I finally figured out why my art looked flat for so long

For about two years, I only ever painted with a basic round brush on one layer. My stuff looked okay but kind of boring. Then last month, I watched a tutorial from an artist named Loish and saw her use custom brushes for textures. I downloaded a free pack of 10 texture brushes and started using them for backgrounds and hair. The difference is crazy, my pieces have so much more depth now. Has anyone else had a moment like that with a simple tool change?

3 comments

3 Comments

christopher_wells420d ago

Oh man, the brush pack rabbit hole is real. I used the same hard round for everything for ages, and my digital paintings just looked so plastic. Grabbed a free set of like, six brushes that had a couple of grungy ones and a flat brush with some grain, and it was like night and day. Suddenly I could actually suggest fabric or dirt without trying to paint every single thread. It feels like cheating, but it's just using the right tool.

alexc938d ago

That free Kyle Webster pack changed my whole workflow.

phoenix_thompson420d ago

Totally get what you mean, and @christopher_wells4 is right about it feeling like cheating. I stuck with the basic airbrush forever and my stuff just looked so smooth and fake. Switching to a chalky texture brush for shadows was a complete game changer for me.