Our international students share their interests: Ruby W., Year 10

Our aims for our Y10 English as an Additional Language (EAL) students are to develop our students' writing skills by exploring different genres and writing styles. With this in mind we asked them to explore writing informal, engaging blogs to share with our followers and supporters.

Ruby W. cleverly makes her informative article both appealing and encouraging, especially for those of us who have never been near an Apple Pencil!

"Creating Digital Paintings"

How do people create such a variety of artwork with only an iPad and an Apple Pencil? Digital art is getting more advanced as the technology is increasing in variety. Making art digitally saves a lot of time and artists are able to work more flexibly.

The first time I tried to draw digitally was when I was nine: I got my first iPad and Apple Pencil and I started experimenting with different brushes in the painting app. I thought it was very enjoyable to switch brushes easily and that was when I really started drawing digitally. So, what are the benefits?

Why Digital Art?

Digital art is a very convenient way to create art, and functions such as undo, redo, layers etc. make mistakes so much easier to fix, which is sometimes really hard for traditional artists to do. You can also play around with tools, for instance, gradient maps, filters and different brushes. I love bringing my iPad and Apple Pencil with me every time I go out because I can just start drawing when I get inspiration.

Digital Painting Tips

If you are a beginner to digital art, I recommend you to use an iPad and an Apple Pencil, with an easier painting application like Procreate or ibis Paint X. These applications have a large variety of brushes you can experiment with. When you are more skilled, you can consider buying a drawing tablet if you wish, but of course, this is optional. If you are a beginner to digital art, I recommend you to use an iPad and an Apple Pencil, with an easier painting application like Procreate or ibis Paint X. These applications have a large variety of brushes you can experiment with. When you are more skilled, you can consider buying a drawing tablet if you wish, but of course, this is optional.

Just Be Creative

I still enjoy drawing digitally and it only gets me more interested in the new brushes, functions and updates. However, I draw traditionally sometimes because the tools have different textures and they look much better in real life! Both traditional and digital art have their advantages, but I think what really matters is to create unique paintings and enjoy the pleasure of being creative in the way you're most comfortable with.

Download Ruby's article here.

A lovely informal style Ruby, to introduce readers to a new art technique. Keep your eyes open for the next installment in this series!