# Digital Artists



## Bandit2010 (Jun 24, 2010)

Alright, I'm kinda new to the forums and was wondering what equipment digital artists use. I hear a lot of people use tablets, but I never see a specific type. I'm interested in trying out digital art for a hobby and was wondering what people would recommend for a beginner. I saw a "Bamboo" tablet for sale in the classifieds   for like 50$ and was wondering if that would be a good place to start? Any helpful response will be appreciated


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## Fauxglove (Jun 24, 2010)

A tablet is the fastest and easiest way to get started.  you'll just have to train yourself to draw without actually looking at the 'paper', which can be a little disorienting at first.
I use an old Intuos 2 I got when I was in highschool.  The pen is a little chewed up (That's what I get for leaving it where the dog can find it), but it still serves me just fine.

I would be wary of buying from classifieds, though.  Tablet surfaces can get deeply scratched, pens can start working sloppily...if the seller leaves any remote reason at all for you to be suspicious, I would just spring for a new tablet.  
http://www.wacom.com/bamboo/bamboo_pen_touch.php
The latest Bamboo tablet runs $99 from the website, and you can probably get it cheaper than that if you go with an older model.  I can't say I know what new innovations and changes they've made to tablets over the years, or what the differences are between an old tablet and a brand new one.


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## Jw (Jun 24, 2010)

Bandit2010 said:


> Alright, I'm kinda new to the forums and was wondering what equipment digital artists use. I hear a lot of people use tablets, but I never see a specific type. I'm interested in trying out digital art for a hobby and was wondering what people would recommend for a beginner. I saw a "Bamboo" tablet for sale in the classifieds   for like 50$ and was wondering if that would be a good place to start? Any helpful response will be appreciated


 

Bamboo Pen (which I sue myself because I am nearly broke) costs $50. A full-blown Bamboo with pen or touch will be roughly $100. As Fauxglove said, they can get beat up over time, so I would not buy it sight-unseen. 


As far as programs go, I recommend Gimp to begin-- just in case you decide digital's not for you. It's an individual taste, and there is no sense in chipping out large amounts of money.

Photoshop (PS) is the industry standard for illustration, but will run you several hundred dollars (adobe.com quotes PS CS5 at $699), so that is not necessarily something you would buy randomly. 

Other dandy programs include Sketchbook Pro ($100, I swear by it for its intuitiveness, simplicity, cost and controls)
Open Canvas 1.1 (this version is free, but it's a Japanese program that may or may not have much support) I've never tried this one myself, but many anime-style artists and some others seem to love it. 

There's more, but the names escape me right now.

Best of luck to ya.


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## furiana (Jun 24, 2010)

I can vouch for GIMP.  Also Pixlr, the online program that I use to color-correct my scans; you don't need to download anything for that.  (I'm still learning how to make the results look good, but the tools are there.)  

You can also try downloading the various trial versions of Photoshop, and probably Paint Shop Pro etc. as well.  Any of them would let you try digital painting without much risk!


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## sunandshadow (Jun 24, 2010)

One thing people who are new to digital art tend not to be aware of is vector art.  Vector art programs like Illustrator ($) and Inkscape (free) operate quite differently from bitmap programs like Photoshop and Gimp.  (Well, it's a more developed form of the bezier pen tool in that type of program.)  In vector art lines and shapes are defined mathematically as a combination of points and curviness, along with numbers for line thickness, color, fill color, opacity, etc.  This makes vector images very easy to edit and animate (as in Flash).  Vector images tend to have a slightly more cartoony look, and are well suited for use in videogames and GUI/webpage design.  A vector art program can also be used for digitally inking a drawing, producing beautiful clean black lineart on a transparent backround which can then be colored in a bitmap program.


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## Runefox (Jun 24, 2010)

If you're used to using a pencil/etc, you should definitely look into getting something like that Bamboo, though I recommend getting a new one, just because the pens, I hear, aren't all that reliable over time.

That said, there's a whole slew of programs out there, but my weapons of choice are vector - Inkscape for lines, Illustrator for colours (and Paint Shop Pro 7 for various raster bits and pieces from time to time). I've only recently got hold of a tablet, though, so most of the artwork in my gallery is mouse art, which is fairly difficult to get used to. So again, if you're used to traditional media, a tablet is almost a must.


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## Cassiopeia (Jun 24, 2010)

I use an Wacom Intuos 4 Tablet (around $300 new) and it is my first tablet. It serves me well for what I use it for.

I also use Photoshop elements, gimp, sketchpad express and occasionally MS Paint for outlining <3
yes, like many have already said, a tablet is a must if you prefer traditional-style art.


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## furiana (Jun 24, 2010)

sunandshadow said:


> A vector art program can also be used for digitally inking a drawing, producing beautiful clean black lineart on a transparent backround which can then be colored in a bitmap program.



... And that also scales beautifully, from what I've heard. Zeivin did a vector art piece for me, and I loved it!


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## sunandshadow (Jun 24, 2010)

furiana said:


> ... And that also scales beautifully, from what I've heard. Zeivin did a vector art piece for me, and I loved it!


 Yes, actually as long as the art is in vector format (svg, swf, or illustrator format) it has no scale.  It only gets a scale if you export it as a png or other bitmap format.  It scales essentially perfectly as long as you have the vector original from which you can export at whatever size you like.


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## Runefox (Jun 24, 2010)

furiana said:


> ... And that also scales beautifully, from what I've heard. Zeivin did a vector art piece for me, and I loved it!


 
Yeeeup, big or small, vector scales really well. It's one of the major advantages to it, though for the most part even so you'll end up with an image that'll be best viewed with a certain resolution in mind.


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## Fay V (Jun 25, 2010)

Bamboo makes great tablets that are pretty cheap for  beginner. I have had my bamboo fun for 4 years now. it comes with programs. 
Paint.net is free. PaintToolSai has a trail program and I found it translates well from traditional to digital.


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## Arshes Nei (Jun 25, 2010)

I use an intuos (I got 2 models 3 and 4) and a LE1600 which is a slate pc. I also paint on an iPod touch and nintendo DS lite. Previous to that  I've used a mouse with the wrong hand. I'm left handed.


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## Bandit2010 (Jun 25, 2010)

alright, thanks everyone for the input! I downloaded GIMP and have been familiarizing myself with all of the controls, but creating art isn't easy with only the mouse. My B-day is coming up in like 2 weeks so I'm thinking about getting a Bamboo pen and touch. I like using pen and paper for that traditional type of art and think that would probably be  the best option for me.  Once again, thanks everyone for all the info


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## furiana (Jun 25, 2010)

N/p, and good luck!  Hope to see you post some of your experiments.


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## Jw (Jun 25, 2010)

Good luck! 

Don't forget, you could be like me and draw the lines, scan and then ink your work in Gimp. You could try that right now with the mouse. Take your base image, and copy it as a new layer. (If you don't have the layer menu up on your left, go to "windows", then scroll down and make sure you have the layers menu up). You can do that by picking the background layer, and clicking the icon that looks like two pictures overlapping near the bottom of that menu. 

Now, click the top layer and right click on it to rename it to something like "Overlay". Go to "Colors>Levels" and play around with the settings there until it's a little clearer what you've drawn, and accept that change. After you do that, change that layer's mode to "Darken only".

Now, make several new layers for the inking colors. One should be the base color of your character (what most of the body is colored as), and there should be another layer for each different color. Now, make sure the "Overlay" stays on top, put the base layer right above the "Background" layer, and the background way at the bottom of the stack. Don't forget to name your layers. 

Now, paint and don't worry about the lines. That's what the eraser is for. make sure you're using the right color on the right layer and keep working. After it's all filled in, you can clean up the color layers and finish up your flat-color drawing. You can do this with a mouse, and it's a good way to familiarize yourself with Gimp. Don't forget to watch some Youtube tutorials on Gimp and Photoshop to learn more. 

And like furiana said, post some experiments!


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## Arshes Nei (Jun 25, 2010)

You might like Paint.net or Artweaver too once you get your tablet. Don't forget other programs like Open Canvas 1.1 because that is the easiest program to learn how to just simply paint digitally.


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## Stormrunner (Jun 26, 2010)

Along with Artweaver, if you like real media look I also recommend the free version of TwistedBrush Open Studio .


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## Damagefox (Jul 5, 2010)

Personally I would reccommend a little program I found called Artrage. It is at http://www.artrage.com/ and it does come with a free version. A "starter" edition. But If you want the full version of 2.6, It is a mere $20 and quite worth it because you get alot more tools. You also get things like stencils and stamps. The reason I like this is because It is a digital media, but it can perfectly mimic the Look and feel of -traditional- media. chalk, Pastels, watercolor markers/paints, Airbrush, oil paints. wax crayons, pencil crayons, etc. Too many to count but for 20 bucks It is quite worth it. If you want a couple of examples, here are a couple Of my own pictures I have colored using artrage.http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4084107 the iron-on was a happy accident. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4054387 <---the shading came out well despite my crappy airbrush job


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## TreasureBox (Jul 6, 2010)

I use the new BambooPen tablet from Genius  
and for a program, I use PaintToolSAI (its a pretty simple and easy program to get used to)


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## CobaltFox (Jul 6, 2010)

I'm starting to use my iPad for digital art, since its like a tablet and portable, one of the reasons why I bought it. 
Anything difficult I would use ArtRage/Photoshop/Flash


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## Stormrunner (Jul 7, 2010)

Program I didn't mention before - MyPaint.

If you want the full list of programs I own and use.  Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, Paint Tool Sai, Corel Painter XI (almost everything), My Paint (pencil drawings), Twisted Brush Studio + bought brushes (Watercolor), Open Canvas 1.1, Pixia, Alchemy (to get a nice under sketch if I want to do something off the wall :3).  All after Corel Painter are free.

Obviously I'm more partial to some then others.  If you want free subsitutes then: Photoshop use The gImp, Flash use Synfig, Illustrator us Inkscape, and Corel Painter use Artweaver.


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## Arshes Nei (Jul 7, 2010)

CobaltFox said:


> I'm starting to use my iPad for digital art, since its like a tablet and portable, one of the reasons why I bought it.
> Anything difficult I would use ArtRage/Photoshop/Flash


 
iPad doesn't really have the pressure sensitivity it claims to have. While it can have some practicality a tablet PC with penabled tech is 10x better and cheaper.

Also, you need to learn how to just put in your USER NAME when linking to your FA page in VB's User CP it's a big old ugly 404 because you posted it wrong.


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## Zenia (Jul 10, 2010)

A Bamboo is a good one to start with. Anything by Wacom is great.

I use Photoshop and a GraphireET tablet.


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## Khandor (Jul 13, 2010)

I'm an extreme beginner at anything art and I bought a bamboo pen and touch tablet. I use opencanvas to sketch and then transfer it to adobe photoshop C2 for color/shading etc. Works really well, I think it ran me about 80 bucks for the tablet. I was using pencil/drawing tablet prior to that and the bamboo is very close in feeling to the pencil/paper, so I recommend it. Photoshop, and other digital art programs can be annoying tho. >.<


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## Arshes Nei (Jul 13, 2010)

The one thankful thing for me to deal with the digital programs with my tablet is the fact I have certain things hotkeyed. I use canvas rotation, flipping horizontal, color sampling, undo and redo often.


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