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Introduction to Digital Drawing

with Frank Calicó
4.8 (213)
Learn the foundations of digital drawing in Clip Studio Paint in a fun and easy way!
English, Spanish English, Spanish, 2 more French, German
2+
hours
32
lessons
Beginner
level
Frank Calicó

Your Instructor

Frank Calicó is a character designer and comic artist and has received international awards and nominations from Norma Comics, Wacom, Webtoon, and SMAC, amongst others.

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2+
hours
32
lessons
Beginner
level
English, Spanish
English, Spanish , 2 more
Subtitles
  • French
  • German

What you’ll learn

  • Basic, effective techniques for beginners to digital art
  • How to start your sketch with the help of references
  • Time-saving tips and shortcuts to speed up your workflow
  • Essential tools in Clip Studio Paint for raster and vector drawing
  • Recommendations on drawing tablets and software, including pros and cons
  • The correct way to trace references to improve your drawing skills and how NOT to do it
  • Use nifty tools to quickly fix/adjust your artwork without having to redraw it
  • Master tools like ‘Auto-Select’, ‘Stabilization’ and ‘Adjust Line Width’ to draw clean line art and adjust it easily
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Description

Would you love to be a digital artist and create fun cartoons and comics, but just feel like you don’t have time to draw? Do you struggle to develop your digital drawing skills, feeling like it’s an insurmountable goal? Well, take heart!

In this beginner-level course, Frank Calicó teaches you the art hacks to quickly level up your skills and master digital drawing techniques fast, saving you a ton of time and needless effort.

This course was carefully created based on hundreds of questions received on social media from people just like you—those eager to improve their digital drawing game!

He will teach you the essential tools and skills needed to start right away with Clip Studio Paint (or other similar software) and skip all the stuff that you DON’T need to know. Not only that, but you’ll also discover cool shortcuts and nifty tricks to speed up your workflow, making the process that much more enjoyable!

Frank demonstrates each concept very clearly in an easy-to-follow manner. You will feel like you’re learning from your bestie. With his engaging tutoring style, you’ll be drawn into the world of digital art and motivated to apply your new skills right away!

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Who is this course for

  • Beginners to digital art, especially those with limited time
  • Artists who want to pick up new techniques to improve their workflow
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This course includes

  • 2+ Hours of on-demand videos
  • 13 Assignments
  • Layered Photoshop files
  • 1 Cheat sheets/guides
  • Certificate of Completion
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Used in course

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What you'll need

  • Digital drawing software such as Clip Studio Paint 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...)
  • You'll learn more if you have a drawing tablet
  • A good grasp of sketching
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Lesson Plan

with Frank Calicó
Expand all sections
00

Introduction

01:32

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Get Started

Get to know your teacher, Frank Calicó, who will guide you through the process of learning to draw in Clip Studio Paint.

In this introduction, he will give you an overview of the subjects covered so you know what to expect in this course.

01

Getting Started

15:36

In this lesson, Frank addresses the big question: Do I need a graphic tablet to start drawing? If so, which one?

He presents the pros and cons of different drawing software and hardware, giving his own personal recommendations.

Additionally, you will learn the HUGE importance of shortcuts and how to use them when starting out.

INCLUDED:

   1 Shortcuts Guide

   1 Assignment


1.1
Introduction
00:39
1.2
The Tablet
06:07
1.3
The Software
01:57
1.4
The Hardware
00:57
1.5
The Canvas
01:34
1.6
The Shortcuts
04:22
02

References

08:18

Using references is the first step in learning to draw—and an essential one!

Frank will introduce some apps and sites that can be used to gather references as well as tips for saving them.

You will learn a secret of experienced artists: the correct way to trace references as a useful learning exercise.

INCLUDED:

   2 Assignments


2.1
Where and How to Get References
02:31
2.2
PureRef
03:33
2.3
Tracing References
02:14
03

Sketching

01:10:52

This lesson is loaded with tips, instructions and demonstrations on the first step of your illustration: the sketching phase!

You’ll learn how to set up your canvas properly; work with brushes; start off your sketch; modify it; use the line of action, volume and perspective; master modifier keys; touch up your sketch and more great stuff!

INCLUDED:

   7 Assignments


3.1
Introduction
03:19
3.2
The Canvas and the Interface
02:47
3.3
The Brushes
05:22
3.4
The First Sketch
06:50
3.5
The Second Sketch - Part 1
07:02
3.6
The Second Sketch - Part 2
08:39
3.7
Raster and Vector Layers
09:26
3.8
Modifier Keys
06:13
3.9
The Vector Eraser
09:04
3.10
The Third Sketch - Part 1
08:27
3.11
The Third Sketch - Part 2
03:43
04

Inking

47:12

Inking is an important step in creating a clean, professional-looking illustration.

Watch Frank ink a character in real time, explaining exactly what he’s doing as he goes (and why!) and which tools are best suited for inking.

He teaches how to use different layers, to make the inking process easier and faster, and tools like ‘Auto-Select’, ‘Stabilization’ and ‘Adjust Line Width’ to draw clean line art and adjust it easily.

INCLUDED:

   1 PSD Layered File

   3 Assignments


4.1
Introduction
01:48
4.2
The Inking Process - Part 1
13:53
4.3
The Inking Process - Part 2
11:21
4.4
The Inking Process - Part 3
06:39
4.5
The Auto-Select Tool
04:03
4.6
The Inking Process - Part 4
04:08
4.7
Line Width and Weight
05:20
05

Coloring

17:36

We are at the fun part at last: coloring your artwork!

First off: You’ll master the bucket tool and learn its most useful parameters.

Next, you’ll discover some cool tricks and techniques, for making quick color adjustments without having to repaint, and blending modes for shading your artwork.

INCLUDED:

   1 PSD Layered File


5.1
The Bucket Tool
08:44
5.2
Quick Adjustments
01:09
5.3
Shading
03:17
5.4
Finishing the Character
04:26

Student Feedback

213 customer reviews & ratings

4.8

Course rating

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5 star
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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 213 reviews)

Most Liked
Great step-by-step process 178
Clarity of Instruction 173
Helpful Examples 146
Showing 10 reviews of
213
reviews & ratings
DH
Denise H.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Just what I needed. A lot of digital art courses/tutorials start with listing an abundance of tools and your head will be spinning before you even start. I loved this approach, where we focus on a few key tools that really will get you started, excited and gain momentum. Clip Studio has some really
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unique illustration features and they're being taken full advantage of in this course to speed up your workflow and make it more organic. All the shortcuts that were pointed out are HUGE for me. Thank you so much!
I recommend it for Beginner
11 people found this helpful
LR
Lazaro R.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Great course!
I recommend it for Beginner
6 people found this helpful
DANIEL V.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Thanks, finally, I have been using the software for quite a while but I learned tons here. Finally a tutorial with CLIP STUDIO! I think this course and one related to comics and manga and 21 DRAWS becomes the best online courses.
I recommend it for Beginner
5 people found this helpful
ES
Elmarie S.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
THANK YOU!!! All of the courses I have watched so far are awesome, but this is exactly what I needed to be able to use CSP properly. Switching from traditional art to digital art has been a huge challenge and although I have been able to figure some stuff out about the program as I go, it has been g
+ Show more
oing way too slow. I watched tons of You Tube tutorials, but I still couldn't quite get the hang of the tools. Thank you for taking the time to explain all the details and usage of the tools, Frank. I will be able to just go and practice now instead of trying to learn how to use the program from scratch.
I recommend it for Beginner
5 people found this helpful
TA
Tyler A.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
A lot of helpful quick tips for easier/quicker digital drawing painting. More on the technical side vs actual fundamentals of drawing but that's what I was looking for! Makes me realize I need to get Clip Studio Paint, seems better for drawing that illustrator/photoshop.
I recommend it for All levels
3 people found this helpful
Beberly A.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Awesome, Love the way he explain every process, Even if I already knew about the shorcuts, there are a lot of differents things I didn´t know about it, and the process is simple and faster.
I recommend it for Beginner
2 people found this helpful
DD
DIDIER D.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Congratulation Frank! I really enjoyed your course, I'm an old user of CSP, but there is always technics to pick up. Your explanations and examples are very clear, and i enjoy your helpful tips. I'm sure it will help beginners, but also advanced users. Drawing is an infinite learning path. (not sur
+ Show more
e of my translation) I will keep and eye on your next course. Best Regards Didier DUROC
I recommend it for Beginner
2 people found this helpful
Gareth-Michael S.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Excellent overview of the digital art process.
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
AS
Arthur S.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Great Course!!
I recommend it for All levels
1 person found this helpful
ND
Nette D.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Learned a lot of good tips
See more reviews

About the Instructor

Frank Calicó
Illustrator and Comic Artist 1 course

Frank Calico describes himself as an illustrator, comic artist, and pirate! You’ll see that these qualifiers fit him pretty well! Whether it’s fan art or personal creations, his heroes are dynamic, stylized, and very buccaneer indeed.


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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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