JUMP PAINT IS LIKE THE BETTER, FREE, APPLE-FRIENDLY VERSION OF PAINT-TOOL SAI.
Quick backstory: 4 years ago, I had a Samsung laptop that has since died. But on that laptop is where I did most of my digital art. And to create that art, I used #PaintToolSai. Well, that laptop went and died like I mentioned it had, and so I went and bought an adorable macbook air. And, as you all know, Sai isn’t available for any apple products... D:
This was fine, at first, because over the past four years I’ve been working on completing a BS in Biochemistry. However, now that said B.S. is wrapping up, I’ve spent the past 7 or 8 months looking into how I can get that nice, smooth line work that I achieved with little to no work in Sai.
Over the past month, I have literally beat myself over the head trying to find tool presets and brushes, and when I found ones that I thought would aid my quest for Sai-like-smoothness, I spent a bit on them. I’m sure I didn’t exceed $100, but I probably got just under that.
Fast forward to last night. I’m in the #ArtReference tag, and I come across a post by @based-drawing-refs that mentions a free software by @medibangpaint called JumpPaint. It seemed neat, and it was free, so I took the plunge.
It’s literally awesome, especially for freeware.
It has two modes for a new file: choose to make an illo, or choose to draw a manga. From the illo choice, it’s pretty cut and dry: you’re taken to a new file and go from there. Alternatively, if you choose to draw a manga, the app offers up different templates for western comic or eastern manga.
Not to get bogged down in details, but my favorite parts about the program are the snap perspective features, and the smoothness that the correction bar offers to linework, and how natural the pen/brush tools feel.
The lineart for the above frustrated drawing was done in #JumpPaint, and because you can save as a .psd, colored in PhotoShop (gotta get my money's worth from those brushes).
If you read this far, I’m impressed. I hope this helps anyone else that was looking for a SAI alternative!
andulkaphoto
kianamaiart
dailybridgerton