Book Image

Draw and Paint Better with Krita

By : Wesley Gardner
Book Image

Draw and Paint Better with Krita

By: Wesley Gardner

Overview of this book

Krita is a free, open-source digital painting program with industry-leading functionality and a creative suite of tools able to bring any visual idea to life. It allows for a fast, clean approach to creating digital art, without the hassle of pay-to-play or subscription license fees, but just like all other art software, it takes time and effort to learn it. This book provides a comprehensive look into functional tools, visual problem-solving, and leading painting techniques using Krita to unleash your inner artist. You’ll learn the functionality and tools of Krita for creating digital and print-quality work as well as explore manipulation toolsets, custom brush creation, overviews of color spaces, and layer management. As you progress, you’ll get to grips with ‘key styles’ needed to make professional-grade digital art, through techniques such as photobashing, 3D paint-overs, and more traditional painting methods, along with covering how Krita handles these workflows. Next, you’ll work through a few step-by-step art pieces using the skills and tools learned throughout the book. By the end of this Krita book, you’ll have a solid understanding of the Krita work environment and be able to bring your artistic visions to life with a myriad of leading industry-standard techniques.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
1
Part 1: Intro to Krita and Digital Art Terminology Review
6
Part 2: Methods of Visual Communication within Krita
11
Part 3: Projects Unleashing Your Inner Artist with Krita

To get the most out of this book

This book is a hybrid book, covering both some professional-grade tips for general digital illustration and the use of Krita in your artistic journey. Familiarity with art terms (such as composition, rendering, and brushwork) will come in handy, as will a basic knowledge of using a computer (how to open programs, save files, and so on). We will cover all of this (and more) in detail, but it's always great to have a head start!

While not mandatory, I highly recommend the use of a stylus, pen tablet, or touchscreen tablet device to mimic a more traditional artistic approach. This book and the steps can be followed only using a mouse, but certain tips and tricks you will learn will be aided by having a touch-based tablet device.

No matter whether you're a digital painting newcomer or a tenured professional illustrator, this book should provide some guidance and food for thought about your working approach, methods, and overall artistic goals.