Making Art The Hard Way – How I Used To Do It

My life as an artist has not always been the same. I used to make art very differently than I do now!

Of course, like probably most artists, I started out on paper. (Then again, it could be that a lot of artists nowadays start digitally – with a pen on an iPad using Procreate.) And in this post, I’d like to share some old photos of how I used to make art – the hard way, because I didn’t have better tools/didn’t know better. :D

How I Used to Make Art

I started out drawing on paper. I had stacks and stacks of A4 papers layers around. I went to a specific shop to get my pencil for drawing, and another shop for the thinnest fineliner I could find to make the lineart.

I would just draw on paper, use an eraser to erase mistakes as best as I could, and when I was finished, I would use the fineliner to create a black outline on my art. The fun part was erasing all the pencil lines from under the black lines after that, so that my program at the time could fill up the drawing better.

Here’s a photo of my drawing of a character from Trickster Online that I’m working on in Adobe Photoshop on a CRT monitor. Saved as a bitmap, I used to do, applying horrible shading techniques with the Dodge &amp Burn tool. XD

While working on this drawing, I’m listening to anime music in WinAmp. ^_^

Here’s a pencil drawing of another character from Trickster Online, in a setting of one of the maps.

After finishing the pencil sketch, I used my fineliner to make the lineart. I would regularly make mistakes with the lineart though, but I would fix that on the computer.

Sorry for the poor image quality, but like I said earlier, after the lineart comes the fun time spent erasing all of the pencil lines. xD

Once that is done, I place the A4 paper upside down onto the trusty Simplex Scanner, select my settings (300 dpi) and wait a few minutes(!) until the scan is done. :3

And yes, that’s my sock in the bottom right corner. o_o;

Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of how that looks on screen.

Anyway, here is the finished result!

Second Stage: Wacom Tablet

At some point, I was able to upgrade my work station with a much desired Wacom Tablet!

I had to search very hard for a picture of it, but I found one! Not the greatest picture… but’s better than no picture. Tommy living the life next to my Wacom Tablet on the bed. Yes, that’s a band-aid over the camera of the Wii U. If Mark Zuckerberg does it, why shouldn’t I?

Anyway, I used the Wacom Tablet for many years, with pleasure!

Current Stage: Drawing Tablet with Screen

Much more desired was of course a drawing tablet with a screen. And I finally got one in 2021! A Huion Kamvas 13, and I’m still using it.

Oekaki and MS Paint

Oekaki is a Japanese word that means “scribbling” or “drawing.” On the internet, oekaki refers to online drawing boards where people can create and share digital drawings.

An oekaki is a simple paint program inside a website. You draw with your mouse (or tablet), and when you’re done, you can post your drawing for others to see and comment on. Many oekaki boards focus on anime-style art, but of course people can draw anything they like!

Oekaki used to be very popular in the early 2000s, but nowadays, most artists really stick to programs like Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint instead. However, some websites and communities still exist where people enjoy making oekaki art.

This is a drawing of mine of Bijou from Hamtaro, drawn with mouse on an oekaki. ^_^

Here’s a small sample of pictures made in MS Paint. From left to right: Charmander, Miltank, Pikachu. :3

Thank you for having a look at my art journey throughout the years!