The BrikWars Forums

So I've been trying to improve my drawing skills. I've already tried my hand at pencil/pen and paper drawing and want to try doing it on the computer for a change, as I hear its quite a popular hobby. Does anyone know what online (FREE) drawing programs there are?

Also, I know of DeviantArt but is it just a sharing site for your work or do they actually have their own software?

Eh, it depends.

Drawing on the computer isn't normally done with a mouse. You usually need a drawing tablet along with software. It's pretty hard to draw on the computer with a mouse. Most people who DO illustrate on the computer with a mouse will draw on paper first, then scan the image in and trace it. Obviously there are people who draw with the mouse, too, but it's definitely not the best way in my opinion.

Either way, there's Inkscape and Gimp, which are like Illustrator and Photoshop respectively.

Here's a list of more: http://mashable.com/2007/10/27/graphics-toolbox/

DeviantArt is just somewhere to upload art you've already made. No software provided.

Thanks for the responses. I'll be sure to check those out OneEye.

Ben-Jammin wrote:Thanks for the responses. I'll be sure to check those out OneEye.

OneEye pretty much nailed it. Yet, I would suggest you improve your drawing skills in paper before going digital.

^ That, too. Lately I've been drawing on paper, then scanning and tracing it.

However, a lot can be done by just drawing on the computer and being able to sketch in Photoshop has its advantages.

I had a Wacom Intudos for a quite a while, before it broke perhaps a year or two ago. The mouse that ships with it sucks, the tablet itself is decent though, pressure-sensitivity made drawing in Photoshop much more intuitive and fun. I used it to take my first steps into Flash animation and from there Actionscript and from there programming in general. It (and newgrounds.com along with the Clock Crew's 2006 activity therein) is the reason I'm a clock.

OneEye pretty much nailed it. Yet, I would suggest you improve your drawing skills in paper before going digital.

Yeah, my skills are still pretty bad, but I'm aiming to improve them.

In other news, I was reading a TIME magazine a while ago and heard mention of this "Next-Gen" pen, that supposedly uses a chip to record all of the lines that you draw, which can then be placed into your computer and the image will be generated on screen to where you can save it. Think of it like a scanner, but in the size a chip that can be inserted into a pen.

It's just a slightly less practical tablet. The advantage being, of course, you don't need to have a tablet with you immediately, and the disadvantage being the expense.

Tzan posted something about it a while ago.

I like the idea, but at the same time it might be hard to get line weights. It would be just as easy for me to draw it on paper, scan it in, and trace it.

That's it Tzan. I saw the exact same image in the magazine.

Keldoclock wrote:I had a Wacom Intudos for a quite a while, I'm a clock, tic tock baby!

Intuos does not contain a "d".
Unless in a foreign language they slip one in there.
http://www.wacom.com/en/Products/Intuos.aspx

I want a Cintiq so bad.

I have one of the older Bamboo tablets. Works well for $70.

Huh. Either there was a misprint(unlikely) or my memory is spotty(far more likely).

all those new models are so much nicer than what I had. I remember the Cintiq, that's the monitor-bound one, right? I never really understood that- you'd have to bring your monitor down to desk level or use it like a canvas, just seems like way too much hassle and expense for the novelty.