When Magma launched at Lightbox Expo in 2020, it was great for meeting and drawing online with new friends while listening to all the art talks. But there are many more ways to use this collaborative art platform than for just casual doodling.

If you’re on the fence about giving Magma a try, then read on! We have some ideas here for using the platform to level up, have fun, and even create professionally. 

Study together 

Doing studies is always important. Doing them with fellow artists though can be more helpful in a couple of ways. First, you get to see someone else’s process. They might have a quicker way of doing something that you hadn’t thought to try.

It’s easy to get distracted these days with all those great series to stream, Pinterest boards to make, and games to play. Teaming up with another artist to study and paint together online can help you put in the necessary time to level up your skills and keep distractions at bay for a little while.

Sami Yanez-Carbonell and Wenceslas Dautzenberg, for example, have done studies of paintings and materials together such as the one below.

Host classes and tutorials 

Got skills to share? You might be better at painting backgrounds and environments than fellow artists who are more focused on designing characters, for example. Why not host a tutorial then.

You could pair online drawing classes with Discord or similar for having a group voice chat. If you have the Pro version of Magma though, you can host calls directly from the canvas.

Give each other feedback

If you’re working as an independent artist or teaching yourself how to paint, it can be difficult to spot mistakes or plot your way forward when you get stuck. It’s helpful to get another set of eyes on your work.

Magma’s chat feature makes it easy for you to share your work with a group of trusted artists, no matter where they are in the world, to get tips for improving. Even if you are in different time zones, they can easily leave suggestions directly on the canvas using Magma’s comment feature.

Mentor young artists

Magma makes teaching other young artists around the world much easier with the ability to do real-time demos and paintovers on the platform. Give your students homework assignments to complete on a shared canvas, then leave feedback for them later.

Play to your strengths

Different artists are better at painting different things. What if you pool those skills together in the same image? Knowing each other’s strengths is important for collaboration and working efficiently as a team. Not only will you be able to create something together that stands out, but you can do it faster, too.

Try grabbing a friend who does environments well while you paint a dynamic character and see what you come up with.

Image from Azeo.Trope and friends on Instagram.

Make a comic together

Comics are fun ways to tell a story. Grab a bunch of friends and have each one do a different panel on a one-page comic. Or you could follow a more traditional approach with each artist performing different tasks from the pencils and inking to the colors and lettering. Even if you are in completely different time zones, working different hours, there’s no need to send files back and forth.

You may also find the predefined shapes available in Magma, including the panel layouts, help to speed up the process. You can also user the Sequences panel to switch between multiple canvases (or pages in this case) within the same project.

Have a drawing battle online

Who’s the better artist? Gather a group and let the audience decide by streaming a live online drawing battle on Twitch or YouTube. With a theme and a time limit, individuals or teams can battle it out on the same canvas to impress the viewers.

IG embed: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CIIcOe4q9Y9/

Design a mural together

If you are into street art, then why not try using Magma to design a mural with some fellow artists. A drawing platform like this can be useful too if you are actually planning to collaborate on a mural soon, but aren’t in the same city together. Brainstorm ideas and develop the design ahead of painting day by simply importing a photo of the wall you’re going to paint and going to town on it.

Image by EyekooDrawsStuff.

Join a drawing challenge

Month-long drawing challenges, like Inktober or March of Robots, can be tough to stick with. But what if you did those with a group of fellow artists on the same canvas? Staying motivated and consistent will be much easier when you draw together with friends. You might learn a trick or two from each other as well.

You could use the daily prompts to each create your own characters on the canvas, or you could combine your efforts to paint one elaborate scene.

If you have limited time to spare, join something like Bobby Chiu’s 90-minute art challenge or a  Lightbox Expo paint-a-thon. 

Make a limited edition artwork together

Collaborative online drawing can be a great way to tap into one another’s audiences. Why not live stream or record the process to release a limited edition print of the artwork you’ve made together.

With Magma’s Pro version you can create canvases at a higher resolution, export them as PSD, and monetize the work you do on the platform.

Artists: @anilarmina, @mariatrepalina & @iamsammex

Go forth!

The Community plan of Magma offers plenty for casual digital artists looking to draw online with their friends. As a beginner looking to grow your skills, the basic features and Artspaces community are all you need.

Upgrading to the Blaze version of Magma unlocks more for those working with students or collaborating with teams of artists. Not only do you get higher-resolution canvases and textured brushes, but also the ability to host voice calls and up to five concurrent sessions. Streamline collaboration and communication for your studio even further with a customized plan, and get added security, 8k resolution canvases, on-premise installation, and more.

So go forth! Your team and your imagination are waiting! Try Magma for free here.