color tweaking without committing the changes to your art. The layer sits above any art you want to affect. You can also adjust the layer mode and opacity or edit the mask of these layers. To create a new one, go to Layers > New Adjustment Layer and select the adjustment you want.
That color balance thing from tip #3? Try doing it as an adjustment layer!

5. Layer Styles

6. Layer Blend Modes

Blend modes are another way to adjust color and add effects without doing any irreversible damage to your art (noticing a trend here?)
Set layers to ‘Multiply’ to darken the layers beneath – great for coloring scanned drawings. An example of this in action can be found in the Inking with Pencil tutorial. Experiment with other layer modes to add interesting effects to your art.

7. Magnetic Lasso Tool

8. Dodge for Sketch Cleanup

Ever scan in a pencil sketch, only to notice it’s covered with eraser doodles, smudges, and other random gunk? There’s a quick Photoshop trick to clean all that up.
Select the Dodge tool, set your paint color to black, and then lightly airbrush out the smudgy stuff. Using dodge gets rid of the lighter gunk, without lightening your lines too much. It can be hard to see depending on the lighting in your work area and your monitor settings. To double-check for gunk, invert the colors of the sketch (CTRL-I) and look for light grain and edges.

9. Layer Masks

Layer Masks are yet another way to edit your art without doing anything irreversible. Masks affect layer transparency- ‘masked’ areas are hidden. The mask itself can be edited at any time. You can even use masks to create animations!
To mask a bird out of this sketch, I create a selection around it, and then use that selection as the basis for a new mask.

My sketch now appears, minus bird. The mask appears next to the layer it affects in the layers palette. By holding ALT and clicking the mask icon, I can see and edit the mask itself. Masks also work on adjustment layers (tip #4).

10. Desaturate and Flip

And now, my final tip. This one isn’t as Photoshop-specific, but it’s a great way to double-check your work as you progress.
First, create a black-and-white version of your art- you can use an hue/saturation adjustment layer with saturation set to 0. That should show you the value range of your work. Is the focal point obvious? Does the character stand out from the background? You may want to adjust the levels of your layers with the desaturate layer still on to check your work. The second check is flipping. If you horizontally flip the image, does everything still look ok? Do characters or trees tilt or seem off-balance? Are facial features symmetrical?
Try these tricks a couple times as you progress on your art to nip problems early.

That’s all the tips for now!
Feel free to try these in other digital art software- the names may be different but they often have similar features to Photoshop.

Good luck and happy arting!

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Before setting pencil to paper, gear up ‘Commando’ style with the right supplies. Below I’ve listed my personal arsenal:

#2 Pencil: for general sketching. Brand doesn’t matter too much- although I like ‘Mirado Black Warrior’- just avoid pencils with brittle or grainy lead, and lead that’s too hard and squeaky.

Colerase pencil: for sketching and construction lines. There are many colors, the ones that scan best are tuscan red, indigo blue, carmine red and black. Light blue and blue are great for sketching construction lines- you can remove them after scanning like non-photo blue. Black is nice for ‘inking’ and combines well with watercolor or marker. Author’s Note: see Beyond Backgrounds step 3 for instructions on removing blue construction lines using Photoshop.

‘Lead holder’ mechanical pencil: it’s really a mechanical pencil but it holds a larger lead, like the common #2 pencil size. The leads are available in different grades including non-photo blue. The NPB lead is good for construction- I like to use it for sketching comics on bristol. Look for a holder with a sharpener built into the end. You can buy a special sharpener seperately, or just use sandpaper for sharpening.

Mechanical pencil: comes in sizes like 7mm, 5mm, 2mm. I use a smaller one for background details, and larger leads to draw characters and foreground elements. You can get softer leads, non-photo blue and other colors, but they’re hard to find. Colored leads tend to be brittle, and pricey. I’ve found the disposable Bic mech pencils have a soft, dark lead that’s great for sketching and erases pretty well. They tend to smudge, so I use a refillable mechanical pencil with nicer leads when ‘inking’ with pencil.

Other Handy Drawing Supplies

	Corkback Ruler		Drawing Board
	Drafting Brush		Dual Eraser
	Kneaded Eraser		Pencil Sharpener

Paper

Most of my sketching is done on white inkjet printer paper. It’s a little more expensive than copier paper, but it’s less prone to yellowing, more absorbent for ink and marker, and generally a bit heavier. To get a sense of how sturdy the paper is, check the ‘weight’ listed in lbs. on the package. The greater the weight, the stiffer and thicker the paper will be.
Sketching on looseleaf paper has the added benefit of allowing you to sort and file the pages however you like, or just toss the duds. See my tutorial Make your own sketchbook for more details on how I organize sketches.

When I’m not finishing up illustrations digitally, I tend to use smooth bristol paper. I stock up on pads of Strathmore Smooth Bristol at the Micheal’s, which regularly marks them down 20%. The standard sizes available are 9×12″, 11×14″, and 18×24″. You can also buy large sheets at an art supply store, and have them cut to order. I either sketch directly on the bristol, or use a lightbox to trace my sketch onto the final page.

Another nice paper for sketching is colored cardstock. These heavy-weight papers are available in bulk at office supply stores and hobby shops. Some have flecks and other natural color variations which add a nice effect. You’ll probably want a cardstock with some ‘tooth’, avoid the slick ones since pencil lines will smudge off of them. The colored papers have the benefit of acting like a toned page- that is, you can save some time and effort by adding just the darks and lights of your sketch, the paper provides the mid-range tones. Working on colored paper with the addition of white charcoal pencil or white acrylics is great fun.

Once you’re well stocked, check out the drawing tutorials for more tips and techniques.

Digital Art Supplies

Maybe you can tell I’m a digital addict. There’s next to no setup, no cleanup, and you never run out of paper! And if you’ve ever worked with an indecisive client, you know that the ability to switch colors and move around bits and pieces of your drawings is pretty handy. With Photoshop and other similar image editing software, those kind of changes are a breeze. Welcome to the digital era!

Here’s what you need to get started:

Wacom Tablet: the industry standard digital tablet. Although there are other brands, Wacom rose to the top due to consistent quality, particularly features like a sturdy cordless stylus and the reliable driver software. The tablet is a USB device that plugs into your computer. The surface is pressure sensitive, and reacts only with the wacom pen stylus or the wacom mouse. You can draw with the wacom stylus on the tablet, creating art directly in Photoshop, Painter, or other art software. If you’ve ever tried making digital art with a mouse you’ll appreciate the improved interface immediately, the difference is amazing. The high-end tablets have extra features like stylus tilt and rotation sensitivity. Another nice bonus- Wacom’s partnerships with Adobe and Corel means that the tablets usually include a coupon for art software.

There are three levels of tablet: Graphire, for novices and casual users; Intuos, which has more pressure sensitivity and the pen tilt/rotation feature; and Cintiq, which is a flatscreen lcd display with tablet technology overlaid.

I recommend getting the 4×5″ Graphire if you’re just getting into digital art, and aren’t sure how much use you’ll get out of it.

The next step up is the Intuos. I currently use a 6×8″ Intuos2, but the 6×11″ Intuos3 is best if you’ve got a widescreen or dual-monitor setup.

Personally, I haven’t spent much time with the Cintiq. Reviews are mixed, so definitely spend some time with one before buying. Or just buy a tablet PC, it’s almost the same price!

Scanners

If you need to bridge the gap between traditional and digital media, then you’re in the market for a scanner. They’re pretty common these days- which is both good, and bad. Avoid the cheapest models, like the ultra-slim LED scanners. Scanner/fax/copier combos usually have poor performance as well. You’ll get the best image quality from the older, bulkier technology. My current pick is Canon, the quality is good and the software has lots of nice options for artists.

Software

Software for digital art really depends on your budget and personal preferences. As I mentioned above, you’ll get a coupon for Photoshop and Painter when you buy a Wacom tablet. It’s a good deal! Another option is student versions of these programs, if you’re in school. The Adobe student license is great- you can still profit from art made with the student edition of Photoshop, and you don’t need to upgrade when you graduate.

Some software options:

Adobe Photoshop: the industry standard for image editing. Newer editions been adding more tools for the digital painter and illustrator. Also includes tools for vector art, web graphics and animation. CS3 introduced 3D integration. It’s very pricey! But a nice all-in-one tool, and essential knowledge if you wanna go ‘pro’.

Corel Painter: the best software for simulating natural media. Has better painting tools than Photoshop, but lacks many PS utilities. Nested menus are often confusing, and Painter IX is particularly notorious for crashing and corrupting saved files. Some effects require major amounts of RAM. Takes some time to learn, but one of the best programs if you just want to sit down and paint, digitally.

OpenCanvas: the early beta is floating around online, and is popular since it allows artists to chat and collaborate on the same canvas. The latest OC has major improvements, and a lot of the features that make Photoshop and Painter so handy. The color blending option is more user-friendly than Painter, and Photoshop lacks it entirely. At under $100, it’s a worthwhile investment for frugal artists. You can learn more about the beta and download it here.

ArtRage2: this software is optimal for tablet PCs, but works well with tablets too. Cross-platform compatibility is a plus. It has some nice natural media features like Painter, but lacks a lot of utilitarian options. The full version is $20, so it’s a cheap option for sketching or brainstorming before moving into a more powerful program.

And there are dozens of free or affordable programs you can try, like GIMP, oekaki, PaintShop, and more. Most offer demos, so give them a try and see which runs best on your computer, and feels right for drawing and sketching.

Check out the Digital art tutorials if you’ve got all the gear, but aren’t sure how to proceed or need some tips.

Good luck and happy drawing!

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Formatting Your Images

Digital images have tons of options, and it can be a bit overwhelming when you’re ready to save your image online.
A few quick rules:

72 DPI – this is the standard for web graphics. Anything higher won’t affect the way folks see your image, but it will make the filesize bigger.

Dimensions – Keep in mind, most of the world still uses 1024×768 pixel resolution for their monitors. Some are still using 800×600! I usually size my images to 600 pixels tall or less.

Filesize – Again, not everyone’s on broadband. Keep the filesize tolerable by using 72 dpi, reasonable dimensions, and the appropriate file type.

Digital art can be saved in a befuddling array of filetypes. You’ll know the file type by the three-letter extension at the end of the file, such as .JPG. But what does this cryptic code mean? I’ll break it down according to several factors, including file size, color range, compatibility and quality.

JPG

JPG is the most common format for digital art online. It has a good balance of quality, file size and color range, and it’s almost universally compatible. When in doubt, use JPG!
Compatibility: Excellent
Quality: Best for color photos and illustrations, choose 80 quality or higher. Low quality results in chunky ‘artifacts’
File Size: Medium
Color Range: Good
Best For: Color illustrations, big images, photos

GIF

GIF format is ideal for images with few colors and for small images. It also supports transparency and animation, and is widely compatible.
Compatibility: Excellent
Quality: Low, adjust dithering and matte options for smoother color transitions
File Size: Small, but can be enormous if used for larger or high-color images and animations.
Color Range: 256 colors
Best For: Small images, monochrome sketches, animations, website graphics

PNG

PNG is a powerful alternative to GIF, but doesn’t yet have wide support. It has more sophisticated transparency effects which are not recognized by most web browsers. 8-bit PNG is a good substitute for GIF.
Compatibility: Low
Quality: Good for a range of images, though a high quality JPG is better for big images since the filesize is lower
File Size: Medium, best for smaller images
Color Range: 256 colors for 8-bit PNG
Best For: small images, website graphics, flat color designs

BMP

BMP is the default historical Windows image file type. I’ll just say this- don’t use BMP for images online!

Free hosting – community galleries

You’re not too comfy with HTML or FTP, but you need to put your art online. There’s lots of options for beginners, so don’t fret. Although I think that ultimately, the best hosting option is your own website and domain, if you’re just getting comfortable online then test the waters with a free hosting option first.

JaxPad

An up-and-coming community gallery for anthro art. Content restricted to anthropomorphic art, and no mature content permitted. Multiple galleries, journals, and other community features.
Pros: Clean and easy navigation, community features, web-based interface. Anyone can post art.
Cons: Restricted content, no mature themes, still growing

Deviant Art

A huge art community site. Supports a gallery with plenty of storage space, and seems skewed in favor of younger artists. Lots of anime, cartoons and anthro art. Mature content is supposed to be tasteful and restricted, but DA relies on users to report violations.
Pros: Web-based interface, advanced community features like commenting, journal, mail, etc. All genres of art. Anyone can post art.
Cons: Ads appear for non-premium accounts, unwieldy category system, slow load times for dialup

Artspots

Sibling site to Jaxpad, Artspots is built on the same engine. The main difference is that membership is moderated- artists must first pass a review before they get a gallery. It’s geared toward intermediate to advanced artists and hobbyists. Also has a commission management tool and print shop.
Pros: Clean and easy navigation, community features, web-based interface, quality control
Cons: Moderated membership, restricted content, no mature themes, still growing. Membership reviews have a history of lengthy wait times.

FurAffinity

Similar to DeviantArt, FA is a feature-heavy community gallery . Although geared toward furry art, there are no explicit restrictions in the submission guidelines. Caters toward an adult audience- users must be 18 or have parents’ permission to upload art.
Pros: Community features, web-based interface. All genres of art. Anyone can post art. Anything goes!
Cons: Furry art is categorized by fetish, adults only, poor signal-to-noise ratio for browsing, cluttered interface

Blogger

Easy-to-use free blog. You can upload and attach images to posts- more like a journal than a gallery. Lots of pro artists post work on blogger regularly.
Pros: Easy to manage art blog format, great artist community, customization options
Cons: Limited gallery functionality, lacks features of other similar community sites

Advanced Options

One bad thing about those community sites- they could up and disappear tomorrow, and all your hard work and time invested would be lost. To avoid this, shell out the cash for your own server space and .com domain. A domain is handy because you can point it at a new server, and keep your email address, even if you have to relocate all your files. There are near limitless options for domain registrars and web servers. I’ve had pretty good luck with mine- itsyourdomain.com and phpwebhosting.com. In order to make your own web gallery, you’ll need:

~$10/year : Domain name – yourname.com, or yournameart.com, or whateverworks.com, etc.

~$100/year : webhosting. There are cheaper options – but I like my host since I have access to SQL, PHP, and unmetered bandwidth/server space (within reason of course)

Free : FTP software. Filezilla and FireFTP (for Firefox) are free options. Use FTP software to transfer files from your hard drive to your webserver.

Free : Text editing software, for making your website if you can hack out the HTML from scratch. Some options are Notepad or Textpad for Windows, and OpenOffice for OSX/Windows/Linux.

Free : Blog software. If your server supports PHP and SQL database, then you can install a blog like WordPress. This site runs on Wordpress :3

Free : Gallery software like Coppermine. You’ll need some knowledge of CSS if you want to customize the appearance, but these scripts can add a spiffy web-based interface, automatic thumbnail generation, and other goodies with the click of a button.

Now, actually creating a website from scratch, that’s an entire tutorial on its own… for now, if you’re interested in learning more about HTML and CSS, check htmlgoodies and w3 schools.

Happy arting!

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You may already be a winner!

That’s right, believe it or not your art’s probably already copyrighted. How does that work? Under the law established by the Berne Convention, original works of art are automatically copyrighted to their authors. That means you have the right to display, reproduce, create derivative works, sell or license, and take credit for authorship of your work. This applies in all countries that have signed up for the law- there are a few exceptions, such as Taiwan. Currently, copyrights last 70 years past the owner’s lifetime before they revert to ‘public domain.’

Public Domain?

Any works in the ‘public domain’ can be used freely by just about anybody. They’re not protected by copyright laws. Public domain includes old works on which copyright has expired (Moby Dick), things for which the author has written a public domain release on, and works that can’t be copyrighted (like calendars). The internet is not public domain. A lot of clip-art and animated gifs aren’t really free-use, either! The safest way to ensure your works are legal is to use original material.

So what’s this “©” business?

The © is used to indicate copyright ownership, though it’s not necessary to make your work copyrighted. The correct form for copyright notices is “Copyright © (full name) (year).” Adding this to your art and webpages lets others know who owns it, and discourages pirating (stealing content). Windows users: to use the © symbol, hold ALT and type ‘0169′

Copyrighting Characters

Technically, you CAN NOT copyright a character! However, you can copyright images of a character, or literary works about a character. In that way your character can be protected. Characters/mascots can be Trademarked for business use, but that requires paperwork and it isn’t free.

Can I copyright my story?

Literary works are copyrighted as well, but only if they’re in ‘tangible form’. In other words, you have to write at least an outline for it to count. Did you also know that web pages are considered literary works? Although you can’t copyright the actual code, unless it’s a program you’ve written, the content is copyrighted.

Copyright Infringement

Infringement is simply someone impinging on the copyright holder’s rights. Even if the artist sells their painting or other original work, they still retain their copyright upon it, unless they have signed a contract stating otherwise. Modifying or tracing someone else’s art violates the owner’s right to create derivative works. You can’t copy or sell someone else’s works, either. And fanfiction/fanart? That’s a derivative work, definitely not legit!

Infringement Online

If you find another person infringing your copyrights online, you have a few options. First, you can email the site’s owner and request the offending material be removed. Chances are they’ll comply once you explain how your copyright applies. If that fails to produce results, contact the service that hosts the offender’s website, or contact the offender’s ISP. If your claim is well-documented then it’s possible that the host or ISP will remove the offending site or even boot the offender offline. If that fails, you can take legal action, but that will require a legally registered copyright. In most cases the scale of the crime simply doesn’t merit the time and expense of a lawsuit.

More Info About Copyright

What is copyright?
10 Big Myths
US Copyright Office
R.I.G.H.T.S for artists

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Building A Sketchbook

Although there are some advantages to store-bought sketchbooks, I prefer to make my own. With my method, I can re-arrange, remove and add pages easily, as well as using any sort of paper I can fit. Here’s what you’ll need:

- One 3-ring hard cover binder, with inside pockets. A 1.5″ spine is a nice, portable size.
- Several 500-sheet packs of paper for drawing. I prefer inkjet paper- it’s brighter and heavier than plain copier paper.
- A heavy-duty 3 hole puncher, suitable for 8.5″x11″ paper

Hopefully you can figure out where this is going. Simply pull out a stack of paper, punch some holes, and pop it in your binder. Voila, instant sketchbook, for less than $5. When you need more paper, grab another stack and punch more holes. When the binder’s full, switch to a new one, or transfer the pages to a bigger ’storage’ sketchbook, with a 3″ or so spine. Do some nice doodles on some scrap paper? Tape it to a full-size page, punch some holes, and stick it in. Nice an’ easy! Be sure to put a label with your name, address and phone number on the inside of the cover, just in case your book gets lost or misplaced.

Managing Your Sketchbook

So, making a sketchbook isn’t too tough, but now what do you do with it? Well, use those pockets to store handy reference materials- photos, art pamphlets, and the like. I like to keep a couple sheets of scratch paper in there, too. I use the binder itself as a drawing board, with the scratch paper as padding beneath a sheet of sketchbook paper. This creates a really fantastic drawing surface, so try it sometime.

Sketchbook Success

A sketchbook is essential to your success as an artist, and it’s not just because regular practice improves your drawing skills. Many portfolio reviews- such as for an internship, art program, or job- require that a sketchbook be included. If you sketch for an hour a day, you should have plenty to choose from when reviews come up. And with my sketchbook method, you can pick the best of the lot and put together a ‘display’ book, if you’d like. I generally use the latest sketchbook or two that I’ve filled, just because my recent stuff is almost always better than the old.

Just remember, a good sketchbook shows your dedication, and automatically puts you a step ahead of the rest. Time and again, my sketchbook has proven a very worthwhile investment. Set up a regular sketchbook time, or carry around your paper so you can draw during any free moments. Take ‘fieldtrips’ and don’t forget to take your sketchbook on vaction- lots of new and exciting things to draw, right?

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