5 Best Exercises for Improving Your Line Work From Top Digital Artists

Why is good line work so important for digital art? It’s the foundation, the physical starting point of producing professional-quality digital art, whether you’re creating a character, a weapon, or a machine. You simply can’t produce a quality finished piece without first shaping it with skilled line work. Here are several exercises that can elevate your line art skills:

1. Practice fluid, deliberate strokes

If you notice that one of your strokes doesn’t seem to flow with the rest of the sketch, start that stroke over until it fits in seamlessly.

2. Draw with a tool that can’t be erased

This exercise will build your confidence and help you to focus on your line quality.

3. Model in 3D

Then play with material settings to fine-tune your lines. Then throw in free perspective, symmetry, shadows, cameras and endless iterative possibilities.

4. Learn from digital artists you admire

Digital artists enjoy sharing their secrets on blogs and videos. Look around and discover even more techniques for improving your line art and other essential skills that need improvement.

5. Keep challenging yourself

Great digital artists seldom think they’ve mastered everything. They are always practicing their skills and learning from other artists. So keep asking yourself, “How can I make this line art even better?” Being a creative person isn’t enough to assure that you’ll become an accomplished digital artist. You need persistence, dedication, and the willingness to work harder perfecting the basic skills that will take your line art to greater levels. So keep practicing, and your digital art will steadily improve.

CG Master Academy is a leading provider of online digital art education for professionals and art students. Through our CG Master Classes in 2D digital art and 3D character art, we provide comprehensive instruction by the industry’s top digital art professionals in Concept Art, Illustration, Entertainment Design, and 3D Character Design. CGMA’s digital experience facilitates artistic growth and achievement through a very simple and intuitive program distributed across weekly master classes.