In this article, I want to talk to you about the process of learning new skills and how they can help your development as a digital artist. In the beginning I’ll focus on my own experience with my drawing/painting learning process, but keep in mind that we have many other skills.

A few years ago I watched this presentation by Nick Campbell where he discussed the importance of “learning what doesn’t change”. In other words, he meant that learning theories such as color, composition, lighting, draftsmanship could be essential to a career as a digital artist.



Now that I am working in the creative industry I want to share how much I learned from his advice.

In the past months I’ve been getting messages from students all over the world due to my recent articles about the industry. They ask for tips and advice on how to get ready for it. After talking to them, I realized that their focus on learning only software was holding them back, exactly like it happened to me a few years ago.



Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that software learning isn't relevant. It is, but you can become a better artist if you begin to develop other skills as well. James Gurney, one of my favorite traditional artists wrote this once on his blog: