Home Forums Explore Media Digital Art Krita vs. natural media?

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  • #449145
    bvanevery
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        My head is exploding from all the digital media research I’ve been doing. Pardon if I haven’t had time to really spend on any particular art package, such as Krita specifically. I’m still figuring out what tablets do or don’t work on Windows 10, etc.

        I spent some time reading the Krita forums, to understand whether that community is something I would want to stick with long term. Particularly as I’m a computer programmer and wondering whether or not it’s worth contributing to their project. I came across an Update to Krita’s Vision[/URL] of the future of their project. Some discussion in their Developer forum ensued, with someone worrying that Krita might not be committed to “painting” anymore. The core devs assured that they are committed to “painting”, however that commitment is to digital painting. Not natural media simulation. From commentary on their new vision statement:

        Finally, the last paragraph got almost completely rewritten. Gone is real-world materials as an inspiration, and in are our users as inspiration: we won’t let you dictate what Krita can do, or how Krita lets you do stuff, UX design isn’t something that can be created by voting. But we do listen, and for the past years we’ve let you vote for which features you would find most useful, while still keeping the direction of Krita as a whole in our hands.

        They seem to have decided, through painful experience as an open source project, that natural materials simulation is slow and hard to do. They aren’t interested in, say, digitally duplicating the viscosity of oil paint, or the fluid flow of watercolor. They seem to be plenty interested in tools that are sorta like that, as to how they work. The quick ‘n’ dirty versions, if you will, rather than any rigorous simulation or faithful representation of traditional analog media.

        Now, as an acrylic painter whose work very much depends on the textural mixing properties of the paint as it rapidly dries, I feel myself forced to ask…

        Just how good is this sorta of theirs?

        I know this gets into the realm of personal taste. But I’ve seen a smattering of digital artwork out there, that looks like it doesn’t care about the fine grained textural properties of the surface at all. If this were photography back in the digital stone ages, we’d be arguing that digital media simply didn’t have the resolution of chemical film. I’ve seen a fair amount of work, where it looks like the artists don’t even know what the hairs of a brush are, or why anyone would care about using them a certain way. I’d go so far as to say, paintings made with oven mitts.

        Sure, the texture of brush application doesn’t always matter to a work. Color Field Painters certainly weren’t worried about that, for instance. It matters very little to Mondrain’s most famous work, even if the relevance in person is not, strictly speaking, zero. But Impressionists certainly cared. You stand in front of Monet’s Water Lilies, it matters. It’s half of what’s going on in the application of paint.

        Have you noticed how many “bad Impressionism” filters are out there in the digital realm? It looks horrible. Granted, that’s typically a postprocessing effect on an image, not a painter working on the placement of every stroke. But the effect is similar: extremely bad handling of low level texture. To those of us who care about that sort of thing, in Art.

        Is Krita an appropriate software package for me to be bothering with, given that this is a core concern of my work in analog media? Or should I be looking at other art packages, that have more of a focus on the textural implications of “natural media” ?

        I’m not necessarily hung up on how one gets the texture. But it had jolly well better be happening, or I would just dismiss a software package as not an acceptable medium.

        I also find myself with some consternation, that all of these software packages are basically different media. Rather like comparing oils to alkyds to heavy body acrylics to acrylics with various additives to watercolors.

        A related issue, is that if one’s working process lives and dies by a particular software package, is that package still going to be around? Is it going to morph and change in ways you don’t want? This becomes an issue with Krita because they got in some financial hot water recently, due to a misunderstanding of their tax status. They recovered, but IMO they are definitely at risk of burning out at some point. They aren’t wealthy developers, nor numerous. They are a small contingent of scrappy open source people making very little money for the time spent. I can empathize, I’ve totally been there and done that in my so-called career as a programmer. But I have to be pretty hard nosed about whether this is something I would sink serious time into.

        #541785

        Check out the Rebelle 2[/URL] painting programme which is designed to simulate watercolours.

        Doug


        We must leave our mark on this world

        #541787

        It is a personal thing. It’s all about how you want to use the program. Try the free trials, do some test paintings, see what you like.

        There is that problem of getting used to doing things a certain way with a program and then having to switch programs and trying to do the same thing with it. I have used a few different ones over the years, a new one always takes some getting used to.

        And then some people will use multiple programs to paint one picture.

        C&C always welcome. Michelle

        mkmcreations.com
        Every painting is a new adventure.

        #541789
        bvanevery
        Default

            And then some people will use multiple programs to paint one picture.

            Hrm. That sounds awfully clunky. Thinking about it though, it makes me realize the “paint” never actually “dries”. So one could spend a lot of time as a compositor, if one were so inclined. Working with different versions and pieces of a work. That would be very different from my working process as an acrylic painter. There is 1 painting and when it’s done it’s done.

            One thing concerning me, when I look at various programs, is the amount of GUI clutter on the screen around the work. That’s not really looking at the “clean” work. A program that functions well with multiple monitors would seem to be worthwhile.

            #541791
            Flitterby
            Default

                ArtRage https://www.artrage.com/ is very good at simulating natural media – and there is a free demo version. I use a laptop with 2nd monitor, keeping my tool pods on the monitor and leaving the laptop free of clutter. Also, use a small Bamboo tablet.

                June in South Australia.

                Oh God of homeless things, look down
                And try to ease the way
                Of all the little weary paws
                That walk the world
                today. - Unknown.

                #541794
                SeaScapePtr
                Default

                    Try “Fresh Paint.” It’s great at simulating oil paint and watercolor. It’s free. It might only run on Win 10. Not sure. Look at this video of Fresh Paint being used to make a digital oil painting. It’s freaking amazing!!! They really captured the look & blending of oil paint.
                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ron8-YFLtkc

                    #541790
                    eddieurbano
                    Default

                        I downloaded Krita a couple of weeks ago, and I must say I like it. Of course I’m more used to Gimp. I’m my experience software can only try to simulate real media. I supose “digital” is just another media and has it’s own peculiarities.

                        #541788
                        Raybrite
                        Default

                            Gimp, Krita, Inkscape are all free.
                            Inkscape is for Vector Art and acts different from the other two. It is the one where you can make Zoom in and out on your art without it Pixtalizing.
                            I like Clip Studio Paint. It seems to do almost everything but it will set you back about $50.
                            Art Rage has a Lite version out now too.
                            Look on Ask.com about the best free painting programs and yo will find them.

                            Ken
                            #541793
                            Dick
                            Default

                                Check out the [URL=https://www.escapemotions.com/products/rebelle/]Rebelle 2[/URL] painting programme which is designed to simulate watercolours.

                                Doug

                                Wow! Thanks for the link Doug. I may purchase this down the road.

                                Dick Hutchings
                                Daniel Smith Essential 6 colors and Arches 140#

                                #541786

                                There are several youtube videos of Rebelle. A new version 2.1 has been issued.

                                Doug


                                We must leave our mark on this world

                                #541792
                                Randalthor09
                                Default

                                    I just cant seem to get Krita to run reliably (or be stable) on my new high end pc. Its certainly not short of ram, sdd or gtx card! I’ve been getting more into Artrage lately and that seems to sit very nicely within my setup.

                                    #541795
                                    haosao
                                    Default

                                        Considering Krita is free there is a very high chance you’ll get a ticket to use it even if you’re working in a studio . If you’re a 2D artist then at most you’ll have to pass on JPG’s or PNG’s or at worse a PS file which I’m sure Krita can handle.

                                        Krita Lags a lot when you try to handle large files. Try painting in detail on canvas like 6×8 inches at 200/300 dpi on krita .

                                        Im using the XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro Screen Drawing Pad with Krita everyday and works great.

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