Tips on Combining Traditional Media with Digital Illustration
As the current Innovator in Residence, I’ve been running programming related to digital illustration at the Fort York Branch. With only a couple weeks left in my residency, I’ve now facilitated a variety of workshops and talks on subjects related to both illustration as a practice and illustration as an industry. It’s been fun and fulfilling to meet with program participants and together explore the tools that the library has to offer.
One of my favourite programs that I’ve had the opportunity to run is a workshop called "Incorporating Traditional Media into Digital Illustration". It’s a workshop where we explore bringing traditionally-made textures and artwork (pieces made using physical media such as watercolour, pencil crayon or ink) into digital software. Once you bring your work onto the computer, you can edit it using Adobe Photoshop, and add exciting texture and color to your digital drawing.
If you’re interested in bringing handmade materials into your digital illustration, the library has a variety of tools to help you!
Importing your Traditional Work
The Digital Innovation Hub at the Fort York location has equipment readily available to bring your artwork into the digital realm. It's one of eight Digital Innovation Hubs at a Toronto Public Library branch. You can reserve a computer station and use a large format scanner to document your work at high resolution. You can scan line work drawn with ink or pencil, textures made using paint or dry media, or even found textures like handmade paper! Anything that you’ve made or found can be used to elevate your illustrations.
Applying Traditional Work to Your Illustrations
Computers at the Digital Innovation Hub come with access to Adobe Creative Suite, which will allow you to edit and add to your illustrations. The artwork you’ve scanned can be brought into Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator to use as a sketch for a full illustration or applied as an interesting overlaid texture.
In addition, try booking time with a Wacom Cintiq tablet and start illustrating digitally. When you use a Cintiq, you draw directly onto the screen, and the tablet captures your individual way of making marks. You can use a Cintiq to easily draw in Adobe Photoshop and edit those materials that you’ve scanned in previously.
Illustrators Who Combine Digital with Traditional
I love to look at the work of other illustrators who work with mixed media. It can be great inspiration!
Lisk Feng illustrates for both editorial and picture books. I love Everest as an example of how her combinations of texture and colour make stunning and dynamic imagery. It's a kids book but I would recommend checking it out if you're curious what can be achieved while drawing in Photoshop.
Keith Negley is another illustrator who really understands how to combine found images, textures and digital drawing. If you're interested in seeing artists who combine digital collage and drawing, his children's book Mary Wears What She Wants is a great place to start.
Further Resources for Digital Illustration
If you're just getting started using Adobe Photoshop to created digital illustration, Lynda.com is an amazing resource. It has tons of step-by-step video tutorials for walking you through many processes in Photoshop, from basic to advanced.
I also recommend Digital Painting in Photoshop: Industry Techniques for Beginners if you're looking for help with drawing digitally. Although the book focuses on Sci-Fi and Fantasy art, the techniques explained can be applied to any style of illustration!
Using both traditional and digital tools is a great way to expand your skills as an illustrator. Sign up at the Fort York Branch’s Innovation Hub to get time with their computers and equipment or take a class to get started!
One thought on “Tips on Combining Traditional Media with Digital Illustration”
Great tips Marley!
I’d also like to share that TPL has Adobe software (and scanners) available in several branches without Digital Innovation Hubs.
For locations see this page: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/computer-services/learning-centres/