The Art Software you use DOES Matter

One of my pet peeves is when an experienced digital artist tells beginners that it doesn’t matter what art program is used, because their skills will shine through. Now, that sounds valid, so why does it bug me?

The thing about saying that your skills matter and the art program doesn’t, is that it is true… IF you have skill already. If you know how to draw, switching art programs isn’t a big deal: you’ll figure out new shortcuts, buttons, gestures, and muscle memory and keep drawing what you know how to draw. But that doesn’t work for beginners! It’s especially funny to me that the people that the saying is true for don’t really need to hear it, and those that do need some advice are getting some that doesn’t really apply to them!

Beginners. It is true that there are a lot of common things between art programs. But there are a lot of things that you have to learn about each one specifically. If you’re just starting to learn to draw, you don’t want to have to wrangle an art program at the same time, you want one that is as minimal as possible. Good art software gets out of the way. Here are some of the things you’re in for when drawing digitally, things that you want to minimize as much as possible: trying to figure out what the many buttons of an art program do. How brushes work in any specific program. Pen pressure settings. Layer and clipping mask functionality (this does vary between apps!). Tablet drivers malfunctioning or not working at all. Most people shrug that last one off because their tablet works fine. But I guarantee you there will come a point where your tablet drivers stop working the way you want them to, or the app you’re using stops responding to pen pressure for no reason.

So when you choose an art program, pick something that looks simple. Don’t go right for the same art program your idol artist uses: remember, they’ve been at this a while and know what the many features are. You want something that doesn’t make you go, “woah, that’s a lot of buttons”. Something that doesn’t make you feel exhausted just by looking at it. The most important thing to you is being able to put marks on a canvas. There are a few good choices here, but I’m going to avoid sharing my personal recommendations in this video because that’s not the point. Some other day. But if you look around a bunch and ultimately choose something like MS Paint, hey, why not. (MS Paint even supports pen pressure. I’m dead serious, it has for a long time. It’s only on like two brushes but it totally works.)

Don’t worry if your art app feels basic. That’s the best kind! You can always switch to another app later once you’ve got some skills down. You’re never stuck with one, and you’ll find the common elements in art apps that carry over easily. But as a beginner, you should not need to deal with that now. And if you’re a skilled artist, understand that beginners might need something simple to start with, and there’s a good chance it isn’t the art app you use today.

You know what doesn’t need all of these shenanigans? Pencil and paper. THIS is the true foundation of art mediums today. (There’s no drivers to mess with, nothing to set up, nothing to charge or turn on or bluetooth pair or calibrate or run as admini–) And you’ll learn the same skills! Your skills in traditional art translate easily to digital, and you don’t need to frustrate yourself with software up front. You can always move into digital, even on the same drawing, once you’re happy with your sketch. But never let your digital art program get in the way of you creating art. Got any favorite simple art apps or websites? Share them in the comments! Digital or traditional, find yourself a cozy way to draw and let your creativity out today. Have fun!

YES. MS Paint. Not Paint.net or Paint 3D. mspaint.exe. Since like, Windows Vista. Does pen pressure. For some reason it’s only on like, watercolor and oil paint brushes and not on anything terribly useful. But it actually has it. What the heck?