forum Does anyone else have all these hobbies you really want to try but don't know if you'll actually like them?
Started by @The-N-U-T-Cracker
tune

people_alt 59 followers

@The-N-U-T-Cracker

I know I'm not the only one… Right?

I'm contemplating starting a collection of cute figurines, stickers, slimes, squishies, glitters, and posters just so I have something cute to look at and play around with that'll make me happy. I also want to try things like eggshell carving or acrylic pouring, and maybe even writing music, but all these things require a bunch of research, dedication, and expensive materials. So… Here's a place to talk about your not-quite hobbies.

Deleted user

…
Painting… With acrylics…

Were you naming a hobby or correcting my spelling? Because acrylic pouring and acrylic painting are different things.

I was naming a hobby I would love to do, but the paint is so damn expensive.

@The-N-U-T-Cracker

…
Painting… With acrylics…

Were you naming a hobby or correcting my spelling? Because acrylic pouring and acrylic painting are different things.

I was naming a hobby I would love to do, but the paint is so damn expensive.

As someone who actually paints with acrylics, yes. It really is…

Deleted user

Like… I have a few tubes of the paint, but I'm too broke to buy more.

@The-N-U-T-Cracker

I have quite a few tubes of pretty good quality paint, but that's only because my parents are supportive (and had no idea what else to get me for Christmas, I got three watercolor sketchbooks last year…)

Deleted user

Yeah, I'm more for watercolor for my art, but I do like painting with acrylics.
I got some good watercolor pain this year though.

@The-N-U-T-Cracker

I usually stick with digital, acrylic, or watercolor and colored pencils, but mostly digital because I have a lot of siblings and nowhere to paint (other than my sort of weekly painting lessons)

@Becfromthedead group

For acrylic paint, I recommend buying the brand Reeves. They come in sets of little tubes of paint, and aren't quite as expensive. It's less than $10 for a 10-pack (I think it was 10? Might be more) of acrylics, and the same price for an even bigger pack of watercolor. Or you could find cheaper brands, such as Apple Barrel. They have bottles of paint for about a dollar, and while the quality isn't quite as good, I'm sure it's better than nothing. Another tip for conserving paint is to, although it's acrylic, add a tiny bit of water to make it go further. I hope this helps at least a little bit!
As for me, I really want to pick up embroidery. I just find embroidered clothes so pretty, and I want to be able to personalize my clothes in that way. I have needles and thread because I frequently make repairs and stuff on my own clothes, but I know I don't have everything I need to get started, and I'm not sure how to figure that out.
I'm also trying to learn crochet. I already do knitting, but it's good to know both. I've been messing around with it today some, because I finally have the time. Luckily, I already have the yarn, and I bought a cheap set of hooks a few months ago so I could get started whenever I wanted.

@The-N-U-T-Cracker

Oh, and NutElla, how do you get started on digital art? I'd like to dabble in it some, but I have no clue how to go about it.

…My time has come… Do you want advice on tablets, programs, inspiration, helpful resources, or all of it? I have an entire list of every free art program I've ever tried on my computer and I can copy/paste it here if you want.

Deleted user

Same, I suck at digital art because all I have is my phone.

@The-N-U-T-Cracker

-This video, unlike most "life hack" videos, actually has some really, really useful stuff.

https://www.davidrevoy.com/
-My digital art inspiration, he's an incredible artist using nothing but free, open-source software and is the author of the webcomic "Pepper and Carrot", which I am absolutely in love with.

-Never actually watched this person's videos, but I've heard from many people across the internet that they give incredible advice for digital and traditional artists.

-As with the last channel, I've never actually watched them, but I've heard good things about their tutorials and advice.

http://terawell.net/terawell/?lang=en
-The website where you can download DesignDoll, which is one of the most helpful things I've ever used. Basically, it's a program that allows you to move and pose a 3D model of a human so you can get a somewhat-accurate pose reference.

-Shameless promotion of my best friend's YouTube channel.

@The-N-U-T-Cracker

Oooook here's a list of all the programs I have downloaded and tried: (Note: there are some websites you can draw with that I've tested but I honestly don't remember what they're called, so I won't be listing them.)

Krita: My favorite program in the history of programs, this one has literally every feature you could ever possibly need as a beginner or professional artist, there are simple things like layers and more complicated things like the ability to control the rotation of the brush tip by X tilt on a curve. (I only recently learned what that even meant) The biggest downside to it though is with all those features, it's kinda difficult to figure out, but I started using it at age 12 so it can't be too hard. 9.5/10.
Layer support: Yes Animation: Yes Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: Yes Tilt sensitivity: Yes Rotation sensitivity: Yes Realistic media: Yes Blending: Yes Autosave: Yes Custom brushes: Yes

Autodesk Sketchbook: My second favorite program, this one is good for just about everything. It works a little differently from the other programs, but it's very easy to figure out and while it does have a lot of features, it handles them in a way that doesn't distract you from your work, however, it's mostly made for use with Wacom brand tablets, and there are a lot of little things about it that get on my nerves, but it's still a really good program and my biggest recommendation for beginners. 8.5/10
Layer support: Yes Animation: Yes Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: Yes Tilt sensitivity: Yes Rotation sensitivity: No Realistic media: Yes Blending: Yes Autosave: Unknown Custom brushes: Yes

Artrage Lite: This one is usually a paid program, but I got a free trial with my first tablet, and it's… Not bad. Not good, but not bad. I used it for about 8 months before I found Krita, and it's meant to resemble natural paints. I don't have much to say about it, It's good, but it's definitely not an 80$ program. 7/10
Layer support: Yes Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: Yes Tilt sensitivity: Yes Rotation sensitivity: Unknown Realistic media: Yes Blending: Yes Autosave: No Custom brushes: Sort of

MS Paint: NO NO NO NO NO. THERE'S NO LAYERS OR PRESSURE SENSITIVITY, THE TWO MOST USEFUL FEATURES EVER. -40/10
Layer support: No Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: No Eraser support: No Tilt sensitivity: No Rotation sensitivity: No Realistic media: No Blending: No Autosave: No Custom brushes: Sort of

MediBang: This one is really hard to review, my best friend swears by it and says it's the best thing ever, even better than Krita, but I hate it beyond any reasonable measure, and I don't even know why I hate it so much. I think it's the lack of brush features, I know they're trying to be simplistic but why is there an edge pen yet no difference between opacity and flow? I think this program would be best for cartoon and anime artists, but for me? it's garbage. Not to mention it has ads when you open it, and if you draw too fast it'll start making these weird geometrical lines. 5/10 from me, 9/10 from my friend.
Layer support: Yes Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: Yes Tilt sensitivity: No Rotation sensitivity: No Realistic media: NO Blending: Sort of? Autosave: Yes Custom brushes: Yes

FireAlpaca: same as above, but this one has animation features too.

MyPaint: It's a good program, a lot like Krita, only this one is made just for painting without all the complicated interface features. However, despite its aim for simplicity, it's a somewhat hard program to learn. Amazing brushes though. 7/10.
Layer support: Yes Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: Unknown Tilt sensitivity: Unknown Rotation sensitivity: Unknown Realistic media: Yes Blending: Yes Autosave: Yes Custom brushes: Yes

GIMP: This one is aimed more towards photo editing, and while it's a good program, it's REALLY HARD to figure out. As in REALLY HARD. I do not recommend it for beginners at all, and I would talk about its pros but unfortunately ever since I got my new tablet it's stopped working on me so I don't really know much about it. 4/10.
Layer support: Yes Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: Yes Tilt sensitivity: Yes Rotation sensitivity: Unknown Realistic media: Yes Blending: Yes Autosave: Unknown Custom brushes: Yes

Verve Painter: Ok, maybe it's not the best drawing program, but if you're bored and want something that'll keep you entertained for forever, this is the program for you. It's made to simulate the looks and feels of real paint, and I dunno about you guys but I think watching paint swirl and blend together is probably one of the most satisfying things ever. Plus the program takes up less space than an image file, so there's really nothing to lose with this. Everyone should download it whether they're artists or not. 10/10
Layer support: Yes Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: Yes Tilt sensitivity: Yes Rotation sensitivity: No Realistic media: YES Blending: Yes Autosave: No Custom brushes: Yes

Artweaver Lite: I… Don't have much to say about this. It's not a miracle program but it's not garbage, It's just kinda average. Still better than MediBang though. 6/10
Layer support: Yes Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: No Tilt sensitivity: Unknown Rotation sensitivity: No Realistic media: Yes Blending: Yes Autosave: Yes Custom brushes: Yes

Paint.Net: THIS HAS LAYERS BUT IS SOMEHOW MORE HATABLE THAN MS PAINT. -44/10
Layer support: Yes Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: No Eraser support: No Tilt sensitivity: No Rotation sensitivity: No Realistic media: NO Blending: NO Autosave: Yes Custom brushes: No

Inkscape: I can't actually judge this one because it's a vector based program, and I have no idea how those work. ???/10

Pixia: Basically the same as Phierha, only this one keeps crashing when I use it so I can't judge it. ???/10.

Pencil2D: This is an animation program, and not a bad one, but I'd still prefer Krita or Sketchbook for animation. 6/10
Layer support: Yes Animation: Yes Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: Yes Tilt sensitivity: No Rotation sensitivity: No Realistic media: No Blending: Yes Autosave: Sort of Custom brushes: No

Pinta: THIS IS SOMEHOW MORE HATABLE THAN PAINT.NET. -50/10
Layer support: Yes Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: NO Eraser support: No Tilt sensitivity: No Rotation sensitivity: No Realistic media: NO Blending: NO Autosave: Unknown Custom brushes: NO

Graphiter: I was super excited when I opened this, the pencils are super realistic and the eraser was, indeed, an eraser. Just one problem, if you want to add color or ink to your drawings, you have to pay money, which was very disappointing considering how good the pencils were. 3/10
Layer support: No Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: No Tilt sensitivity: Unknown Rotation sensitivity: Unknown Realistic media: Yes Blending: $Yes Autosave: Yes Custom brushes: No

SpeedyPainter: This is about what happens if you take Krita and trim it down to the VERY basics. It's a good program, however, the lack of a blender tool makes it hard for me to use, considering my very blended semi-realistic art style. 7/10?
Layer support: Yes Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: Unknown Tilt sensitivity: Unknown Rotation sensitivity: No Realistic media: Yes Blending: No Autosave: Unknown Custom brushes: Yes

Project Dogwaffle Free: As someone who sings Vocaloid horror songs in the shower and listens to creepypastas while I draw, I can safely say that this was extremely scary to download. My screen turned blue and black for a moment and wouldn't let me cancel the download. The grammar and spelling in the download bar were painfully incorrect, and I was absolutely convinced that I had downloaded a virus that would cost my parents thousands of dollars and break my computer, but no, there was no virus. Just a garbage paint program. 2/10
Layer support: Unknown Animation: Yes Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: Yes Tilt sensitivity: No Rotation sensitivity: No Realistic media: No Blending: No Autosave: Unknown Custom brushes: Sort of

MS Fresh Paint: Not to be confused with regular MS paint, this one is actually somewhat good. It's supposed to simulate natural media, yet the only thing that actually truly feels like natural media is the oil paint, but then again I've never actually used oil paints. Also, I can't remember if it was this or Graphiter that wouldn't let me use it without Wi-Fi, but I'm pretty sure it was this one. I'm not sure what to rate this… 5/10
Layer support: No? Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: Yes Tilt sensitivity: Yes Rotation sensitivity: Unknown Realistic media: Yes Blending: Yes Autosave: Yes Custom brushes: No

Tux Paint: Ok this one I downloaded as a joke because the age rating said "Ages 3-12". I was 12 at the time and wanted to see what people actually expected of me, and it's kind of a "so bad it's good" thing. It says it has "Fun sound effects!" but just imagine…: You've been given the most beautiful idea for a painting, something that could be worth millions, and you're ready to make your masterpiece. You get your reference, plan it out, and pick up your favorite paintbrush, and right as you place the delicate bristles against the canvas, it starts making a repeated beeping sound until you stop painting. You try to dip the brush into the paint, and the brush tells you that the paint color is "Dark Grey! Some people spell it, Dark Gray!". That's how it feels to use this. ???/10
Layer support: No Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: No Eraser support: No Tilt sensitivity: No Rotation sensitivity: No Realistic media: No Blending: Yes Autosave: No Custom brushes: No

Phierha: the older version of Pixia, only this one's harder to download. It's a lot like FireAlpaca/Medibang when it comes to the flaws, and there's a LOT OF FLAWS. However, despite being garbage, it's got a charm to it. I like it, but it's still not a good program. 5/10.
Layer support: Yes Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: Yes Tilt sensitivity: Unknown Rotation sensitivity: No Realistic media: No Blending: Yes Autosave: Unknown Custom brushes: Sort of

Mischief Free: There's not much to say here. It's got maybe three brushes and no ability to create more, and there aren't even layers. Maybe the actual program is better, but the free version is just plain pointless. 1/10.
Layer support: No Animation: No Pressure sensitivity: Yes Eraser support: Yes Tilt sensitivity: No Rotation sensitivity: No Realistic media: Yes Blending: No Autosave: Unknown Custom brushes: No

Gravit Designer: Like Inkscape, this is a vector program so I have no idea what to say. ???/10.

Hope this helps! Also, I kept the reviews very shortened, so if there's one you want to know more about just let me know.

@The-N-U-T-Cracker

Well anyways, back to resources. The best places to learn are definitely YouTube, SkillShare, Pinterest and other sites like that, there's just so much helpful information on those sites that it's impossible to put it all in one list.

@Becfromthedead group

Wow, that's a lot! Thank you so much! I'll definitely sort through this later and see what'll work for me. I've been messing around on MS paint in the meantime because it's all I have… It's okay for the most basic things, like choosing colors, but it's really horrible to work with overall. I agree with your rating of it… Do any of those programs allow you to put on your traditional art, like sketches, and color them digitally?

@The-N-U-T-Cracker

Wow, that's a lot! Thank you so much! I'll definitely sort through this later and see what'll work for me. I've been messing around on MS paint in the meantime because it's all I have… It's okay for the most basic things, like choosing colors, but it's really horrible to work with overall. I agree with your rating of it… Do any of those programs allow you to put on your traditional art, like sketches, and color them digitally?

Almost any program with layer support can do that, just import a photo of a sketch, trace over it, and color it in. ArtRage Lite specifically has a feature for that, which works very similarly to Krita's reference tool. I don't know how well MediBang/FireAlpaca would work considering you can't import images as layers, but it wouldn't be impossible.

@The-N-U-T-Cracker

There's also a weird website called Paintschainer which allows you to color in and auto shade your sketches using scribbles, but it doesn't always work well, I'd use it mostly for planning colors and not a finished piece.