Program for painting pictures. Paid programs for drawing on a computer. Computer drawing program – SmoothDraw

Many home computer users know that there is a free software for drawing. A great variety of them have been created. In this review, we will help you decide on the choice of the most suitable graphics application for yourself.

Free drawing programs

As already mentioned, a huge number of different programs for creating and processing images have long been created. They are divided into: professional, semi-professional, and amateur. In addition, there are programs for fast graphics processing. For example, they allow you to: in just a couple of mouse clicks, improve quality, increase sharpness, remove red-eye, and also contain other useful little things.

As for programs specifically for drawing on a computer, our review today will be devoted to free applications. Today the undisputed leaders are: Paint.NET, Gimp, Inkscape, SmoothDraw, MyPaint. In addition, there are also various “drawers”.

Now let’s briefly look at the above-mentioned free drawing programs.

Method 1: Paint.NET

The application is positioned as a free replacement for the classic Paint, which is included by default in all versions of the operating system. Windows systems. Unlike its predecessor, the functionality has been significantly expanded. The program belongs to the middle segment of graphic editors. Despite the fact that the application's capabilities are quite extensive, it still falls short of such a well-known image processing program as Gimp.


Marked with numbers

  1. Toolbar.
  2. Menu.
  3. Working palette.
  4. Change log.
  5. Layers.

Download graphic editor Paint,net

Method 2: Gimp

This is a professional image creation and processing tool. Can be used as a full replacement for commercial. Has similar functionality. Supports PSD file format. It also easily imports brush sets designed for Photoshop.


Used by photographers, web designers, artists. In addition, the program's capabilities are easily expanded by installing add-ons.

Gimp supports graphics tablets, so the program can be recommended for artists.
The advantage of the graphic editor is that gimp supports import and export to the popular PDF format.


The screenshot notes:

  1. Classic Toolbar - Most of the tools are similar to Adobe Photoshop.
  2. Tabs containing open images.
  3. Menu.
  4. A work area in which all program capabilities are combined. Layers, brushes, image options, log, etc.

It should be noted that in this screenshot all work areas of the program are combined into one “ working window" To disconnect windows, just go to the menu “ Window", and uncheck the box " Single window mode" Sometimes this mode of operation is quite useful.


We also note that during installation, the application will automatically detect the operating system language and automatically install the required language version. You can also set the language manually during installation. The program has support for almost all the most popular languages.

Download Gimp for free

Method 3: Inkscape

This is a famous free vector graphics editor. Suitable for artists to create illustrations. The program has almost all the capabilities of the most famous vector graphics editors. Tools such as knot editing, star, ellipse, freehand line, pen, and others are familiar to all designers.

This application is mainly used to create logos, posters, business cards. Web designers and developers use this program to create website layouts and graphics for games.

The graphic editor is actively developing, is also used by the most famous designers, and continues to remain free.


Work areas are highlighted in red:

  1. Tools (ellipse, star, pen, etc.).
  2. Flip vertically/horizontally, rotate.
  3. Program menu.
  4. Working palette.
  5. Panel for importing/exporting/saving documents in various formats.

It should be noted that, according to various information, Inkscape developers often contact the developers of another well-known and successful Gimp editor. Together they discuss plans for the development of their programs and exchange experiences.

Free download Inkscape

Method 4: SmoothDraw

It's interesting and free editor For graphics tablets, which at the same time is a fairly simple and “lightweight” program.

The application interface is standard. Up different selection classic drawing tools.


You can expand the tab and see full list tools.


It should be noted that the size of the program is very small (about 2 megabytes). The editor is suitable for simple projects, or when you just want to “draw.” As already noted, the application integrates with graphics tablets. A stylus is recommended for drawing.

The downside is the lack of Russian language.

Download SmoothDraw for free

Method 5: MyPaint

This application is ideal for drawing. A good choice for digital artists. Suitable for both entertainment and serious projects.

Features of the program

  • It should be noted that the program contains minimal functionality of a classic graphic editor, because mainly aimed at direct drawing;
  • The program was created exclusively for working on a graphics tablet. However, it is possible to work without it;
  • In the "limitless canvas" program. This means that the drawing area is not limited in any way. The lack of frames is a definite plus. When saving a document, the unused area is simply cut out by the program;
  • MyPaint, like all graphic editors, has a large set of brushes and tools;
  • The application, like most of the above, is cross-platform. That is, it works on most operating systems;
  • Russian language support.

Workspace


The application interface is quite simple. There is no need to describe it in detail.

Download MyPaint for free

Conclusion

The considered image creation tools are leaders among free solutions for creating graphic projects on a computer. Most of the capabilities of these programs are not inferior to paid, commercial graphic editors such as Adobe Photoshop. Some of the presented applications have even broader functionality than Photoshop.

This review presents best programs for drawing on a computer for experienced artists and ordinary users. The diverse functionality of the applications allows you to draw portraits, landscapes, comics or create design designs. A wide variety of tools, processing effects and modes will allow you to create a unique masterpiece.

Our selection of free drawing programs will help you get acquainted with the capabilities of each software and choose the best one.

Programs

Russian language

License

Plugins

Rating

Purpose
Yes Free Yes 10 Amateur
Yes Free No 10 Amateur
Yes Free Yes 8 Amateur
Yes Free Yes 8 Amateur
Yes Free Yes 8 Amateur
Yes Free Yes 10 Amateur
Yes Free Yes 9 Pro
Yes Free Yes 8 Amateur
Yes Free No 6 Amateur
Yes Free Yes 8 Pro

GIMP is a free editor for creating screen and web graphics, high-quality processing and drawing with a large set of tools and a variety of effects. The application supports all popular formats, has batch processing and works with layers. The interface is multi-window and customizable for the user.

PicPick – free application to create screenshots by capturing the screen and further editing it. Using the “scrolling” function, you can create a screenshot of web pages and documents in the form of a single image. The software has a Russian-language interface and a wide selection of editing tools.

Paint.NET is a free application that functions as a graphics editor with the ability to work with layers, noise reduction, stylization and artistic processing. The main options of the program are focused on working with photo editing and vector graphics.

Inkscape is a free graphics utility for creating vector technical drawings with a set of tools for easy and fast editing. It runs on a custom engine, exports and imports into various graphics formats, opens and saves in gzip compressed format, and also has a multilingual menu.

PaintTool SAI is a free application for creating beautiful digital paintings and high-quality illustrations using a variety of tools and effects. The utility works with an unlimited number of layers, edits files of various formats and saves them in its own “.sai”. Implemented work with a graphics tablet.

Krita is a free program that allows you to create, process and correct raster images. graphic images using a large set of tools and filters. The cross-platform utility simulates canvas material, emulates real tools and supports photo import.

Adobe Photoshop is a popular, powerful utility for high-quality editing and working with photos and images using a wide range of tools. The graphic editor supports various modes and layers, adds effects and text entries, creates raster graphics, while having a clear interface.

Convenient and easy-to-use programs for drawing on a graphics tablet have become widespread.

This is due to the fact that more and more artists are starting to work digitally, abandoning classical materials to create illustrations or paintings.

However, both the convenience of work and the quality of its implementation largely depend on what software the author uses to work on the tablet.

Peculiarities

Most tablet-based artists currently use Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. This is high-quality, functional software, however, it is not the only one. It is worth choosing a program based on functionality and ease of working with it.

The capabilities of your tablet will depend on which program you choose. Therefore, you need to choose software taking into account the technical data of the device. In addition, there is also universal programs, suitable for any tablets.

<Рис. 1 Планшет>

Paint

This application is suitable for artists who are just starting to master working on a graphics tablet. It has general functionality, a simple and familiar menu, and therefore you will not need to spend additional time getting used to it (although a novice author will still have to get used to the tablet).

Having a certain level of skill and getting good at it, with the help of such software you can create quite high-quality works. The advantages of such an application include:

  1. Its presence by default in standard assemblies of all Windows versions(although it is recommended to work with those included in XP assemblies 7, 8, 8.1, 10);
  2. Extremely simple interface and menu - almost every user knows how to work with Paint;
  3. Quite wide (for a basic program) functionality.

Among the functional features of the program, we can highlight drawing with a pencil with lines of various thicknesses and densities, drawing with a brush at different transparency and stroke widths, filling the selected area with one color, and working in several layers. You can also act with the finished image - select and copy zones, cut out areas, enlarge, stretch and flip selected zones. Saves pictures in several formats.

You should start getting acquainted with the functionality of a drawing tablet with this software. Moreover, it can be basic for those who do not draw professionally, as well as for those who periodically make minor edits in graphic files.

<Рис. 2 Работа в Пейнт>

Gimp

This software for creating drawings has wide functionality and significant power. You can download it from the official website www.gimp.org. Works with all types of graphics tablets, and also with some other input devices.

The disadvantages of such software include the following:

  1. Quite a significant load on both the hardware of the computer and tablet;
  2. The interface is quite complex, it takes time to get used to it.

<Рис. 3 Работа в Gimp>

However, it is still considered that the application is intended for beginners. It has quite a wide functionality:

  • Working with photos - brightness, color correction, adjusting levels, contrast, etc.;
  • Photo editing - removing unnecessary elements, cropping, etc. standard features Photoshop;
  • Suitable for web designers as it allows you to create and edit website layouts;
  • Drawing pictures – equipped with the functions “brush”, “pencil”, “filling an area with color”, etc., and in several types;
  • It has an individual format for saving pictures.xcf, which can save data with a picture, text insert, layers, textures, etc.;
  • Simple integration with the clipboard – pictures and photos can be opened in the program by simply copying them;
  • Opens files intended for editing from other well-known graphics programs, for example, .psd;
  • The developer's open code allows you to create and install your own plugins, add-ons and extensions for this software;
  • Allows you to quickly archive files.

This software is very versatile. It is suitable for both beginners and non-professionals, as well as professional illustrators.

MyPaint

The program is intended primarily for artists working in classical genres. It is not so much designed for drawing simple illustrations, but for creating works of art, paintings in classical style. For this reason, it has quite broad and complex functionality, and a not very simple menu.

Most artists take some time to get used to it. However, it is believed that the interface of this program is simpler than most similar ones with similar functionality. You can download the application at .

<Рис. 4 Работа в MyPaint>

The main advantages of this application are:

  • Unlimited canvas sizes;
  • The ability to customize the contents of the menu bar, include assignable buttons, etc., resulting in the function of quickly switching between commands and easy access to frequently used functions;
  • Very wide selection of brush types when available fine tuning everyone;
  • Function for importing strokes and brushes, generating, customizing and editing them;
  • Works with many types of devices and supports them well;
  • Unlike most similar programs, it works in a variety of operating systems - Linux, Mac OS, Windows, Ubuntu.

Drawing in this software should be fast after the user gets used to its interface. However, non-professional artists, as well as illustrators and comic book creators, can make do with other, simpler applications (both in terms of interface and functionality).

Graffiti Studio

The program is designed for creating graffiti; its main functionality is designed for this style of drawing. Can be successfully used by those who create comics, as well as illustrators working in a similar style. The program has a very simple and intuitive interface.

An interesting distinguishing feature is its relative realism. The whole process of work is reminiscent of applying graffiti “live”. And as a canvas, you can choose surfaces familiar to a street artist - walls, asphalt, cars, buses, etc.

<Рис. 5 Работа в Graffiti Studio>

The features of this application include:

  • Use of more than 100 color shades of paints, such as could be used in real painting;
  • Creating drips and stains, applying to “dry paint”;
  • Changing the specifics of application, depending on what surface you have chosen (as in reality);
  • Changing the distance from the artist to the canvas (the distance from which virtual spray paint is applied to a vertical surface);
  • The use of markers and other means that are actively used in real graffiti.

Although this style is not as popular now as it was a few years ago, it has not completely disappeared. Largely thanks to the emergence of such programs.

Artweaver

The program is a complete analogue of Photoshop. But, unlike it, it is sold completely free of charge. You can download it from the official website.

It has functionality completely similar to Photoshop. And besides, a similar interface and appearance. It is quite capable of replacing this graphic editor.

However, it also has some additional functions that will be convenient for artists. Its main advantage is that authors who are accustomed to working in Photoshop will not have to relearn. In addition, this application uses less computer resources and is less heavy.

The application allows you to create paintings using media that imitate oil, pencil, watercolor, and chalk. At the same time, various tools are presented here - brushes, markers, pencils, pens, pens and others (moreover, various types).

Like Photoshop, it has full functionality for changing photos - color correction, adjusting brightness and contrast, levels, cropping, cutting out areas, compression, rotation, reflections, stylization, etc. Like its more famous analogue, it supports working in layers.

<Рис. 6 Работа в Artweaver>

SmoothDraw

You can download the program and a manual for working with it from the official website. It is suitable for working with any type of tablet. It has quite a wide functionality with a relatively simple interface.

Allows you not only to create new images, but also to process, change and edit old ones, including those created in other programs. But mainly the application is aimed specifically at artists who create a picture on a blank canvas. Suitable for both illustrators and web designers and artists working in a classical style.

Allows you to simulate work with various tools - brush, pencil, pen, pens, colored pencils, felt-tip pens, etc. Interacts well with tablets; there are no crashes or bugs when performing basic functions. Since the software has a simple interface, it will make the creative process relatively simple and fast.

<Рис. 7 Работа в SmoothDraw>

PixBuilder Studio

The most accurate description for this program would be a lightweight version of Photoshop. It combines most of the most used functions of this program, but removes unnecessary or rarely used features in order to simplify the interface and reduce the load on the hardware and software of the computer. You can download the program from the link.

Has the following functionality:

  • Editing the image according to parameters: brightness, contrast, color correction, color enhancement, etc.;
  • Cutting and transforming photos, stretching, compressing, reflecting, rotating, both the entire image and a selected area;
  • Generating complex shapes, objects, etc.;
  • Blur and sharpen functions, image stylization options.

However, in general, the application is more designed for editing existing images than for creating new ones. For this reason, it is not suitable for professional artists. Rather, it is suitable for those who edit photos and pictures, but sometimes make their own edits and additions to them.

<Рис. 8 Работа в PixBuilder Studio>

Inkscape

It differs significantly from other programs on the list primarily in that it allows you to create vector graphic images. In essence, it is a more advanced and functional version of CoralDraw, which is familiar to most users. You can download it from the official website, but you must indicate your operating system, since there are builds of this program for all operating systems (which is another significant advantage).

What are the advantages of this application? First of all, in principle vector graphics, that is, drawing with directed segments. Such segments, unlike point fragments (in which all other programs described above work), are easy to edit at any stage.

At the same time, when editing the shapes and sizes of segments in this way, there is no loss of picture quality. You can even enlarge the entire image several times, while maintaining its quality.

For this reason, the program is popular among web designers and designers, logo designers, etc., because they often need to edit the image size. In addition, the application is actively used in printing, creating banners and booklets.

<Рис. 9 Работа в Inkscape>

Livebrush

Simple and interesting software, intended rather for creative search and inspiration than for creating a classic work. In addition, it has quite a wide range of image editing functionality. You can download the software from the link.

There is only one tool here - a brush. But it is presented in many different types, both in width and density, type, etc. In addition, many types of brushes can be downloaded, edited, created, etc.

In addition to traditional brushes - lines, there are also complex geometric shapes, which are also considered brushes in this application. The program is suitable for creating abstract illustrations and some design works.

<Рис. 10 Работа в Livebrush>

Paid programs

Many developers also implement paid programs for working with graphics tablets. In terms of functionality, they are not always superior to free ones, so you should weigh the pros and cons before purchasing. The most popular commercial programs are:

  • Corel Painter X3 works with traditional materials - brushes, pencils, etc. Simulates dry and wet coatings and effects. The works turn out to be realistic, and the drawing process is familiar;
  • Painter Lite is a cheaper version of the previous program, with narrower functionality. Equipped only necessary tools for drawing, suitable for beginners or for those who are not yet ready for significant expenses;
  • Clip Paint Studio Pro was developed for creating anime and manga. However, you can create comics and illustrations of any type in it. Its developers have made so many changes to the program that it can now be used for digital painting. It is convenient to have standard manga poses and figures that can be used as models for classical drawing;

    <Рис. 11 Работа в Corel Painter X3>

    Another good paid program is Affinity Designer. But it has a significant drawback - it is designed only to work with MAC.

    Computer drawing programs

    In this video, I took six programs that you can use to draw on a computer with a tablet and explained which program is best suited for whom and also revealed the criteria for choosing a graphic editor for everyone personally.

Computers, which entered our lives not so long ago, have already become excellent helpers for us. Smart machines greatly facilitate work in all areas of human activity. Computers especially help creative individuals like artists. Surely many people know how difficult it is to paint pictures by hand. Rubbing paints, preparing the canvas - all this is a very long and tedious process, after which the desire to create is completely discouraged. And the process itself One wrong movement or stroke - and that’s it. The picture will have to be redrawn. After all, it is almost impossible to correct a mistake.

All this really interferes with the creative process. But you and I are already living in the 20th century. A long time ago, various programs for drawing on a graphics tablet and even a smartphone appeared. Now you can use your own as a canvas Personal Computer. But to create on your gadget, you need a special program for graphic drawing. And sometimes find good app pretty hard. But this article is designed to make it easier for you. After all, we will look at the best drawing programs.

Graphic drawing

The technical process has also reached the artists. Now anyone can create a masterpiece using their gadget. However, many painters are still skeptical about graphic drawing. And in vain! After all, drawing using new technologies has many advantages. We'll talk about them.

Perhaps the first thing worth noting is the savings. Artists are forced to constantly purchase canvases, paints, different kinds brushes. And this is very expensive, because professional ones cost a lot of money. When you draw on a computer, you don't spend a penny. All you need is a mouse or graphics tablet.

Another advantage is huge functionality. Professional drawing programs have a lot of settings. You can change the sensitivity of the brush, pencil, its transparency, etc. Using all these settings, you can create a real masterpiece.

Graphic tablets or computer mouse?

Well, we talked about the advantages of drawing using a PC. Perhaps now it’s worth discussing the basic tools for creating virtual paintings. Surely those painters who have used standard Paint at least once understand that drawing with a mouse is quite inconvenient. In order to create virtual masterpieces, precise positioning and appropriate kinetics of brush movement are required. A regular computer mouse cannot provide users with all this. Therefore, special tablets, also called digitizers, have been developed for artists and designers.

Typically, a special stylus pen is included with such a device, with which you can work with the digitizer. Essentially, the artist works with the tablet as if it were a canvas. The device connects to a PC via USB. Then the user writes his masterpiece on the tablet using a pen, and the drawing appears on the screen of his monitor online.

Can you draw with a mouse?

Many aspiring artists do not have the funds to buy a professional tablet. It is for this reason that many are interested in the question: “Is it possible to draw on a computer with a mouse?” In this part of the article we will try to answer this question.

Drawing with a computer mouse is quite possible. Moreover, you can do it very well. The main thing is talent and desire. As an example, we can cite a recently released video that took the Internet by storm. In it, a guy, using a mouse and standard Paint, was able to draw the famous portrait of Leonardo da Vinci “La Gioconda”. The program also plays a big role in drawing. You need to choose one that has extensive functionality. In addition, you need to perfectly learn how to use all the functions that the software provides you. In this article we will look at drawing programs for PCs that have the most comprehensive functionality.

On this moment there are many various applications. Despite this, questions about which programs to choose for drawing on a graphics tablet are not decreasing. Are you interested in this too? Then this article is for you. After all, now we will look at the best programs for drawing on a graphics tablet.

Paint

Perhaps we will begin our acquaintance with drawing programs with Paint. This is a standard program that is present on devices with software from Microsoft. It has a rather meager set of functions, but even with them, with the right level of skill, you can create good drawings.

Inkscape

The program we'll look at now is Inkscape. An excellent drawing program in Russian. The main advantage of this software is its simplicity. The developers have created an intuitive interface that even a child can understand. On the left panel you can see the full panel (brushes, pens, pencils, etc.), on the top panel there are parameters for tools, and at the bottom there is a palette. Everything is indicated by standard icons that everyone can understand. But the fact that a program has an easy-to-learn interface does not mean that it is intended for beginners. Inkscape has a lot of settings. It will take quite a lot of time to figure it out.

Many people are looking for free drawing programs. Inkscape is one of them. This program used by both experienced and novice artists. Inkscape uses a universal SVG format. Thanks to it, you can create illustrations and even animations without any problems.

Will it fit? this software newbies? There are tons of tutorials on Inkscape. Therefore, novice artists and animators do not have to master the program on their own.

Gimp

Gimp is one of the most powerful programs. The program has enormous functionality. In addition to drawing, you can use it to edit photos, cut layouts for websites, etc. Perhaps, main feature programs - support not only for a graphics tablet, but also for other, less popular input devices. Another interesting feature is support for homemade plugins. If you have programming skills, this feature will make your work much easier.

Livebrush

Livebrush is an excellent drawing program that is based on an engine called Adobe AIR. This fact may scare off many, because software written on this engine is famous for its instability. But don't worry. Livebrush functions very smoothly, and even when RAM consumption is exceeded, the program runs without lags or crashes.

As for the design, the program pleasantly surprises with its interface and menu. Not only do they look cute, but they also inspire creativity. For example, the canvas has a fairly realistic shade, and the brush exactly repeats the ink painting technique.

As for functionality, Livebrush has quite a lot of different settings that will allow you to create your own unique style. In addition, the program allows you to work with both vector and C. In order to switch between these two modes, you must press the corresponding key, which can be found on the top toolbar.

One of the downsides is the lack of customization. You won't be able to customize it to suit your whims. For example, the toolbar is always located with right side, and, unfortunately, you won’t be able to change this.

Graffiti Studio

Quite a specific and highly focused program. As the name suggests, Graffiti Studio is an editor in which you can create your own graffiti. One of the interesting features is the ability to select a background. For example, you have the opportunity to leave your masterpiece on a wall, carriage, bus, etc. We are also pleased with the extensive range of colors (there are more than a hundred of them in the editor). In addition, Graffiti Studio has a lot of settings. You can create drips, apply different markers, change the distance from the surface, etc. We can say that Graffiti Studio is a real writer simulator.

MyPaint

Need a graphic drawing program that is suitable for beginners? MyPaint - the best choice. A simple and intuitive interface, coupled with an unlimited canvas size, gives enormous scope for wild imagination. A huge set of brushes will allow you to paint in almost any manner. Using the create your own brush feature, you can discover a new, unique style. Among other things, MyPaint supports hotkeys, the use of which will greatly facilitate the work on your work. You can configure them at your discretion in a special menu.

Corel Painter

And since we have touched on programs for beginners, it would be unfair to remain silent about software for professionals. Corel Painter is the best graphic drawing program available at the moment. The application was developed by the well-known company Corel specifically for professional designers and artists. Corel Painter has immense functionality in its arsenal, which you will probably spend more than one month learning. Already on your first visit, about 30 brushes will be available to you. For each of them, you can choose up to 20 different types of fiber arrangement. In addition, the program contains so-called texture brushes of foliage, metal, asphalt, etc. Special attention the palette deserves. Corel Painter has a huge number of colors. What is characteristic is that each color on the computer looks the same as it would look in real life. Since the program provides many features, a huge manual has been written for it, which is already built into the software. In it, the creators talk in detail about each function and its application. This guide is so large that the creators did not dare to localize it for the Russian segment. That is, Corel Painter is not Russified. And this is a huge minus. Another drawback of the program is the price. In order to take advantage of this offer, you will have to fork out and give the developers about $380. But it is worth noting that the price is completely justified. In this program, with skill, you can create real masterpieces.

MAXON Bodypaint 3D

MAXON Bodypaint 3D is an excellent 3D painting program. Using this software, you can easily create a high-quality texture or three-dimensional sculpture. MAXON has many different tools that will allow you to transform standard objects into real, highly detailed masterpieces.

Using this proposal, you can create professional textures for video games. But it is worth noting that 3D drawing is a very labor-intensive process. It will take a lot of time to learn how to draw three-dimensional sculptures.

ArtFlow

Where can I get high-quality drawing programs for Android? Sometimes inspiration finds a painter in the most unpredictable places. Sometimes, during a boring couple, a muse may come to you. But what to do if you don’t have a graphics tablet at hand? You must use your smartphone. But in order to draw using your phone, you need special programs for drawing on Android.

The title of the best graphics program for mobile devices you can safely assign the brainchild of the Artflow Studio company - the ArtFlow application. This is amazing mobile program, which is not inferior in capabilities and functionality to its PC counterparts. A huge number of tools, a lot of settings and many colors. Drawing with this application is a pleasure. In addition, I am glad that ArtFlow is distributed absolutely free of charge. Download the program from Play Market Anyone can.

The demand for traditional painting will probably always remain as high as it was several centuries ago. However, digital painting is also increasingly being used, for example in the design of books and the creation of posters. This is not surprising, because creating illustrations on a computer (compared to traditional drawing) requires much less time - here you can quickly choose the right tool and the desired color (no need to tediously mix paints), change the texture of the canvas or lighting, etc. In addition, the digital artist has many additional and very useful functions in his arsenal. In particular, you can instantly cancel an unsuccessful action, save several copies of an image at different stages of its creation (in order to compare the results and select the best one), protect a specific fragment of the picture from changes when performing any operations, and also draw on several layers. The latter is necessary when creating drawings using the technique of multilayer painting and greatly facilitates the work in other techniques, since different fragments of the image can be drawn on different layers and edited independently of each other.

Thus, the only question is which of the proposed software products to use when creating digital illustrations. Most professionals have long opted for a combination of Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop and, as a rule, use them in combination. Of course, in reality, the latest package (with all its many advantages) is not very suitable for the role of a painter’s tool, since it is more focused on image processing. However, due to its enormous popularity, it is used to solve a wide variety of image creation and processing tasks. There is no doubt - you can draw from scratch in Adobe Photoshop (as well as in any other graphic editor), since the basis for drawing in the form of brushes and a palette is present in any such application. The difficulty is that setting up the brushes and palettes required to imitate the chosen artistic technique (of course, we are not talking about a variety of painting techniques, but creating watercolors, drawings with pastels or oil paints is quite possible) will require a lot of time and knowledge.

Programs aimed at artists are a different matter. They allow you to draw on a computer, imitating traditional art techniques, natural materials and paints, without unnecessary effort and using classical drawing skills on paper and canvas. For example, to paint with watercolors in a professional solution, the artist will only need to select the desired type of watercolor brush, while the program will create the necessary brush settings and a special watercolor layer itself. The most famous (but also the most expensive) among such solutions is the Corel Painter package, which provides ample opportunities for creating real masterpieces of fine art. The most worthy alternatives to it are the TwistedBrush Pro Studio and ArtRage Studio applications, which are more modest in size and offered at a more affordable price. There are also very simple and cheap (or even free) drawing tools, the functionality of which will be quite sufficient for amateurs, for example Artweaver Plus.

Note that painting applications are typically designed specifically for Tablet PCs and graphics tablets, so their user interface is designed to be controlled by a pen instead of a mouse. This is understandable, because drawing with a pen is much more convenient and more natural than with a mouse. In addition, the pen, unlike the mouse, is pressure sensitive, which makes it possible to create strokes that gradually fade to nothing, which turn out to be identical to brush strokes on the canvas. If desired, you can work in any of these applications in the usual way on a computer - that is, using the mouse. Finished masterpieces are saved in the program’s own formats or exported to popular raster formats (BMP, PNG, JPEG, etc.); all worthy solutions also provide support for the PSD format for saving multi-layer images.

Corel Painter 11

Websiteprograms: http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1166553885783

Distribution size: 117.5 MB

Work under control: Windows XP(SP2)/Vista and Mac OS X 10.4/10.5

Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo - http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1166553885783#tabview=tab7)

Price:$249

Corel Painter is one of the best solutions for professional computer painting (Fig. 1). Designed for artists, it supports the entire line of Wacom tablets (including the cutting-edge Cintiq interactive pen displays and Intuos tablets) and allows you to simulate virtually all known painting techniques, such as watercolor, airbrush, oil and acrylic painting, gouache, pastel, and more.

Rice. 1. Corel Painter interface

The package provides for painting with brushes (there are about 400 of them in the package - Fig. 2), there are even brushes that are sensitive to pressure and the texture of the selected surface (they allow you to apply more precise and perfect strokes to the virtual canvas). You can draw with calligraphy pens, crayons, charcoal, colored pencils and felt-tip pens. Functionality is provided for creating your own brushes and fine-tuning the supplied brushes to suit specific tasks (if desired, you can even define colors for each brush bristle individually, which allows you to paint with multi-color strokes), drawing with liquid ink, applying paint with a palette knife or sponge, and splashing and so on. Color selection in Corel Painter is implemented in two ways: classic for computer users(that is, by selecting a color from a palette) and mixing colors familiar to artists in the interactive Mixer palette, which allows you to create unique colors and shades. The contours of objects are not only formed by hand, but can also be specified using Bezier curves (these curves are pre-created with a regular pen), which allows you to achieve high precision in applying paint to the boundaries of objects. As a basis for painting, you can use more than 30 different materials and textures that imitate various natural surfaces, and the canvas itself can be not only dry, but also wet, which is realized by creating a special WaterColor layer. The program supports tracing paper mode, which allows you to turn photographs into hand-drawn reproductions - this is done by covering the image with virtual tracing paper (Tracing Paper), and then recreating it by sketching.

Rice. 2. Examples of drawing with different types of brushes
in Corel Painter

The application allows you to create and manipulate an unlimited number of layers, with each layer having individual blending and transparency modes, and multi-layer images can be saved in PSD format. It is possible to use masks to protect individual image fragments from changes. The Iterative Save option allows you to automatically accumulate intermediate copies of the drawing, which will help avoid losing successful sketches. Support for scripts that remember the artist’s actions in the process of preparing an image allows you to recreate all stages of obtaining a drawing, which is useful in terms of transferring experience during the learning process. In addition, Corel Painter implements standard image processing capabilities: rotation, scaling, transformation, mirroring, applying filters (including filters from the KRT Collection series), etc.

TwistedBrush Studio 17.22

Developer: Pixarra, Inc.

Program website: http://www.pixarra.com/

Sizedistribution: TwistedBrush Pro Studio - 21.03 MB; TwistedBrush Open Studio - 17.61 MB

Work under control: Windows NT/XP/Vista/7

Distribution method: TwistedBrush Pro Studio - shareware (15-day demo version); TwistedBrush Open Studio - freeware (http://www.pixarra.com/download.html)

Price: TwistedBrush Pro Studio - $99; TwistedBrush Open Studio - free

TwistedBrush Studio is a well-known program for artists (Fig. 3), characterized by an affordable price and enormous capabilities for implementing almost any painting technique. Allows you to paint with watercolors, oils, gouache, pastels, oil pastels and acrylic paints, as well as create airbrushing, draw with charcoal, pen, pencil, etc. The program is available in two editions: the commercial TwistedBrush Pro Studio and the free, stripped-down TwistedBrush Open Studio. The free edition has a limited set of brushes, there are no options for editing them, you cannot create custom brushes (although you can purchase additional brushes for a fee), there is no support for plugins, etc. In other words, the TwistedBrush Open Studio edition (despite full support for graphics tablets) is for real work is unlikely to be suitable, but the use of the program in the educational process may be completely justified.

Rice. 3. TwistedBrush Pro Studio Interface

All tools used for drawing appear under the name brushes (unlike a number of competing solutions, where, for example, crayons, pencils, pens, etc. are presented as separate groups of tools), and the total number of brushes exceeds 5 thousand (Fig. 4). It is very difficult to navigate such a variety of brushes, so the brushes are combined into basic sets in accordance with their purpose. Frequently used brushes can be stored in custom ArtSets. It is possible to create new brushes based on existing ones by adjusting various settings. You can choose colors different ways- in color palettes (including dynamic) or on color sliders. In addition, it is possible to create unique colors by mixing specified shades in the interactive Color Mixing palette. As a basis for the drawing, it is possible to use various types of paper and canvas structures, as well as textured surfaces; the parameters of the selected basis are customizable. It is possible to draw using tracing paper, which is convenient, for example, for creating reproductions from photographs.

Rice. 4. Examples of drawing with different types of brushes
in TwistedBrush Pro Studio

Support for layers with customizable layer effects and transparency adjustments has been implemented (multilayer images can be saved in PSD format), as well as the use of masks, for the formation of which classic selection options are used different types areas (rectangular and elliptical selection, as well as the “magic wand”). Sketches do not need to be saved in different documents - they are stored on separate pages of the document, which is called an album in TwistedBrush Pro Studio. This is very convenient because you can quickly move between thumbnails by turning the pages. Such albums are saved in their own TBR format, but their individual pages can be exported to any of the popular raster formats: TIFF, PSD, BMP, PCX, GIF, JPEG, etc. Support for scripts has been implemented, which are indispensable for automating repetitive processes, as well as demonstrating specific techniques for performing certain visual effects. Additionally, the program has a basic set of capabilities for image processing - they can be cropped, rotated and mirrored, as well as processed with built-in filters. There are more than 150 filters, there are even special “picturesque” ones that allow you to change the technique used, for example, turn a drawing into a painting painted with oil paints.

ArtRage Studio 3.0.8

Developer: Ambient Design Ltd

Program website: http://www.artrage.com/

Distribution size: Windows version - 35.19 MB; Mac version - 35.41 MB

Work under control: Windows XP/Vista/7; Mac OS X 10.4 and higher

Distribution method: shareware (30-day limited demo version - http://www.artrage.com/artrage-demos.html)

Price: ArtRage Studio - $40, ArtRage Studio Pro - $80

ArtRage Studio is a rapidly growing popular painting program (Fig. 5), characterized by a natural interface for the artist, in which the palettes of tools and colors resemble real palettes in traditional painting, and all windows on the screen are placed so that they occupy a minimum of space. It allows you to paint with oil and watercolor paints, use the airbrush painting technique, create works using the multi-layer painting technique, imitating underpainting, writing and glazing, as well as using the pastel technique, painting on a rough surface, etc. The program is released in two editions: basic ArtRage Studio and extended ArtRage Studio Pro. The latter additionally includes functionality for basic raster image processing.

Rice. 5. ArtRage Studio interface

The set of tools in ArtRage Studio includes all the usual tools of an artist (Fig. 6): a brush (there are only two of them - watercolor and oil), palette knife, pencil, eraser, felt-tip pen, regular crayons and pastel crayons, etc. In addition, you can spray paint with an airbrush, apply even layers of paint with a roller, use tubes to squeeze out large amounts of paint onto the canvas, add glitter and metal dust to the image, and also spray patterned objects from the base (this will be useful for quickly creating forested areas, shoals fish, pebble-strewn shores). It would seem that in comparison with the 5 thousand brushes of the TwistedBrush Pro Studio program, the toolkit is very modest, but in reality this is not the case, since all the tools have a whole range of settings, which allows you to paint in any of the painting techniques. The formation of the working color is also carried out in a traditional way in painting - by mixing colors (traditional palettes for computer scientists are generally absent); If you wish, you can even mix paints right at the bottom of the canvas. It is easy to change the type of canvas or paper by selecting the desired option from the list of built-in presets - the number of presets is small (only basic types are included), but if desired, it is easy to get a wide variety of surfaces through the settings. There is functionality for drawing from ready-made images - you can draw them through tracing paper, placing them under the canvas or attaching them unchanged in a free area of ​​the canvas in order to see them in all the variety of colors.

Rice. 6. Examples of how various tools work
in ArtRage Studio

The program supports layers (including the ability to adjust their transparency level and blending mode), export multi-layer images to PSD format, and mask image fragments to protect them from changes. Finished drawings can be cropped and scaled, Photoshop filters (*.8bf) can be applied to them, and blurring and color correction can be performed on individual layers of multilayered images.

openCanvas 4.5.20

Developer: System Products Corp

Websiteprograms: http://www.portalgraphics.net/en/oc/

Distribution size: 1.81 MB

Work under control: Windows Me/2000/XP/Vista/7

Distribution method: shareware (30-day limited demo version - http://www.portalgraphics.net/en/oc/download/)

Price: 6800 Japanese yen (approximately $81.2)

openCanvas is a little-known program from Japanese developers, positioned as a tool for illustrators and used primarily for drawing manga and anime (Fig. 7). The solution is compact and does not require installation. It is a program that combines the traditional capabilities of a raster graphics package with artist tools that allow you to simulate painting with oil and acrylic paints, gouache and pastels, as well as create poster images.

Rice. 7. openCanvas interface

The program includes the usual tools in any graphic raster editor: pencil, brush, regular and gradient fill, airbrush, burn/dodge, and tools for moving, highlighting, cropping, and more. At first glance, of the interesting possibilities from the perspective of this article, the menu contains only a watercolor brush, hiding under the Water Color icon. In practice, through the Options menu, it is easy to change the type of brush to another by selecting an oil or acrylic brush, a brush for painting posters or pastels, as well as various pencils, pens, markers and a palette knife (Fig. 8). It’s easy to control the parameters of built-in brushes, pencils and markers, not only by adjusting their size, degree of pressure, transparency, etc., but also by radically changing the shape of the tool. Custom instruments can be saved in instrument libraries for later use. Colors are selected from traditional palettes, and surfaces are selected from a list of built-in textures.

Rice. 8. Examples of drawing with brushes in openCanvas

Provides support for layers (including grouping, adjusting transparency and changing the blending mode) and connecting masks; Multilayer images can be saved in PSD format. An event support function has been implemented, that is, the program can remember the sequence of actions when writing a drawing, and then reproduce it at the user’s request, which is useful in educational process. Additionally, the program includes the usual operations for raster packages mirror reflection, rotation, cropping, etc., and classic raster filters are also supported and full color correction is possible.

Artweaver Plus 2.0/Artweaver Free 1.2

Developer: Boris Eyrich Software

Program website: http://www.artweaver.de/products-en/artweaver-plus/

Distribution size: 7.53 MB

Work under control: Windows XP/Vista/7

Distribution method: Artweaver Plus - shareware (functionally limited 14-day demo version); Artweaver Free - freeware (http://www.artweaver.de/download-en/)

Price: 29 euros

Artweaver - simple program, aimed at beginning computer artists (Fig. 9). It allows you to create drawings in some painting techniques (for example, oil, pastel, acrylic paints), however, it does not provide complete mixing of colors when drawing, which significantly limits creative possibilities. In addition, the program does not have watercolor brushes, that is, it is impossible to create a drawing using the watercolor technique in it. The application is released in two editions: the basic Artweaver Plus and the stripped-down Artweaver Free (version 1.2). The capabilities of the latter are very modest: support for graphics tablets is not fully implemented, the sizes of drawings are limited, the possibilities for managing brushes are reduced (limited size, fewer editable parameters, etc.), there is no support for custom palettes, etc. In other words, the Artweaver Free edition in In reality, it can only be used when teaching schoolchildren the basics of drawing, although in this regard, it would be much more attractive if it is easy to learn and has broader capabilities. functionality ArtRage Studio program, if not for its price.

Rice. 9. Artweaver Plus Interface

The Artweaver Plus application includes a basic set of tools for a raster editor: brush, move, standard selection tools, gradient, fill, eraser, etc. Since Artweaver is positioned as a solution for painting, the main tool is a brush (Fig. 10), which has several built-in templates that allow you to paint with pencils, oils, pastels, charcoal, acrylic paints, crayons, etc. Each brush has quite a few adjustable parameters, it is possible to create custom brushes. Colors are selected in the usual way - from palettes. As for choosing the desired texture surface, this program implements a different approach than the other solutions considered - the texture is set not for the drawing as a whole, but for a specific brush, which is generally incorrect. However, if desired, without changing the texture during the creation of the drawing, you can imitate drawing on silk, wet paper, canvas, etc. It is possible to record the process of creating an image, which can be useful for demonstrating the nuances of the painting process, for example in the learning process.

Rice. 10. Examples of drawing with various brushes
in Artweaver Plus

The program provides support for layers with the ability to adjust their transparency level and blending mode and save finished drawings in PSD format. It is possible to select image fragments to protect them from changes and apply various transformations to images, including, in addition to cropping and rotation, color correction (adjusting levels, color balance, brightness/contrast, etc.) and applying basic raster filters.

NeoPaint 4.7C

Developer: NeoSoft Corp.

Program website: http://www.neosoftware.com/npw.html

Distribution size: 5.62 MB

Work under control: Windows 95/98/Me/NT 4/2000/2003/XP/Vista/7

Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo - http://www.neosoftware.com/npwdownload.html)

Price:$45

NeoPaint is a simple program aimed at beginning illustrators (Fig. 11). It is an application that combines the traditional capabilities of a raster graphics package with the tools of an artist and GIF animator. The program allows you to simulate painting with oil and watercolor paints, charcoal, pencil, chalk and ink, but it does not allow full mixing of paints, which limits the possibilities.

Rice. 11. NeoPaint interface

Painting tools are called brushes (Fig. 12). Their list, in addition to oil and watercolor brushes, includes pencil, chalk, charcoal, pen, as well as texture and custom brushes - the first paints with textures, and the second is used when it is necessary to change the style of the brush (all other brushes can only be adjusted in size and shape) . In general, brush editing options are minimal. In addition, the brush group includes traditional raster tools such as the finger, sponge, clone, blur, and sharpen brushes. Colors are chosen in the usual way from a palette, and surfaces are chosen from a modest set of non-editable textures.

Rice. 12. Examples of drawing with various brushes
in NeoPaint

There is no support for layers in NeoPaint, and selections cannot be used to protect parts of an image from changes (selections can only be moved, copied, or deleted). But the program has a number of features traditional for graphic raster solutions: cropping, adjusting brightness and contrast, applying special effects, auto-replacing a specific color, removing red-eye, etc. It is also possible to insert clips from the database and 3D objects. Additionally, the program includes a built-in image browser, as well as simple modules for creating screenshots of the screen, icons and cursors (including animated ones).

We would not dare to definitely name the best among the leading software tools in terms of functionality (Corel Painter, TwistedBrush Pro Studio and ArtRage Studio). Of course, Corel Painter is unrivaled, but this solution is the most difficult to learn and the most expensive, and we would not recommend it to traditional artists who do not have computer knowledge. For them, the best option would be the ArtRage Studio program, which features an interface and operating technology that is natural for the artist. In addition, in our opinion, this application has another significant advantage - it allows you to focus on the creative process, and not on the intricacies of working with panels, palettes and tools. The TwistedBrush Pro Studio solution is also difficult to call easy to learn - it will be difficult for beginners to get used to its environment with a myriad of brushes and amazing palettes in terms of variety of colors and shades, but for experienced users this approach will be beneficial, since it opens up wide possibilities for creativity. In general, any of these solutions is perfect for creating professional digital illustrations. Therefore, the choice in favor of a particular one largely depends on personal preferences, because for an artist the banal convenience of using the tools available in his arsenal may turn out to be more important, and convenience is a subjective concept.

As for the other products reviewed, their capabilities in terms of simulating painting techniques are limited, so the choice must be made taking into account the characteristics of the images being created.