The crazy benefits of NOT using layers ❌ (digital art tutorial)

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#learntodraw #drawingtutorial #drawingprocess

[YTartschool]

Rare times for me painting a grandma, but still had fun. Now do YOU accept the no layer challenge?!? 🔥🔥

[CookieSake]

Working on one layer and working with black and white then going for colours is like unlocking the best part of the brain. It's incredible!

[rasmachris]

The way I'd describe it is failing faster.
If you keep things on separate layers you can go back and change things on the fly.
If you do everything on a single layer your mistakes are more difficult to fix or require creative solutions and so you'll make a mental note for the next time to not make that mistake.
This makes you more efficient and accurate over time.

[gustavomendez]

Marc saying how long it takes to draw made me realize why I never like my own. I don’t take the amount of time to refine the work like he does. Very eye opening.

[mr.pov.mp]

Layers do have their uses, but I must agree that they are often crutches in progression and confidence, great advice as always Marc

[bis]

Hundred of years with the painting masters using brush, oils, on a single canvas layer,
Any artist today should try to work on a single layers from time to time, thats for sure ;
Thanks for the amazing video .

[drawsolidart]

This is what separates you from other art tutorials, the specificity and meaning.

Layers can be crutches for sure, having a cohesive piece sometimes is more important, where everything in the drawing is relative to each other. I still have to learn this way more

[trellia_art]

I KINDA do that? What I like to do is working on one layer, then at some point duplicate it and keep working on that layer. That way it leaves me what I call "checkpoints". If there's a part I don't like, I can cut into it and bring back the older version and work on that part again to get what I want. Then I'll merge those two layers. It still leaves a bit of an opening for change that way :D

[selenarose]

yesss, affirm my laziness. i dont FEEL like constantly switching layers and learning about clipping and masking

[Vrile]

I’d just recommend people to do tradional art from time to time too.
Which is like the next step of doing just 1 layer. The worst part about painting tradionally is the price, but you can find quite cheap supplies and still make amazing works. The feeling of having it physically is also amazing!
Big recommend from a mainly tradional artist!

[patrickd_art]

It's funny how hearing this from someone you admire so much comforts me. For a while I was training like this, and even though I felt I was improving, I stopped because I thought I was practicing in a stupid way. And now I regret that decision again. Thanks for this video, I'll go back to practicing a single layer

[smolbrendan]

1:19 "Speedpainting became really popular like, 15 to 20 years ago, if my timing is right."
hearing this turned my hair gray and my bones to dust.

[lorircreates]

Are you reading my mind again? I'm slowly attempting digital art and I always try to remind myself of adding more layers because I keep thinking I'm not fully working with all the resources I have doing digital art. But this is sooo great! I'll definitely consider using more layers just for work and keep a single layer whenever I draw for fun 😊

[mr.whocares]

one rule i have that comes close to this is when i finish a step (sketch, lining, flats, shading) i slap all the layers together and dont allow myself to edit them anymore.
keep it and do it better next time. otherwise i would probably spend hours finetuning everything and get essentially nowhere.

[Phye]

I like using different layers because when I color i may get disatisfied with how it looks and it's nice to just go back to the coloring layer and swap the color to something that fits the whole scene better.

[sanjaux]

The color sense in this piece is off the charts

[Higabana-cdxb]

I've used to have 50 layer and more in my past drawings, now i draw on three layers, merge it all, then render and add details :D

[dachi_art]

I totally agree about simplifying with fewer layers, but I think single-layer work shines more for speed paints or thumbnail sketches rather than final pieces. Minimizing layers is important—like one for the background, one for the character, and maybe another for foreground elements. If something blocks the main character, I’ll sometimes add a separate layer for it.

I get the frustration with layer management. What helps me is assigning a shortcut to the “find layer” tool—Clip Studio Paint has it, and Photoshop should too. I think you can also use the move tool to jump between layers. Another tip is assigning shortcuts to quickly create or merge layers. This lets you paint, tweak, and merge on the fly, keeping layers minimal but still flexible.

I think this workflow saves time compared to relying heavily on the lasso tool. While avoiding layers reduces management, lassoing everything adds unnecessary work. Adding layers from the start could streamline your process.

[jlandeaux]

I cannot believe i've been following you sice 14 years, crazy. 1:20

[DimosasQuest]

This is kinda hilarious to watch as someone who has done mostly non digital painting, and has recently moved to digital. What you do here is just the traditional method of painting. Love the vids!