Learning Photoshop for Illustration: Part 1 - Breaking the Surface Tension

I have been wanting to try digital illustrations but having no talent and skills, my only choices were to:

• either dismiss the idea and move on, or
• acquire the talent and skills to actually try it.

Albeit being the easiest and most practical option, the first choice only worked out for several weeks before a stronger wave of impulse came back and made me sign up for some online beginner's illustration courses. There were three courses for three different things, and I chose to start off with the Introduction to Photoshop for Illustrators.

The learning experience was mostly good, although I did have to revisit the lessons and redo the practice assignments several times. I even had to slow down the video speed just so that I could understand the instructions. Imagine pouring water on a hydrophobic soil. If you do it quickly, the water would just bead up on the surface. But if you do it slowly, you'd have a better chance at breaking the surface tension and the water would penetrate into the soil.

Despite having completed all the lessons and practice assignments, I can't officially 'graduate' because I'm still stuck at my final project. I've drafted three different illustrations and have started on two of them, but I just can't proceed with any of them because:

• Draft 1 - an island; too uninteresting so I didn't do much about it,
• Draft 2 - a hedgehog being lost in a porcupine habitat; too technically challenging, and
• Draft 3 - a cat in a living room; can be either of the above depending on the presence of the cat.

The process of working on these drafts tell me several things:

1. I'm too ambitious for my level, and
2. I'm bad at drawing animal characters.

Now it sends me back to the dilemma at the beginning of this post, but I think this time I have more options in between, such as:

• going for something more suited for my level,
• choosing a different subject or composition, and even
• coming up with a new idea completely.

Which one will it be?

Hoping to come back with a positive outcome in the next post, O.

Bonus content:

Brushes and transformation practice.

Value study using a vector illustration I did last year.

Color study, brushes and masking practice.

Character study for Draft 2 that didn't get to see the light of day.