ArtRage

Seriously?

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…