I love traditional illustration.

This is definitely not going to be my first post on this. Because, while I definitely prefer to do my finished artwork using “traditional”* methods, I have done some digital pre- and post-production work in Photoshop and I’ve been refining my opinions on the matter of traditional VS digital illustration (as if there were such a battle).

Plus, I just purchased Manga Studio 5 EX**. In fact, it just arrived and, once I’m done with my current pieces, I’m going to start fiddling with it.

* (if I was really traditional, I’d be using a stick and dirt)
** (Soooooo much cheaper than Photoshop, guys. And the word on the ‘Net is that artists are starting to replace Photoshop with Manga Studio as their digital art tool)

The reason I love traditional methods is simply because I love the feel of the tools and the resulting look of the finished art. I love the process. I love the fact that I have tools I need to maintain, that I need to prep the paper, that I need to find the right ink and the right nib or brush for what I want to draw.

I like to stand while I draw. I got into this habit years ago. It’s more active and definitely hurts my legs less – I tend to draw for long stretches if I’m in the zone, which means I forget to take a break (that’s bad, folks). So, that physicality of drawing is also something that I love. If I’m at a computer, I’m most likely going to be sitting.

Speaking of sitting at a computer, I, once again, have a dayjob where I’m stuck behind a computer pretty much all day. When I write at home, or I’m composing music, I do it on the computer. I really, really, really don’t want to be at my computer any more than I have to. It’s not that I don’t love my computer (I do… Macbook Pro… drooooool), but I don’t want that to be my place of existence in my home.

I use an old Wacom Graphire. I’ve also used an Intuous Pro, which is, of course, much, much nicer. But, with these devices, there’s a disconnect between the tablet and the monitor, so there’s also a disconnect between me and what I’m drawing. I have played with a Cintiq (for the uninitiated, it’s basically a high-end tablet that you can draw on with a stylus) and it was pretty nice, but it still didn’t feel the same. I like the feel of pencil, pen, and brush on the paper. Again, it’s the physical connection that I enjoy.

Plus, I can’t afford a Cintiq, anyway, let alone an Intuous Pro. Maybe someday.

Something else I love about traditional methods is the fact that, in regards to inking, the artist really has to train him or herself to get things right the first time pen or brush hits the paper. There is no undo button. You make a mistake and you either have to pull out the white ink, the correction pen or tape, cut out and patch in a new piece of board, or simply start all over. To avoid the agony of correcting permanent ink, the artist really has to learn to lay down the “perfect” line without the need for correction.

Plus, going back to how pen and brush feel on paper, I like that these tools require a raw sensitivity. You have to develop a certain level of sensitive control in order for the ink to be applied just right.

With digital illustration, it’s so easy to go back into your history. It’s so easy to save numerous copies so that there are different versions that can be worked on. It’s so easy to undo something. It’s really easy to draw with a little less intent on being perfect because it’s so easy to erase an “inked” line. Instead, you can draw with more abandon and less deliberation, which sounds freeing, but then in order to get the exact looking you want for the finished art you have to back and edit. It’s easy to lay down a line imperfectly and edit it by moving or reshaping it, something you can’t do with a real inked line. Yes, you could scan in a piece of finished art and use digital editing tools to make corrections, but then that creates a whole lot more work.

Me? I’d rather acquire the skill. I’d rather work on becoming super confident in my lines so I don’t have to rely on anything except for my own physical control. True, it does take skill and control to use a stylus, but along with being a very different sense of control, there is still the non-destructive properties of the digital platform to consider. Plus, when I’ve done finished digital illustration, I found that it didn’t take as long to become fairly confident or competent using a stylus and tablet. Of course, this was in Photoshop; I’ve yet to find out just how “natural” the brush engine in Manga Studio 5 EX is.

I also really like having an original piece of art that doesn’t exist anywhere else. When a piece of finished art is purely digital, there’s an original file but no original piece of art. And files can get lost in the sea of other files on one’s computer… and in the ocean of files once posted online. Anything that gets distributed is a copy. But nothing can replace a unique piece of artwork.

I do almost all of my finished black-and-white artwork using some combination of pencil, paper, pen, brush, and ink. I plan to be diving in to the world of Copic markers so I can color by hand, too. I used to use color pencils, but I haven’t pulled them out in years. I’ll probably experiment with those again, too. And watercolor paints: the few times I’ve used watercolors I’ve enjoyed it. But I admit to doing most of my color work digitally because, as a colorist, I’m still “catching up” – I’ve always gravitated towards drawing, keeping coloring as a second priority. As such, digital coloring is a great learning and experimenting tool for figuring out what does and doesn’t work.

That said, there are things I want to be able to do digitally to help my workflow as well as use the software as a learning tool.

I’m looking forward to sketching on the computer – working on figure drawing, architecture… – because the Internet is right there, full of references just waiting for me to use. I figure this will be a good way to enhance whatever structural skills I already have.

I’m looking forward to doing concept work on the computer. It’s going to be so nice to be able to draw a base character sketch and then draw layers of different clothing and accessories on top. It’ll be nice to construct character, creature, building, and vehicle concepts for future works.

It’ll be nice to have the option to create “less-organic”, super-slick, graphic design-oriented illustrations should I have to do a commercial job that requires such a visual; many finished modern commercial illustrations utilize this aesthetic.

(Also, I figure with this type of work-for-hire artwork I may not care about having a tangible piece of finished art)

And, with Manga Studio 5 Ex, it would be nice to have the option to do advance layouts and see them all in one view. I don’t generally do advance layouts, thumbnails or otherwise. I usually know what I want to do visually, but there are times when I want to work things out. Plus, I’m always experimenting with writing methods: sometimes I script, sometimes I have a summary, sometimes it’s all in my head and I improvise my way through… having yet another option is never a bad thing.

I rarely say “never”, but I never plan on giving up traditional illustration. I love it too much. But, I can see the potential to add digital tools to my repertoire, hence my recent purchase. As long as I don’t become an editor instead of remaining an illustrator, and as long as I use the tools for specific purposes, I should be able to find a place for digital illustration in my artistic life.