MyPaint

MyPaint Review

MyPaint is a noteworthy open-source digital painting application that has carved out a niche for itself among artists who value natural media simulation and a streamlined workflow. Its primary focus is on providing a fluid and intuitive painting experience, especially when paired with a graphics tablet.

One of MyPaint's most compelling features is its brush engine. It's not just a collection of predefined brushes; it's a deep and flexible system that allows for extensive customization. Users can tweak numerous parameters – from brush size and opacity to jitter, blending modes, and texture application – to create brushes that behave remarkably like traditional media. The default brush pack is also quite good, offering a decent starting point the mimics pencils, charcoal, ink, and various paint types.

The infinite canvas is another standout feature. Unlike applications that require you to define canvas dimensions upfront, MyPaint provides a seemingly endless workspace. This is particularly useful for sketching and exploratory drawing, as you never need to worry about hitting the edge of the document. It fosters a sense of freedom and spontaneity that can be quite liberating for artists.

Layer support is fundamental to digital art workflows, and MyPaint implements it competently. While perhaps not as feature-rich as some industry-standard applications in terms of blend modes or layer styles, it provides the essential layer management needed for non-destructive editing, organizing elements, and iterating on ideas.

The user interface of MyPaint tends towards minimalism, which can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it reduces clutter and keeps the focus on the artwork. On the other hand, finding some options might require a bit of exploration initially. However, the interface is dockable, allowing users to arrange panels and toolbars to their preference, which adds a layer of customization.

Performance and Stability

Performance is generally good, even with complex brushes and larger canvases (or infinite ones). MyPaint is designed to be responsive, and it typically handles pressure sensitivity from tablets without noticeable lag. Stability is also decent, though as with any software, occasional issues can arise. Being open-source, development is ongoing, with improvements and bug fixes released periodically.

Areas for Improvement

While MyPaint excels at freehand painting and sketching, it is less feature-rich in other areas often found in more comprehensive image editing software. For instance, advanced selection tools, text tools for typography, vector capabilities, or complex photo manipulation features are not its focus. It is fundamentally a painting program, and users looking for a swiss-army-knife creative suite might need to complement MyPaint with other software.

File format support is primarily focused on OpenRaster (.ora), which is an open standard for layered images, and also supports importing/exporting to PNG and JPG. While functional, broader support for formats like PSD would be beneficial, although plugins might extend this in some cases.

Conclusion

MyPaint is an excellent tool for digital painters and sketch artists, particularly those who appreciate a natural media feel and work with graphics tablets. Its powerful and customizable brush engine, coupled with the infinite canvas, provides a unique and enjoyable creative experience. While it may lack some of the broader features found in larger creative suites, it delivers exceptionally well on its core promise: providing a fast, intuitive, and effective environment for digital painting. It's a valuable addition to any digital artist's toolkit, especially for its focus on the tactile feel of drawing and painting.