Should I use traditional medium - pencil and paper for practice?

[k2mountain]

100% of my drawing has been done by tablet.

But, I began to find out the limitation of digital media. I can not capture the live images in front of my eyes.

[Arshes Nei]

Why ask, just do. Find out.

And please, don't come here to ask us what to eat for breakfast either

[vapour]

Why ask, just do. Find out.

And please, don't come here to ask us what to eat for breakfast either

Unneccesarely snappy reply. Especially given how strongly traditional media are advised for learning here often only for the words to fall on deaf ears.

[Arshes Nei]

Unneccesarely snappy reply. Especially given how strongly traditional media are advised for learning here often only for the words to fall on deaf ears.

Of course, don't forget how expensive paper and pencil are

[Artimatum]

Art is an expensive hobby,but its a hobby that is well worth it in the end.

[GaussianRaider]

Yeah, man, k2, avoid the mistake i've done...spend as much time as possible with traditional media, as soon as possible. It will help you a lot and after a bit it will probably be more fun than tablets!

[Nezumi Works]

Animation paper actually is pretty expensive.

[Arshes Nei]

Animation paper actually is pretty expensive.

Most specialized paper and pencils are.

However, that's not what the OP needs to practice with.

[jcpahl]

Imo, you should practice what you want to do; i.e., if you want to be a digital painter, don't practice with acrylics.

Though experimenting with different media is a good idea.

[JJacks]

In your first post you've not only identified a problem (you can't take your comp and always draw what's in front of you) and you have thought of a solution (use pencil and paper). Why do you need our advice? Get to work. :b

[Flashback]

For practice, why not use printer paper and 2HB pencil? since 99.9% is probably going to be practice anyway.

Arshes Nei, should I have cereal or Bacon & eggs?

[Nezumi Works]

More seriously, newsprint is cheap, and it's great stuff to practice basic shapes and stuff that you'll probably just toss in the bin after you're done with them. I find it good, since I can be free to draw as much throwaway stuff as I want, and it won't matter. I do my daily warmups that way, since it's just practice, and volume is more important than quality for that stuff (although obviously I don't try to make crap). That and some pencils and you're gold.

[Kamber Parrk]

For practice, why not use printer paper and 2HB pencil? since 99.9% is probably going to be practice anyway.

Arshes Nei, should I have cereal or Bacon & eggs?

Printer paper's OK for line drawing, but it really doesn't have the "tooth" needed for more subtle rendering.

Plus, there's something about keeping a bound SB that forces you to review all the bad stuff! Look for sales/coupons-- get yourself a good 9X12 Strathmore 400 pad-- shouldn't set you back more than $10.

Canson newsprint and Generals charcoal pencils are also really good (and traditional) items for studying figure drawing.

As well, my vote's for Don Miguel Breakfast Burritos-- damn they're good!

[Bloocat]

I highly dissaprove of this outlandish and obscure practise.

[Nezumi Works]

I highly dissaprove of this outlandish and obscure practise.

Yeah, burritos for breakfast strikes me as a bit odd, too.

[velderia]

It's interesting that it's around morning time and people can't help but think about their breakfast. It's actually my dinner. Hoo-ray insomnia.

[Wgrace]

My honest opinion is that you should use whatever medium you ultimately aspire to be an expert in. If digital art is something you are passionate about, I think you should spend the majority of your time mastering those tools. A lot of people will tell you to ALWAYS practice in traditional mediums before digital - I'm no pro but I disagree, if you don't have that much of an interest in traditional media - don't do it.

Some massive black member, I cant remember who it was, I think its Chan... Said in one of his videos that he did very little traditional media practice when he was starting out - and look at him now he is amazing. Using either medium is going to improve your skills in both. I think how you practice is more important than what you practice with too. Choosing the right exercises to improve your skills is more important than what you use to make the marks on w/e your canvas happens to be.

I mean, I've seen incredible paintings done with cheetos shavings on velvet blankets, seriously - look it up in youtube its awesome lol

Personally, I don't like traditional media that much. You could always use both.. Too..

[xinranliu]

Especially given how strongly traditional media are advised for learning here often only for the words to fall on deaf ears.

What vapour said. You will learn soooo much from traditional media and you'll be able to apply that knowledge to your digital work later.

It's not a rule though, bumskee does most of his studies digitally (he does have some charcoal life drawings though).

[Arshes Nei]

What vapour said. You will learn soooo much from traditional media and you'll be able to apply that knowledge to your digital work later.

It's not a rule though, bumskee does most of his studies digitally (he does have some charcoal life drawings though).

So does Simon (Baron Impossible).

That's not the problem with the OP. If you are that indecisive with something like this you need to run to the net to get advice - I think you need to look into why you're this indecisive and work on learning to just work through problems and stop letting even the smallest things such as this bring question into your artistic endeavors.

1. Paper and pencil is not expensive, many poor people have used such solutions. Copy paper worked just fine when I was going through harsher times in life. When I got a better job, I invested in better materials. Copy paper still works fine when I'm at work, and when I find some going to waste I even use a pen and draw.

2. As JJacks said, OP identified the problem found a solution and still asks us.

Unless I'm mistaken, paper and pencils do not spontaneously combust and you'll end up losing fingers like your high school wood shop teacher. Unless you're allergic to certain materials you won't die if you picked it up and tried it.


The solution was obviously simple, but it's not easy to get good sans lots of practice (paraphrasing something Elwell said before). I think OP needs to work through insecurities first.

[Nezumi Works]

Looking back at the OP's question, I suppose you could restate it as "is there any special benefit to drawing with pen and paper, which is a bit of a different question than most of us have been answering. I don't know if that's what the OP meant, since they haven't posted to clarify, but it's worth considering.

The answer, of course, is just as obviously "yes" as the question of should they do it at all. Aside from being portable, it's also a lot more responsive than any stylus on the market. You've got immediate feedback, both tactile and visual, and you learn an awful lot from that. You can also get a lot of experience with the real media that digital imitates. Pencil, charcol, paint, etc.

[Flashback]

Yeah, burritos for breakfast strikes me as a bit odd, too.

Don't knock 'till you try it. I, once, had left-over refrigerated ribs and fries for breakfast.

[QueenGwenevere]

I've often had supper for breakfast....

[Arshes Nei]

Yeah, burritos for breakfast strikes me as a bit odd, too.

What's obscure about a breakfast burrito?


http://mymouthful.files.wordpress.co...st-burrito.jpg

It's delicious wrapped in warm love.

[Zazerzs]

Yes, yes you should.

[Nezumi Works]

That's not a burrito!

That's an omelet wrap. XD

[velderia]

It looks like a omelet wrap that wants to be a burrito. So cute.

[Nutella]

Switching to traditional media will completely change your approach to drawing because rather than being in front of a computer screen, you'll literally be holding something in your hand. You'll smell it, you'll feel it, you'll actually hear it. It's much differently than the silence and the strange clicks from the computer.

Leave the room, get out in the world, draw, my child!

[Arshes Nei]

My honest opinion is that you should use whatever medium you ultimately aspire to be an expert in. If digital art is something you are passionate about, I think you should spend the majority of your time mastering those tools. A lot of people will tell you to ALWAYS practice in traditional mediums before digital - I'm no pro but I disagree, if you don't have that much of an interest in traditional media - don't do it.

Shouldn't over-think pencil as some kind of medium you need to master. It's not like oil paints or another media that makes you think in mass drawing (among other things of course).

In addition, one thing I noticed with a lot of beginner and even many artists, is that there's short choppy strokes because of a slight disconnect with the tablet, where if you gave them a piece of paper and pencil they will use longer strokes. It's less so with a larger table or when they notice it and make it a conscious decision to stop doing it.

Not only that, if you're using the choppy strokes it tends to point to using the wrist and that can lead to RSI.

http://daarken.com/blog/2010/04/04/tunnel-syndrome-x3/

[darkwolf29a]

I love how, in these types of threads, we always get a few people who want to talk about specialization. "Practice the medium you want to master" That's real great advice, as long as you don't mind putting the cart before the horse.

Personally, I use as many medium as possible. Drawing, paint (oil and acrylic (I want to learn watercolors also)), and digital. Why? I took a painting class over the last two months. I had some good paintings and some struggles also. But....I learned a HUGE amount. And what has that done for me? Well, I feel a whole lot more comfortable working digitally now. My strokes are less timid and I feel better about each one.

My point?

Don't under estimate what a different medium can teach you? Will I ever be an oil painter? Not likely. But, I will do more painting, probably acrylics because I like the medium better. But, I can see how painting can help make me a better digital artist.

And to me, that's the most important thing.

[Kiiryu]

I can not capture the live images in front of my eyes.

Suppose that's where a Cintiq comes in handy, as opposed to an intuos4 large. Then again, anyone can want one but that doesn't make it any less expensive....-sigh-

Personally, I find it a lot easier to do line work and sketches in pencil, it's just not the same with a tablet. However I find it much easier to color digitally. What you prefer really just depends on you, but as xinranliu said there's still a lot you can learn from using traditional mediums that can be applied to digital.