Digital Art Projects 1: Marigold Mandala
About the Project:
Here’s a very basic digital art project. No bells or whistles on this one. Just one layer, using a symmetry tool and flood fill.
This is a good, and relatively easy, starter project for a beginner in digital art.
I titled this, marigold mandala, but didn’t think of that name until after I did the video. As I was drawing, the design kept reminding me of a particular type of flower, but I didn’t remember the name “marigold” until later.
Lesson Objective:
To gain a basic familiarity with the tools and software we’ll be using for future digital art projects, specifically the symmetry tool and autofill (bucket) tool. Also, how to set up a digital canvas.
Resources Needed:
To create this project, I used Autodesk Sketchbook (sketchbook.com) with a Wacom Intuos Pro graphics tablet.
You can download Sketchbook free at: www.sketchbook.com
You can get a graphics tablet and pressure-sensitive stylus as low as $27 HERE
Content Guide:
Intro & Software/Hardware – 0:00
Navigating Sketchbook – 4:06
Set Up Your Canvas – 8:00
Select Your Brush – 10:15
Set Up the Symmetry Tool – 11:00
Draw the Mandala – 12:42
Color the Mandala – 18:12
Devotional Thought:
Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these (Luke 12:27 NIV).
All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall (I Peter 1:24 NIV).
It’s interesting to note that when scripture refers to flowers, it is almost always with an eye towards either God’s provision or peoples’ temporality. The two verses above are representative of the divergent thought lines. In one, Jesus instructs his hearers to consider the wildflowers, how God clothes them even more majestically than Solomon in his splendor. In the second verse, Peter is quoting from Isaiah 40 and emphasizing that human splendor and glory passes away with the speed and finality of a flower dying.
They are dramatically different thoughts, and yet there is a powerful connection. I am to trust in the God who created the heavens and the earth, knowing that He will provide for me–whatever I need. The wildflowers are to be my example.
On the other hand, I should never seek my own glory and power, because I–and my presence and glory on this earth–will pass away quickly and with barely a trace left behind. The wildflowers are to be my example.
As you draw this digital “flower,” remember the wildflowers. They will remind you to trust God and seek his kingdom and glory–not your own. — Jim Pence
Download 3 video art lessons on us!
What you’ll learn…
The foundational skill of art is drawing.
Whether you’re using a pencil, pen, brush, or a piece of chalk, it’s all about drawing.
In your free lessons, you’ll learn…
…The basics of what makes a drawing
…What you need to have in your drawing “toolkit”
…The most essential skill of drawing
…How to synchronize your hand and your eyes
…The basics of composition
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