How can I give my digital drawings a more traditional feel?
Answer
Bram replies
This may sounds like an obvious statement to make, but painting and drawing on a computer can quickly make an image feel digital. However, there are different painting methods to counter this – and programs such as Corel Painter and ArtRage do this inherently – but one of the quickest ways to do it is by using the Noise filter. I find that noise helps to give my paintings a little bit of extra texture and makes my brush strokes look like they’ve been made on a rough surface, rather than a flat digital screen. I’m always careful not to overdo it though, otherwise the trick quickly loses its magic.
A second pitfall I also try to keep in mind is that an untouched Noise layer – since it’s computer generated – will look digital as well. The Spatter filter can help to clutter the chunks of noise together and to randomise it, making it look more traditional.
A last trick I use to ensure my paintings look more traditional is to create digital brushes from actual brush strokes, and to apply a grainy texture pattern to them. All are straightforward techniques, but they can be used to great benefit. Here’s how…