#medibang felt too limited for me

[spacey-xannabelle]

I like the grumpy cat girl a whole lot :)

[geryuthespacesquid]

Hi I'm a nobody asked digital artist, here's my thoughts on all the digital art programs I've tried. These are based entirely off my own memory, and I'm not picking up any of these programs again to test them. Just going off vibes.

Autodesk Sketchbook - Mobile:

This is more or less the definitive Draw You In To Art program. No exaggeration, I think if you asked maybe 50 digital artists in the modern day, most of them would've tried this one at least once. It projects an illusion of polish to distract you from a number of critical missing features, but overall, it's not even remotely bad to start out with. I think if my mobile tablet had a halfway decent degree of pressure sensitivity I could make something okay with it.

A more detailed explanation of my thoughts is hard, but to sum it up, this program bombards you with a million brushes for free, something rarely done by digital art programs, but, it also has extremely limited layer behaviors, you can't change canvas size anymore, and the stablizer is pits. I won't say it's bad. It's not. It's just not good. 5.8 out of 10.

Ibis Paint X - Mobile:

Comedically simple, this is the program you pick up when you're doing digital art a little better, and want to actually have fun. Bread and butter of the mobile digital artist. It has literally everything you need, it's just not fancy in any way. Getting every brush isn't worth paying for, but you'll live. They recently tried to step into AI and got punched in the gut so hard they stopped, which I like.

In general, this program doesn't do anything in particular extremely well, but it also doesn't do anything poorly. It's well rounded. I'd say if you're gonna do digital art on mobile, you'll always find yourself coming back around to this. It's just too solid. 7.8 out of 10.

Medibang Paint - Mobile:

I am biased against this program. I just don't like it. Maybe I was using it wrong, or maybe the mobile version is just worse, but it felt like drawing with mashed potatoes and gravy. Also it seems to be no longer available on my tablet, so fuck it.

In truth, my memory on this program is hazy despite me using it probably the second most out of all of these. No clipping mask, limited layer styles, an extremely limited number of brushes, no way to get more on mobile, anti aliasing made everything pixelated, and I don't think it can change canvas sizes, or if it can, I never figured out how. I just don't like anything about how the program feels. 3 out of 10.

Clip Studio Paint - Desktop:

Goddamn. I wanna recommend it. I really do. But. You have to know things.

First and foremost, the new subscription model for CSP essentially means that after a year, whatever version you have is obsolete, and won't even get updates while you have it. You have to pay a yearly subscription to get the updates for your current version. if you pay for the 3.0 version when it drops in march, it will be 10 dollars extra to get any of the updates to the 3.x version until 4.0 drops, when you can pay 25 dollars to upgrade to that and get all the 3.x updates, plus whatever came in 4.0. On top of that, it can cost anywhere from 25 to 200 dollars depending on which version you get, and if it's on sale.

But goddamn. It's pretty worth it. The brush engine is fluid, works great for making your own, I've never seen the program fail to do something. It has limits, but I've never hit them. 8 out of 10.

Rebelle 5 - Desktop:

Listen to me carefully. This one is extremely specific. You have to WANT a digital art program that replicates IRL media PRECISELY. If you don't care about that, this program is not worth it. I got it on sale for 10 dollars. Can I reccomend it at that price? Heartily. But at the near 200 dollar price point it usually goes for? FUCK NO. Rebelle caters to a specific demographic. Nothing else matters.

That said. When it works, it works well. I do like how rebelle feels and works. But not enough for me to ever tell someone to get it for full price. 4 out of 10, but if you really want to replicate traditional media, 9 out of 10.

Corel Painter - Desktop:

Never before has a program sent me on such an emotional rollercoaster as this one. It's just so much. It's a midpoint between Rebelle and Clip Studio, but for the worst. It's expensive beyond comprehension, you can't make your own brushes, only pay for new ones, it's a yearly format meaning a new, barely distinguishable version goes on sale every year for another 300+ dollars, and I only got it as part of a Humble Bundle for 25 dollars, and I still feel like I wasted my money.

And you know what? I didn't just dick around in this program. No, I made a full drawing in it. Nothing spectactular. Just a simple drawing. And I felt accomplished. and I went to export it, to share. Only to find out you can only email images to the email associated with your account to get a regular image version. Now. This made me irrationally angry, but, I calmed down, and tried it.

It only works with microsoft emails, and I have a gmail account associated with my Corel account.

This program is 300 dollars, and lacks the functionality to simply export a png to your computer. 2 out of 10.

[jess-the-vampire]

honestly i’m not even sure i should be talking about it, i guess i just feel better to mention it then bottle it up to people who might be wondering

personal stuff under the cut

i’ve had some people recently try to send me moringmark comics, or link me to posts that he’s made and so on and so forth and  it’s cool and i appreciate it cause i love when people send me to new works and stuff.....i just wish i was able to really respond to them like i can with others.

mark blocked me guys, at least here on tumblr (Everywhere else i’m fine for some reason), i can’t view any posts of his and haven’t for awhile.

While we were friends a few years ago, but things have changed since i was helping him with his star vs comics.

back a few years ago when mark’s tumblr got randomly deleted, i was trying to contact him to make sure he was ok and nothing happened and all that and....ever since then he’s never spoken to me.

He kinda...ghosted me, and he has since then.

this was our last exchange:

I never got a reason why, one day we were talking fine and the next he was well....not speaking to me. I didn’t want to spam him so i would try again every few days, then weeks, then months....just with conversation starters....nothing accusatory, i just wanted to check up on him and everything.

I tried contacting him on other Sms and everything but i never got a response, and for awhile i thought maybe he was busy and i was kinda sorta bothering him so i gave him space and tried again months later.....and yeah, he never said anything.

i tried sending him apologies if i said something wrong, i tried asking if he wanted to talk and see what was happening, i was willing to accept if maybe i had said something hurtful and he no longer wanted to be in contact with me.

Because maybe i did at one point and if i did i wanted to own up to it to him because i liked being his friend and wanted to keep being his friend.

but as far as i can tell we had nothing but polite conversation with each other.

And after awhile it started to feel, at least to me, like he was purposefully shoving me to the side and ignoring me. First he stopped following me, then he had a whole comic about the art programs he was using which felt awkward to me because i was actually the person who introduced him to medibang 

not that i needed to be credited for it, obviously, i guess it just felt weird at the time when he mentioned how much he loved it and then just never mentioned i had been the one to introduce him to it. It only came off as weird as it did because i was being ghosted, i probably wouldn't have cared at all if we had been still in contact.

it kinda makes looking at any comics i ever do get to see of his surreal, because i think to an extent “i helped make this.”

I guess it hurts more now looking back, because now i just kinda feel.....used.

Because i never was told why i was being ghosted i’ve been just kinda left to speculate what i did, and sometimes when you’re left thinking like that your mind makes you wonder if he was never my friend in the first place.

or if i felt differently about the friendship then he did.

i helped with ideas for his star vs comics for awhile, got him into a new art program, then all of a sudden he just.....pretended i didn’t exist....it’s...y’know, sad and makes you think.

And it’s upsetting too because i had a very positive experience working with mark briefly, talking about the show and ideas for projects, when this happened i was heartbroken.

Also he never really finished that specific comic so i don’t know if i should be credited for the help exactly, i don’t know if he ever got to most of my ideas.

at most i helped him find artists and their ocs for him to draw and that was the biggest contribution i had that i can at least recall.

Point being tho, it felt hurtful to me, because of course it feels hurtful to feel like you made a friend and helped them and then they pretend you never existed.

But even after this had been happening for a few years i still was giving him the benefit of the doubt because i still wanted to think i was misinterpreting the situation and maybe i still am....

but when i found out he blocked me now as well, i gotta admit, i lost faith on that.....

i only mention all of this at all, because i used to say i really respected mark like a lot, as a creator in the star vs fandom, and that’s still not entirely gone either....but i have to admit....i’ve soured on him....a lot since this happened.

i don’t want anyone going after him or anything (Though i doubt he’d listen to it anyway he’s got so much on his blog it’d drown in the notes, but still, don’t), i just wanted to address why you’ve never seen his content on my blog despite us being friends awhile ago, why i barely talk about him, why i may sometimes get uncomfortable when he’s brought up.

it’s been pretty upsetting tbh, because friends turning on me is something i’m uncomfortably used to happening and it gives me serious anxiety about me being a bad friend or hurting ppl because i’ve had so much bad experience with friendships with rather toxic ppl.

honestly if mark showed up today in my dms and said something to me and why he did all this i’d probably forgive him if he had a reason and i was just being silly or something. But because of how limited the information is for me, i’m sadly left to think of the worst and there’s not much here making it any better.

he’s a very creative guy and he does deserve his following.

but as is, i just wanted to address that our relationship as friends has changed a lot since i talked about it last and why things may seem off these days so people can get a better grasp on what happened.

i feel it’s better i address it then not address it.

the guy doesn’t owe me anything, i just felt personally betrayed as a friend that i at least wasn’t given an explanation for him cutting our relationship how he did.

it is how it is tho, he may never contact me again, especially now that i know he blocked me, and it does make me sad tbh. I did like being his friend and i wish we were still friends, but this seems to be out of my control, he pushed me away and blocked me for whatever reason and i’ve just had to deal with it.

i’ve been trying to move on from it, i have not attempted to contact him in over a year at this point, but it’s hard to avoid thinking of it when he’s as popular as he is.

but i hope this helps give you all an understanding on things and why we don’t seem to be as close as we used to.

[aririnkun]

Hi!! I wanna begin with digital art but I don’t know where to start and what devices I should buy or what softwares I should use especially since my budget is quite tight, can you recommend me anything? What about you, what do you use? Thank you!!💖💖

Hi anon! Thank you so much for your inquiry! Note that these based on my personal opinion, and what's best is up to you!

I'm assuming you already own a computer of some sort, but I'll also list some art programs for your phone/tablet too if you wish to start there!

I hope you found this helpful! :)

Some pen tablets that I can recommend are these two:

Huion Inspiroy H640P https://www.amazon.com/Inspiroy-H640P-Graphics-Battery-Free-Sensitivity/dp/B075T6MTJX/ref=sr_1_18?dchild=1&keywords=huion&qid=1600000880&rnid=2528832011&s=electronics&sr=1-18

XP-PEN G640S https://www.amazon.com/XP-PEN-Drawing-Pressure-Shortcut-Battery-Free/dp/B07DNG37X7?ref_=ast_sto_dp

Both are around the same size, any tablets I saw that had a lower price than this were rather too small. The only downfall when using one of these though is that these do require lots of time to get used to, because you gotta get hand-eye coordination intact.

Here are some free art programs! There is no free trial for any of them, but there are a few exceptions for some that I will list!

Medibang Paint Pro (Mobile and PC) It's a fun and easy to use program! They even have some tutorials if you need them. You can get all the accessible brushes if you make an account. There are some in-app purchases, but I don't really use them.

IbisPaintX (Mobile) This one has LOTS of brushes and materials to choose from! Easy to learn and also has a bunch of tutorials on it. The only downfall is that you gotta watch and ad if you want all the brushes without paying. It has an expiry limit everyday of 18 hrs per ad watch.

Krita (PC) A very customizable program! Quite similar to Photoshop in terms of some of its interface and functionality. A bit harder to get used to, but still easy enough to use!

Oh right! and here are stuff I use! I use a Huion Kamvas 13 (2020), it was within my budget but using a pen tablet is still way better for your wallet and health. I got it because it works with my workflow more. It's just personal preference. https://www.amazon.com/Graphics-Full-Laminated-Function-Battery-Free-Pressure/dp/B083V1GZ9Z/ref=pd_lpo_147_img_2/147-5494963-7563906?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B083V1GZ9Z&pd_rd_r=072e654a-a101-41cd-94a3-3d25390fbc77&pd_rd_w=IacBY&pd_rd_wg=2IqlE&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=XD3E7WWVKKNR5DZN9WSV&psc=1&refRID=XD3E7WWVKKNR5DZN9WSV As for my art program, I use Photoshop CC 2018. My dad bought himself Photoshop and let me use it to draw. Even if I tried something like Paint Tool SAI or Clip Studio Paint, working in Photoshop felt easiest for me.

And that's it! I hope you don't mind this long reply! Will get back to posting the usual after finishing up school work! :D

[saturdayam]

A COMIC LIFE: ERIC MERCED INTERVIEW!

WELCOME TO A COMIC LIFE Episode 3!!

OUR NEW BLOG SERIES FOR MANGA BEGINNERS, A COMIC LIFE, COVERS THE BEST TOOLS FOR CONQUERING THE WILD WILD WEST OF SELF-PUBLISHING AND WEBCOMICS. LAST TIME OUT, WE ADDRESSED HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN COMICBOOK COVER WITHIN THE COMIC LIFE APP by Plasq.

Today, we interview comicbook artist and Comic Life/ Comic Draw user, Eric Merced!

 Saturday A.M: From what I understand you were born in Puerto Rico. What town are you originally from?

Eric: I was, yes. I was born in Rio Piedras but was brought to the U.S. when I was still a baby. So most of my childhood and teenage years were spent living in Brooklyn.

Saturday A.M: What was it like being raised by a Puerto Rican family in New York?

Eric: It was normal. I mean, I never noticed a difference between me, my family and my friends and their family. We spoke Spanish mostly to each other but the majority of the time I spoke English with my friends and cousins.

Saturday A.M: Which of the two cultures do you most identify with and why?

Eric: I think because I was raised in N.Y., I identify more with the American culture. I know this because when I visit P.R., I stand out like a sore thumb. Not in a bad way, but they can easily tell I'm not from there, even though I was born there.

Saturday A.M: How did Walt Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID influence you to become an artist?

Eric: That movie was incredible the first time I saw it. I had seen plenty of cartoon movies but that one was magical. I remember being awed and just thinking to myself, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to be a cartoonist. While I had dabbled in drawing on and off in the past, after seeing that movie I became dead serious towards working on realizing my dreams.

Saturday A.M: Did you ever consider a career in animation?

Eric: I did. Like I said, when I saw THE LITTLE MERMAID, I wanted to be a Cartoonist and work for Walt Disney. Later I found out what it takes and I chickened out. Lol. Drawing comics are not easy but they are way easier than animating. 

Saturday A.M: How did your love for Disney animation transition into a career in comics?

Eric: Disney, and in particular, the Little Mermaid, were my subtle introduction into story and style. I was able to see, feel and experience the power that the Artist has in capturing the imaginations of people. Comics were a more accessible medium to tell a story versus animation for me. I was already into randomly buying an occasional Comic here or there but, after my desire to become a cartoonist, I began to gravitate towards them, almost naturally and instinctively. That's when my focus towards becoming a cartoonist for Walt Disney shifted into becoming a comic book artist. The constant practice, sweating, and struggles have paid off time and time again when I've gotten the opportunity to do work professionally.

Saturday A.M: What is it like being a professional cartoonist? Is the job what you originally thought it would be?

Eric: It has been a mixed bag of nuts, to be honest. When you're young and starting you imagine so many things. You basically glamorize it all. And then, reality sets in. The constant struggle to remain relevant to clients, the bidding for work, the client demands, the pressure to deliver beyond expectations, these are things you never imagine or take into consideration when you're young. But, that sounds like I'm complaining and really, I'm not. It's been fun and rewarding and it's been more than I expected at times. It just never gets old to hold a book you've worked on in your hands. And it never gets old to read and hear about the impact your work has on others. It's a humbling experience that I do not regret being a part of.

Saturday A.M: Could you tell us a little about your career as a freelance comic creator?

Eric: Well, I started freelancing over 11 years ago really. I began working on small little projects here and there. As for major projects, that really didn't happen until I got the opportunity to draw two 150 page graphic novels for Zondervan Publishing. Since then I have had the opportunity to work on all kinds of different projects from comics to illustrations to character designs.

Saturday A.M: From what I understand you consider yourself a Christian...how does your religious beliefs influence your work?

Eric: I had to learn what it meant to be a Christian (which is basically a follower of Christ), and an Artist. When I began I thought that I had to categorize myself as a "Christian Artist", and I quickly found this to be very limiting and thinking within a box. I had to learn that this wasn't about categories but about living and being true to who you are. So as a Christian I have values that naturally show through my work. One compliments the other and one is not dominated by the other.

Saturday A.M: What are the pros and cons of producing exclusively family friendly content?

Eric: To be honest, I really don't see any cons involved in it. Only because, like I said, this is part of my core beliefs. Creating content that both adults and young people can enjoy is who I am. It wasn't always who I was, but this is who I grew up to be, speaking in terms of growing up as an artist and not physically in age. I'm by no means knocking anyone else that doesn't do family friendly content, but merely speaking at a personal level. You have to be true to who you are and who I am is a person that has grown to love creating content for everyone and not just a targeted group of fans. I don't do many shows, as a matter of fact, the only events I currently participate in is Free Comic Book Day, and I absolutely love getting the opportunity to talk to both adults and teenagers and younger kids about my work and the impact it has on them. I wouldn't have that experience if I did, let's say, rated R content.

Saturday A.M: What challenges do religious comic creators face in an increasingly secular world?

Eric: I think the biggest challenge to religious creators who want to exclusively work in that sort of material is actually showing their human nature. I think a lot of artists who want to work in comics and do religious comics, exclusively, are afraid to be human. To show that they too are no different and that they have the same struggles as everyone else. We have so many bad examples of religion in the world, people holding hateful signs or saying hateful things in the name of God, or people committing terrorist acts in the name of God, that's not it, that's not true religion. So how do we show what being a true believer is? That's the challenge.

Saturday A.M: Was it difficult transitioning from traditional art to becoming a full-time digital artist?

Eric: It was because I had to learn a whole new set of tools I wasn't used to. I had to learn about menus and how features were hidden in them and I had to learn how to properly export work for whatever I wanted to do. It was a new yet exciting world, and that excitement is what drove the desire to learn.

Saturday A.M: How did you develop your unique art-style?

Eric: Time. Lol. Seriously. I just immersed myself in artwork from artists I loved and a lot of their work began to rub off on me until finally, whatever it is I have now style wise, emerged. The style is something that takes time and patience. I didn't know this at first but learned it the hard way. I'm just happy to be at a place in where people realize there is something there that's recognizable.

Saturday A.M: What makes the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil your weapons of choice?

Eric: Everything! I hit this device so hard when Apple first announced it because, like so many other Artists, I was hoping they would follow in Microsoft's path and do some kind of iOS/Mac OS  hybrid. But the first time I tried that pencil, that was it. I was sold. I had already used apps like Procreate and Adobe Draw on an iPad mini before, and so once I experienced that pencil iPad Pro combo, my imagination lit up with endless possibilities. And I wasn't wrong. Keep in mind that before the iPad Pro, I was using a Wacom Cintiq and a smaller Windows Surface-like tablet. But none of those felt the way the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil felt like. It is such an amazing device, I can go on but I won't.

Saturday A.M: What makes the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil superior to other digital hardware? Is it the portability, fluidity or simplicity?

Eric: For me, it's pretty much all of those things. I wouldn't say it's superior to a Surface Pro or any other device in general because it's a matter of choice. What works for me, in this case, the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, may not work for another Artist.

Saturday A.M: What makes the Comic Draw App unique and how does it make comic creation easier?

Eric: Man, I love that app. It's one of those apps that you have to keep at it to really get. It has so many little, hidden nuggets and the developers (which are a really cool set of guys) are working hard towards making it better. I love Procreate, that's my main app for everything that's not related to drawing a comic. And before Comic Draw, I was using Procreate together with the Graphic app and Medibang Paint to draw my comics. So Comic Draw basically took over the job of all those other apps. That's how great it is. It's not the best app nor is it perfect but man, it's good. It's unique in that it's the first iPad app that allows you to compress a lot of the comic creating process into a single app. You can write out your script, Draw, ink, color and even letter your comic all within a single app. And as if that weren't enough, you can use it as a reader to flip through your comic at any stage. Highly recommend it.

Saturday A.M: What is your favorite feature in the Comic Draw App?

Eric: I love the way it divides all the stages into workspaces. But I'd have to say, the perspective tools are my favorite feature. Not so much the tool itself but how Comic Draw handles perspective on a per panel basis versus the way Procreate does it which is on a per canvas bases.

Saturday A.M: Thus far you have worked for many of the big names in comic book publishing, Is there any other company you'd like to work for if given the chance?

Eric: I did work for Marvel and D.C., on a small scale. I'd love to be able to do work for them on a larger scale. But I also dream of one-day publishing through Image comics.

Saturday A.M: What is the most important quality you believe all artists should have?

Eric: Kindness. It doesn't matter how amazing you are, if you're a jerk, that reflects on your work big time. Kindness elevates your work even higher. Remembering that, if you get the opportunity to draw for a living, it's not so entirely because of your skills, but because of people, who become your fans, come to love your work, and you owe it to them to be kind.

Saturday A.M: Thanks for your time, Eric!