What is Digital Illustration\Digital Drawing?
Digital illustration or computer illustration is the use of digital tools to produce images under the direct manipulation of the artist, usually through a pointing device such as a tablet or a mouse. It is distinguished from computer-generated art, which is produced by a computer using mathematical models created by the artist. It is also distinct from digital manipulation of photographs, in that it is an original construction “from scratch”. (Photographic elements may be incorporated into such works, but they are not necessarily the primary basis.
Popular tools to design a Digital Illustration/Drawing
Paint Tool Sai
PaintTool SAI is a painting solution by Systemax ideal for various illustrations such as cartoons and animes. The program has a simple interface and comes with easy-to-use tools. It is not complicated like its competition and still manages to keep the advanced features and functionalities other similar tools offer.
Medibang Paint
MediBang Paint Pro is a free digital painting and comic creation software. It’s available for Windows and Mac. You can also download the mobile version and share the same cloud. That way, you can transport your work from PC to your mobile device. Even though it’s free it comes loaded with a LOT of features
Adobe Photoshop CC
Adobe Photoshop is the most popular photo editing software around. It is the industry standard today and is used by professionals and hobbyists alike.
Although Photoshop best know for photo editing and enhancement, this software also has painting capabilities using either your laptop, desktop, or mobile devices (Adobe Sketch).
Adobe Illustrator
Another well-known software package in the Adobe Creative Suite is Illustrator. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator have a lot in common but their differences are bigger than their similarities.
Photoshop is based on pixels while Illustrator works using vectors. Vectors are scalable images that can be sized as small or as large are you need them to be, but look the same when it comes to clarity and resolution.
Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is a vector graphics editor designed as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator. It could be easily dismissed as another cheap graphics program aimed at amateurs, but it was created specifically for professional designers accustomed to working in a Mac environment.
Inkscape
Another great alternative for Adobe Illustrator on the list is Inkscape. Whether you are an illustrator, designer, web designer, or just someone who needs to create some vector imagery, Inkscape is also a great option for you!
Procreate
Procreate is the most powerful and intuitive digital illustration app available for the iPad. Earlier I’ve switched away from the Adobe Draw, to the Procreate when doing my illustrations as it’s been recommended to me by a lot of artists that I admire. And I totally love it and it has become my personal favorite among all the software I know right now.
Autodesk Sketchbook
Autodesk Sketchbook is another of the classic generation of graphics programs and it has found itself overlapping a number of different tools in terms of functionality.
Corel Painter
Corel Painter is a raster-based digital art application created to simulate as accurately as possible the appearance and behavior of traditional media associated with drawing, painting, and printmaking. It is intended to be used in real-time by other digital artists as a functional creative tool.
ArtRage
ArtRage is a popular digital painting and drawing tool from Ambient Design Ltd for both desktop and mobile devices. Originally launched as a hobbyist tool, it’s become increasingly professional over the years. And that trend has continued with the release of ArtRage 5 for Windows and macOS.