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Digital Drawing in Photoshop – For Beginners

with Erika Wiseman
4.9 (149)
Watch Erika create a beautiful illustration from scratch in Photoshop and follow along as she guides you step-by-step through her process and teaches cool painting techniques.
English English, Spanish, 3 more French, German, Portuguese
2+
hours
35
lessons
Beginner
level
Erika Wiseman

Your Instructor

Erika Wiseman is a freelance digital artist with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts. She has been creating art for over 15 years and made a name for herself on Instagram.

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2+
hours
35
lessons
Beginner
level
English
English, Spanish , 3 more
Subtitles
  • French
  • German
  • Portuguese

What you’ll learn

  • Discover Photoshop’s interface, including all essential tools & shortcuts for digital art
  • Turn a sketch on paper into a fully-colored, beautiful digital painting
  • Familiarize yourself with a graphics tablet and learn to adjust its settings
  • How to take good photos of your art and edit them in Photoshop
  • Master ‘Hue/Saturation’, ‘Color Balance’ and Blend Modes to adjust your colors and create shadows/highlights
  • Learn how to set up and work with layers to speed up your process
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Description

When Erika was entering the world of illustration, there were no comprehensive guides available on the subject of digital art. This course was specifically created to teach you the things she wished she knew back then, enabling you to start your journey on the right foot.

Packed into these video lessons are the most helpful principles and tips that Erika gathered from her years of experience as a digital artist. You will learn the foundational skills essential for beginner artists, as well as useful techniques to up your game if you are at an intermediate level … and tons of other awesome tips!

Erika demonstrates digital painting techniques in Photoshop, however the general rules apply to other digital painting software, such as Procreate or Clip Studio Paint.

She will show you exactly which tools and features are important for digital art and which ones you can ignore. Not only that, she will walk you through her process of creating a gorgeous illustration from scratch, so you can learn by example! 🙂

After this course, you’ll be fully equipped to produce your own fantastic digital artwork and enjoy the process!

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Who is this course for

  • Artists who are beginners to Photoshop and want to learn how to draw/paint digitally
  • Artists looking to brush up on Photoshop’s features and tools to enhance their workflow
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This course includes

  • 2+ Hours of on-demand videos
  • 6 Assignments (PDF)
  • Photoshop guide (PDF)
  • Layered Photoshop files
  • 2 Work-in-progress images (JPG)
  • List of recommended brushes
  • Bonus material
  • Access to Erika’s exclusive Discord art community
  • Certificate of Completion
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Used in course

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What you'll need

  • Digital drawing software such as Photoshop or similar (see examplesAffinity Photo, ArtRage, Artweaver, Astropad, Clip Studio Paint, Corel Painter, Krita, Inkscape, IbisPaint, GIMP, Rebelle 4, Photoshop, Paintstorm Studio, Procreate, MediBang Paint, SketchPad, SketchBook, TwistedBrush, Vectr...)
  • No prior experience with Photoshop required
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Lesson Plan

with Erika Wiseman
Expand all sections
01

Getting Started

19:42

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Since a graphics tablet is an important part of digital drawing, Erika shares useful tips for using one, such as adjusting the pressure sensitivity, scroll and zoom settings so drawing feels smooth and natural.

She also shows you how to set up your own user-friendly workspace, so everything you need is at your fingertips, and how to create an ideal canvas for digital artwork.

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment

   6 Tablet Setting images


1.1
Introduction
01:50
1.2
Materials
02:13
1.3
Tablet Settings
05:54
1.4
Creating a New Canvas
03:07
1.5
Setting Up Your Workspace
05:48
1.6
Assignment
00:50
02

A Digital Artist's Toolbox

43:46

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In this lesson, you’ll learn some basic tools and functions that every artist should know and use, such as the transform, move, shape, selection and painting tools. Erika explains in detail how to use the Brush tool and find great brushes that you love!

She also discusses the importance of working with layers and demonstrates how to use them to your advantage.

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment

   List of Recommended Brushes

   Photoshop Guide


2.1
Introduction
00:16
2.2
Intro to Layers
10:04
2.3
Essential Tools + Functions
19:07
2.4
The Brush Tool
03:43
2.5
Brush Settings
07:53
2.6
Finding Your Favorite Brushes
01:54
2.7
Assignment
00:49
03

Starting Your Illustration

23:53

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First things first: You’ll learn how to transfer your drawing from paper to Photoshop. Lots of artists use this method: working traditionally at the beginning stage and then cleaning up the artwork and adding colors, shading and effects in digital software.

Erika will walk you through the whole process, including methods for sketching, tips for taking photos of your art, how to edit the photos in Photoshop and much more!

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment

   7 Artwork & Bonus images


3.1
Introduction
00:12
3.2
Two Approaches
01:57
3.3
Creating Your Traditional Sketch
04:02
3.4
Photographing Your Sketch
01:56
3.5
Editing your Photo
11:17
3.6
Preparing Your Sketch for Color
03:37
3.7
Assignment
00:52
04

Adding Color

27:56

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Working with digital color can be intimidating, as the possibilities are endless! But don’t worry, Erika will discuss how to choose colors, different factors to consider and suggestions for pleasing color schemes.

You’ll learn how digital artists go about the coloring process, where they start and how to organize your layers so you can easily edit individual sections and colors later on.

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment


4.1
Introduction
00:21
4.2
Intro to Color
02:36
4.3
Flat Colors
08:59
4.4
Adjusting Colors
02:32
4.5
Color Variation
13:08
4.6
Assignment
00:20
05

Clean-Up

19:44

Want to find out how to give your illustrations a professional and polished look? Erika will show you how in this lesson, covering topics like darkening areas, painting over messy sketch lines, and blending colors together.

You’ll also learn how to create some additional effects with the help of Blend Modes!

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment


5.1
Introduction
00:21
5.2
Cleaning Up Your Illustration
13:01
5.3
Lighting + Color Effects
05:37
5.4
Assignment
00:45
06

Finishing Up

14:20

Now it’s time to make the final adjustments to make your artwork Instagram-ready. Discover how to adjust the color balance and contrast.

You’ll also learn how to add glows, highlights and textures to give your illustration that extra shine.

And you’re done!! Congratulations on completing this course!

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment

   1 Layered Photoshop File

   Set-by-Step Process File

   Final Image


6.1
Introduction
00:10
6.2
Saving
01:03
6.3
Opening Your Saved File
00:40
6.4
Final Adjustments + Effects
11:26
6.5
Assignment
01:01

Student Feedback

149 customer reviews & ratings

4.9

Course rating

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5 star
89 %
4 star
11 %
3 star
1 %
2 star
0 %
1 star
1 %
Best Suited for
Beginner
The level is determined by a majority opinion of students who have reviewed this class. The teacher's recommendation is shown until at least 5 student responses are collected.

(Based on 149 reviews)

Most Liked
Clarity of Instruction 124
Great step-by-step process 121
Engaging Teacher 109
Showing 10 reviews of
149
reviews & ratings
PL
Paul L.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
It gives a nice example of a digital artist’s workflow. She also covers how the tools and layers are used. Enjoyed it. Thanks!
I recommend it for Beginner
2 people found this helpful
CL
Corrinne L.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
went through every bit and didn't pass over anything too fast or linger on a subject too long. Very Instructive, learned a lot!
I recommend it for All levels
Isabella A.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
She explains so well! It's really easy to catch up while she shows her draw.
I recommend it for All levels
MY
Maryet Y.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
extremely helpful
I recommend it for Advanced
RC
Rebeca C.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
Is a really good course. It helped me a lot to start with photoshop for illustration.
I recommend it for Beginner
CT
Christine T.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
It was very helpful to see start to finish including setting up a tablet and workspace.
I recommend it for Beginner
CT
Carrie T.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
Erika's explanation and step-by-step process was easy to follow. Students will definitely learn a lot from this course.
I recommend it for Beginner
M
Monika

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
I loved the step by step instructions, it helped me to keep on track with the layers.
I recommend it for Beginner
LE
Lauren E.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
Thank you so much for this, as someone new to digital drawing I find watching other videos so overwhelming and I feel im floundering a bit with setting up my drawing space. This is massively helpful taking it right back to basics.
I recommend it for Beginner
GL
Grace L.

3 years ago

Verified Purchase
Nice tips on how to use the different layer modes. This was a great class to follow along with my own drawing.
I recommend it for Beginner
See more reviews

About the Instructor

Erika Wiseman
Digital Artist and Illustrator 4 courses

Erika Wiseman (aka Erika the Goober) is a freelance illustrator and character designer who lives in the US. She loves drawing cute, colorful things and experimenting with new drawing techniques.


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21 Draw is an online learning community where students of all skill levels can learn how to be a better artist. Our contributing artists and instructors are the best in the world.

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Each class includes 10-20 video lessons that are 7 minutes long on average. Most classes include exercise sheets, assignments, and layered PSD or PNG files.

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We have classes for all levels, even for those with zero drawing experience. In general, artists at all levels can benefit from these courses—whether beginner, intermediate or advanced.

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Do the courses teach digital or traditional art?

Many lessons in our courses apply to both digital and traditional art. In a few tutorials, digital drawing software, e.g. Photoshop or Procreate for iPad is required. However, for the majority of lessons it is more about the underlying concepts and all that is needed is a pen and paper.

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If for any reason at all you are unhappy with our courses or feel it isn’t what you are looking for—then just fill out this form or email us at [email protected]. We’ll be more than happy to give you a full refund within 30 days of your first purchase. No questions asked. Just a guarantee you can trust.

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Erika Wiseman Digital Drawing in Photoshop – For Beginners
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