Amateur artist here, looking to learn about digital art. For a complete beginner, what software should I be learning to use? I know there are free things like Gimp, but if I ever wanted to get serious down the future and use things with more features like Photoshop, the stuff I learned in Gimp might not translate well. Also for context this is a part of work as well. For our work, we need to spend a certain amount of hours per year doing private learning, and I thought I might as well take one of their digital art courses (they have things for software like Photoshop, Gimp and Affinity). Of course since it's not actually related to my current job (programming), I can't ask work to give me a license for things like Photoshop which means I'll have to acquire it myself.
What art software do you use?
quoting_mungo
Well-Known Member
It depends on what courses you have available to you - if those courses are a specific set and aimed towards specific software, that will obviously have to be factored in.
I personally use a combination of Autodesk Sketchbook Pro and Photoshop for my digital art. It works well with my process but I don’t see there being a lot of tutorials aimed at that workflow. I would find a way to remove Photoshop entirely from this workflow if I had to rely on a month-to-month license, though; I’m still using a suite version from when they did perpetual licenses.
ProCreate and Clip Studio Paint both have large bodies of existing tutorials, and I know CSP continuously solicits tutorials and guides from their community, so there should be a wealth of information there. Both programs are quite popular with artists, and CSP regularly (like, maybe every 2-3 months, and I’d be surprised if one isn’t coming up soon, no later than the post-Thanksgiving sales) runs promotions with significant discounts on licenses.
Another program I used to hear a lot about is Paint Tool SAI - I don’t know if CSP and ProCreate have eclipsed it at this point, though.
Gimp IMO has a rather clunky and unintuitive UI, so it’s not software I’d recommend for anything but very basic operations.
I personally use a combination of Autodesk Sketchbook Pro and Photoshop for my digital art. It works well with my process but I don’t see there being a lot of tutorials aimed at that workflow. I would find a way to remove Photoshop entirely from this workflow if I had to rely on a month-to-month license, though; I’m still using a suite version from when they did perpetual licenses.
ProCreate and Clip Studio Paint both have large bodies of existing tutorials, and I know CSP continuously solicits tutorials and guides from their community, so there should be a wealth of information there. Both programs are quite popular with artists, and CSP regularly (like, maybe every 2-3 months, and I’d be surprised if one isn’t coming up soon, no later than the post-Thanksgiving sales) runs promotions with significant discounts on licenses.
Another program I used to hear a lot about is Paint Tool SAI - I don’t know if CSP and ProCreate have eclipsed it at this point, though.
Gimp IMO has a rather clunky and unintuitive UI, so it’s not software I’d recommend for anything but very basic operations.
Just report your own original post and ask for it to be moved to the proper subforum.
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Deleted member 160111
Guest
I know that many artists use the Paint Tool Sai. As far as I know from their experience, this program is quite simple and not overloaded. Unlike photoshop, which has too many features, SAI is also easier for your device.
Lots of lessons, besides everything.
Lots of lessons, besides everything.
TheCynicalViet
Well-Known Member
Used Paint Tool Sai since 2016 just cause that was the most comfortable program for me to use. Krita too but for more involved projects.
Too late now, I posted the exact same topic in the Illustration subforum, but don't want to delete it cus I have gotten helpful responses there too. Whoops.
I just noticed that the artist they've got for advertising Krita was the same artist who worked on Freedom Planet 2, and I fucking love that game.
(is there no option to upload image from desktop in a post? I had to make this imgur link instead.)
As dumb as it sounds, that might influence me in starting with Krita. That, and it's free and my work doesn't have guides for things like Clip Studio Paint.
(is there no option to upload image from desktop in a post? I had to make this imgur link instead.)
As dumb as it sounds, that might influence me in starting with Krita. That, and it's free and my work doesn't have guides for things like Clip Studio Paint.
Inferndragon
Dragon Doodler with a Tail Snake
Sai was my favourite program. It's simple to use. Only problem is 256 layers.
quoting_mungo
Well-Known Member
Topics can also be merged, and I can’t imagine staff would be unwilling to do so for you if you ask nicely.
CreachureComforts
bonehead
I've drawn digitally for years, tried different apps and tablets now and then. These days I draw with an iPad and Infinite Painter and it fits my flow much better than a normal tablet at a desktop. The hardware's kind of a big expense, the UI is odd at first, and not everyone has a high opinion of Apple... but it feels really smooth and I don't feel burdened from having to sit at a desk anymore (and it's a bad thing for productivity if you feel hesistant to set up your drawing tool...)
Before the iPad, I mainly used Photoshop, since it was the only app that ever rendered my lines the way I expected them to. Everything else seemed to clean and smooth the edges of them up in subtle ways that I didn't like, even after playing with brushes and settings.
Before the iPad, I mainly used Photoshop, since it was the only app that ever rendered my lines the way I expected them to. Everything else seemed to clean and smooth the edges of them up in subtle ways that I didn't like, even after playing with brushes and settings.
TyraWadman
The Brutally Honest Man-Child
are you making animations?
Green_Brick
Krita user
I use Krita. I tried Photoshop in 2016, but hated it. Heh, funny enough, Photoshop has been taking notes from Krita from the past several years. They've been adding features to it that Krita has had for a long time!
I have a couple friends who use SAI, and a couple who use CSP. I've tried them both, but at the end of the day, you use whatever helps you get your job done, and Krita does exactly that for me!
I have a couple friends who use SAI, and a couple who use CSP. I've tried them both, but at the end of the day, you use whatever helps you get your job done, and Krita does exactly that for me!
Inferndragon
Dragon Doodler with a Tail Snake
Nope, i don't do animations. Last time i did a few animations in Flash several years ago. I'm just too lazy to animate these days.
TyraWadman
The Brutally Honest Man-Child
Just curious. Why would you need more than 300 layers?
Filter
ɹǝʇlᴉℲ
I use Photoshop and Krita. Unfortunately, there's one thing that I still haven't figured out how to do in Krita. I switch back and forth quite a bit. When I finally ween myself off of Photoshop, there will be something of a style shift as I vastly prefer Krita's brushes.
Then again, maybe I'll just go back to pencil and paper. I still do my preliminary sketches that way, and that's where I'm most skilled, but it I do like the clean "animation cell" look of simple Photoshop colors. Some of it translates, but I'm still not much of a digital artist. Either way, Krita seems to have more potential for what I envision. As far as art programs for artists go, it's the better of the two. Photoshop is more suited for editing photos.
Then again, maybe I'll just go back to pencil and paper. I still do my preliminary sketches that way, and that's where I'm most skilled, but it I do like the clean "animation cell" look of simple Photoshop colors. Some of it translates, but I'm still not much of a digital artist. Either way, Krita seems to have more potential for what I envision. As far as art programs for artists go, it's the better of the two. Photoshop is more suited for editing photos.
RailRide
The Real Wheels of Steel
I switch back and forth between Krita and CSP. Krita currently gets more use on my (stylus-equipped) tablets as I've recently started doing impromptu sketches on them lying in bed when inspiration hits, and the UI is the same as on the Windows version, so it's easy to move any pics that get traction between the two. I have a pre-loaded CSP on the more-recently acquired of the two tablets, but I've never launched it as I'm not keen on subscription-ware, which is the only form the Android version exists in.
---PCJ
---PCJ
Kellan Meig'h
Kilted Luthier
I use Gimp for Windows but it's mostly for small image manipulation. I have Krita on my tablet but I haven't used it much past seeing that it would run on my Galaxy tablet.
RailRide
The Real Wheels of Steel
If you give it a try for actual drawing, one thing I found that made Krita much more usable on mine (I have it on a Galaxy Tab S6 Lite and Tab S7 FE, both s-pen equipped) is the fullscreen button, second from the lower left corner. This hides the normal Android switch/home/back controls at the bottom of the screen so you don't accidentally trigger them with the heel of your palm.
---PCJ
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Deleted member 162282
Guest
Photoshop and TV Paint.
