GIMP! Sai, and other programs.

[Kryptchild]

So I just went and downloaded GIMP and I have NO idea what I'm doing or how it works yet. Anyone else use gimp that'd be willing to offer some pointers?

I've been using Paint tool Sai so far, what are the pros/cons in comparison between the two programs? is there a polygon tool in Gimp? Oh sweet Celestia I hope there is, I wana do some vecter art and gifs.

So yeah, lets use this thread to talk about our experiances with our preferred art programs, give advice to others, and kick around ideas for what programs to use for what art styles etcetera.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Last time I checked, GIMP didn't support 3d models, so I'm guessing it probably doesn't have a polygon tool. If you're looking for a modeling program, I highly recommend Wings3d. Its free and it is one of the most intuitive modeling programs I've ever used, better than Maya and 3ds Max hands down. (It doesn't have a powerful renderer though, but you can export.)

If you're looking for vectors, I would recommend inkscape.

[Lux]

^Hello!

^{I use GIMP for my art. It does take time to learn (it's been five months since I got it and I'm still learning).}

^{GIMP has the regular art tools like brush styles, gradients, layers, and such. They support animation plugins.}

^{GIMP unfortunately doesn't have a polygon tool 9at least I havent found it) I wish they did because making vector art would be easier for ponies.}

^{A couple of tips i'd give about GIMP:}

• ^{If using layers, make sure you save in GIMP's XCF file. Other files can't work with layers, so you need to save in XCF, create your art, flatten the layers into one art, and then save as another art file like JPG or GIF.}
  
• ^{Makes sure to zoom in to see breakages in lines. This will avoid the annoyance of trying to fill an area and it bleeds into places you don't want it.}
  
• ^{Get an art tablet. This was my best investment as the mouse, even though wireless, was not good for drawing.}
  

[Harv0kz]

Eh, I sorta used Photoshop and Illustrator, but they were nightmarishly complex. Then I heard about Paint Tool Sai, and tried using that.

Very noice and simple.

[Rosewind]

If you're looking for a good program (that's free to use/open source) for vectoring, Inkscape is pretty good. I've never used it myself, though I hear a lot about it.

[Kryptchild]

Inkscape huh? I'll have to look into that later today when I have time.

Sai has been good to me so far, and I think I'm getting used to using it. I've pretty much been exclusively using the Brush and eraser tool for all of my work. The layer system for Sai is pretty well organized, I usually end up with like 40 some layers by the time I'm done with small projects.