I'm new to desktop Artrage (Vitae is my first version), have had the Android app for longer. Posts about the Microsoft Store make me almost feel guilty for buying it there (they didn't make it easy to spend my money in their buggy store). I've used Clip Studio Paint, which is excellent for everything but natural color blending and real time interaction with the canvas. I also own Rebelle 3, tried the demo version of 5. It seemed funny that they justify their price hike largely with brush engine and canvas interaction features that Artrage always had. Rebelle is impressive, but it's a resource hog that can easily bring many computers to the brink.

I can't help noticing that old Artrage tutorials are still relevant because the interface has not changed as much as in some apps. Daniel Ibanez, the YouTube guy who introduced me to Artrage in the first place, confirms that most of the new features in Vitae are under the hood, more efficiency with larger files, faster saving, fewer crashes. Some Artrage features that may be ho-hum for many here are still exciting for me. Also, I like a fairly simple interface that is learnable and stays out of the way, especially with the tab key. The project I'm trying to do is a series of illustrations for a songbook, I'm a hobbyist songwriter and wannabe artist. Several softwares and approaches could be good choices, but simulation of natural media seems the way to go at this point.

Facebook, or Farcebook, gives you instant feedback, but topics are lost in the flood of new posts, it's all a bit disjointed. It's been over a week, and my first post wasn't approved yet. Anyway, I'm looking forward to being part of this community.