Getting started with a drawing on Photoshop can be tough if you have a hard time finding inspiration. One way I like to go about it is to try to master the key commands and technical aspects of the program rather than focusing on what I am going to draw. One key command that I use all the time is the undo button (on a Mac, hold command button and press Z) and if you need to undo more than once (on a Mac, hold command and alt button and press Z as many times as you need). It’s one of the easier ones to learn and it will become engrained in your memory once you start doing more drawings.
Another good one to use is the hand tool which can be accessed by just holding down the space bar and clicking with your mouse or trackpad to move yourself around the drawing. The hand tool is similar to when you’re drawing on paper and you see an artist rotating the paper as he/she is drawing. Sometimes you need to adjust where you are on the canvas so the hand tool can be an extremely useful key command to learn.
These next key commands are the Brush and Eraser Tool which are pretty essential for a digital artist. For the Brush Tool you simply press B and your brush will appear on the screen, to adjust the size of the brush you can press on the [bracket keys] which will make the brush smaller by pressing on the left one and bigger by pressing on the right one. For the Eraser Tool you can press E and the eraser will pop up similarly just as the brush did. You can adjust the size of the eraser in the same exact way as the brush tool. Knowing the Brush and Eraser Tool’s key commands will make it easier when you’re drawing those first initial lines of a drawing.
At the bottom of the page I’m going to write the key commands down again along with some other useful ones and I suggest you put them on a post-it note on your computer so you can get in the habit of using them more. I do use a Mac for my drawings but to be honest the key commands do not differ that much with a PC. The Command Button on the Mac serves the same purpose as the CRTL button on a PC for Photoshop. I have had plenty of creative blocks where I feel like I can’t get anything done but what I’ve learned from past mistakes is that it is better to try something than nothing at all. So my suggestion would be that if you’re on Photoshop, open a new document (dimensions 1200 x 1200 pixels, 300 resolution) with a white or gray background, place a new layer on top of the background and draw on that new layer. Once you start drawing, find ways to incorporate those new key commands and you’ll begin to notice over time that your drawings are getting done quicker as well as more efficiently. Down the road, you’ll want to learn the more complex key commands but for now just master the basic ones and you will be better off for it.
Photoshop Key Commands
Undo Button = Hold Command, Press Z
Multiple Undo’s = Hold Command and Alt, Press Z as many times as you need
Hand Tool = Hold Space Bar and Click with your mouse or trackpad
Brush Tool = Press B
Eraser Tool = Press E
Brush/Eraser Size Adjustment = Press the [bracket] keys, left bracket for smaller, right bracket for larger
Select All = Hold Command, Press A
Copy = Hold Command, Press C
Paste = Hold Command, Press V
To draw a perfect straight line = Have the Brush Tool on and hold down the Shift key as you draw the line
-Shane O’Rourke, 6/27/19