I initially found it maddening that I couldnвЂ™t use some simple UI conventions like вЂњSelect AllвЂќ and вЂњDeleteвЂќ that are an expected function in any digital graphics application. (I happen to be a fan of the controversial interfaces Kai Krause and Phil Clevenger designed for the mid-90вЂ™s Metacreations applications like Bryce and Poser, so I donвЂ™t object to non-standard interfaces out of hand). However, there are other convention-defying interface design choices that seem different for the sake of being different rather than вЂњdifferent because we think we have a better way to do thisвЂќ.

Many aspects of the interface are clear enough, like the palette of tools and the color picker, and many of the tools are actually easier to use than their counterparts in the more expensive applications, which can sometimes be bewildering to novice users. The downside, from my point of view, is the quirky and sometimes frustrating interface design, in which the designers have felt it necessary to be clever and original, sometimes at the expense of ease of use. The applicationвЂ™s strongest point is the drawing and painting tools themselves, particularly the default oil painting brush, which I think is among the best in the industry, and the pen and pencil tools, which are at least as good as the tools from the more expensive counterparts.ДЄdd to that features like layers, layer transparency, layer groups, Photoshop standard blend modes, and the additional capabilities in ArtRage Studio Pro for extra painting tools, selection tools and filters, and you have a very capable digital art tool for a very reasonable price. Another relevant application would be Corel Painter Essentials.Дespite a vaguely toy-like interface and inclusion of craft store sillyness like a вЂњGlitterвЂќ tool, ArtRage in actual use defies your initial impressions and becomes a surprisingly powerful tool, suitable for creating serious digital artwork. The most direct competition for ArtRage might be AutoDeskвЂ™s Sketchbook Pro, though I donвЂ™t have a copy of that for comparison. The Studio Pro version, which is what I tested, features layers and layer groups, layer blend modes, support for plug-in fliters, importing and exporting custom brush settings and a range of surprisingly sophisticated capabilities for its modest price. (WacomвЂ™s Bamboo Pen model allows for basic pressure sensitive pen input for about $70 U.S.)ДЄrtRage features digital emulations of painting and drawing tools for oils, watercolor, pencil, ink, airbrush, chalk and others. Though not strictly necessary, ArtRage is meant, like those other tools, to be used with a pressure sensitive tablet and stylus when drawing and painting.

I received a review version of ArtRage3 Studio Pro, and as someone with both an eye to the needs of novice digital painters and a long personal history of creating digital art in both Painter and Photoshop, I put it through its paces. One of them is ArtRage, a digital painting and drawing application by Ambient Design that represents an inexpensive alternative to the industry standard digital painting and drawing applications like Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop (I might include Manga Studio Pro as a standard at this point as well). There are smaller, easier to use alternatives, however, that can make the dive into digital art simpler and require less of an up-front investment.

The transition can be daunting, though, with some artists feeling intimidated by what they perceive as complex and expensive digital art tools and the implied learning curve. An increasing number of artists, even those firmly committed to working in traditional media, are discovering the value of adding digital painting and drawing tools to their repertoire.

Artrage studio pro vs corel painter