For all of you digital anime artists...

[Kuroneko97]

I love to draw anime. I also try to draw other things from time to time, but it's mostly anime. But let's get on topic, shall we?

The question I have is if there are some good programs for drawing anime on the computer. The problem is, I can draw very well on paper (in my opinion) but if I draw on the computer, it sucks. Granted, the only program I own is Paint.

Which is why I'm asking any of you artists, who can do amazing art with your mouse and a few applications. I'm also wondering if a need to get a computer drawing tablet such as this:

I'm very positive that I at least need to get something better than Paint, because it can do some nice drawings, but I want to use a program that allows me to make them much better than they already are.
So do any of you artists know where I can find a good program? I would prefer one that's a bit simple, but if it's a good one, I won't mind a complex one.

 

[Hollock]

You can try gimp. it's like the poor mans photoshop.

 

[ThriKreen]

Ultimately, though, it's not the software but the artist that makes or breaks it.

However, for me, I very much like pen(cil) and paper drawing, so I found my convertible tablet PC coupled with Autodesk SketchBook Pro is a great tool to replace traditional drawing.

SBP is designed around a tablet interface so a lot of the menus are accessible from an easy to use pop up palette that is very reminiscent of the marking menus from Maya, as both products were originally from Alias before Autodesk took over.

I find being able to see what I'm drawing on helps a lot more than a regular tablet. The 12" Cintiq might be more affordable, compared to the 21" Cintiq. Alternately, my particular laptop model can be found and bought online for ~$500 USD nowadays (I originally got it in 2006 for $2600 USD!)

Mind you, it's specs are pretty high powered for a laptop that does what it does of its time, not to mention it's a rather niche product:
Toshiba Tecra M7:
- 14.1" 1440x900 screen
- Wacom Tablet support, pen has 256 levels of pressure sensitivity, and a slot to carry it in
- Intel Core2Duo 2.0GHz CPU
- 2GB RAM
- originally an 80GB HDD, but I've upgraded it to a 320GB HDD.
- Nvidia m110 GPU with 128MB video RAM
- And the usual wireless, modem, SD reader slot, 1 PCMCIA slot, Bluetooth support.

Battery power is crap though, usually lasting about 2hrs, given the CPU, GPU and the fact it has to power the digitizer behind the LCD all the time to detect the pen (AFAIK there's no way to turn it off).

Problem with the Tecra M7 series is that there are several types of models of it, of varying CPU speeds and what sort of GPU it has - the cheaper ones you find on eBay probably have an Intel GMA video GPU which can restrict what sort of games you can play on it.

There's a couple samples of my work here: http://thrikreen.deviantart.com/ I've tried to list out which medium each piece was done in.

Mind you, this is just my personal experience, it's not the ultimate solution and you should explore and experiment and see what suits your needs.

 

[Jillian Andes]

Paint Tool SAI [http://sai.detstwo.com/sai/] is a great alternative to Photoshop. I actually like it better than Photoshop personally, as it's easier for me to blend colors and make a natural, almost painted look to the work I produce. It's geared more towards drawing and digital painting, therefore it doesn't have all the extra photo-editing stuff that Photoshop's got.

If you want a tablet, go for something that's cheap. You're not a pro, so you don't need an ultra-high-end tablet. I personally have this tablet [http://www.wacom.com/en/Products/BambooTablets/BambooPenandTouch.aspx], and it works great for me. Not a lot of bells and whistles, and it's great for just starting out.

 

[dudeman0001]

I've heard of people doing very good drawings on the computer just using their mouse & Keyboard, but I highly recommend you buy a tablet. For babby's first tablet, I suggest you get the wacom bamboo pen & touch. It's still pricey but it's the least expensive one out there, get's the job done, and you can zoom in and zoom out by sliding your fingers on it. (fancy!)

As for your program, the best, and most well known would have to be photoshop CS5, a lot of people like to use CS3 but it doesn't really make a difference which version you pick. Photoshop is fairly accesible and has all the features you could ever need. However, the price that adobe charges for photoshop is [sub]REDICULOUS[/sub], I'd say downright criminal. If you're interested in photoshop, but aren't willing to pay retail price for it (on account of not being insane) you should do some research on how you can get a good discount for it.

 

[aba1]

I draw alot, and I own 2 tablets 3 computers and am a multimedia designer and I will tell you that if you can produce results with a mouse just as easy as a tablet you just have to be used to it. As much as people will tell you using a tablet is like drawing on paper it isnt at all because you cannot turn the tablet like you can turn a page so getting angles can force your hands in awkward positions.

I would recomend if you are serious about getting into art try to drift away from anime since 50% of artists draw it you become very clumped with other artists and youll find your art will lack deffinintion that represents you. You should get a hacked ver of photoshop anything cs and up should do it for you and just a mouse maybe expand onto a tablet if you feel like you need it for presure sensitivity.

 

[Yamato-san]

Paint Tool SAI [http://sai.detstwo.com/sai/] is a great alternative to Photoshop. I actually like it better than Photoshop personally, as it's easier for me to blend colors and make a natural, almost painted look to the work I produce. It's geared more towards drawing and digital painting, therefore it doesn't have all the extra photo-editing stuff that Photoshop's got.

a lot of Japanese web artists seem to be fond of the SAI paint tool, but I've been meaning to look more into it myself. That sounds like an interesting comparison to Photoshop, BTW (it would be nice to just draw original works without all the photo-editing clutter).

 

[Jillian Andes]

Paint Tool SAI [http://sai.detstwo.com/sai/] is a great alternative to Photoshop. I actually like it better than Photoshop personally, as it's easier for me to blend colors and make a natural, almost painted look to the work I produce. It's geared more towards drawing and digital painting, therefore it doesn't have all the extra photo-editing stuff that Photoshop's got.

a lot of Japanese web artists seem to be fond of the SAI paint tool, but I've been meaning to look more into it myself. That sounds like an interesting comparison to Photoshop, BTW (it would be nice to just draw original works without all the photo-editing clutter).

It really is a joy to have all that photo-gobbledygook out of the way. It's far less intimidating, and it's certainly a less-robust program, but it is more than capable of servicing an artist's needs. And it's a lot cheaper, coming in at around sixty dollars as opposed to... I don't even want to bother looking up how astronomical the price of Photoshop is nowadays. ...I sound like a salesman. xD