Building an art career is hard to do, and it always has been. Everyone has a bit of a creative spark inside them, but only a few are willing to practice enough to take that raw talent and turn it into a skill. And even when you do, there’s no guarantee of success, no matter how much effort you put in or how many enquiry emails you send out.
But with the age of social media upon us, getting your work out there is easier than ever, even if you think no one is seeing it. Plus, it’s a lot easier to make your work look polished and professional, even if you’re a total beginner, if you learn to make good use of the new digital tech that’s here to improve the artistic base we all know and love.
You definitely don’t need to run a business to be an artist, and if you love just doodling around and splashing paint on a canvas, it might be time to think about brushing up a little. And if you’re in the market for a new bit of kit to help improve the way you draw and paint, you might just have room in the budget for the suggestions we’ve listed below.
Photo by Anthony Shkraba from Pexels
Finding the Right Drawing Tablet for You
Finding the right drawing tablet for you takes a bit of shopping around, as well as getting used to the way you draw and the style you most prefer. Thankfully, there are quite a few tablet options on the market, most of which come with free software to download for you to get straight to work on.
The first thing you’ll need to think about is whether or not the tablet of your dreams comes with its own display. If you like being able to work on the go, and charging your tablet in between uses, you’ll need a display. But, if you prefer to hook it up to a computer, and work comfortably from home or with a laptop in front of you, a non display one will be just fine.
Plus, you’ll need to be on the lookout for a variety of features. These range from the size of tablet, to the levels of pressure sensitivity, as well as the stylus that’s available for you to use and the responsiveness of the tablet itself.
Of course, the search doesn’t stop there; there are plenty of advanced features you might want to have at your disposal as well. These can include a multi touch display, for people that look to zoom in and out, which is great for people who like to work on fine or detailed drawings.
Get Used to Using an Airbrush
Do you own an airbrush? If not, have you ever thought about owning an airbrush? Because if not, it’s time to do a bit of research and find the model for you! These things are inexpensive, as long as you don’t pay any more than £80 to £100 for them, and they’re great for both beginner and experienced artists alike.
It’s true, airbrushes have a lot of benefits to them. When you use an airbrush, you have a greater amount of control over where your strokes go and just how light or heavy they are. You can build them up much easier, as well as shade and highlight with great ease too, and that’s something every single artist out there might just find to be a tricky chore.
Not to mention just how versatile airbrushes are. They can be used in a variety of media, such as sculpting and even SFX makeup, to allow you to better decorate your creations to the way you really envision them. Take back control over the paint in your life by using an airbrush!
Look for Upcoming Features on New Phone Models
Phones really are the turning point of the digital revolution, and they’ve come a very long way in the past 10 or so years. From having to flip them open to being able to unlock them with your face alone, the new iphone 2020 and other such releases can be a real boon to your artistic career.
For example, the cameras in new phones alone have a lot more to offer than you might think. Indeed, these camera functions are so sophisticated that traditional cameras are only just starting to catch up – sometimes it’s not worth it to fork out upwards of £1000 for a brand new Nikon only to find your phone can do just as much with just a few taps of the screen.
Plus, there’s plenty of helpful apps you can download onto your phone to help with your developing art skills. From drawing pad apps, that turn your entire phone into pressure sensitive tablets, to speedpainting recording software, your phone is an artistic arsenal just sitting in your pocket.
Invest in the Right Sketchbook
And finally, being able to invest in the right sketchbook will save you a lot of money in the long run. Sketchbooks have come a long way, and they’ve changed a lot. Ranging from cheap 100 page books you can get from the supermarket, to high quality Moleskin versions, you’re going to have to do a bit of shopping around here.
But once you’ve found the sketchbook you like, you can stick with the brand and stock up. Save by buying in bundle – you never know when you’re going to run out of pages, and you never know when the next sale is going to be on, so go nuts!
There’s a lot of new tech out there that could help you build an art career, but only if you’re invested in pushing your skills as far as they can go. Be sure to keep an eye on new innovations in the digital art and graphics world, and see if any of the new software and bits of kit interest you. Art is all about passion, after all!
