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Gimp

Make a Digital Painting & Illustration Like a Pro Fast

4.4 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Empty star
Based on 77 ratings
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Kristen Palana

This quick and easy course will help you make original, custom digital paintings and illustrations using the free program GIMP (or any similar program) in just a matter of minutes that look professional and can be used online, in videos and animations, or for print purposes such as on a poster, letterhead, even a T-shirt or other products.

This course was made for both adults and younger people (ages 10 and up), especially beginners, technophobes, people who don't think they can draw, and those who want to rediscover their creativity and artistic sides that we all have.

Read more

This quick and easy course will help you make original, custom digital paintings and illustrations using the free program GIMP (or any similar program) in just a matter of minutes that look professional and can be used online, in videos and animations, or for print purposes such as on a poster, letterhead, even a T-shirt or other products.

This course was made for both adults and younger people (ages 10 and up), especially beginners, technophobes, people who don't think they can draw, and those who want to rediscover their creativity and artistic sides that we all have.

Stop paying others to make designs for you and develop skills that can help you start making money creating professional-looking images for others. You can also use these simple techniques to make unique images and illustrations as free gifts for friends and family.   

You also don't need to know how to draw. There are actually a HUGE number of graphic designers who CAN NOT draw... but they make up for it by using techniques like the ones in this course and naturally, learning more about layout design, composition, color, typography, and other fundamentals of visual literacy.

This course can be taken on a computer, a tablet, or even a phone using the FREE program GIMP or similar image editing apps and programs. You do not need a stylus pen or any special gadgets, expensive software, or equipment to follow along.

I'm an Associate Professor of Digital Media who recently taught for universities, international schools, and NGOs in Myanmar from 2016-2019. I co-founded and directed the Film and Digital Media Program at The American University of Rome (2006-2016). I'm now living in Lilongwe, Malawi and am a Digital Media and Animation Specialist for The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA Malawi).

Since 2000 I've been teaching students all over the world  using my tried and true custom approach (turning complex information  into something simple, memorable, easy-to-understand in as short amount  of time as possible) to ensure that you  get the most important, relevant, and useful information that can be  applied immediately.

New  bonus lectures and resources will continue to be added and timely  advice will be provided in the discussion forum. I love to help  and always respond to inquiries and discussions ASAP.

Please  Note: All students who enroll in this course also will receive periodic  free and discounted access to my other top-rated current and upcoming  courses. *This course automatically comes with either a FREE Photoshop or Illustrator illustration course. You can choose which one you want and I'll send you the link to help you continue your learning. (Details are in the Extra section inside the course).

You have a 30-day, 100% money-back guarantee  with no questions asked so you have nothing to lose. I make myself  available so you will have access to me if you have questions or need  specific feedback along the way.

Empower yourself now by enrolling in this digital painting course and join our growing learning community. Click the "Take This Course" button in the upper right corner and let's get started building your digital painting, software, and design skills today.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Make unique and beautiful professional-looking digital paintings and illustrations (even if you "can't draw!")
  • Develop artistic confidence as you develop better drawing and design skills that you can build off of and that will last you a lifetime
  • Create powerful digital images that can be displayed online or in print, presented as unique gifts, or as part of your own budding freelance design business.
  • Understand how to create effective images that use original or copyright-free photographs as a starting point.
  • Have a solid undertsanding of basic digital painting methods to create images used as stills or later in multimedia and animated projects.

Syllabus

Introduction

In this introduction I'll tell you what the course is about, what you need, and what you will learn. My student work speaks for itself. Give me an hour of your time and I'll give you an awesome new skill you can build off of and that will last you a lifetime.

Read more

In this lesson I'll tell you what you need or may want to have before taking this course.

This cheat-sheet comes from an in-person course I did with children ages 10-17 at Thalun International School in Yangon, Myanmar. If you follow the steps like a recipe in Gimp while following along in this online course, you should have a really cool illustration by the end.

Practice makes perfect! After you make your first illustration, try this recipe again and maybe try a different tool or setting or add your own ingredients to see what happens. The important thing is to have fun. Mistakes are encouraged and will make you a better artist as you also learn what NOT to do next time. :-)

In this lesson I'll walk you through the steps of getting your own original photo or a royalty-free image that you have permission to use in your projects. I'll also explain a bit more about how we will develop your illustration skills by using a photo first as a guide and how this fits with hundreds of years of art school training tradition.

For those who want to compare their results with mine by using the same photo I use in my example, download it here.

In this quiz we'll see what you learned about what you need to get started in this course and also about royalty-free images and art training methods discussed so far in this course.

In this lesson we'll open up Gimp, make sure the most important windows and tools are visible, and open up our guide image.

In this lesson we'll continue following our cheat-sheet and easily set up our first layer in GIMP.

In this lesson, I explain why layers are cool and useful and why they will rock your artistic world the more you use them.

You don't need any of the extra brushes or features to get started in Gimp so you can safely skip this lesson and come back to it later when you are ready. However, if you want more options available at your fingertips, please check out how to get more brushes and other features by downloading and installing Gimp plug-ins.

In this lesson we'll finally start drawing by making our black and white line drawing layer.

In this lesson we are going to add color and start defining our highlights and shadows.

In this lesson we will use the eraser tool to make some really cool effects!

In this lesson, let me show you a few more of my favorite image editing tools in Gimp that will help you polish up and finalize your illustration.

In this case study lesson set to music, I'll show you how I make an illustration using the same techniques in this course, but exclusively in Adobe Photoshop. You can use the techniques from this course in virtually any imaging program.

In under two minutes, here is a free, fast, and easy way to painlessly and professionally remove text or an object using a free online tool called Fotor. Check it out!

This is a sample lesson from another of my illustration courses (Photoshop: Quick & Easy Digital Painting Like a Professional), that shows similar techniques, but using the program Photoshop. I create illustrations and multimedia for UN organizations, and here I will show you how I improve my artwork before turning them into animation.

In this lecture I'll show how I return to past images to make them better as well as discuss ways you can keep from fussing over making one "perfect" image and driving yourself insane.
*Oh, I know the feeling! ;-)

Don't stop at making digital paintings. Have a look at some of my favorite FREE and intuitive tools that will have you making social media graphics, web sites, animations, and more. Get a taste of what is possible in under 10 minutes and be up and running ASAP. [This lecture comes from my full course, Skyrocket Your Creativity: 7 Easy Ways.]

Grab your free bonus illustration course by sending me a Udemy message.

Thanks so much for taking this course. Please get in touch if you have any questions or if you want feedback on your own digital paintings. Please if you have a moment to leave a review, I'd be most grateful. Hope to see you in our online classroom again soon.

Learn how we might stay in touch and get resources for continuing your learning.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Uses GIMP, a free and open-source software, making it accessible to learners who may not have access to professional software
Emphasizes that learners do not need to know how to draw, which can encourage those who feel intimidated by art
Teaches techniques applicable to various image editing programs, not just GIMP, broadening the skills learned
Includes bonus lectures and resources, providing additional learning opportunities and value for students
Requires learners to download and install GIMP plugins, which may be a technical barrier for some beginners
Refers to a cheat sheet from an in-person course with children, which may not be suitable for all adult learners

Save this course

Create your own learning path. Save this course to your list so you can find it easily later.
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Reviews summary

Beginner gimp digital painting quick start

According to learners, this course provides an accessible and effective introduction to digital painting using the free software GIMP. It's particularly well-suited for complete beginners and individuals who don't have traditional drawing skills, utilizing a simple, step-by-step technique based on starting with photos. Students report being able to create professional-looking illustrations relatively quickly, aligning with the course's promise of being "fast". While the method of leveraging photos is praised for making art creation less intimidating, some find that the course focuses on a specific technique rather than providing a broader foundation in digital art concepts. Nevertheless, it's seen as a practical and encouraging starting point for producing unique digital images.
Focuses on practical skills with GIMP.
"Great that the course uses GIMP, so I didn't have to buy expensive software."
"Following along with GIMP was easy thanks to the instructor's guidance."
"Perfect course if you want to use free tools for digital art."
Techniques enable fast illustration creation.
"I was surprised by how quickly I could make a finished illustration using these steps."
"The course gets you creating art really fast, just like it promises."
"A very efficient way to learn to make digital images quickly."
Leverages photos to create illustrations.
"Using the photo as a guide made the process much less intimidating than starting from scratch."
"I like how it uses existing images as a base to build upon and create something new."
"This technique is a clever way to produce unique artwork even if you 'can't draw'."
Easy for those new to digital art or GIMP.
"I am an absolute beginner and found this course really easy to follow along."
"Never thought I could make digital art, but this course proved me wrong."
"The steps are explained simply, making it accessible even without drawing skills."
Teaches one method, not broad art skills.
"It's excellent for learning this specific photo-based method, but less on general painting."
"While fast, it doesn't cover a wide range of digital painting fundamentals."
"Good as a starting point for this one style, but I'll need more courses for other techniques."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Gimp: Make a Digital Painting & Illustration Like a Pro Fast with these activities:
Review GIMP Basics
Familiarize yourself with the GIMP interface and basic tools to ensure a smoother learning experience during the course.
Browse courses on Image Editing
Show steps
  • Open GIMP and explore the menus.
  • Practice using basic tools like the brush, eraser, and selection tools.
  • Experiment with creating and manipulating layers.
Read 'GIMP for Absolute Beginners'
Gain a foundational understanding of GIMP by reading a beginner-friendly guide.
View Putting Knowledge to Work on Amazon
Show steps
  • Obtain a copy of 'GIMP for Absolute Beginners'.
  • Read the book, focusing on the introductory chapters.
  • Try out the examples and exercises in GIMP.
Practice Layer Masking
Master layer masking techniques in GIMP to create complex and visually appealing digital paintings.
Show steps
  • Find tutorials on layer masking in GIMP.
  • Create several images using layer masks.
  • Experiment with different blending modes.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Create a Digital Painting from a Photo
Apply the techniques learned in the course to create a digital painting from a photograph, reinforcing your understanding of the process.
Show steps
  • Select a photograph to use as a reference.
  • Open the photo in GIMP and create a new layer.
  • Use the brush tool to paint over the photo, adding details and colors.
  • Experiment with different brushes and blending modes.
Study 'Digital Painting with GIMP 2.8'
Expand your knowledge of digital painting with GIMP by studying an advanced guide.
View The Artist's Guide to GIMP, 2nd Edition on Amazon
Show steps
  • Obtain a copy of 'Digital Painting with GIMP 2.8'.
  • Read the book, focusing on the advanced techniques.
  • Practice creating custom brushes and using color theory principles.
Create a Series of Digital Illustrations
Develop a portfolio of digital illustrations to showcase your skills and build your artistic confidence.
Show steps
  • Choose a theme or subject for your illustrations.
  • Create a series of 3-5 digital illustrations using GIMP.
  • Experiment with different styles and techniques.
  • Share your illustrations online and get feedback.
Design a T-Shirt Graphic
Apply your digital painting skills to create a T-shirt graphic, gaining practical experience in design for print.
Show steps
  • Brainstorm ideas for a T-shirt graphic.
  • Create the graphic in GIMP, ensuring it's high resolution.
  • Mock up the graphic on a T-shirt template.
  • Get feedback on your design.

Career center

Learners who complete Gimp: Make a Digital Painting & Illustration Like a Pro Fast will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Freelance Artist
Freelance artists work independently, offering their creative services to clients on a project basis. This course can provide freelance artists with practical skills in digital painting and illustration, enabling them to offer a wider range of services to clients. The course helps build confidence in creating professional-looking images, even for those who don't consider themselves artists. Freelance artists may use the skills taught to present unique gifts, or as part of their own budding freelance design business.
See salaries and explore the career path for Freelance Artist
T-Shirt Designer
T shirt designers generate designs for clothing and other merchandise. This course helps them with the ability to create custom digital paintings and illustrations efficiently. The course focuses on easy-to-understand lessons which help them to enhance their brand and engage their audience. The course's emphasis on making images that can be used on t-shirts make it useful for someone designing t shirts.
See salaries and explore the career path for T-Shirt Designer
Digital Illustrator
A digital illustrator creates artwork for various media using digital tools. This course helps build a foundation in digital painting techniques using GIMP or similar programs. It emphasizes creating professional-looking illustrations, even for those who don't consider themselves artists. The course's focus on simple techniques and readily available tools allows aspiring digital illustrators to quickly develop a portfolio and artistic confidence. The course can be particularly helpful as it is structured in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. The lessons on creating illustrations from photos and using layers may be directly applicable to a Digital Illustrator's workflow.
See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Illustrator
Art teacher
An art teacher educates students in various art forms. This course helps build confidence in using digital painting and illustration techniques, which they can then pass on to their students. The course materials come from an in-person environment with children. The course may be invaluable to art teachers looking to incorporate digital art into their curriculum or for those who need to teach digital art without prior experience. The course focuses on simple techniques and free tools.
See salaries and explore the career path for Art teacher
Content Creator
Content creators produce engaging material for online platforms. This course helps content creators with the ability to create custom digital paintings and illustrations efficiently. The course focuses on easy-to-understand lessons which help them to enhance their brand and engage their audience. The course's emphasis on making images for various mediums make it useful for someone who uploads videos on different platforms.
See salaries and explore the career path for Content Creator
Graphic Designer
Graphic designers create visual concepts to communicate ideas. This course may provide graphic designers with practical skills in digital painting and illustration, enhancing their ability to produce original designs for online or print media. The course's emphasis on visual literacy fundamentals such as layout, composition, and color, combined with hands-on techniques, helps graphic designers broaden their creative toolkit. The promise to make students more confident in their art is especially useful. By learning how to make professional-looking images rapidly with GIMP, a graphic designer may be able to iterate and experiment at lower cost.
See salaries and explore the career path for Graphic Designer
Multimedia Artist
Multimedia artists create animations and visual effects for television, film, and video games. This course can be useful for multimedia artists looking to quickly generate digital paintings and illustrations for their projects. The course's focus on using images as stills or in multimedia and animated projects aligns directly with the needs of a multimedia artist. By mastering the simple techniques taught in the course, a multimedia artist may be able to efficiently produce high-quality visual assets, even without extensive drawing skills. Also, it is possible to transfer the skills learned to Photoshop, as it is explicitly mentioned.
See salaries and explore the career path for Multimedia Artist
Marketing Coordinator
Marketing coordinators assist in the implementation of marketing strategies and campaigns. This course may be useful for marketing coordinators as they can learn the skills needed to produce visuals for marketing materials. The coordinator may use the materials for creating social media posts, email campaigns, and website graphics. The course focuses on creating images online which aligns well with a marketing coordinator's tasks.
See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Coordinator
Concept Artist
Concept artists develop visual representations of ideas for films, video games, and other creative projects. This course can benefit concept artists by providing them with skills to rapidly create digital paintings and illustrations using accessible tools like GIMP. The course's emphasis on developing artistic confidence and understanding basic methods can help concept artists quickly visualize and communicate their ideas. The mention of using photos as a basis for illustration can also speed up a Concept Artist's workflow, enabling them to explore a wider range of concepts efficiently.
See salaries and explore the career path for Concept Artist
Web Designer
Web designers plan, create, and code internet sites and web pages, many of which include images. This course may give them additional skills in digital painting and illustration, allowing web designers to design and create custom graphics for websites. The course can be helpful for both web designers that produce websites for clients or for internal use within an organization. The course's focus on creating images for online display aligns well with the needs of web design. The course contains free tools that can be used for websites.
See salaries and explore the career path for Web Designer
Animator
Animators create moving images that appear in multiple media, including cartoons, movies, and websites. This course helps animators generate original digital paintings and illustrations quickly using GIMP, a free program or similar programs. Animators might be interested to learn effective image creation that uses existing photos. An animator may find value in the lessons as it shows how he or she can improve their artwork before turning them into animation.
See salaries and explore the career path for Animator
Presentation Designer
Presentation designers create visual aids to accompany speeches. This course may be useful as it can turn existing photos into illustrations and create additional visuals not available elsewhere. The course's focus on beginners and technophobes may be particularly helpful for presentation designers creating images frequently. Moreover, the course has the potential to work across several different programs.
See salaries and explore the career path for Presentation Designer
Digital Marketing Specialist
Digital marketing specialists develop and implement digital marketing campaigns to promote products or services. This course may be useful to them as they can use it learn how to create eye-catching visuals for social media, email marketing, and website content. The course's emphasis on creating images for online use makes it relevant for digital marketing specialists. The course mentions that the skills taught may be used to generate income.
See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Marketing Specialist
Instructional Designer
Instructional designers create learning materials. This course may be useful to instructional designers because visual aids and images can be produced from the lessons. The course's focus on beginners and technophobes can be particularly helpful for instructional designers creating content for a broad audience. Moreover, the course coorelates to instructional design with the professor teaching previously at universities.
See salaries and explore the career path for Instructional Designer
Social Media Manager
Social media managers oversee an organization's online presence across social media platforms. This course may be useful to them to generate engaging visuals for social media posts. The skills in digital painting and illustration could allow them to create custom graphics, improving the brand's online presence. The skills taught in the course may particularly useful as the course contains free tools that can be used for websites.
See salaries and explore the career path for Social Media Manager

Featured in The Course Notes

This course is mentioned in our blog, The Course Notes. Read one article that features Gimp: Make a Digital Painting & Illustration Like a Pro Fast:
Visual Art in the Digital Age: Online Courses for Your Journey
22 minute read

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Gimp: Make a Digital Painting & Illustration Like a Pro Fast.
Cover image
The Artist's Guide to GIMP, 2nd Edition
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Delves deeper into digital painting techniques using GIMP, covering advanced topics such as custom brushes, color theory, and composition. It's a valuable resource for those who want to take their digital painting skills to the next level. This book adds more depth to the existing course. It is commonly used by industry professionals.
The Artist's Guide to GIMP, 2nd Edition
Paperback
Check
The Artist's Guide to GIMP, 2nd Edition
Kindle Edition
Check
Cover image
Putting Knowledge to Work
Save
Provides a comprehensive introduction to GIMP, covering everything from the interface to basic image editing techniques. It's particularly useful for those with no prior experience in digital painting or image manipulation. Reading this book beforehand will give you a solid foundation for the course and help you grasp the concepts more easily. It useful reference tool for beginners.
Putting Knowledge to Work
Paperback
Check
Putting Knowledge to Work
Kindle Edition
Check

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Course image
Rating
4.4 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Empty star
Effort
1.5 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructor
Kristen Palana
Language
English
Traffic lights
Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Uses GIMP, a free and open-source software, making it accessible to learners who may not have access to professional software
Emphasizes that learners do not need to know how to draw, which can encourage those who feel intimidated by art
Teaches techniques applicable to various image editing programs, not just GIMP, broadening the skills learned
Includes bonus lectures and resources, providing additional learning opportunities and value for students
Requires learners to download and install GIMP plugins, which may be a technical barrier for some beginners
Refers to a cheat sheet from an in-person course with children, which may not be suitable for all adult learners
Featured in The Course Notes
Read one article that features this course, Gimp: Make a Digital Painting & Illustration Like a Pro Fast from our blog, The Course Notes:
Visual Art in the Digital Age: Online Courses for Your Journey
22 minute read
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