How to digitize your art

Art isn't just about creating, it's also about sharing, displaying and printing. I can say that the best way to digitize your work is to photograph it. 

To capture your work at its best, the two most vital things are to control the lighting and set up your camera as accurately as possible.

Here are some simple steps:

01. Controlling the light

Don't worry, you won't need to create darkroom conditions for this, but it is a good idea to block out any light from any windows and close any doors if they are also letting in light. 

If you prefer, you could use blackout cloth. Don't forget to turn off the room's main light when you're ready to start shooting.

02. Setting up the easel

An ordinary artist's easel is perfect – if you don't already have one, see if you can borrow one. The back of the easel needs to be as close to vertical as possible. Next place a sheet of MDF onto the easel, followed by your sheet of glass, in portrait aspect. Fix them in place using the easel's clamps.

03.  Bring in the lights

Place the soft box lights about six feet apart, facing one another, on each side of the easel. If you haven't got soft box lights like the ones we're using, floor or desk lamps will do the job. Just make sure they're at the same height and can provide fairly even lighting across the front of the easel.

04. Position the camera

Attach the digital SLR camera to the tripod and adjust its height so it's roughly level with the lighting and the easel. You can move it up and down to get it perfect once the artwork is in place. Shoot in portrait orientation because the wider your set-up is, the more chance of reflections. Even if your artwork is landscape format, place it in portrait orientation and simply rotate the image in your computer software.

05. Get the artwork ready

Make sure your pane of glass is clean. If your artwork was made using a medium that requires fixing (such as charcoal or pastel), make sure this has been done and the fixer is dry before placing the art behind the glass and in position for you to photograph.

Photographing a life-drawing on some flimsy newsprint that's been rolled up, so the glass really helps. Pegs can be used to secure the glass to the backing board, flattening the artwork.

06. Line it up

Raise or lower your camera so that the centre of your shot is as close to the centre of the artwork as possible. Then move the lights to try to make sure they are not being reflected in the glass. Look through your camera's viewfinder and keep making adjustments until it's right. You might find you need to get someone to hold a piece of blackout cloth in a certain position to help dim away unwanted reflections.

07. Camera action

Set your camera to take photos at the highest resolution possible, then start shooting. I'd advise three shots per artwork, each at a different shutter speed. Once you've taken a few shots, take the memory card out, pop it into your computer and check the quality of the photos on your computer. It'll be easier to spot any flaws on the computer screen than on your camera's smaller display. If you can see any small reflections or things you want to change, make the required adjustment to the set-up and take some new shots.

08. Camera to computer

When you're done, transfer the images to your computer. If you've used your camera's RAW image format, which captures the best detail and colour depth, then you'll need to convert the files to a format your software can handle. I recommend saving in TIF format to begin with. JPEG will discard most of the detail.

09. Digital editing

Crop the image to the area containing your artwork, and save this as a new file. Use the edges of the crop box to determine whether or not your artwork is being seen flat-on. You might need to make tiny adjustments or rotate it ever so slightly. When you're happy with it, save it as a TIF for printing, and as a JPEG for websites or sharing on social media.

10. Ready to share

Now that your file is digital, there are many things you can do with it. You can upload it to an online portfolio, or to your Facebook page. You can have prints made and give them to your friends or sell them. Or, why not use your artwork to create your own set of greeting cards? The possibilities are just about endless, but the important thing is that other people can now enjoy looking at your art as much as you enjoyed creating it.

Images by Claudia Montero

Text: This article originally appeared in Paint & Draw issue 01;