If you can draw (or you have ready-made black-and-white images), you should be able to paint graphics. While there are a few tricks involved in choosing the right materials and getting the colors to look just so, the simple, bold images that make up most graphics are actually much easier to work with than most types of painting.
Instructions
1. Draw your image with pencil on a reasonable quality of paper. The type of paper that comes in most tablets is fine; you're basically just looking for something a little heavier than typing paper so that it can stand up to the paint. If you already have a drawing, trace it onto good paper, or as a last resort, photocopy it.
2. Paint the graphics with gouache, starting in the largest areas of your drawing to get a feel for the paint and brushes. Gouache is usually ready to be used straight out of the tube. Use medium-sized brushes to fill in large areas and small pointy or flat brushes to carefully paint near the lines and in other tight areas.
3. Wait for the gouache to dry, then see how it looks. If the color looks thin or patchy, paint on another layer, at least in problem areas. Gouache is an excellent media for painting graphics because it can create a very smooth, flat look, but sometimes it takes a few coats to get this right.
4. Touch up any mistakes. First, wait for the gouache to dry completely. Lightly sand the area with a very fine grade of sandpaper, being careful not to damage the paper. If that doesn't work, paint over the mistake in white, wait for that to dry and then paint over it again with another color if appropriate.
5. Go over the outlines with a black pen to give your graphics a crisp look. Even if you started with an ink drawing, going over the lines after you paint the graphics generally makes a piece look cleaner.
6. Wait for your work to dry completely, then go over the entire page lightly with a large eraser. It is very easy to leave almost imperceptible pencil or dirt smudges while working, so this step often makes the graphics look cleaner.
