What software / hardware are you using to draw 2D characters?

bloggy

Hey everybody!
I am new here and not really an artist. But I like how creative you guys are and wonder if I could start drawing rpg characters as well. But I don't know where to start at all. Would you mind telling me which software / hardware you are using to create such nice pictures, characters and other things?

Thanks a lot and keep up the good work!

monster

Adobe Photoshop is the best all around drawing + design app. Other programs are better at drawing and coloring, but lack a lot of feature that photoshop has.

Corel Painter and ArtRage are great if you want a natural paint look.

Clip Studio Paint is the best if you are doing line work and comic style drawings.

If you are just looking for a sketching program Autodesk Sketchbook, GetLeonardo, and Mischief are pretty simple and easy to use. The last two even have infinite canvas.

Of course the software isn't going to make great art, you can watch some great tutorials here: http://www.ctrlpaint.com/

pior

@bloggy : Also keep in mind that no matter the software or hardware, anything digital is an order of magnitude less intuitive than traditional media. If you look at any video of someone painting/sketching digitally you'll notice that even the best out there have trouble controlling their linework (either that, or, they settle on a wonky line and call it a day ; or even, leverage randomness as opposed to control, which is not something you want to do when starting out).

If you are at the beginning of your design journey, do yourself a favor and stay away from anything digital for a while (I'd say about a year). You will progress much, much faster than if you were to go all digital right away. It won't look as shiny as what you'd get out of following digital art tutorials, but your fundamentals will be rock solid, and from there you'll be able to do anything you want.

miguelnarayan

If you're just starting out, you can't beat traditional, there are no tricks in digital worth fooling with that can make your life easier in drawing.