ArtRage

I’ve used ArtRage for at least 12 years in total, beginning with the desktop version in 2014-2015ish before I switched to the mobile version in 2020. At this point, I don’t know if it’s a genuinely good program or if I’ve just used it for so long that I’ve grown used to all of its quirks. I wish I could group layers, so I can save myself the wasted time of merging layer after layer after layer. I wish there were an actual blur tool like in the desktop version so I don’t have to use a custom knife tool I made to sort of create a blur effect. I wish the app didn’t crash if you switch to another app while it’s open. I wish it didn’t lag whenever you zoom in or out on big canvases with a lot going on. People ask me what program I use and whenever I explain that I use ArtRage, it comes with a lot of clarifications—I wouldn’t really recommend it, it hasn’t been properly updated in years, and it’s not really worth your $5. But am I emotionally attached to it? Absolutely. Has it served me well from my terrible early days of digital art to the much better work I make today? Debatable, but I would say yes. However much I complain, I know, perhaps with some dread, that the day I switch to another drawing app is the day ArtRage dies. The real question is whether they’ll ever update it again…

All artwork is showing as the ArtRage icon after the IOS 18 update :(