Introduction: Realism Speed Painting

This tutorial is made mainly for the digital medium, however most of it will also apply to traditional paintings.

Digital painting is a popular art form because of its versatility and usability. Realism is a highly desired skill that can take hours upon hours of practice and time. In this tutorial I explain the process I use to make speed realism paintings. The goal of the tutorial is to help other digital artists learn a new method of painting that will allow them to create quicker paintings of the same or increased quality as their other artwork.

What you will need:

  • A digital drawing tablet
  • A tablet pen that is pressure sensitive
  • An art program that responds to changes in pressure and works with your tablet
  • A character or idea to paint

How to use this tutorial:

  • Download the tutorial images
  • Open the images within your selected art program
  • Tile your windows so that the tutorials can be off to the side of the canvas
  • Create a new canvas to paint on
  • Paint away!

Want to challenge yourself?

  • Try to paint a portrait of a character or animal in under 2 hours! It may seem difficult, but practicing speed painting is a wonderful way to boost your skills.

Step 1: Brushes: Settings and Suggestions

Step 2: Preparing the Canvas

Step 3: Sketching Vs. Lining

Step 4: Putting It All Together: Creating the Painting