Most entertainment artists work digitally and there is often a rush for new artists to get into digital painting. this seems to be the way of the future, whether it be storyboards, concept art, or even digital illustration work.
But if you’ve never done a digital painting before, the task may seem daunting.
You are reading: Digital painting books for beginners
where do you start?
All the books in this post will help you get a head start on the task of digital painting. some books are aimed at absolute beginners, while others are for experienced artists who want to improve an area of their work.
Either way, here are some books to help you improve the quality of your digital art.
Quick Tip: Beginners may prefer video lessons because they take you by the hand with step-by-step lessons. For quality videos, I suggest going the photoshop digital art route at pluralsight. this teaches you all about digital painting in photoshop and comes with a free trial period to try it out.
beginners guide to digital painting in photoshop
I have been consistently impressed with the 3DTotal books in the past few years. They’ve hit the nail on the head when it comes to publishing for entertainment artists, and more specifically concept artists who have no idea where to start.
The Beginner’s Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop is a comprehensive introduction to the painting process in Adobe Photoshop. The book contains 224 pages packed with specific techniques, workflows, and suggested tips to help you gain confidence with digital painting.
This guide doesn’t cover much about the actual tablet setup process or how to choose a tablet. it is assumed that you already know how to use a tablet, but not a painting program like photoshop.
Both authors are industry veterans with years of concept art experience. They’ll cover some of the fundamentals, like color selection and light sources, to help you create flawless works of art. but to get the most out of this book, it helps to have a little prior experience creating digital art.
digital painting techniques: practical techniques from masters of digital art
Here’s another 3DTotal publication that gets a bit more advanced with the digital painting advice. You’ll study from other digital artwork with commentary and breakdowns of each piece explaining how to re-create similar effects on your own.
The book covers individual topics like painting creatures, humans, environments, and even how to choose your own custom brushes. digital painting techniques: the practical techniques of the masters of digital art are not for everyone. you need painting experience before choosing this book.
however, it is not necessary to be a great painter beforehand. he just needs to know what he is trying to do and be willing to follow the exercises.
I don’t think this book can make you a master painter any more than another book can. however, digital painting is a different beast and I think digital painting techniques give this process the respect it deserves.
beginners guide to digital painting in photoshop: characters
This is a sequel to the very first book in this list which just focused on the basics of painting in Photoshop. Now you can get more into character art with Beginner’s Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop: Characters.
everything in this book prepares you for the process of creating characters from scratch. You’ll learn to paint gestures and poses, pick the right colors, and paint believable costumes for each character.
You’ll delve into the intricate details of hair, facial expressions, and nose and ear types that can radically change a character’s appearance on screen. this is not an easy book and you really need a higher level of painting skill before you start.
I would recommend this book to aspiring character artists who already know the basics and want to move on to more detailed exercises. you can try this as a beginner, but you will have difficulties. it doesn’t help you with the fundamentals, so if you’re a beginner, this book should be used in conjunction with an easier title.
digital painting for beginners
Carlyn Beccia wrote this book as an overall guide to digital painting. You can use Photoshop like many pro artists, but the techniques in this book apply to any program.
Digital Painting for Beginners teaches the fundamentals of painting, from brush selection to the technique of applying strokes on the tablet. each chapter includes many illustrations to guide you through the lesson.
See Also: 7 Divorce Books Worth Reading to Help You Through Divorce
I highly recommend this book to someone who already uses oils or watercolors and wants to move on to digital work. Many of the exercises compare digital painting with traditional painting, so it will be easier for you to understand these concepts if you already have some experience.
But while you don’t need traditional painting experience, you will need some experience using the painting program of your choice. the author uses photoshop and painter, but you can use anything as long as you feel comfortable.
master the art of speed painting
This is one of the most recently published books in this list and it’s also one of the most advanced.
speed paintings are popular on youtube, where professional artists start with a blank canvas and speed up their work to create a beautiful painting in short periods of time (5-20 minutes).
As a beginner, this is not recommended and would be a complete waste of time. this is comparable to an inexperienced musician trying to improvise freestyle on his guitar. it’s going to sound bad because they just don’t know how to play.
A skilled artist can freestyle their work because they already understand the basics. however, some experienced artists still don’t know how to speed up painting, and that is the target audience for this book.
master the art of speed painting is 256 pages long and covers a variety of speed painting techniques. you will learn to paint in set intervals ranging from 10 minutes to 60 minutes.
Speed is crucial in the professional world, but you also need the underlying skills to go along with it. Anyone at the intermediate to advanced painting level will get a lot out of this book. if you are inexperienced, spend a few hours training first.
fundamentals of art: color, light, composition, anatomy, perspective and depth
There are so many fundamentals of art that it takes years to truly master them all. But you always have to start somewhere and many artists like to attack everything at once.
with this new book you can dive into a little bit of everything! Artistic Fundamentals: Color, Light, Composition, Anatomy, Perspective, and Depth is a great compendium written by professional game concept artists who know the importance of mastering these fundamentals.
This book is a powerful introduction to beginners who have no idea what the fundamentals are, why they are necessary, or how they affect conceptual art paintings. you will learn about many different subjects and why they are crucial to great art.
however, the book does not cover any particular skill in great detail. if you’re struggling with a skill set, I recommend getting a specific book on that topic (ie anatomy, perspective, lighting, etc.).
And if you’re looking for book recommendations on specific art fundamentals, check out my fundamentals post for more information.
beginners guide to digital painting in photoshop: science fiction and fantasy
Here’s another newer release in the “beginner’s guide” series of books from 3DTotal. This one focuses on sci-fi work and fantasy art made for video games, movies, and comic books.
beginner’s guide to digital painting in photoshop: science fiction and fantasy assumes knowledge of digital painting, but not much beyond the basics. you should be able to do exercises on your own and paint without difficulty.
This book teaches you how to think about the work of science fiction, including characters, creatures, props, and settings. you’ll learn tips for powerful composition and lighting that set the scene and help sell your work.
Each chapter is broken down into smaller exercises with 12 individual projects to help you learn different tools of the trade. The book has three contributing authors with professional experience. I think the topics are a bit scattered, but you can tell the authors know what they’re doing and the lessons are invaluable to anyone interested in science fiction or fantasy painting.
beginners guide to digital painting in photoshop elements
I personally never use Photoshop Elements because it feels too watered down. However it is a much cheaper alternative to Photoshop so I feel it’s important to offer this book for artists on a budget.
Beginner’s Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop Elements teaches you the basics of digital painting along with the PS Elements interface. she will learn how to select brushes, set up new canvases, and how to record her brush strokes with proper technique.
this is not much different from photoshop, but there are noticeable changes in the interface and the quality of the brush panel.
You will learn through real exercises and practice projects that will take you from being a complete novice to a proficient painter in ps elements.
light for visual artists: understanding & use of light in art & design
See Also: 4 free sites for creating your own comics | Mashable
The physics of light is incredibly complex with reflected light and how it affects shadows. Without picking up a science book I’d recommend Light for Visual Artists to get started on this long journey.
Artists need to understand light sources and how they affect the scene. this is true with drawing, but especially with painting if you ever want to create believable works of art.
The first few chapters discuss the basics of light and how it affects what you see. then you will delve into colors and how light affects specific materials in humans and environments.
When you paint from your imagination, you can invent your own light source. but to do so, you first need a solid understanding of how it all works.
This book should be used as a reference guide, like an anatomy book. You will constantly reference precise lighting rules and techniques for realistic compositions. Light for Visual Artists is a great reference book for all levels and vital for aspiring concept artists.
photoshop and painter tablet book
If you come from a traditional art background then The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book will be the best book to help you learn digital painting.
Author Cher Threinen-Pendarvis assumes a natural background in drawing or painting and uses this knowledge to bridge the gap for artists who have never touched a tablet before. he should already have a tablet before reading this book, however, he doesn’t need any experience to use it.
This book offers a good mix of theory and practice with lessons that teach you how digital painting works and then show you practical examples.
you will learn through a lot of different programs like photoshop, painter, artstudio and sketchbook pro. The author covers wacom and ipad tablets, but you can work with anything and still learn a lot from this title.
digital painting tricks & techniques: 100 ways to improve your cg art
Many digital artists are self-taught and eventually hit a brick wall. It can feel like you’ve plateaued and have no idea where to go.
digital painting tricks & Techniques teaches a variety of techniques including brush selection, lighting, color selection, and even speed painting techniques. and although the book begins with “beginner” level topics, most of the information is not intended for beginners.
You really need experience with digital painting before choosing this book. Assumes prior knowledge of fundamentals and how to use your tablet as a drawing device. if you are a complete beginner or just a bit inexperienced, this book is not for you.
But if you’re open to new painting ideas and methods, this book will offer plenty of advice. It’s not strictly reserved for professionals, but you’ll get the most out of this writing if you put in the hours and have prior knowledge.
from ordinary to elegant: transforming photographs into digital paintings
I can’t say this book will be for everyone because it targets such a specific topic. Many artists like to work from photos because they’re easier than finding a real reference.
but painting from a photographic reference is hard enough with oils let alone digital tablets.
Ordinary to Elegant: Transforming Photographs into Digital Paintings by Helen Yancy teaches how to study photographs and make artistic decisions based on your understanding of depth, perspective, and anatomy.
Helen has years of experience manipulating photos and painting, so her two skill sets meld nicely in this book.
If you like to set up photographic references before you paint, this book is a godsend. but anyone who doesn’t care much about copying photos probably doesn’t want or need this title.
There is a lot to say about digital painting, but there is a limit to the number of words that can be included in a book. most art is learned through repetition. failure leads to understanding when you then repeat and learn as you go.
Most of these books can help you learn how to do things right, but they can’t improve you without action.
If you are a complete beginner or just getting started in digital painting, many of these books will be perfect for you. more advanced artists may also find some titles valuable. but the best advice is to keep practicing and dedicating hours. once you understand the basics of digital painting, it will be easier to improve and keep your momentum going.
See Also: Chad Zunker – Book Series In Order