A collection of helpful tips for digital painting and drawing. These tips apply to basic drawing and most digital programs.

#1 Go big.

Not 500x500 big, BIG-700x700-1000x1000.

Why?
Stay zoomed out. Zooming in to 200% and getting caught up on meaningless details may make you lose the whole composition. Look at the piece as a whole, and zoom out constantly to 50%. Also, you can add many details at 100%.

#2 Lightsource.

Keep it CONSTANT and interesting.

Why?
Often times we draw people or animals with the same features over and over, rather than sculpting it out with darks and lights. Also, make the light interesting. Who knows how a bright piece make look with a dark setting and interestingly sharp highlights. ;3

#3 Colorful lighting.

Shade=cools/light=warms (for a friendly, 'normal' feel) OR light=cools/shade=warms (for a cold, 'weird' feel) (just keep it constant)

Why?
Mixing colors with black or white may make a painting look drab, or produce an unwanted 'mud' look. ;3 This is isn't grayscale. Take advantage of the colors. For example, on a portrait, your highlights might look yellow or reddish, and cools with a hint of blue or slight touch of green.

#4 Loosen up.

Don't get 1 pxl brushes, go for 5.

Why?
Tightening up and putting in details might make you lose yourself and forget what you're really aiming for. Larger brushes make you think a little less about detail, getting caught up in it, and getting too tight.

#5 Interesting texture.

Crosshatching, dots, smooth, glassy, dull.

Why?
Everything responds differently to light. Glass might reflect sharply, while clothing dully. Skin is somewhere in the middle, and fur can reflect light if it hits the right area. Get creative: for leather, cross hatch and paint thickly, for steel, bright and smooth.

#6 References.

GET SOME.

Why?
Some people think they're drawing right, but they usually aren't. Get them. Pose in a mirror. Take a picture. Take a picture of a friend. It really makes a difference.

#7 Airbrush.

GRAGHHH STOP USING IT.

Why?
Admit it, we aaaaaall used to use airbrush a bit too much. Stop overusing it. It's very tempting to go for a perfectly smooth picture, but that's not painting. You could go and use Bryce, 3dsmax, or Poser for all I care. This is PAINTING. Try for once using watercolors and make bold interesting strokes.

#8 Studies.

Not school studies, fun sketchy studies. 8D

Why?
In the past, I've often dove into a painting without even considering sketching beforehand. After failing miserably, I turned to the sketchbook. Studies. For anything you've never done, like an animal or interesting pose, do studies beforehand, of anatomy, different poses, and general color or settings. Gather refs and copy these to mark in stone your anatomy. You might be surprised how much of a difference it can make.

#9 Stop drawing.

WHAT?

Why?
Everyone once in a while, stop drawing, and go get a snack.

What?
When you come back, look at your pic with fresh eyes. Sometimes we get so into our picture and how good we think it is, that it's essential to breath for once, and zoom out to take a good look at what you think should be fixed up. It's great to do this after you finish a sketch, finish shading, or finish a bg and take a second glance at anatomy, light source, and other stuff. Think how you want it to look, and go from there.