#like that’s what made shading easier in sai but now u have to merge everything to be able to do that sigh

[swordmaid]

How does procreate compare to sai for you out of curiosity ?

I’m kind of 50/50 about it.. like once you’re more familiar with the UI and how everything generally works it’s super straightforward which I appreciate! the whole brush customisation aspect is a bit overwhelming for me since im just used to fiddling with a few settings then running with it but now there’s a whole customisation bar so you can get it to exactly what you’re looking for …. which is nice in itself but for me who has like .. virtually no clue on what she’s doing or what any of these means im just ????? 😭 but downloading custom brush packs is so easy too so im not gonna bother with that for now lol

drawing on glass is still a bit tricky for me too it feels like im constantly fighting for grip if that makes sense. I think im still used to how my tablet draws bc the stylus’ nib was a bit sharper compared to the apple pencil’s but it did left scratches on the tablet itself lol. I also like how easy it is to adjust the canvas sizes since you’re just dragging it (compared to sai where you have to type in the exact dimensions) but I also don’t like how they’ll give you less layers the bigger your canvas is 🥲 like I generally work on 3000 x3000 and I’d like more than 100 layers alas

ONE THING that im severely missing is sai’s marker tool though, specifically the marker tool with my own config. like that’s literally my bread and butter and i use that pen in virtually everything - both lineart and colouring. imo that brush gives my prev drawings that soft looking feel (if that makes sense??? idk) but it also doesn’t have that drag that procreate brushes tend to have. like ive been trying to replicate it in procreate or at least find one that feels similar but I haven’t had any luck so far 😭🥲

all in all I do like it better than photoshop or even krita, but I think im just so used to working on sai that I still prefer it, esp since that has the marker brush (my beloved). my opinion will prob change once i do actual illustrations on it though since I haven’t done a fully rendered piece yet and i want to see how I’ll adjust my workflow with the layer constraints. i do like the fact that there’s no colour differences though since the ipad screen is really nice so you don’t have to worry about colours looking different in diff screens

[nova-digital-arts]

could you do a basic tutorial on how you do your flags? I wanna play around with country flags but I can't figure it out. Thanks!

Sure! First of all, I use paint.NET, which is a free programme you can download here! I also size all my flag pictures as 800x600, if that helps! It’s kinda long, so I’ll just put a read more link.

Figure out what your medium is going to be. Are you making it out of flowers? Galaxies? Sunsets?

Look up pictures of that medium, in the colours that you need. IMPORTANT: make sure to pick things with a solid colour! For example, if doing flowers, try not to pick any with a vase showing or with very make different colours in it!

Save the images, then open them in paint.NET (or whatever programme you use)

Open a new image, and put in the measurements you want (for flags, I recommend 800x600)

Most flags have stripes. Do the math to figure out exactly how long each stripe needs to be. After a while, you tend to remember this information. 

On each colour of your medium, go to “Image” and click “Resize” to make sure your picture is at least 800 wide. IMPORTANT: DO NOT CHANGE THE ASPECT RATIO! I cannot stress this enough! This will cause the image to become distorted. The aspect ratio can be permanently locked in place bt checking the box that say “Aspect Ratio”. After you’ve resized your image, click back to “Image” and hit “Canvas Size”. Change the height to whatever you calculated it should be in the previous step. Then, copy/paste it onto your flag. 

Arrange the stripes first. The stripes will serve as your background, if there are any other shapes in the flag. IMPORTANT: Do each stripe/stripe colour in a separate layer! This makes it easier to do a later step!To do basic shapes, go to the shape tool, pick an outline colour that is an exact opposite of the medium colour, and put in a layer above the medium. Use the bucket tool to fill in everything except the shape, then merge the layers. Then use the magic wand tool to select and delete all the unwanted contrast colour, making the background transparent. Then, copy/paste it onto your flag (in another layer so that the transparent background won’t mess it up)To do advanced shapes, like logos and animals, Find a picture on the internet of what you want (preferably one that already has a transparent background). Now, you can either just put the image onto the flag, or if you’d like, you can try and replace every single part of it with your medium. To do that, change the background to a high-contrast colour, use the magic wand tool, shift+click on the colour you want to replace first, delete it, then put a layer of your medium BELOW the shape so that it’s showing through the transparent part(s). Merge the layers and repeat until done.

Adjust your colours. It’s unlikely that you’ll find that exact shade of your medium that you’ll need. Click on the layer of the part you want to change first, then click “Adjustments” (at the top of the page) and click “Hue / Saturation…”, or simply use the keyboard shortcut ctrl+shift+u. Play around with the colours until you find your perfect shade, but go easy on the saturation. No one like something that looks like a highlighter scribbled all over it!

Make sure you are completely done. Do your layers all look nice and uniform? Are the colours correct? Are the shapes in the right place?

Finally, merge all your layers and save. Congratulations, you made a flag! Please use your newfound powers for good, my artistic children!