We have classes for all levels, even for those with zero drawing experience. In general, artists at all levels can benefit from these courses—whether beginner, intermediate or advanced.
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# Introduction to Digital Drawing

with Frank Calicó

4.8(210)

Learn the foundations of digital drawing in Clip Studio Paint in a fun and easy way!

 English, Spanish 
English, Spanish, 2 more
French, German

2+

hours

32

lessons

Beginner

level

## Your Instructor

Frank Calicó is a character designer and comic artist and has received international awards and nominations from Norma Comics, Wacom, Webtoon, and SMAC, amongst others.

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2+

hours

32

lessons

Beginner

level


English, Spanish


English, Spanish , 2 more



Subtitles

- French
- German

## What you’ll learn

- Basic, effective techniques for beginners to digital art
- How to start your sketch with the help of references
- Time-saving tips and shortcuts to speed up your workflow
- Essential tools in Clip Studio Paint for raster and vector drawing
- Recommendations on drawing tablets and software, including pros and cons
- The correct way to trace references to improve your drawing skills and how NOT to do it
- Use nifty tools to quickly fix/adjust your artwork without having to redraw it
- Master tools like ‘Auto-Select’, ‘Stabilization’ and ‘Adjust Line Width’ to draw clean line art and adjust it easily

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## Description

Would you love to be a digital artist and create fun cartoons and comics, but just feel like you don’t have time to draw? Do you struggle to develop your digital drawing skills, feeling like it’s an insurmountable goal? Well, take heart!

In this beginner-level course, Frank Calicó teaches you the art hacks to quickly level up your skills and master digital drawing techniques fast, saving you a ton of time and needless effort.

This course was carefully created based on hundreds of questions received on social media from people just like you—those eager to improve their digital drawing game!

He will teach you the essential tools and skills needed to start right away with Clip Studio Paint (or other similar software) and skip all the stuff that you DON’T need to know. Not only that, but you’ll also discover cool shortcuts and nifty tricks to speed up your workflow, making the process that much more enjoyable!

Frank demonstrates each concept very clearly in an easy-to-follow manner. You will feel like you’re learning from your bestie. With his engaging tutoring style, you’ll be drawn into the world of digital art and motivated to apply your new skills right away!

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## Who is this course for

- Beginners to digital art, especially those with limited time
- Artists who want to pick up new techniques to improve their workflow

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## This course includes

- 2+ Hours of on-demand videos
- 13 Assignments
- Layered Photoshop files
- 1 Cheat sheets/guides
- Certificate of Completion

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## Used in course

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## What you'll need

- Digital drawing software such as Clip Studio Paint or similar (see examplesAffinity Photo, ArtRage, Artweaver, Astropad, Clip Studio Paint, Corel Painter, Krita, Inkscape, IbisPaint, GIMP, Rebelle 4, Photoshop, Paintstorm Studio, Procreate, MediBang Paint, SketchPad, SketchBook, TwistedBrush, Vectr...)
- You'll learn more if you have a drawing tablet
- A good grasp of sketching

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### Lesson Plan

with Frank Calicó

Expand all sections

00

#### Introduction

01:32



Play

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Get to know your teacher, Frank Calicó, who will guide you through the process of learning to draw in Clip Studio Paint.

In this introduction, he will give you an overview of the subjects covered so you know what to expect in this course.

01

#### Getting Started

15:36





In this lesson, Frank addresses the big question: Do I need a graphic tablet to start drawing? If so, which one?

He presents the pros and cons of different drawing software and hardware, giving his own personal recommendations.

Additionally, you will learn the HUGE importance of shortcuts and how to use them when starting out.

INCLUDED:

   1 Shortcuts Guide

   1 Assignment

1.1

##### Introduction

00:39



1.2

##### The Tablet

06:07



1.3

##### The Software

01:57



1.4

##### The Hardware

00:57



1.5

##### The Canvas

01:34



1.6

##### The Shortcuts

04:22



02

#### References

08:18





Using references is the first step in learning to draw—and an essential one!

Frank will introduce some apps and sites that can be used to gather references as well as tips for saving them.

You will learn a secret of experienced artists: the correct way to trace references as a useful learning exercise.

INCLUDED:

   2 Assignments

2.1

##### Where and How to Get References

02:31



2.2

##### PureRef

03:33



2.3

##### Tracing References

02:14



03

#### Sketching

01:10:52





This lesson is loaded with tips, instructions and demonstrations on the first step of your illustration: the sketching phase!

You’ll learn how to set up your canvas properly; work with brushes; start off your sketch; modify it; use the line of action, volume and perspective; master modifier keys; touch up your sketch and more great stuff!

INCLUDED:

   7 Assignments

3.1

##### Introduction

03:19



3.2

##### The Canvas and the Interface

02:47



3.3

##### The Brushes

05:22



3.4

##### The First Sketch

06:50



3.5

##### The Second Sketch - Part 1

07:02



3.6

##### The Second Sketch - Part 2

08:39



3.7

##### Raster and Vector Layers

09:26



3.8

##### Modifier Keys

06:13



3.9

##### The Vector Eraser

09:04



3.10

##### The Third Sketch - Part 1

08:27



3.11

##### The Third Sketch - Part 2

03:43



04

#### Inking

47:12





Inking is an important step in creating a clean, professional-looking illustration.

Watch Frank ink a character in real time, explaining exactly what he’s doing as he goes (and why!) and which tools are best suited for inking.

He teaches how to use different layers, to make the inking process easier and faster, and tools like ‘Auto-Select’, ‘Stabilization’ and ‘Adjust Line Width’ to draw clean line art and adjust it easily.

INCLUDED:

   1 PSD Layered File

   3 Assignments

4.1

##### Introduction

01:48



4.2

##### The Inking Process - Part 1

13:53



4.3

##### The Inking Process - Part 2

11:21



4.4

##### The Inking Process - Part 3

06:39



4.5

##### The Auto-Select Tool

04:03



4.6

##### The Inking Process - Part 4

04:08



4.7

##### Line Width and Weight

05:20



05

#### Coloring

17:36





We are at the fun part at last: coloring your artwork!

First off: You’ll master the bucket tool and learn its most useful parameters.

Next, you’ll discover some cool tricks and techniques, for making quick color adjustments without having to repaint, and blending modes for shading your artwork.

INCLUDED:

   1 PSD Layered File

5.1

##### The Bucket Tool

08:44



5.2

##### Quick Adjustments

01:09



5.3

##### Shading

03:17



5.4

##### Finishing the Character

04:26



### Student Feedback

## 210 customer reviews & ratings

4.8

Course rating

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5 star

85 %

4 star

11 %

3 star

5 %

2 star

0 %

1 star

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Best Suited for

Beginner
The level is determined by a majority opinion of students who have reviewed this class. The teacher's recommendation is shown until at least 5 student responses are collected.

(Based on 210 reviews)

Most LikedGreat step-by-step process176Clarity of Instruction171Helpful Examples144

Showing 10
reviews of 210 reviews & ratings

Top reviewsMost recent

DH

Denise H.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase

Just what I needed. A lot of digital art courses/tutorials start with listing an abundance of tools and your head will be spinning before you even start. I loved this approach, where we focus on a few key tools that really will get you started, excited and gain momentum. Clip Studio has some really

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unique illustration features and they're being taken full advantage of in this course to speed up your workflow and make it more organic. All the shortcuts that were pointed out are HUGE for me. Thank you so much!

I recommend it for
Beginner

11
people found this helpful

LR

Lazaro R.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase

Great course!

I recommend it for
Beginner

6
people found this helpful

DANIEL V.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase

Thanks, finally, I have been using the software for quite a while but I learned tons here.

Finally a tutorial with CLIP STUDIO! I think this course and one related to comics and manga and 21 DRAWS becomes the best online courses.

I recommend it for
Beginner

5
people found this helpful

ES

Elmarie S.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase

THANK YOU!!! All of the courses I have watched so far are awesome, but this is exactly what I needed to be able to use CSP properly. Switching from traditional art to digital art has been a huge challenge and although I have been able to figure some stuff out about the program as I go, it has been g

+ Show more

oing way too slow. I watched tons of You Tube tutorials, but I still couldn't quite get the hang of the tools. Thank you for taking the time to explain all the details and usage of the tools, Frank. I will be able to just go and practice now instead of trying to learn how to use the program from scratch.

I recommend it for
Beginner

5
people found this helpful

TA

Tyler A.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase

A lot of helpful quick tips for easier/quicker digital drawing painting. More on the technical side vs actual fundamentals of drawing but that's what I was looking for! Makes me realize I need to get Clip Studio Paint, seems better for drawing that illustrator/photoshop.

I recommend it for
All levels

3
people found this helpful

Beberly A.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase

Awesome, Love the way he explain every process, Even if I already knew about the shorcuts, there are a lot of differents things I didn´t know about it, and the process is simple and faster.

I recommend it for
Beginner

2
people found this helpful

DD

DIDIER D.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase

Congratulation Frank!
I really enjoyed your course, I'm an old user of CSP, but there is always technics to pick up. Your explanations and examples are very clear, and i enjoy your helpful tips. I'm sure it will help beginners, but also advanced users.
Drawing is an infinite learning path. (not sur

+ Show more

e of my translation)
I will keep and eye on your next course.

Best Regards
Didier DUROC

I recommend it for
Beginner

2
people found this helpful

Gareth-Michael S.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase

Excellent overview of the digital art process.

I recommend it for
Beginner

1
person found this helpful

AS

Arthur S.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase

Great Course!!

I recommend it for
All levels

1
person found this helpful

ND

Nette D.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase

Learned a lot of good tips

See more reviews

### About the Instructor



Frank Calicó

Illustrator and Comic Artist 1 course

Frank Calico describes himself as an illustrator, comic artist, and pirate! You’ll see that these qualifiers fit him pretty well! Whether it’s fan art or personal creations, his heroes are dynamic, stylized, and very buccaneer indeed.

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#### What is 21 Draw?



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On books.21-draw.com you can buy our popular learn-to-draw ebooks and physical books, separate from the courses, and they too are also delivered to you by the heavyweights of the art industry.

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Each class includes 10-20 video lessons that are 7 minutes long on average. Most classes include exercise sheets, assignments, and layered PSD or PNG files.

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We have classes for all levels, even for those with zero drawing experience. In general, artists at all levels can benefit from these courses—whether beginner, intermediate or advanced.

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#### Do the courses teach digital or traditional art?



Many lessons in our courses apply to both digital and traditional art. In a few tutorials, digital drawing software, e.g. Photoshop or Procreate for iPad is required. However, for the majority of lessons it is more about the underlying concepts and all that is needed is a pen and paper.

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### About 21 Draw



21 Draw offers online courses and books on how to be a better artist for students of all skill levels. Our contributing artists and instructors are the best in the world.



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Frank CalicóIntroduction to Digital Drawing



21 Draw offers online courses and books on how to be a better artist for students of all skill levels. Our contributing artists and instructors are the best in the world.



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