{"id":5648,"date":"2018-08-27T10:34:01","date_gmt":"2018-08-27T14:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/?p=5648"},"modified":"2019-06-27T20:36:24","modified_gmt":"2019-06-28T00:36:24","slug":"draw-a-fish-pen-ink-digital-painting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/draw-a-fish-pen-ink-digital-painting","title":{"rendered":"Draw a Fish: Pen and Ink Drawing with Digital Painting"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Do you like combining various drawing media? Have you ever experimented with the tools that you have at your disposal to discover that the result is truly amazing?<\/p>\n

In this tutorial, we\u2019ll create a special artwork. We’ll combine the advantages of traditional and digital tools. Hopefully, at the end of this post, you\u2019ll be inspired by this wonderful combination!<\/p>\n

My goal for this project is to practice ink drawing and digital painting skill and create a harmonious mixture of colors to develop a pleasant vintage look. If the result resembles an antique scientific illustration, it\u2019s the kind of stylization I was looking for.<\/p>\n

A fish (more precisely, a Bluegill) is the main subject because it\u2019s relatively simple to draw and features a variety of beautiful colors. Our art is usually more successful if we depict that something we truly like and find interesting!<\/p>\n

For this project, you\u2019ll need some basic art supplies – a graphite pencil, an eraser, and drawing paper of a size that is comfortable for you (mine is a standard A4).<\/p>\n

For the inking part, I\u2019ll be using the ink liners. The widths of the pens I’ll use are 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2. Feel free to use any liners you have or even replace them with a nib pen.<\/p>\n

Adobe Photoshop will help me in creating the colorful underpainting. You can use any version of this software or download a trial<\/a> if you don\u2019t have one.<\/p>\n

As far as I know, many programs for graphics support digital layers and allow you to create wonderful digital paintings. As long as you understand the principles, any software will do this job for you.<\/p>\n

I highly recommend using a graphics tablet with a stylus for painting in Photoshop. The main advantage of this device is the pressure sensitivity \u2013 the wonderful possibility to change the width of your digital paint strokes on the fly. Some other useful options are available when using a tablet too \u2013 so it\u2019s an extremely helpful artist\u2019s friend.<\/p>\n

We have so much to explore, so let\u2019s begin!<\/p>\n

Understanding the Shape and Sketching the Fish<\/h2>\n

The first step of our work is dedicated to ink and creating the texture of scales. But before we dive into the inking part, we should outline a sketch that represents the shape of the Bluegill. <\/p>\n

However, if you prefer to start the work with the inking tools right away, there is nothing wrong with that. Having a graphite sketch just gives us an opportunity to consider your art beforehand and become more familiar with the subject.<\/p>\n

If you aren\u2019t familiar with the appearance of a Bluegill, a quick Pinterest or Google Images search will give you an idea of what the fish looks like.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, this fish isn\u2019t the inhabitant of lakes and rivers where I live, so there’s no chance to catch it \u2013 I have to rely on images. To grasp the main shape and anatomic features, I examined some photos on the web. The goal is to find the common features and capture them in a drawing.<\/p>\n

At this stage, feel free to make any measurements to capture the proportions accurately. A fish is a wonderful subject that makes the observation process easy, thanks to its relatively simple and flat structure.<\/p>\n

For example, it would be useful to observe the balance between the lengths of the head or tail compared to the overall length of the fish. Also, detect where the fins \u2018start\u2019 and \u2018end\u2019. Observation is key to a great representational drawing!<\/p>\n

See also: 7 Drawing Techniques For Accuracy<\/a><\/p>\n

A Bluegill has a rounded body that is close to an oval in the shape and a tail of a medium length.<\/p>\n