#wanted to test ibis's new brush feature

[crowliphale]

Human kremy on guys night

[kichona-s]

You might have talked about this before, but what tool (device, programs, etc.) do you use for your art? I'm thinking about getting an iPad, but like...I've never really done digital, also never owned an apple product...I feel like an alien :D

i think i've answered something vaguely similar before, but fuck it new year new answer (entire thing below the cut because its long):

For most of my work now (since around Jun '24 onwards) I use the XP-Pen Artist Pro 16 with Clip Studio Paint Pro (perpetual license), total should set you back around USD560~ish. Key note is that this needs to be plugged into your laptop/pc, so if you have a shit computer this may not be the best option for you

Pros:

CSP is very full-featured, so pretty much anything you need it to do, it can do

Huge fuckin screen (16 inches) so you can have all your layer/brush menus out like a madman

Way more bang for your buck in terms of screen real estate/performance if you already have a good laptop/pc

Can work as a second monitor when you're not drawing

Cons:

Unportable

If you've never used any digital drawing tool ever, CSP is.. quite a bit to take in (dont let that scare you though, you can customize what menus you want to see etc to ur perference)

Needs to be plugged in otherwise its useless

No touch inputs (either use the controller they give u, a tourbox, or keyboard shortcuts)

If you dont need such a big screen though, theres definitely cheaper display tablets available (xp-pen artist pro 13 gen2, xp-pen artist line, huion kamvas line) -- thankfully we live in an era where Wacom's competitors are good and sometimes even better than it, so you can stretch your dollar a lot

For pre-Jun '24 I used a 2020 11inch iPad Pro with Procreate on it, which should set u back the cost of the ipad + USD13 + apple pencil -- note I still use this if I'm travelling (i drew the first mini norris on this while in japan!)

Pros:

Crazy portable - I used to bring my iPad to draw at malls with my friend (i also drew nsfw and a kid almost saw it so uh,, dont be like me)

Procreate is very stripped down in terms of drawing software so its really easy to learn the basics

You have all you need in 1 device (no need for another laptop/pc)

TOUCH INPUTS are SO useful when u first start when u need to rotate the canvas

Cons:

If you already have a laptop/pc this is gonna be more expensive

Procreate gets limiting over time - i used it from mid-2020 to early-2024 before i got sick and tired and swapped over

Apple pencil ergonomics is ass

Small screen unless u wanna splurge for the 12.9inch ipad

A fun third option if you wanna try testing the digital art waters without committing is a pen tablet (wacom intuos, xp pen deco, huion inspiroy), but those don't have screens so you need to look at ur laptop/monitor while drawing, and the hand-eye coordination may have a bit of a learning curve

Theres also free drawing softwares on both iOS and PC (autodesk sketchbook/ibis paint/krita) if you wanna fuck around on those first

But back to your main point - apple product software is generally a good experience (to me), and if you're mostly drawing on it you will learn the procreate interface more anyway so its not as important. The key between iPad VS Other Options is mostly portability & software (CSP on iPad is a subscription that I refuse to pay). And overall if you're not certain that you wanna stick to digital, get something that would be easy to sell off second handed in your country, so you dont lose your entire investment if you end up hating digital art lol

Good luck with your decision and if you have more questions, really feel free to ask -- i have a lot of fun doing product recommendation/comparison posts

[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.

[theantibridezilla]

Test Drives: Morphe, Rimmel, and IBY Beauty

Happy New Year you guys! I know that we’re technically two weeks past the official start of the new year, but it’s my first beauty article of the year. I have a lot of stuff that’s come in over the last two months so I’ll be busy creating Test Drives for quite a while. Anywho, I’m kicking off the 2020 Test Drives with   a range of products from Morphe, Rimmel, and IBY Beauty. As usual, I’ll let you know what was gifted by the brand versus something I purchased. 

Morphe Fluidity Foundation in F4.80 (purchased)

Even though I have way more foundation than I could ever use, I ended up picking up this and the other Morphe item I’m reviewing in today’s article when I was at the Newport Mall a few days ago. I opted to have my color matched by one of the associates in the store and she did a great job. The F4.80 hue is labeled as “Rich with golden undertones” which is perfect for me because I have warm golden undertones. 

What I like: 

Even though this is a full coverage foundation, it’s not heavy or cakey. It blends in with my skin so well, and is very lightweight. Plus, it matches my paler winter skin tone perfectly. It’s fragrance free as well. 

What could be better:

Nothing, I liked this product and had no issues with it!

Morphe Fluidity Concealer in C4.35 (purchased)

I’m normally not terribly impressed by concealers because I have serious under eye bags. Like I’m not even kidding. I’ve had visible under eye bags since I was in high school. And unless I want to have cosmetic treatments done to banish them, they’re just a fact of my life. The Morphe Fluidity Concealer is designed to create full coverage and last for 24 hours. 

What I like:

I’m AMAZED because this really hid my under eye bags. And I’ve tried A LOT of different brands from Tarte’s Shape Tape to even IT Cosmetics’ Bye Bye Undereye, and neither of these cult fave’s have covered my under eyes like Morphe’s did. And I didn’t have to cover half my face in concealer to achieve this result.

What could be better:  Nothing! This really works!

Rimmel London Stay Glossy in Date Night (gifted via Amazon Vine)

So this was an item that was given to me through the Amazon Vine influencer program. This is a straightforward gloss from Rimmel London that promises to moisturize and last for at least six hours of wear. 

What I like: 

Date night is an amazing color that for my skin tone can be a great neutral. While it’s pinkish, it’s not obnoxiously bubble gum pink. 

What could be better: 

There’s a strong mineral or petroleum oil smell coming from this lip gloss. Honestly, the best way to describe it would be to say that it smelled like Luster’s Pink Oil Moisturizer back in the 90s (because I haven’t used it in decades and for all I know they fixed the stench). 

IBY Beauty Carry On Face Palette (gifted)

A travel-friendly collection of highlight, blush, and eyeshadows that helps to declutter your travel makeup tote and gives you everything you need to create day to night looks. One side of the palette features three highlights and one blush while the other side of the palette comes with 9 shadows — two of which are matte and the remaining seven are shimmer hues.

What I like: 

In terms of travel friendly, you can’t go wrong with an “all-in-one” style palette. The slim palette can slip into your purse, carryon or checked bag if you’re daring enough to check your makeup. Plus, the large pans means that you’re getting a significant amount of product. Pigments are rich and you don’t need a lot of product to get the color to pay off, even on darker skin tones. 

https://www.ibybeauty.com/collections/face/products/carry-on-eyeshadow-blush-and-highlight-palette

Specifically for the eyeshadow side, it’s very shimmer heavy. There are only two of the nine pans that are matte. So, people who aren’t as experienced with creating beauty looks might be intimidated by the shimmer-focused slant. 

The Verdict

There was something to love in everything that I tried today, but hands down the breakout “game changer” was the Morphe Fluidity concealer. As someone used to not getting total coverage in their concealer, having my under eye bags completely hidden with Morphe’s concealer was a new experience for me. As usual, full makeup details are below. And check out more of my Test Drive posts here.

Full Makeup Look

 Primer: Wet ‘n Wild Mega Jelly Primer & NYX Eyeshadow Base in nude Foundation: Morphe Fluidity Foundation F4.80 Brows: NYX Cosmetics Love Contours All dark brow pan Eye Liner: Wet ‘n Wild MegaLiner Liquid Liner in Black  Eye Shadow: IBY Beauty Carry On G.O.A.T. as base, ColourPop Strawberry Shake Palette Daiquiri for all over lower lid and Berry Fine for center lower lid Lashes: Kawaii Girl Cosmetics Ebisu Concealer: L.A. Girl Pro HD Conceal in Orange (color corrector), Morphe Fluidity Concealer C4.35  Contour: Black Radiance True Complexion Contour Palette Medium to Deep

Setting Powder: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder in Deep Blush: Morphe Brushes Blushing Babes in Pop of Poppy Highlight/Bronzer: INMO Cosmetics “Love, Always” INMO by the Anti Bridezilla, Kevyn Aucoin Neo-Limelight in Ibiza Lips: Rimel London Stay Glossy in Date Night