Well, I've finally got what I've been saving and dreaming of for a long time!!!!
Last year we had to update our computer, and this year I've been saving for a Wacom Tablet. Our Anniversary, was on a Saturday, and Hubby had to get someone to cover his spot on the line, so we could actually spend it together. Not only did he get the 2nd Saturday all Spring off, but he wanted to take me shopping. I wasn't doing so well and thought we'd just spend the day in and resting, but he said NOPE gotta take you shopping. I asked several times what store, as we needed all groceries, etc. He wouldn't tell me though. We ended up at Best Buy, and he lead me to their Tablet area, and said...."well you been saving, and you got $***, to spend....what do we get ya?"
So I got a Wacom Intuos Pro, with the drawing size of 8.5 by 5 - half sheet of paper, and the 8 buttons and pressure sensitivity!
It works okay with Inkscape, but I've yet to figure out how to get the eraser working in GIMP.
A while ago I was looking at the apps for the iPad minis, and ended up downloading ArtRage Demo for the laptop. I've been tinkering with it in painting portraits from my nieces wedding, & I think am about ready to buy.
PLUS they are having a Summer Sale! 50% off.....
Anyone else use ArtRage with a Wacom tablet and stylus?
Specifically, I'd love to figure out how to program a button for one of the menu items? .... But it doesn't have a shortcut to load, and I'm not sure how to set a button except with a shortcut.
I'd also thought it'd be great to have a thread for ArtRage, if anyone is using it.
ArtRage looks like a fun program to learn. Enjoy your tablet.
Hi Laura,
I hope you won't be too disappointed, because I have no idea how to solve your problem with ArtRage. As a matter of fact, I didn't even know it existed - and now that I looked at it I am very impressed with what your talents must be to work with this! I tried working with a digi tablet about 15 years ago and found that my drawing skills were lessened by what was possible technologically. And to lessen my drawing skills is not an easy feat, I'm terrible!
You don't say whether you have contacted the ArtRage team yet whether re-programming or creating menu items/buttons is possible at all. Maybe it isn't and they will be picking up on your idea for the next version? Just wondering, because usually you can find something in the forums.
I do hope that there are other people here in this nice community to join forces with you.
Last but not least I thought I'd give "thumbs up!" for your very considerate dear hubby! How sweet of him to take you on a very special shopping trip when you weren't feeling well.
Let us know how you're getting on!
All the best from Germany, Stef
ArtRage makes awesome glitter papers! Like super realistic...I'd just want the program just for making glitter sheets! lol
I know nothing about the program...but have seen results and they are awesome!
I hope you get your issue figured out!
@Stef Mohrmann: I hear you on the drawing...I worked for Computer Services for a large Educational Master's Organization, back in the late 1980's and at that point we had just a few scanners. The first time I got to work with a graphics tablet was two Christmas's ago. My nephew had one, but didn't have his computer working, so I tried it on my old laptop - 9-10 years old at that point. After a whole afternoon of trying to get the "feel of it" I returned it to him. He was all excited, "so how did you like it?" Couldn't figure it out, my system had to much lag time for it to work. So I didn't even think about getting one until after we replaced the laptop last summer.
The menu assignment to a button, is probably a Wacom/ tablet item issue...as there's not a keystroke assigned to it within the ArtRage.
@Racehl Zacherl: I'm playing just a bit with the glitter at your suggestion!
@Laura: ArtRage is a fantastic program. I've been using it heavily for my element design over the last few months' blog trains. Honestly, I haven't tried any special binds to my Wacom's keys, other than Ctrl-Z. (I've got all of 4 buttons on the Bamboo Pen & Touch I've had for like 5 years.) I'm not sure if it's possible to bind something that doesn't have a shortcut, but even if it's not, ArtRage is worth the money at full price and is a fantastic value if it's on sale.
I was never able to get into painting before--real-world supplies (other than ones intended for kindergartners) are just too expensive to be mucking around with when the budget is hovering just below poverty level. I've tried in Photoshop, and I could never make anything look right--it was either too childlike or too perfect. ArtRage's tools and engine have allowed me to turn out the stuff I want to. Here's a look back at the last few months' progress in my painting ability. (I'm linking all images to 1000-px versions for better looks.)
April blog train: Elements made in ArtRage (was just starting out with the program then). Experimenting with art-journal style. This was pretty rough and not to my usual standards, but I've gotta learn sometime, ya know?
I made a ton of papers to go with the train, though. Splatters and halftone grunge and butterfly done in Photoshop, but the rest was initial baby steps in ArtRage.
May blog train: papers and most elements made in ArtRage, with additional flowers and tags and journal cards finished in Photoshop. Started a tradition of making several "wow" elements for each kit, as in "wow, -I- painted that?" This month's were the DSLR, cappucino, and the tree and tire swing. Still relatively inexperienced with ArtRage at this point, but clearly improving! I used the camera sitting on my desk for reference, but the rest was totally from recall/imagination.
June blog train: Back to just elements (plus two glitter papers) made in ArtRage as I wanted to use some of my Photoshop brushes to create the delicate papers. "Wow" elements were (to me) the recognizable Airbus A380 airplane, the register office, the horse-drawn carriage, the rose, and I managed to paint people who weren't absolute cartoons! I did use reference images for most of those, but I needed to focus on learning to paint better. It took WAY too long to draw the realistic things, especially with all the detail I put into them, but they turned out really neat-looking anyway.
July blog train: Everything but word art made in ArtRage so far! (Patterned papers were made with elements made in ArtRage, but I put them in a pattern in Photoshop...other than that, totally ArtRage)
I don't have element previews even started yet, but you get some idea of them in the second set. Lines are still a little uneven, but that's perfect with this theme/style--but I have found the ink pen's smoothing control in ArtRage, which actually helps by partially straightening out wobbles in the line! I'm not talking just blurring the edges of what I drew, but actually re-drawing the line I MEANT to draw. Learning a lot more with shading this month, too, and that's all paint and not PS dodge/burn.
@Stef: My drawing abilities were pretty lousy for anything but drafting, too. I still can't draw worth snot in Photoshop, either, but ArtRage makes me look good. I'm working with an inexpensive ($99 in 2010) Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch, so I don't have any great tablet...and tablets do take some getting used to in order to learn how to draw with them, but you can tell from my previews above that it's been well worth the effort for me.
Their summer sale may now be over, as I didn't get me order in, and can't find it on the website now.
But I did declare this portrait finished, as I had a deadline.
Not sure why it's not showing from flickr, but I do think it's linked for a click through. (sorry still learning flickr.)
Oh wow...that's amazing!
Per their customer service (and tested on Win7 64-bit): If you've gotten a copy though Steam as I did, you can run the .EXE directly as well--it doesn't require Steam running or logged in to run ArtRage fully.
@Laura: While looking for something else, I discovered how to set keyboard shortcuts for things ArtRage doesn't already have established shortcuts for. Instructions on this page: https://www.artrage.com/faqs/artrage-4-keyboard-commands/
Hopefully that'll help answer your original question and let you create a keyboard shortcut that you can then access with a tablet button!!!
Really impressed with your parents' portrait, Laura! Congratulations!
And it's interesting to see your progression all in one place, Holly - you really are improving in leaps and bounds!
@Robyn Denton Thanks....still learning the program, and I still have things I would like to tweak on the painting....lol. I've always been that way.
@Holly Wolf Thanks for looking that up for me! I've got it set now. The only trouble I ran into is that my Wacom device is saying that I've got two ArtRage Programs, I'm thinking one was the demo and the second is the full program after I purchased, so now I need to make sure I move over the buttons I programed from the demo edition.
Love how both the Wacom device and ArtRage seem to have some quality people programing for them!
I was actually trying to find something else, but spotted that and my brain said "hey, wasn't someone looking for how to set a button for something that didn't have a keystroke? DETOUR!!"...and then I forgot what I was looking for by the time I posted that link for you, lol!
ArtRage's people are pretty awesome, from what I can see--they actually participate in their own forums and comment on artworks that users post there! Customer service got back to me via email within 4 hours when I had a question, as well. And Wacom...well, they've got about 30 years of listening to graphics people request improvements for their tablet software, so it's pretty much top-shelf as far as user interface and configurability go. Definitely a pair of companies who will continue to get money from me when I need upgrades in a few years.
Well, I'm extremely satisfied in how I spent my money!
Would also be interested in hearing what things you're learn in ArtRage!
Working on getting better with watercolors this month. Discovering that the presets are pretty awesome.
Also did some stuff with the symmetry controls for a couple of papers, and they turned out great. (Spent a day drawing some really cool snowflakes, too, while I was learning the ins and outs of it!)
Out of town for a week for grandma's funeral, but I did a passable item in ArtRage for Android on my phone, while on the flight!
I've not gotten the app for my iPad mini, but I don't know that I would use it much. But the App was how I first found out about them.
Holly have you played with adjusting the Paper Wet, Insta-Dry and the Auto Clean - toggling off and on. Sometimes I like to use the water cup and control the brush cleaning myself.
Yes, I've played with all of those. The paper wet is really nice when I want to do more blending on something (like this month), the insta-dry is great for fine detail work, and auto-clean is handy for more blending as well.
Replies might be a little slow over the next few days--I'm 800 miles from where I live as I need to be here for grandma's funeral. (No condolences--she was 92 and had dementia, so it's really a blessing for her to be at peace.)