Hey First name / friends!

 

Ok, today I want to clear up one of the biggest misconceptions about digitizing your artwork for professional use. 

 

 

I can’t tell you how many artists assume their portfolio has to be entirely vectorized in Adobe Illustrator or Affinity Designer before it’s “ready” for art licensing. That’s simply not true! 

 

Here's the reality: I deliver nearly all of my licensed artwork to clients as high-resolution, layered Photoshop files, whether it started in watercolor, acrylic, ink, Procreate, or even illustrations or patterns I originally designed in Adobe Illustrator! I process all my artwork through Photoshop, regardless of the original medium.

 

I prefer working this way because Photoshop preserves the gorgeous texture and charming imperfections of hand-painted artwork. I've licensed my artwork on everything from stationery & apparel to wallpaper & home decor, and for me, it's incredibly rare for a client to request vector files instead.

 

And listen, I'm not bashing vector-based work. I actually do create plenty of designs in Illustrator! It just depends on the type of look I'm going for. If I want an organic, hand-painted feel? I use Photoshop. If I'm going for a very clean digital style, I use Illustrator!

Vector illustrations are said to be the industry standard because they're infinitely scaleable, but you can get a similar result in Photoshop as long as you're producing a high-resolution file that can still show up crystal clear on large products like bedding, shower curtains, and more.

 

Want to learn my process for digitizing high-quality files? Check out this blog post for an in-depth guide!

Not sure what I mean by all this talk of raster art vs. vector art? Check out this blog post for to learn more and decide which is best for surface design!

Summer days are coming to an end, but I have a few summery prompts up my sleeve before fall comes! 

 

This week's drawing prompt is peaches! And case in point: I painted these in watercolor, scanned them into my computer, and digitized them in Photoshop. They were portfolio-ready without ever touching a vector software. 

 

Grab your paints (or iPad or whatever your medium is!) and join me for this fun challenge! Then, digitize your piece however you prefer, because spoiler alert! There's no one right way to do it. 😉

Here are a few of the submissions from last week's gingko challenge. 

 

If you want to be featured in this newsletter and on my Instagram stories, make sure to use the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq on Instagram and tag @catcoq in the actual photo you post so I can find your work! 

Have a fabulous week!