How to Streamline Your Digital Art Process Like a Pro
Do you even know how long it takes you to finish a digital piece? If not, yikes! That’s a problem. Like, “accidentally agree to five commissions and cry into your coffee” kind of problem. Knowing your production time is everything. It’s the key to figuring out how many pieces you can realistically crank out in a week or month without completely burning out. Spoiler: guessing isn’t the answer.
That’s why I use my Artisan Reset Planner to break down each step of my process. When you’ve got a structured production workflow, like journaling, thumbs, sketch, ink, color, test, you’ll stop winging it and start wowing your clients. Plus, no more endless back-and-forth emails where they keep asking for “just one more revision.”
Let’s streamline this process, shall we?
Why Knowing Your Production Time Matters
If you’re guessing how long it takes to finish your art, you’re basically setting yourself up to overpromise and underdeliver. Imagine telling a client, “Sure, I can totally finish this in a week!” and then realizing you haven’t even picked a color palette yet. Stress central, population: you.
Knowing your production time helps you:
Set realistic deadlines (so you’re not working at 2 a.m. with Dorito dust on your tablet).
Understand your capacity (can you handle 3 commissions this month, or should you stick to 1?).
Avoid burnout (because no one creates their best work while crying).
Breaking Down the Production Process
Here’s the thing: a structured process is your BFF. Breaking down your workflow into manageable steps takes the guesswork out of creating. My go-to steps are:
Journaling: Dump all your ideas onto paper. Think of this as creative brain vomit, just let it out.
Thumbnails: Block out the basic shapes and composition. It doesn’t need to look pretty yet.
Sketching: Add details and refine your idea. This is where references can start sneaking in.
Inking: Finalize those crispy, clean lines.
Coloring: Bring it to life with your chosen palette.
Testing: Check your piece on a phone, tablet, and monitor. Is it readable? Fix it now, not after it’s live.
This process not only keeps you on track but also helps you confidently communicate timelines to clients. No more vague “it’ll be done soon” emails.
Tips for Streamlining Your Process
Let’s make your workflow smoother than a fresh canvas.
Limit Your Inspiration Time: Pinterest is fun until you’ve pinned 500 ideas and started none of them. Trust your imagination more. Journal first to organize your thoughts and turn them into visual concepts. You’ll thank yourself later.
Start with Thumbnails: Seriously, don’t skip this step. Thumbnails are like the skeleton of your piece, basic shapes that help you nail down composition. Save references for the detailed sketch phase. You’re more capable than you think!
Prep for Digital Art Like a Pro: Before you even start sketching, choose your brushes and color palette. This saves so much time later. And don’t forget to test your work on different devices, your art needs to look amazing on Instagram, not just your monitor.
Creating a Time Calculation Formula
If you’re not sure how long it takes you to complete a project, don’t worry, there’s a formula for that! This will help you figure out how much time you need for clients and even for personal projects. Plus, it ensures that when you dream up a new piece, you’ll know whether you can realistically fit it into your schedule.
Start by tracking how long each step of your workflow takes. Use a timer app or even just jot it down as you go. For example:
Journaling: 30 minutes.
Thumbnails: 1 hour.
Sketching: 2 hours.
Inking: 1.5 hours.
Coloring: 3 hours.
Testing: 30 minutes.
Add these times together, and you’ve got your baseline! But here’s the secret sauce: always give yourself a buffer. I like to add an extra 20% to account for life getting in the way, because let’s be real, it always does. If you’re trying something new, tack on another two hours for research or troubleshooting. Trust me, future you will thank present you.
Here’s a quick formula to remember:
For example, if your workflow takes 8 hours, add 1.5 hours as a buffer. Total time? 9.5 hours. This is especially useful when giving estimates to clients or planning your week. By calculating your time upfront, you’ll avoid the dreaded “started it but never finished it” scenario. You’ll also stop overcommitting and running out of steam midway through a project. It’s a win-win.
Need help planning your
production process?
Whether you’re a traditional artist, a digital pro, or someone blending the two, I’ve got you covered. Let’s work together to streamline your workflow, get clients lining up for your work, and finally tackle that website update you’ve been avoiding. Oh, and if social media feels like a foreign language, I can help with that too.
