Instructor: Katherine Fultz

Come learn how to create fun digital art on the iPad! We will use one of leading natural media apps to explore the fundamentals of digital media creation– including technical aspects such as the best resolution and file types to use for your projects, and how to use layers and texture brushes to achieve artistic effects. We’ll go through the process of sketching, coloring, and adding texture to create a set of images you can use in your social media posts, emails, and other digital applications. Then we’ll take our initial sketches into a graphic design program to learn how to vector trace them. Using vector tools, we’ll create clean, even lines for a coloring book page. You’ll leave the workshop with the skills to experiment with both raster and vector programs at home to create your own digital art for a variety of uses.

Objectives:

— understand the difference between raster and vector graphics, what applications each type of graphic is best for, what programs to use to create them, and the difference between various file formats

— adjust the dimensions and resolution of a raster canvas depending on what the image will be used for

— use a variety of digital brushes to create textures and dimension in hand-drawn raster graphics

— trace over an analog or raster sketch using the vector pen tool to create monoline images

— adjust the type of vector brush to achieve variable line effects

Projects:

In this workshop, students will create two types of digital graphics. The first is a set of colorful, textured raster graphics for use as stickers or photo frames on social media. The second graphic will be a vector-based coloring page inspired by an initial sketch or existing artwork.

Students will learn how to export these images into different file formats for use in various digital and print applications, such as posting them on social media, embedding them in emails, creating designs to use with a cutting machine, and printing them on greeting cards.

Outline:

• A 20-min lecture presentation on digital graphic types, what they’re used for, and programs to use.
• Beginning with the Procreate app, learn how to set-up a canvas and what to think about when deciding dimensions and resolution (uses of final graphic, number of layers needed to complete the image, memory available in iPad).
• In Procreate, explore different brush options and the effects achieved with each. Go over color palettes and how to adjust colors. Discuss layers, and how layers are used to achieve different effects in the artwork.
• Create initial sketches of objects to use as digital stickers. Create a layer on top of the sketches to add color. Learn different coloring techniques (color drop, brush strokes). Create a new layer and clipping mask to add textures to initial shapes.
• Remove the background from your drawings and export individual elements as PNG and GIF files. Upload to popular sharing sites, learn how to embed images in social media posts and emails.
• Import initial sketch into Affinity Designer (or Adobe Illustrator). Review the difference between raster and vector graphics.
• Using the pen tool, paintbrush tool, and shape tools, trace over the initial sketch. Explore how to use textured vector brushes to change the line quality. Practice adjusting, adding, and subtracting nodes to change the appearance of the sketch.
• Export the final vector drawing as a PDF or SVG, discussing what each file type could be used for.