Create Digital Abstract Art in Procreate by Using a Reference Photo as a Starting Point

The brushes I'm using are from my Painterly brush set for Procreate, which is available for sale at the following link: https://shop.alainajensen.com/b/paint...

I also use one brush (Toothy Fineliner) from my Mixed Media brush set: https://shop.alainajensen.com/b/mixed...

Thanks to Wexor Tmg @wexor for making this photo available freely on Unsplash 🎁
https://unsplash.com/photos/L-2p8fapOA8

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App Used: Procreate
Canvas Dimensions: 3000x2000 pixels

A few weeks ago I did a survey, asking my community (you guys!) what you most would like to see from me. The overwhelming answer was that you would like to see more abstract/intuitive digital art, so you can expect to see a lot more of this theme in the coming months!

Sometimes with abstract art, a blank page can be really intimidating because of the wide open realm of possibility it represents. You can do any shapes, colors, techniques, patterns etc - the possibilities are limitless! This can be really scary and sometimes result in giving up before even getting started.

That is why, in this video, I wanted to explore the idea of using a reference photo as a starting point for abstract art - not to try and recreate the image from it, but instead to take inspiration from the colors, patterns, shapes and general vibe of it. This can help you get started and have something to fall back on when you get stuck.

For instance with this piece, I started out painting a wobbly shape that was generally inspired by the turtle, but toward the end I got stuck not knowing how to continue. So I went back to the reference photo at that point and took inspiration from the pattern on the legs and shell of the sea turtle, which gave my abstract piece a stronger concept.

I hope that this process can help you train your creative muscles and turn that blank page into something beautiful! Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.

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