• Try “portfolio”, “ink”, “branding” or a code like “PRS 101”.

IFA 105Illustration and Fine Arts

Digital Illustration Fundamentals

A complete digital illustration workflow: tools and canvas set-up, thumbnails to sketch, layers, flats, rendering, finishing and exporting for screen and print.

Planned

About this course

Digital tools make some things easier and others more tempting to overdo. This course builds a clear, repeatable workflow from brief to finished file: choosing hardware and software (including the free, open-source Krita as an option), setting up canvases correctly for screen or print, sketching from thumbnails, working non-destructively with layers and masks, laying flats, rendering light and finishing. It ends with exporting for different uses and saving process files and versions. The skills transfer across Procreate, Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, Krita and similar apps.

Who it’s for: Artists moving from traditional to digital, and beginners who want a structured digital workflow. Basic drawing skills help. Requires a drawing tablet or tablet device and any painting app.

You will be able to

  • Set up a canvas with the correct size, resolution and colour mode for its intended use.
  • Develop an illustration from thumbnails through a refined sketch.
  • Work non-destructively with layers, clipping masks and adjustment layers.
  • Lay clean flats and render form and light consistently.
  • Export finished files for web, social and print, and keep organized working files.

Studio project

A finished digital illustration responding to a brief, with every workflow stage documented and correct exports for web and print.

To complete this course

  • Complete every required lesson.
  • Have the assignment “Illustration from a brief” accepted by an instructor.
  • Records of completion are issued only for courses whose content has passed instructor review.

Part of

Syllabus

Working titles: they may change as the course is written.

  1. Module 1: The digital studio

    Tools and set-up that prevent problems later.

    1. 1.1Hardware and software optionsReading · 30 min
    2. 1.2Canvas set-up: size, resolution and colour modeReading · 30 min
    3. 1.3Brushes, stabilizers and a lean brush setExercise · 35 min

  2. Module 2: Core workflow

    From idea to rendered illustration.

    1. 2.1Thumbnails to refined sketchStudio · 50 min
    2. 2.2Layers, masks and non-destructive workReading · 35 min
    3. 2.3Flats and selectionsExercise · 40 min
    4. 2.4Rendering light and formStudio · 60 min

  3. Module 3: Finishing and output

    Completing, exporting and archiving work.

    1. 3.1Colour adjustment and finishing touchesExercise · 35 min
    2. 3.2Exporting for web, social and printReading · 30 min
    3. 3.3Saving process files and versionsReading · 20 min

Author: Ricketts University curriculum team (draft for founder review) · Not yet reviewed

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