Is this something you need Photoshop or a similar digital artwork app to do?

I'm wondering because I use a tablet and it seems like the kind of thing you'd need a PC or special device for. While I don't know how to do ANY artwork, I could only imagine myself drawing out what I needed and scanning it in. Using a cursor or stylus on a device seems so much different and more difficult to me than using a pen and paper where you have more control of your movement. Plus, decent artwork apps seem to be expensive and complicated especially compared to doing it the old fashioned way.

You definitely need a digital app of some kind to make CWs, but as long as you're able to save/export transparent .PNG files (for the HA's overlay file) and .GIF files for the item image, any digital program should theoretically work! You'll just have to find the right groove with the program you choose, the right brushes, etc. to get a result that will be acceptable for site standards.

I personally use Photoshop, and some other artists I know use SAI, but there was a thread here about using Procreate for creating CWs on a tablet. There are also some free programs these days that are apparently pretty powerful, but I don't know if they're available in app form. Sorry I can't be more help!

If you're struggling to draw with a stylus on your tablet compared to drawing with a pencil on paper, I have seen tons of recommendations for using a "paperlike" screen protector on your tablet! They give the screen a rougher texture so it feels more like drawing on paper, apparently. :)