Hello, I’m Nida! I’ve been making digital art for about a year now. I love art in all forms. I try to use my existing art skills and knowledge when I create digital works of art. It’s been amazing to be able to create so many neat illustrations! On the following pages, I’d like to share some of my experiences with KidForce readers who are interested in giving digital drawing a try. This might interest moms and dads, too!
WHY I CHOSE DIGITAL ART Although I really enjoy painting with watercolors and brushes, I love the freedom of digital art. It’s very forgiving and saves a lot of time. You can flip your canvas in any direction, erase, change position, size and colors in your artwork with simple actions and easily carry your device and draw anywhere you want. Another thing that I really love about drawing digitally is that you can share your artwork instantly as an image or a file. Digital art lets you draw on separate layers which allows you to keep your artwork organized and it doesn’t get messy if you have to go back and change something you don’t like.
NORA’S EXPERIENCE WITH DIGITAL ART I let my daughter Nora (age 5) draw and experiment on my iPad and she’s become really fond of digital art as well! She’s even made some cards for her teachers. She likes the ease of changing colors in her artwork, adding text and starting over with just one click without leaving pencil and eraser marks on the canvas. She loves her crayons and paints but definitely enjoys drawing on the iPad as well.
GETTING STARTED To get started, you’ll need a tablet and a stylus that is compatible with your device. The best fit for you or your budding artist will depend on your needs and preferences. Some things to consider before buying would be size of the tablet, battery life, parental control features, connectivity and technical support from the brand of your choice.
DEVICES, APPS & OTHER TOOLS Here are some suggestions for kid-friendly devices. I would also encourage parents to explore further because there are many options to choose from. DEVICES (note that stylus and other drawing tools are sold separately in most cases)
AGES 3-12: Amazon fire HD, Kids edition, starts at under $100 This device is a multipurpose tablet rather than being designed specifically for drawing, so if you are looking for a tablet that does both, this would work the best. AGES 5 AND UP: Apple iPad 10.2 inches, starts at $329 Apple iPad is my personal favorite because in combination with Apple Pencil it helps me create very high resolution images that I can share and save across all my other Apple devices and they are automatically saved to iCloud storage as well.
AGES 5-12: Samsung Galaxy Tab A, starts at $249 Best Android tablet for kids to draw on, perfect for beginners as it has a large screen and provides plenty of space to create art using any of the apps available for Android. DIGITAL DRAWING APPS (ages 3 and up)
Joy Doodle for iPad & iPhone Drawing for Kids for iPad & iPhone Crayola Create & Play Drawing with Carl Doodle Buddy paint draw
APPS FOR OLDER ARTISTS (ages 10 and up)
Tayasui Sketches IbisPaint Autodesk SketchBook Infinite Painter Amaziograph
TIPS FOR BUDDING ARTISTS For artists wanting to dive into digital art world, here are some tips that I learned and personally found helpful when I was getting started. Get familiar with the apps and tools by taking your time and trying out each function on a blank canvas. Do a warm up exercise by doodling simple figures and shapes and then adding colors to them. •
Use your traditional art knowledge because basics remain the same. If you already know how to add tonal shading, give drop shadows or simply fill colors then try to use all those when you are starting out. •
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Look at the other digital drawings and pictures if you are stuck or need some inspiration to get started. Use Google images to study the pictures, observe the shapes, features, shadows and colors and try to draw it on your own.
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Draw often! You know the saying “practice makes perfect” so practice in your spare time and draw inspiration from things around you! Look outside the window, look at the sky, draw your pet, get creative!
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Most importantly, enjoy the process! Your art doesn’t have to be perfect, it should come from your heart and make you happy!
I hope this article helps all the budding artists who are ready to take their first step into the digital art world! “A true artist is not one who is inspired but one who inspires others.” -Salvador Dali
To see more of Nida’s work, follow her on Instagram @she_draws_cute_stuff