Make your digital art look like those classical paintings

Summary

This video explores techniques for imitating traditional oil painting styles in digital art. The artist emphasizes that brush choice is less important than using pressure-sensitive tools and textured brushes. Key advice includes avoiding digital-looking tools like the fill or gradient tools, focusing on varied brush strokes, and embracing imperfections by not overusing the undo button. The video also highlights how to refine edges, mimic textures, and enhance depth and realism with techniques like layering brush strokes and using paint textures. Practical post-processing tips include adding vignettes and adjusting colors to enhance the traditional feel.

Takeaways

• 🎨 Traditional brushwork can be replicated digitally with careful technique and attention to texture and randomness.
• 🖌️ The type of brush doesn't matter as much as having a variety with textures and pressure sensitivity.
• ❌ Avoid tools like the fill, gradient, airbrush, and smudge tools, as they make the artwork feel too digital.
• 🖼️ Build up your background color gradually with textured brushes for a more natural and traditional look.
• 🔄 Instead of using the undo button, paint over mistakes to enhance the traditional feel and create happy accidents.
• 💡 Use desaturated base colors to build up both light and dark tones more effectively.
• 🔍 Avoid zooming in during the early stages of the painting; focus on large shapes first and details later.
• 🌟 For depth, use a blur effect on duplicated layers, erasing focus areas, and add paint textures to imitate oil paintings.
• 🎯 Soft, hard, and lost edges are crucial for mimicking traditional artwork, as they allow the viewer's imagination to engage.
• 📚 Classical paintings often feature darker edges and desaturated tones, adding focus and a melancholic feel.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The video focuses on achieving a traditional painting look in digital art by imitating traditional brushwork techniques and avoiding certain digital tools that create a 'digital' feel.

Who are the artists mentioned as inspirations for the brushwork style?

The artists mentioned are John Singer Sargent and Lion Decker, both known for their magnificent brushwork in traditional oil painting.

What are the key tools the creator advises against using, and why?

The creator advises against using the fill tool, gradient tool, airbrush, and smudge tool because they create computer-generated, smooth, or flat effects that make the painting look too digital rather than traditional.

How does the creator suggest building up the background color?

The creator suggests using multiple brushes with different textures to slowly build up the background color, creating randomness and a more traditional look.

Why is avoiding the undo button important when sketching?

Avoiding the undo button encourages the artist to paint over mistakes, which adds to the traditional feel of the painting by allowing 'happy accidents' to influence the final work.

What approach does the creator take to applying light and shadow colors?

The creator prefers to start with a desaturated base color and then slowly build up both the light and shadow colors rather than using smooth transitions, which can look too digital.

What does the creator emphasize about edges in a painting?

The creator emphasizes the importance of having a healthy variety of hard, soft, and lost edges to create more appeal, similar to traditional paintings where viewers' imaginations fill in details.

How does the creator suggest mimicking textures, such as feathers or hair, in digital painting?

The creator suggests mimicking the structure of the object by aligning brushstrokes with the natural direction of the texture, such as laying down strokes in the same direction as feathers or layering them in the same way.

What post-processing steps are recommended to enhance the traditional look of the painting?

The creator recommends adding a Gaussian blur to create depth, adding paint texture by overlaying a desaturated image, applying a vignette around the edges for focus and melancholic effect, and adjusting colors and values using a filter layer.

What general rules does the creator offer for achieving a more traditional feel in digital art?

The general rules include not using the undo button, avoiding airbrush or smudge tools, painting on a single layer, and working zoomed out until major forms are established. These techniques help mimic the imperfections and layering of traditional paintings.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Mastering Traditional Brushwork in Digital Art

This paragraph introduces the concept of replicating traditional brushwork in digital art, inspired by artists like John Singer Sargent and Lion Decker. The speaker explains how they successfully imitated the traditional look in their recent works. They emphasize that the choice of brushes isn’t as crucial as many think; any pressure-sensitive brush with texture can work, and a variety of brushes will help create a more textured, traditional feel. The author discourages obsessing over finding the perfect brush for digital painting and instead encourages experimentation with different brush types.

05:01

🖌️ Creating a Traditional Look: Sketching and Blocking Techniques

Here, the focus shifts to techniques for achieving a traditional look in digital painting. The speaker advises against using digital tools like the fill or gradient tool, as these can make the painting look too digital. Instead, they recommend building up the background color using different textured brushes to introduce randomness, mimicking traditional methods. When sketching characters, it’s suggested to minimize brush strokes and avoid over-reliance on the undo button, adding to the natural, traditional feeling of the artwork. The speaker also discusses their preference for a desaturated base color and the importance of painterly brushes over airbrushes or smudge tools to maintain organic transitions.

Keywords

💡Brush Work

Brush work refers to the technique and style of applying paint with a brush, which greatly influences the texture and overall look of a painting. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of using varied brush textures and strokes to replicate the traditional feeling of oil paintings, similar to the works of John Singer Sargent and Leon Decker. This approach contrasts with digital tools that can create smooth, unrealistic transitions.

💡Traditional Look

The 'traditional look' refers to a style of art that mimics the characteristics of classic oil paintings, such as those created by traditional artists. In the video, the speaker outlines techniques to achieve this appearance in digital art, like using textured brushes, avoiding the fill tool, and embracing imperfections to mimic the randomness found in traditional brush strokes.

💡Texture Brushes

Texture brushes are digital brushes that have built-in textures, allowing them to create varied and complex strokes that mimic traditional painting techniques. The speaker stresses that having a wide range of textured brushes helps add depth and randomness to digital artwork, enhancing its traditional feel, and reducing the overly clean, digital appearance.

💡Undo Button

The 'undo button' is a digital tool that allows artists to revert their last action, often used to correct mistakes instantly. The video advises against using the undo button frequently because it can lead to an overly polished look. Instead, painting over mistakes can add character and a more authentic, traditional quality to the artwork.

💡Lost Edges

Lost edges refer to areas in a painting where the transition between different elements is soft or blurry, creating an illusion of depth and leaving some details to the viewer's imagination. The video highlights how lost edges, commonly found in traditional paintings, can make artwork feel more organic and appealing compared to the often overly defined shapes in digital art.

💡Blocking In

Blocking in is the process of laying down the basic colors and shapes in a painting without focusing on details. The video suggests blocking in the background and base colors with varied brush strokes instead of using tools like the fill or gradient tool, which can make the artwork look too digital. This technique helps establish the painting’s overall composition and tones early on.

💡Paint Thickness

Paint thickness refers to the visible texture and layering of paint, often seen in traditional oil paintings. In digital art, this effect can be mimicked by overlaying paint textures found online. The speaker recommends adding this texture layer with adjusted opacity to give digital paintings a more authentic, tactile quality reminiscent of classical works.

💡Vignette

A vignette is a darkened border around the edges of a painting that draws focus towards the center and adds a subtle mood to the artwork. In traditional paintings, this effect often occurs naturally, enhancing the subject matter. The video advises adding a slight vignette digitally to mimic this natural occurrence and deepen the painting’s atmosphere.

💡Hard, Soft, and Lost Edges

These terms refer to different ways edges in a painting can appear: hard edges are sharp and clear, soft edges are blurred and gentle, and lost edges blend into surrounding areas. Balancing these types of edges is crucial for achieving a traditional look. The video emphasizes that incorporating a variety of these edges makes digital paintings more dynamic and visually interesting.

💡Airbrush and Smudge Tool

The airbrush and smudge tools are digital tools used to create smooth gradients and blend colors seamlessly. However, the video advises against their use when trying to achieve a traditional look because they often result in unnaturally smooth transitions that lack the organic feel of traditional brushwork. Instead, layered brush strokes are recommended to create more natural transitions.

Highlights

John Singer Sargent and Lion Decker were known for their magnificent brushwork, often using oil paint to create traditional pieces.

Digital art can imitate traditional painting techniques with pressure-sensitive brushes and textured strokes, achieving a similar aesthetic.

A wide variety of brushes with different textures is key to creating randomness, which is essential for mimicking traditional painting.

Avoid using the fill or gradient tools for background colors, as they create a too digital feel. Instead, layer textured brushes to build a more natural look.

When sketching characters, avoid the undo button and paint over mistakes. This contributes to a traditional feel and adds texture.

Blocking in base colors with desaturated tones allows for gradual building of light and dark values, maintaining a natural balance.

Use painter brushes instead of airbrush or smudge tools for transitions. Smooth transitions can look too digital, while textured brushes add depth.

Zoom out when working on large shapes and zoom in only for details. This ensures the overall structure of the painting is balanced.

Focus on creating a variety of edges—hard, soft, and lost edges—to replicate the appeal of traditional paintings and leave room for imagination.

When painting textures like feathers or hair, mimic their natural structure with directional brushstrokes to simplify value and lighting management.

Use different brushes for different textures—softer brushes for skin and harder brushes for reflective surfaces like hair.

Adding a slight vignette to the edges of a painting can enhance the focal point and create a melancholic mood, typical of classical works.

Create depth by duplicating the layer, applying Gaussian blur, and erasing focused areas. This step can enhance the painting without feeling too digital.

Use a paint texture overlay to simulate paint thickness, adjusting opacity to integrate it smoothly with the painting.

The final step of slightly adjusting colors and values in a filter layer can make the painting pop, though be careful not to overdo it.

Transcripts

John Singer sergeant and lion Decker

were two amazing artists known among

other things for their magnificent brush

work they were traditional artists so

they used oil paint but even in digital

art there are many examples where brush

work makes painting very appealing and

interesting usually my drawings are

rather clean looking but in my two most

recent paintings I try to imitate this

traditional feeling and I think it

worked pretty well so in this video I

would like to share how I managed to

achieve this traditional

look the most important thing about

brushes is that they don't really matter

as much as you might think really any

brush that is pressure sensitive and has

some kind of texture is sufficient you

do however want a wide variety of

brushes with textures that leave

somewhat different marks on your canvas

I think that the brush presets you can

find inside of your drawing program

already have pretty much anything you

need but if you really want to find a

brush bundle on the internet then just

use any bundle you can find just don't

obsess over trying to find the perfect

brush for digital painting trust me you

aren't going to find

it there is no one correct way to

approach a painting however I believe

the way I approached my painting is a

good way to make the final image look

traditional if you find a different

workflow that is simpler or creates a

better IM image then please let me know

in the comments when blocking in the

background color I advise you not to use

the fill tool and also not to use the

gradient tool because nothing screams

more digital than these computer

generated gradients or flat colors

instead use multiple brushes with

different textures to slowly build up a

background color that way there will be

a lot of Randomness in your painting and

it will look much more traditional

because Randomness does occur in

traditional painting next up when

sketching in your character use few

brush strokes and try not to use the

undo buttton I know it's tempting to use

the undo button but if you instead paint

over your mistakes it will add to the

traditional feeling you're trying to

achieve once the sketch is done you're

going to block in your base color

personally I like to use a desaturated

base color which is neither as light as

the light color and not as dark as the

shadow color that way I can slowly build

up both the light and the dark colors

then after that is done you can block in

the light and dark colors but when

creating transitions try not to use the

airbrush or smudge tool instead use the

painter brushes because perfectly smooth

transitions feel quite digital also when

you're blocking in the shapes try not to

zoom in and only when you've established

the large shapes you can then zoom in to

add the details when refining the

Shadows try to keep the different kinds

of edges in mind what I mean by that is

try to have a healthy variety of hard

soft and lost edges in your painting

edges are really important and I think

they are one of the reasons why single

sergeants paintings look so appealing

all of these soft and lost edges leave

much to the viewer's imagination whereas

in digital painting all shapes are very

clearly defined and your brain doesn't

need to interpret the shapes which is

suitable for many purposes but if you

are trying to mimic traditional

paintings then try to use many soft and

lost edges I can really recommend Marco

B's video on this topic in case you need

further clarification when you are

refining your painting and have to deal

with a very particular structure texture

try to mimic the structure of the thing

you're trying to paint with your brush

Strokes take these angel wings as an

example when I painted These Wings I

mimic their structure by laying down the

brush Strokes in the same direction as

the feathers and also layering The

Strokes the same way the feathers are

layered which is to say the long

feathers first and then the shorter ones

that way you don't need to think about

lighting and values too much and instead

leave the work to your brushes another

thing to keep in mind is to use

different kinds of brushes for different

textures for example the transitions in

skin colors are much softer than in hair

because hair is much more reflective

therefore you should use a harder brush

for hair and a softer one for

skin once we are about done with the the

actual painting there are a couple of

steps more we can take to enhance the

traditional feeling one thing I like to

do is to duplicate the whole layer and

then add a gion blur to it I will then

erase the parts which are in Focus so it

will give my whole painting a bit more

depth although that step doesn't really

have anything to do with making it look

like an oil painting The Next Step does

though now we will try to add some paint

thickness to achieve this effect you

will want to find some paint texture on

maybe Pinterest or Google and then

import it to your drawing program you

need to then resize it so that it covers

your whole painting and desaturate it

lastly set its blending mode to Overlay

and then adjust the opacity of the whole

layer so that the paint texture doesn't

look too out of

place another thing I've observed in

many classical paintings is that they

tend to get darker at the edges this not

only enhances the focus point but also

gives the whole painting a bit of a

melancholic feeling to imitate this

really sloppily we can add a slight

vignette around the painting of course

it would be better to try and already

create this transition from light to

dark around the edges while you're still

painting but if you forget about it

during the painting process then

creating a vignette around your whole

painting does the job just

fine and after that the last thing I

always do to my paintings is create a

new filter layer and slightly adjust the

colors and values so that the whole

painting kind of pops out more try not

to overdo it though since most classical

paintings tend to look a bit

desaturated and that's it already for

pause processing here is a list of the

layers we just added in case you want to

screenshot it or something now aside

from post processing there are also a

whole lot of things you can can do

during the drawing process in order to

make your art look much more

traditional so these rules I'm talking

about they are more like guidelines or

things that I like to keep in mind while

I'm painting first of all try not to use

the undo button instead just paint over

your mistakes I have observed with my

own art that when I paint over my

mistakes a bit of these mistakes still

shine through in the actual painting and

I think that all of that noise can make

your painting look really appealing

moreover when I don't use the undo

button I tend not to obsess over every

line they don't have to be perfect I

just use them as they are as BOS likes

to call them they are happy little

accidents secondly try not to use the

airbrush or smudge tool because these

tools which create mathematically

correct transitions look really really

digital instead you can layer different

brush Strokes or use a brush that has a

low opacity thirdly paint on one layer

only not only is that the way

traditional painters had to draw but it

also takes away a lot of the cleanness

or Perfection you often see in digital

painting additionally in the beginning

stages of your painting you should

always be zoomed out and only after

having blocked in the major forms you

can then zoom in to add the details

otherwise the lighting scenario or

proportions might be off and you

wouldn't even notice it because you're

already focusing on the details so

that's not only a rule to apply when

you're trying to achieve a traditional

look but also one to use when you're

painting in general here is a list with

all the points I just mentioned because

you might want to occasionally have a

look at them while drawing I know that

at least I like to do that in order to

keep all these guidelines in mind when

painting and that's it already for this

video If you create a painting based on

this video you could tag me on Instagram

because I'd love to see your results or

or if you need some feedback on it I'd

be happy to help you out all right then

um remember to drink water and maybe

check out my other videos