Hello hive people, hope you guys are doing great, I wanted to talk about a comparison between digital drawing and pen and paper, to see some pros and cons about them and see if this can help you get into the illustration and drawing world.
First rule.
None of them is better than the other.
I used to draw with pens and pencils all the time, since I was a kid I always loved to create illustrated stuff, my pencils my pens and some colors were all I need to be the happiest person alive. I tried some tablets like Wacom bamboo, and other digital drawing tools, but I ended up selling them because I couldn't find myself confortable enough to draw on them, I must admit those were one of the first models of tablets, and it was pretty hard to use them, the biggest problem I had with them was how sensitive it was when it came to touch the surface with your hand, you should almost draw in the air to make it work, and it was so frustrating and exhausting.
But that's all in the past, I recently bought myself an iPad, and it was a game changer, it's so easy to use, the sensitivity in pressure and lines is so awesome, it has a lot of tools to work with that makes it so easy when it comes to versatility. I've been using the app Procreate, its a paid app but it's really cheap ($0.99) and you only pay once, there's no subscription or membership. its really intuitive and it has so many tools to work with, shapes, lines, guides, area selection tools, is like a blend between an illustration app with some photoshop things that makes it really complete.
So, what about hand drawing, oldschool pen and paper drawings?
I must admit I still love to create stuff the old way, sketching with some light pencils and ended up drawing with some black in pens, it some something that makes you fall in love immediately with the result, its like you connected to the art and its so well represented in the result, the imperfections, and the details are truly natural in a special way.
Digital pros ans cons.
Pros
Lets start with the pros about digital drawing, its really easy to erase or even undo a line or multiple steps, you have hundreds of brushes just by clicking on the, coloring and shading is so much easy and quick, and also you have a lot of tools to blend colors and shades. Its really important to know that it will not make you better, it will only make it easier in some ways.
Cons
The biggest con I found about digital drawing is that is kinda expensive to own an iPad + pencil just for some recreational drawing, if you are an artist selling merchandise, illustrating for work or something related consider it as an incredible tool that will pay off pretty fast. Also if you are looking for some natural classic style drawing, you can recreate them on digital, but it will never be a hand made piece.
Pencil hand drawing pros and cons.
Pros
The biggest pro about drawing old school is how easy you can start drawing, everyone has a pencil and a piece of paper at home, and thats all you need to let your imagination fly away. The result and simplicity is another big pro about hand drawing.
Cons
The biggest con about this one should be how frustrating it could be sometimes, when you can not find the line you are looking for, of when it comes to shading and lights, but don't panic you can always repare some damage with the eraser or even starting all over again.
To sum up
I recommend to experience both techniques if you have the chance, no matter if you are a beginner or a pro, you can learn so much from both and enjoy them equally.
Here is the same drawing on digital and with black pens, what do you think about it?
