The World of Digital Art

Nowadays, a lot of people create art digitally. PCs, tablets and graphic pens have become more and more popular. Along with that, the apps are getting better and better.

In the analog age, it was not easy to get the tools needed for creation, such as brushes, drawing paper, paints, rulers, easels, etc. But digital art can be started right away with a computer or tablet at home. Many of the apps are free to download. If you like it, you can upgrade to a paid version. If you don't like it, you can simply delete it.

Digital art is becoming more and more popular because it's an easy way to experience art.

It's the same in Japan. The slight difference between Japan and the rest of the world is in the artwork style. In Japan, the priority is not on skill, but on cuteness and coolness. From a foreigner's point of view, it may give an impression of childishness. In Japan, manga and anime characters are the most popular art forms.

　

In the Japanese amateur artist community, the reproduction and re-creation of existing works is highly valued. Anyone who came close to a professional's work would be praised. As a result, amateur drawing techniques have improved. Even junior high and high school students can recreate the taste of professional works with the tools of an app. The internet is full of such hobbyist works.

Originality is the most important thing in the professional art world. Technique comes second. However, for amateur creators, a sense of familiarity is important. Even if a picture looks familiar, if it's cute, it's good. Or if it is stylish, it is admired.

This may not only be the case in Japan. Foreigners who like Japanese anime and manga also draw the same kind of illustrations. These popular art tastes may vary from country to country or region to region. Depending on their approach, they may use slightly different graphic applications.

There are a number of digital art applications that are popular in Japan today. The following are some of the most popular graphic apps in Japan. Are they a little different from your country?

Clip Studio Paint

This application is used by professionals in comics, animation and illustration production. It is often used in schools that train professionals. This is an easy tool to personalize as it allows for subtle adjustments. You can create data for a variety of platforms. You can place images and text as you wish, so you can create simple designs.

It's multifunctional, so it takes a bit of getting used to operating it. There are many features to help beginners. There are plenty of digital art tools such as pens and brushes as well as color and black and white tones. This allows you to try different painting styles right from the start.

You can add pens, brushes, tones, etc. by downloading the data from the material site. The pen and brushes are highly flexible and customizable.

There is also the ability to create multiple pages, extract lines from photos, animations and more. If you want to create illustrations, cartoons, animations, etc., then it is the best option.

Photoshop

The champion of graphics software. It's software used by all professionals, including photographers, illustrators, animators and others. It is often introduced in design schools, and can export data for web, print, and movies in multiple ways. However, it is not a software specialized for illustrations or comics. There are many customization items available, so you can set it to your liking.

Since this software was originally designed for photo processing, it is good at adjusting color tones. It also supports the CMYK color mode used in printing. Overall, it is aimed at intermediate users and above, so the price is not cheap. In Japan, Photoshop Elements is also popular among young people, with its narrowed-down features.

FireAlpaca

Free software to draw color illustrations and cartoons. It has basic features such as analog-style brushes, and can be used in conjunction with other services. You can also make animated GIFs. Recommended for those who want to make simple color illustrations and animated GIFs.

Compared to paid software, there are fewer brushes and customization items. However, you can use pen and watercolor brushes, as well as rotational symmetry and other unique effects.

It also supports the frame layout function of comic panels, so you can create your own comics! It's simple in function, but allows you to create a variety of works of art.

Ibis Paint

This app is attracting a lot of attention in Japan right now. You can draw illustrations and manga for free on your smartphone or tablet. The operation screen has been designed with mobile devices in mind. In addition to the tone control, there is also a frame function and a full range of comic production features.

In the free version, ads are displayed and brush types are limited. By watching the ad video, you can use the same features as the paid version with a time limit.

When you purchase the paid version, the ads are removed and the brush restrictions are lifted. With a premium monthly membership, you get all the services of the paid version, plus exclusive filters for members.

MediBangPaint

This is a free and simple drawing tool. It is less flexible than the paid ones. It has basic features for drawing comics, such as frame and tone control. It's more of an app for color or black and white manga production than illustration.

Various cloud features are available, and over 1,000 different tones, fonts, etc., via the cloud. You can also save your work to the cloud to continue drawing in other environments. You will need to register and log in as a user to use these features. The pen and brushes are less flexible than with paid software.

It can be used in many environments, including computers, iPads, iPhones, and Android. You can share your work on Windows and macOS.

Kakooyo!

Kakooyo! is an app that allows everyone to share a single screen and enjoy collaborative work. It's a game like experience with a limited number of themes and time limits. You can share your work and videos of the creation process on the official website and Twitter. In addition, the process of creation can be streamed live on Kakooyo!

There are many other popular graphic apps available in Japan. Some of the most popular ones in the U.S. are Procreate, Illustrator, and Pixiv. More and more people are using Sketch, Krita and others.

From now on, anyone will be able to easily draw illustrations and comics and publish them on the internet.