How to Get Started

[Broccoli 127]

People in this fandom make wonderful art, and I really appreciate them. The amount of fanart here has made me want to start doing some as well. 

 

The only pony art I have ever done was a few sketches of ponies, but I want to start drawing ponies on the computer.

 

To all the great artists out there, can you suggest me some applications or tools in which I can get started with? Much appreciated! 

 

Thanks,

Flip

[Drahgoon 152]

What I would recommend for a beginner is just a mouse and Gimp. If you have a scanner, you can draw your pictures by hand and scan them into Gimp and color them in. Having a drawing tablet helps a ton with smooth lines and pressure sensitivity. I personally use the Bamboo Splash Pen tablet. It only has two buttons, both on the pen, but it's simple, relatively cheap and gets the job done. I also use Paint Tool SAI. It has a free trial so you can test it out vs Gimp. Hope this helps! Can't wait to see some art from you. 

[Jessper 735]

Wacom Bamboo tablet (any version, cheap and good tablets, great for start) and SAI Paint (Also ideal for starters and for anything similar to manga and ponies are just that).

 

I'd kind of disagree with the mouse suggestion. That just doesn't help with drawing, it's more of a "last resort".

[Hushabye 47]

I don't know. A mouse was my best friend back when I used to to fanart. it all depends on your skill and comfort level with the tools that you're using, in my opinion!