I know there are plenty of you looking to get into Digital Art, which is great! Though I understand it can also be daunting. All these different tablets and art programs. What should you buy? What should you use? How do I do this? I hope to try and answer some of these questions in this thread.
This will be your main tool for doing art, maybe your best friend. Problem is, tablets are quite expensive! I'll list a few different tablet brands here(with any reviews if I can find them) to help you decide whether you'll save up for something more expensive or try one of the alternatives.
Wacom: When you hear tablet you probably think of a Wacom. It's probably the most well known tablet brand. It's a little on the more expensive side even for your most basic tablet though. I use an Intuous 4 myself and I've never had any issues outside of drivers.
Pros: Pens don't require batteries, well known quality(?) Cons: More expensive
Monoprice: Monoprice is good if you can't afford anything expensive. That's not to say the quality is any worse! Prices start from around $20 - so it might be a good place to start getting into digital art if you don't want to spend a lot.
Pros: Cheap Cons: Pens require batteries
Huion: I can't say I know much about Huion tablets, I just remember seeing the name somewhere. The Pen Pressure in most of their tablets is double all of Monoprices though and the prices most tablets average around $50. (if anyone knows anything about Huion tablets, be sure to let me know!)
Pros: Cons:
Hero-corn
Monster Unicorn
Offline
Hero-corn
Monster Unicorn
Offline
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 2:41 am
Art Programs
Now you've got your tablet you're wondering what's the best way to use it. There are a lot of art programs out there, some are free and some can cost quite a lot! Thankfully a few art programs come with demos, so you can try before you buy as they say. I'm more versed in free art programs though, but I'll do my best to list as many as possible here.
Priced
Photoshop: (I'd love if someone can tell me about photoshop because my only run in with it was the copy I got when I got my Wacom) teastain on Photoshop:
It's a good program but maybe a little over powered if you're just looking to paint/art/draw/whatever.
Gent on Photoshop:
Photoshop is overkill for a beginner, but there is a cheaper and simpler version called "Photoshop Elements" which is good for beginners to use and performs all the essentials. I purchased my copy of Elements for £30 (around 50USD)
Photoshop Elements: A more simpler version of Photoshop, still bearing all the essentials you'd need to draw digital art.
Easy Paint Tool SAI: One of the more popular programs after Photoshop. It doesn't have as many options or tools, but its very light weight on your computer. It cost around $50USD, but I'm pretty sure you can also download a 31-day trial.
Free
FireAlpaca: I go on about this program any chance I get, I just love it that much. It's very similar to SAI, but completely free! They update it fairly often as well.
CloudAlpaca: Generally the same as FireAlpaca with the extra features to help make textures and manga pages. I think there is an option to upload your art to their cloud.
Krita: I tried this very briefly, the interface was too overwhelming for me, but that also means it has a wider range of options compared to other free programs I've tried. I might give it another try sometime soon so I can be more informative.
Gimp: It's been forever and a day since I've tried GIMP. It's well know for being similar to photoshop, not sure how well it works with tablets. Will test soon.
Generally it's good to just test them all out, find what you like. There's no real "best" program.
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 2:46 am
Tutorials
I'll try to find useful tutorials for digital art and link them here.
Hero-corn
Monster Unicorn
Offline
Hero-corn
Monster Unicorn
Offline
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 2:48 am
FAQ
I'll answer questions here as I come across them.
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 2:51 am
Final Words
I am no expert by a long shot, I just wanted to easily be able to link this to people when they want to know about Tablets and Art Programs. I'm happy for anyone to contribute to this, whether they give reviews or other alternative tablets and art programs. Just anything would be a lot of help!
Thank you for reading this.
Hero-corn
Monster Unicorn
Offline
teastain
Offline
Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 12:23 pm
ohohohoh! I love this thread. emotion_kirakira
I use photoshop! Though probably not very effectively as an artist. lol Cause we've all seen my art. And man, does it stink. lol It's a good program but maybe a little over powered if you're just looking to paint/art/draw/whatever. Sai was my go-to when I was without PS. And after a quick google search, you might find yourself with a free sai copy. -hint hint-
Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 12:49 pm
Hero, this thread is a wonderful idea! You ought to link it somewhere, like in your signature, so people can find it!
My tablet is a Wacom Bamboo (the cheapest Wacom) and I am very happy with it.
As far as software, Tea is correct that the full version of Photoshop is overkill for a beginner, but there is a cheaper and simpler version called "Photoshop Elements" which is good for beginners to use and performs all the essentials. I purchased my copy of Elements for £30 (around 50USD) and use it often. heart
The Intelli-Gent Captain
Dapper Vampire
Offline
Hero-corn
Monster Unicorn
Offline
Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 12:53 am
The Intelli-Gent
Hero, this thread is a wonderful idea! You ought to link it somewhere, like in your signature, so people can find it!
My tablet is a Wacom Bamboo (the cheapest Wacom) and I am very happy with it.
As far as software, Tea is correct that the full version of Photoshop is overkill for a beginner, but there is a cheaper and simpler version called "Photoshop Elements" which is good for beginners to use and performs all the essentials. I purchased my copy of Elements for £30 (around 50USD) and use it often. heart
Maybe once I have it more fleshed out I will, I feel like I'm still missing a lot of useful information and I need to work of a few pieces. sweatdrop
