Creative Tools that made a difference

best get your wallet ready...

Aug 28, 2024

As I’m turning over a new leaf and getting more into traditional drawing, I thought it’d be a good idea to share some of the apps and tools that really helped me during my digital art days.

Consider this my way of unloading some of that hard-earned knowledge.

Yep, I used to be one of those artists who kept my favorite resources and tools under lock and key — what others might negatively call gatekeeping.

I mean, let’s be real— after spending years researching, running countless tests through trial and error, and sacrificing my Vitamin D by spending indoors all day (and skipping school, true story), just so I can try out every cool digital brushes, apps, and even drawing tablets out there.

This was a treasure trove of knowledge I’d gathered over more than a decade.

I was basically Smaug guarding his hoard of artistic secrets. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but you get the idea.

Be it drawing or writing, you’ll hit a roadblock eventually, prompting you to find a certain tool to help clear it.

Maybe the obstacle has to do with a drawing style you’re not satisfied with.

Perhaps you need a better writing app or even a smoother workflow.

Yet finding the right tool can take years of research and practice.

So why not just ask someone online? DM that artist or drop a comment on their post? Sounds easier and faster, right?

But back then, I had artist mutuals who would complain about people asking for free info without putting in any effort themselves, and I was afraid of being that person.

The digital art world was pretty competitive, so, I learned to figure out things on my own, no matter how tough the task.

Nowadays, though, the internet is full of helpful and obliging folks who are more than happy to share what they know. Artists are even offering their own courses now.

What a great time to be a digital artist!

Even so, I rarely ask questions online. I guess I’m still a little shy... or still a bit afraid.

But honestly, I don’t want to lose the joy of researching on my own.

I’ve noticed that fewer people seem to enjoy doing research themselves. Sure, you can get answers in seconds on Threads or Twitter, but there’s something so satisfying about digging into articles, blogs, books, and even videos.

It’s a repetitive and time-consuming process, but that’s how I’ve found the tools that really worked for me.

“The key is to keep experimenting to find the best tools, not find the best tool and then experiment.”

It means you should keep experimenting with different tools and methods to find what really works for you, instead of just sticking with one tool thinking it’s perfect. You won’t know if it’s the best fit until you’ve tried other options.

Trying out a variety of tools is great because learning is about discovering new things over and over again until something clicks. It’s like taking multiple photos — and after like ten shots, one finally looks just right.

The more I research, the more familiar incoming information becomes too. And soon I can predict what’s going to be helpful and what’s just fluff.

You also start to recognize patterns.

“Oh, this one’s totally clickbait,”

“This one is definitely sponsored — they’ll lose interest after one day of use.”

You end up feeling more confident and self-sufficient with your time.

It’s tough to find genuinely helpful articles out there, and honestly, some people might not even find this post very helpful.

Because in the end, everyone has their own preference. So here’s a disclaimer: the tools I’m going to recommend may not sound ideal to you. But I still encourage you to experiment with it. You won’t know unless you try it out.

Did I mention I read countless artist blogs? I’d spend hours browsing the internet (Google being my best friend) reading about other people’s experiences with digital art.

Fun fact: that’s also how I discovered my fascination for pet birds, thanks to a mangaka’s blog about her adventures with her pet budgie. That’s a story I never shared outside my family.

Maybe you’re here for that same reason.

You’ve been searching for some recommended creative apps and boom, you stumbled upon my post (Though, I highly doubt it, because Substack SEO isn’t exactly top-tier…).

Or maybe you’re one of the many subscribers who’ve been patiently waiting for me to share more art tidbits. I’m doing my best to keep them coming.

If some of the info I’m about to share below is familiar to you, consider it a refresher. If some of these are new to you, let me know in the comments!

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Also, just a heads up. Most of these are references that helped me with my Webtoon works. One needs quick and efficient tools when you’re updating episodes regularly, to keep readers hooked. But enough about that.

First creative tool of the day is definitely handy.

Literally, I mean, Handy.

It’s a 3D reference app focused more on hands. It costs around $1.99 to $2.99 depending on your device.

I started using Handy to level up my “hand drawing” skills, especially when it came to drawing my Webtoon characters in a more dynamic pose. It saved me from racking my brain to figure out tricky hand angles. Remember, when drawing Webtoons, speed is key!

The above video of the hand models was used for these two panels from **Witches & Wine**. You can add up to 4 models.

Some people use Handy for lighting references, but I mostly turn to it when I can’t use my own hand as a reference or when I’m trying to correct my drawings from my drafts.

The app also has 3D heads, but those I found lacking. There’s even a 3D foot reference, which was pretty interesting, and definitely something I’d use for sketchbook practice. I won’t go into much detail, since you can find more info on the app page.

This one is an oldie but a goodie, SketchUp.

Can we all agree this 3D app/program has been a lifesaver when it comes to drawing perspectives?

I don’t do a ton of buildings in my Webtoon (I lean more towards the easy, outdoorsy, cabin-in-the-forest type of setting), but Sketchup has been my go-to for worldbuilding and mapping out character locations. It’s great for visualizing scale and figuring out how my characters see the structures around them.

All in all, it helped me figure out the technicalities of certain scenes, and even plan out some concept buildings for drawing.

I was so into my Soara Academy series that I decided to build the school/academy from scratch.

The buildings were drawn over to fit the art style of the story.

These are some concept “palace” I made in SketchUp, that never really made it to my SA series… yet.

If there was a sequel to SketchUp, it’d be SketchFab.

While SketchUp is all about the technical side, SketchFab is where the creativity really shines.

And it really is fabulous.

This online 3D tool is my go-to for when I need details, details, DETAILS in 360-degree view. It’s like the DeviantArt or ArtStation for 3D artists.

They even have animations! Whether I need to see how a bird flaps its wings or how a horse runs, SketchFab has got it all.

If you ask most artists which site they’d pick for references, they’ll probably say Pinterest. Not me, I’m picking SketchFab all the way.

This chapter illustration based on Robin McKinley, *The Blue Sword*, was drawn using the horse model shown on the video above. You can’t find many ground perspective view of a horse rump XD

SketchFab has models of animals, buildings, interiors, swords, garden, forest, you name it! I use these models to help compose a scene the way I vision in my head.

So… now you’ve got all these reference apps lined up to you. The question is: where do you store and organize all those photos you’ve collected?

VizRef, you may enter.

I call it the perfect partner for Procreate because it lets you refer back to your references smoothly. You need to use an iPad tho…

And if you’re like any digital artist, you know how important it is to flip/mirror an image, right? Well, this app allows you to flip photos and even save them, so you can keep your photo gallery free from unnecessary clutter.

Reference board for cabins. Like I said, I’m a cabin-in-the-forest type of comic artist. Can’t forget the chickens!

I love using VizRef for organizing commissions, art challenges, and especially for character sheets. When you’re working on multiple Webtoon series, you tend to forget what your characters look like.

So it’s nice to refer to a “mood board” of your characters or series in general, just to jog your memory or remind you that, yes, their hair was yellow, not brown!

I know, I’m starting to sound like I’m sponsored by these apps, but trust me, I’m not!

This one is a recent find, and wow, it has helped me so much when I don’t have access to the full Adobe Photoshop on my iPad or MacBook Air.

This program is the mini version of Photoshop. The interface looks identical, so if you’re familiar with PS, you’ll feel right at home. I was surprised to see all the essential tools, like masking, the spot healing brush, clone stamping, and more.

Best of all, it’s free!

It’s the twin pea of Photoshop, like two peas in a pod, Photopea.

And yes, I totally pronounce it “photo-pia” in my head… weird, I know.

They call it the online photo editor, but, we artists know it’s the ultimate online formatter. As in, “Let’s format these comic panels or illustrations and save them from any device.” Because formatting and transforming images on Procreate can be a nightmare (the pixelation horror!).

This tool has saved me many times when I needed to arrange something for Instagram, including images for this post.