ARt Programs
The building blocks to digital art are, after the hardware, the software upon which you make it. Each has its own upsides and downsides, prices free and expensive, and all of them are worth a try. If you have a question about any of these programs, don't hesitate to ask a staff member who uses it, listed below.
FREE PROGRAMS:
GNU Image Manipulation Program 2.0 (GIMP)
GIMP can best be summarized as a free alternative to Photoshop. This program mainly serves as an image editor, meaning it's flexible enough to be used for art; its interface may be hard to understand for new users, though. The interface is quite outdated, but it has many tools that rival those of Adobe's, and this makes it a good addition to any free art program library. |
FireAlpaca
FireAlpaca is a light program with a fairly simple interface. It includes quite a few nifty features, such as comic page templates and tools for adding line effects. If you're looking for an accessible program to start your journey into digital art, this program might be a good place to start! |
MyPaint
Though brush customization options are limited, the presets are very high quality and this program is very user friendly overall for how powerful it is. We recommend trying out GIMP first, and if you don't like the interface, this is a very good substitute if you are just looking into digital painting, as MyPaint focuses entirely on painting instead of graphic design. It lacks fundamental tools of digital art like the fill and selection, but what it includes it does very well. |
GraphicsGale
One of the best pixel art programs out there. GraphicsGale is the must-have app for any pixel artist or spriter, with many options for making good pixel art, from grids to pallet limitations to layered GIF animation. However, some of the more complex options aren't always so intuitive and can get baffling to a new user. |
Inkscape
A program which functions entirely around vectors, similar to Adobe Illustrator. Vectors are able to be resized/modified without losing quality. It's based entirely on guiding the paths of lines with points, which can be modified in a variety of different ways, so it's not like your typical drawing program. This program uses a much more technical approach to drawing and it should be noted that there are no brush tools. |
MediBang
A program with a lot of variability and strengths. It has good color tools, blending, lining, layers, and all of the general items that make up a good art program, and a simplistic interface for new users to get accustomed to. However, It should be known that it suffers from some localization issues because its developers aren't primarily English. |
Krita
A heavy-duty, open-source art program with an in-depth yet very customizable interface. Probably not the best program if you're new to digital art, but if you can utilize what Krita has to offer it is definitely one of the best free art programs out there! |
PAID PROGRAMS:
Paint Tool Sai, art by SailorCosmos
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Paint Tool SAI (~$58.00)
Certainly one of the cheapest professional programs out there, SAI has a very user friendly interface for what it's capable of. It specializes as a painting program and focuses almost entirely on providing quality brushes which have a lot of customization. If you're willing to pay to get a good art program that is reliable and easy to get to know, this is it. Art Staff that use SAI: a deer, SailorCosmos, Tikitik
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Clip Studio Paint, artwork by Nerina
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Clip Studio Paint ($50.00)
Clip Studio Paint, also known as Manga Studio, is a fully-featured Manga art program, geared specifically towards the manga style of artwork. However, it is more than capable of also producing high-quality art of any kind, but with the added bonus of special options geared towards neatness and comic making. Art Staff that Use Clip Studio Paint: Nerina Sketchbook Pro ($60.00)
Sketchbook Pro, also on iPad, is a beefier alternative of SAI that has more variability in brushes, styles, and also offers many different options for artistic composition, like lines and circle tools. However, it is also lacking in the sheer simplicity and power of SAI, choosing to stick to multiple, specialized tools whereas SAI has fewer with more customization. |
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Corel Painter ($300)
Corel Painter is a very different kind of digital art program in that it tries to mimic the feel of traditional art very much, having a lot of different types of brushes and pencils that are based on real life ones. It's a good match for skilled traditional artists looking to start out some digital art, but people who are used to the mechanics of digital art would possibly have more trouble adapting to it. |
Photoshop CS2, Art Courtesy of Bummer
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Adobe Photoshop ($425-$475), Creative Cloud is ($30/month)
The digital art program. This program, in all it's forms, has consistently been the most useful and variegated art program out there- it sets the industry standard for what an art program should have, with layers, filters, smart tools, customizable and downloadable brushes, special options, advanced techniques, and more. If you're taking digital art to the next level and are ready to make a serious commitment towards your artwork, this is the program for you. Art Staff that use Photoshop: Bummer, brightobject, April, Falgaia |