21-Draw-Illustrators-Guidebook-vol-2-ebook-(2021)

stored on your device, simply tap the
preview in the gallery. You can add new files
by using the Files menu, such as digital art
files from other software by tapping Import.
You can also import photos from your
camera roll by tapping on Photo.
Before we create a new canvas, let’s look at
a few ways to organize files. To rename a file
simply tap the title underneath the preview.
You can move artwork around by tapping
and dragging the preview where you want.
By swiping left on a preview, you can share,
duplicate, or delete it. To share, duplicate, or
delete multiple files at once, tap select then
tap on all the files you want to include.
Next choose the action you want to apply
from the top right menu. You can also group
files into folders called Stacks. To create a
stack, tap Select and tap the files you would
like to stack. Once you have them selected,
tap Stack from the upper right menu.
Alternatively, if you hold and drag one file on
top of another this quickly creates a stack.
Drag any additional artwork you’d like added
to the top of the stack, hover, and hold until
you see the selected file in the stack. If you’d
like to remove a file from a stack, tap the
stack, then tap and drag the artwork to the
top left corner until it is back in the Gallery.
CREATING A NEW CANVAS
Now that we are familiar with the Gallery, it’s
time to create a new canvas. Create a canvas
by tapping the + symbol in the upper righthand
corner of the Gallery. Rather than
selecting one of the presets shown, let’s
create a new preset. Tap the icon to the right
of New Canvas. From here you can choose
your dimensions. I typically change units
to inches instead of pixels because inches
are easier for me to visualize. As a rule of
thumb, I don’t use less than 8 inches on
the smallest side. For example, if I want to
print my drawing at 5x7 inches, I double the
dimensions and start my canvas at 10x14
inches. I can scale the file size down after I’m
finished which helps maintain high image
quality. Speaking of image quality—DPI
plays an important role. DPI stands for dots
(or pixels) per inch. If you use a lower DPI,
the image will be more pixelated. I always
create my canvas at 300 DPI (which is
standard for quality printing). This ensures
good image quality on screen as well as
when printed. Note that a larger canvas size
or higher DPI will limit the number of layers
you can have in a canvas. Later on, I will
show you a trick to work around the layer
limit. To save and rename your new canvas
preset, tap Untitled Canvas, then tap the
orange Create button.
LESSON 1: FINDING
INSPIRATION
The first step in creating
a new drawing is finding
inspiration. When I’m
not sure what to draw,
I gather images I find
interesting and
compile them into
a mood board.
This helps me get
inspired to create
something new. I
gather resources
for my mood board
by browsing sites
like Pinterest or doing a simple Google
search. When looking for mood board
images, you’re not looking for a single
image to draw from. You want to find a
variety of images that inspire you to create
something entirely new.
DIGITAL DRAWING
3