☆ Art Programs ☆

[BungoTheElf]

Hello Artists!

This is an updated version of the old Art Programs! thread. Here are some user-recommended art programs that have been tested, tried, and true! Included are free drawing softwares to other paid applications. Hopefully these recommendations will offer you the right tools to use at your creative disposal.

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Firealpaca - Available for free and paid || PC (Windows/Mac)
A free and popular digital painting software. Easy to use with default brushes like a pen, pencil, and airbrush. Very beginner-friendly and still works fast on older PCs. Includes comic templates and 3D perspective options. Unfortunately no vector art for mouse users out there. Works on both Mac and Windows. There is a paid version available on steam called Firealpaca SE with a few differences, such as no ads, memory efficiency, and faster performance- but the free version is already great as is.

Spoiler: Samples

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Krita - Available for free || PC (Windows/Mac)
It looks and feels like a professional painting software with hundreds of brushes, tools, and capabilities. The fact that it supports RGB and CMYK, supports HDR painting, and perspective guides all for free make this art program highly recommended. Takes a bit to get used to, but even then Krita encourages the user to customize the layout of their UI.

Spoiler: Samples

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Medibang Paint - Available for free || PC (Windows/Mac) + Mobile
Available on mobile devices and Windows/Mac. It was created by the same creators of FireAlpaca and it does have a few similarities with FireAlpaca/Paint Tool Sai. It is free and comes with comic patterns, pressure sensitivity feature and has an online community that provides many tutorials.

Spoiler: Samples

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Sketchbook Express/Pro - Available for free and paid || PC (Windows/Mac) + Mobile
Recommend the free version. It includes all the basic tools for drawing such as streamlined strokes, perspective guides, etc. The paid version includes more professional tools for designers, architects, and concept artists. It rasterizes images nicely and comes with a nice copic marker color library. A really clean UI makes drawing on this program feel neat and tidy. It is also available on the app store as Autodesk SketchBook for free.

Spoiler: Samples

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Gimp - Available for free || PC (Windows/Mac)
A free program available across a lot of operating systems and it's open-source as well. Beginner-friendly for your photo editing needs. Runs optimally since it doesn't take up too much RAM. Lets you use 3rd party plugins! If you're on a budget, GIMP is great alternative program for photo manipulation.

Spoiler: Samples

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GraphicsGale - Available for free || PC (Windows)
Program for pixels! It is only available for Windows. Great for making sprites/pixel art and animating pixel art. There are plenty of guides on using it and it is free! Hasn't been updated recently, however.

Spoiler: Samples

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Aseprite - Paid program || PC (Windows/Mac)
A very popular and recommended animated sprite editor and pixel art tool! Great for spriting and animating, and has lots of modes and features to make it easy to use. Can be used on both Windows and Mac at a price of $19.99.

Spoiler: Samples

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Clip Studio Paint - Paid program || PC (Windows/Mac) + Mobile
A highly recommended drawing program with a price of $50 Pro and $220 EX(which includes all features.) CSP often goes on sale for 50% off and also has free trials that last up to several months. CSP offers plenty of free resources such as 3D models, tools to replicate manga/comics, screen toning, effects, animation, and much more! You can even create and share or download user-made assets. It's definitely worth the price for an amazing program. There's also a time-lapse function to record your work's progress, and you can even import photoshop brushes to CSP! Check out the site for more!

Spoiler: Samples

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Paint Tool Sai - Paid program || PC (Windows)
A popular commonly used lightweight art software. Easy to learn and comfortable to use. Much like FireAlpaca, but includes vectoring for mouse users. 31 day trial available and $54 for the full version.

Spoiler: Samples

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Open Canvas - Paid program || PC (Windows)
The steam store also sell openCanvas 6 for $50 and openCanvas 7 for $60. The bundle includes both for roughly $80. It's a great program with all the essentials and a great UI. They offer a wide variety of analog-like brushes and filters, with replay guides from advanced users to help you learn and improve your drawing technique.

Spoiler: Samples

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Mobile Applications

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Procreate - Paid program || IOS
Highly recommended, probably one of the best mobile programs for art. Beginner-friendly with a clean UI. Variety of tools and downloadable brushes making drawing on this program enjoyable, not to mention the great selection of brushes that come with the app. Record and replay features, online tutorials, and more. if paired with the Apple Pen, it's a great drawing experience. Only 10$ on the App Store and is worth the price.

Spoiler: Samples

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Ibis Paint X - Free || IOS + Android
A free mobile drawing app available on both iOS and Android. UI is pretty well designed for drawing on a phone. Some brushes you are able to use for free for a limited time after watching ads, otherwise, you can pay to remove ads. The app has an online community to share your art and has an automated time-lapse feature. It's pretty good for a free app and has lots of tools. There are also many resources on their youtube channel such as tutorials on certain techniques and features!

Spoiler: Samples

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Feel free to let me know if any extra notes should be added, I will be glad to add them in :]

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this thread is brought to you by
myself and @Blink.​

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Bungo and Blink's Personal Recommendations Paint Tool Sai ♔ Great for beginners and advanced users. ♔ Optimal even for slower PCs. Smooth handling. ♔ Has a simple UI ♔ Brushes can be a bit tricky to create with adding new textures Clip Studio Paint ♔ Highly recommend for professional illustrating ♔ Is not subscription-based like Adobe PS. One-time purchase ♔ Insane amount of features and a clean user interface ♔ Has a vast collection of user-created assets for free ♔ Worth the investment Procreate ♔ A must-have for mobile artists, especially iPad owners ♔ Invest in an Apple Pencil ♔ Pressure sensitivity feels smooth ♔ UI is clean, features are hidden. ♔ Affordable for portable art

 

[Emolga59]

Omg yes my queens pulling through with the art wisdom once again

 

[The Pennifer]

This is awesome - Thank you ... just wanted to say that I personally use ibisPaint exclusively on my iPad - i’m still learning techniques after several years but I find it the easiest one to use

 

[mocha.]

+1 for the Procreate recommendation! Its so easy to use and there are so many resources available online for anything you might be struggling with (shortcuts or how it works).

 

[Tiffkaboo]

I just bought CSP today and I'm so excited to start using it! I've been using Photoshop for so long and it's worked for me up until now, but after hearing an artist I follow praise CSP for all that it does, I decided it was finally time to try it out!

The interface is something I'll need to get used to, but it looks loads better than Photoshop! ❤

 

[BungoTheElf]

I just bought CSP today and I'm so excited to start using it! I've been using Photoshop for so long and it's worked for me up until now, but after hearing an artist I follow praise CSP for all that it does, I decided it was finally time to try it out!

The interface is something I'll need to get used to, but it looks loads better than Photoshop! ❤

I hope you enjoy using CSP, it really is that great!! And if you have trouble with the layout you can definitely rearrange it to your liking or what you're used to by just dragging the tools around the screen, I believe some people even put their own personal layouts on the asset store under the "workspace" tag!

 

[Tiffkaboo]

I hope you enjoy using CSP, it really is that great!! And if you have trouble with the layout you can definitely rearrange it to your liking or what you're used to by just dragging the tools around the screen, I believe some people even put their own personal layouts on the asset store under the "workspace" tag!

I did not know you could do that! I'll have to try that out, thank you!!

 

[Flicky]

Thanks for this list! I have a quick question for anyone else who uses FireAlpaca...

Is there any way to download the pastel pen without visiting the website? It's a long story, but I can't get FA to connect. Is there otherwise a better pastel pen option?

Also, speaking of pens, can anyone recommend me some good custom ones (in any of the free programs for now)? I'm looking to try out some new styles.

 

[hzl]

This list is awesome. I switched solely to Procreate after I upgraded to my second ipad so I can use it for professional application (upgraded size resolutions/normal to pro and stuff). However I love checking out other programmes to see what capabilities they have.

If you don't mind, I would love to recommend Pixaki (paid) for anyone who loves to create pixel art and has an ipad/apple pencil. It's around £20 but it's so worth it if you make a lot of or enjoy making pixel art - plus it has the ability to animate with frames. I only have the original legacy version at the moment but they recently brought out an upgrade (Pixaki 4) which is available and boasts loads more features so I'm also thinking about upgrading.

 

[Meadows]

Thank you for this. I've been trying tk find a good and free pIng editor.

 

[Goshi]

I just saw this and it's super useful, thank you for putting this together.

 

[seliph]

just wanted to mention clip studio paint is currently 50% off until september 7th if the price was putting anyone off!

 

[melonbread]

+1 for the Procreate recommendation! Its so easy to use and there are so many resources available online for anything you might be struggling with (shortcuts or how it works).

I agree! procreate is real useful! I started using it recently, after fixing my old ipad, and it’s pretty good and versatile. I like being able to make different stacks/folders to keep different types of art (personal art, drafts/WIPS, sketches, comic pages..etc)

Post automatically merged: Sep 11, 2021

Also, for pixel art , i have a few recommendations!
1. pixelable - pixel art editor
2. dotpict (besides being a pixel art maker/editor, it is also a community/art hub to post your work and meet fellow pixel art people/enthusiasts. Sort of like instagram but for pixel art!) (I really like it, i have an account on it! it should be @ tinyapples )
3. 8bit painter (have not used it much, but it seems pretty good)
ye!

 

[Kumori]

CSP is a FANTASTIC program with a ton of versatility. I’ve been slowly getting more and more used to it. But, I still really like using SAI. I’ve used it for so many years now that it’s just second nature, and I haven’t found a good replacement on CSP for my SAI marker settings. Maybe someday! Until then I do a lot of my commissions and more serious pieces on SAI.

 

[squidipe]

update on sketchbook: it's not free anymore on mac unfortunately
^^totally agree with CSP! I drew my pfp in it and BOY is it amazing! all the free/paid assets you can get are *chef's kiss*

 

[-Mars-]

I'm getting back into drawing again so I got Krita, my computer can only run 32 Bit windows not the newer 64 Bit windows. I don't know what those are, but if I have Krita 32 Bit windows is it still just as good as 64 Bit windows? Am I missing out on anything?

 

[Blink.]

I'm getting back into drawing again so I got Krita, my computer can only run 32 Bit windows not the newer 64 Bit windows. I don't know what those are, but if I have Krita 32 Bit windows is it still just as good as 64 Bit windows? Am I missing out on anything?

If you have 32bit, that's your processor. Having a 64bit processor just means its more capable of handling more data. So you should be running the 32bit one since you can't run the 64bit. In general though- the bigger your RAM, the bigger the canvasses you can work with.

 

[xSuperMario64x]

just yesterday I finished my first art piece in Clip Studio Paint Pro and it's absolutely fantastic!! especially since I'm using a Wacom Intuos tablet and it has pressure sensitivity, friction (like you're actually drawing on paper with a real pencil), and the different buttons on the tablet/pen that can have functions assigned to them. CSP has a really nice interface, it was a bit crowded at first but it's not too difficult to figure out how to move everything. I also really love the toolbar at the top so I have quick access to all the tools I use regularly

so yeah +1 for CSP, based on my few hours of working with it I would whole-heartedly recommend it!

 

[Croconaw]

I have ibisPaint as my main app for drawing on my phone. I don’t have a tablet, so I can only work with my phone. It’s a lot harder, but it just takes more patience. It’s pretty similar up a tablet, I think.

 

[amemome]

I got an iPad and am trying out Procreate! It's a bit of a learning curve since I like to use brushes that don't rely on pen sensitivity for size and opacity, but I'm having a lot of fun trying it out! Not a big fan of the paint bucket tool, but very happy about the flexible manipulation options.