As the famous proverb goes, “Art is long, life is short”. Artists, especially those working in the digital medium, need to manage their time efficiently. There are several ways a digital artist can save a significant amount of time without sacrificing the quality of their works.

Let us walk you through some of the time management tips for digital artists to help save a great deal of time and effort while you still stay in control of your productivity!

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1. Create a Plan of Action

Whenever you have a plan, work feels much more manageable and streamlined. Every digital artist has got many dreams, but not everyone has a perfectly organized plan to execute them.

A proper plan is the most inexpensive tool for digital artists to put their ideas on the screen. When you have created an action plan, you are ready to prioritize and first work on the tasks that consume most of your time.

2. Eliminate Distractions

As a digital artist who works most of the time with a computer and the internet, it is absolutely normal to get distracted while searching for a design idea or hex code you want to add to your work. Set aside a specific time to conduct research, and focus on your art when you are drawing or coloring.

3. Practice Makes Perfect

While this might seem extremely obvious, it is a cliche expression for a reason. Practicing your sketches or animations is one of the most useful creative tips that can help you grow. Work on themes that are out of your comfort zone, and become better at them.

Just like exercise requires a warm-up, so does art. All digital art tips emphasize the importance of doing warming up drawing exercises before starting work.

4. Use References

Whether you are a beginner or a more experienced artist, references can be of great help. Most guides for digital artists or even those for CGI tips will talk about utilizing references. While it is true that your imagination will result in extraordinary art, referring to photos or videos to convey certain specific ideas can save a lot of time.

5. Learn Key Shortcuts

One of the essential digital art tips we can share with you is to make use of the shortcuts available on the tool of your choice. Explore the different shortcuts available (like Ctrl Z) and use them in your workflow.

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6. Do Not Forget the Basics

It is easy to get caught up in exciting new technological developments in 2D and 3D art and more. However, it is imperative that you keep the fundamentals in place so that you can work on your artwork efficiently.

Remember the primary purpose of your project - is it for a t-shirt, or for printing on paper or canvas, or something else? Use suitable colors, brushes, and backgrounds accordingly.

7. Utilize Time-Management Tools

A myriad of software and digital devices help you organize and work according to your schedule. If you find it hard to manage the time all by yourself, it is a good idea to try some of the best time management tools, which are mostly free to use. These are especially useful for freelancers who might have multiple projects going on at the same time.

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8. Update Yourself Continuously

One of the critical freelancer tips you should keep in mind is to update yourself constantly. Keep track of the various trends in your field and upgrade your skills in line with them. There are many short online tutorials that can help you.

9. Communicate Effectively

Most of the time, designers and artists have a hard time explaining their ideas or understanding the exact design the client wants. Articulating your ideas in writing and speech can help you appear more competent and confident.

Digital artists usually overlook the importance of effective communication, which creates ownership and accountability.

10. Leverage Technology to Boost Your Efficiency

Even with the most advanced and expensive laptops available in the market, digital artists, especially designers and CG artists, experience severe performance issues and extremely long rendering time after laborious editing work. Why would you consider investing in hardware that is, however, going to get replaced by a competitive brand?

By leveraging the modern and disruptive technologies, Vagon is empowering evolving and experienced digital artists with a cloud-based desktop solution that seamlessly enables you to design, simulate, and render the most complicated and high GPU-consuming projects on Macbook Air or Chromebooks.

Try Vagon now and experience the fastest and easiest way to run your applications. Save more time by just clicking and switching to a supercomputer accessible from anywhere, on any computer. We hope these digital art tips help you evolve your skills!