Digital Line Art Instruction

To help detail the line art process, I've created an step by step guide on how to make your line art on the computer.

Here is what you'll need:

• A digital art program such as Photoshop, Paint Tool SAI, Corel Painter X, etc.
• A drawing tablet
• Patience

For this tutorial, I'll use Paint Tool SAI. Open up your program and let's get started.

Step 1: Create a canvas with a dpi (dots per inch) of 250 or higher.

The bigger the canvas, the more room you have to draw. Drawing big and then shrinking the drawing will mask the wobbly nature of your lines. Shrinking also lowers visibility on slight imperfections you will make while drawing.

Step 2: Draw your sketch.

This tends to be a two step process for me. A sketch with general shapes comes first. Simple shapes help me figure out the form of the character I'm drawing.

Then I get more detailed. The above image will be the final form of the sketch.

Step 3: Lower the opacity of the sketch.

Sketching in a light color helps you differentiate between the lines of your final product and the sketch you are working from. Lightening or lowering the opacity helps even more.

Step 4: Zoom in to prepare to draw the lines.

Zooming in helps your lines stay stable. Working at actual size makes the lines not as smooth as if you zoomed in and worked on them. With practice you can learn to draw from a far, but zooming in makes things easier.

Step 5: Draw the lines.

Begin drawing the lines. Here are a few tips:

• Use long, sweeping strokes as frequently as possible. Doing so ensures smoothness in your lines.

• Make sure your strokes are quick as well. Drawing slow lines produces bumpy or wiggly result, even when you are zoomed in.

• Smaller, slower strokes are best for smaller details. These strokes are best applied to eyes, mouths, or even background details as well.

• Zoom out to the actual size as you work. You can see the parts of your drawing that need fixing as you do so.

• Continue working until you've finished drawing all the lines. Or work until you are satisfied.

Step 6: Erase the sketch layer.

After you have finished, zoom out and erase the sketch layer. Or delete the layer entirely if you have no more use for it.

Step 7: Shrink the image.

When you are finished, you will want to shrink the image to a smaller size. To do so in SAI, go to Canvas, then click on Change Resolution.

Change the drop down box on the right to percent (%).

Then change the percentage to your liking. I usually change it to either 75% or 50% of the original size.

Once you've completed that, you're done! This tutorial covers the basics. Experimenting with this process will help you improve. Try using different brushes or textures. There is no limit to the kinds of lines you can create, so be creative! Oh, make sure you save often as you work as well!