Does color theory count?
I started drawing digitally some years ago, but my rate of improvement was quite slow, and at one point I quit trying to draw for an entire year due to frustration with my inability to pick up coloring in a single week. What I drew here is by no means top-class, but when I started I never imagined being good enough for even this.
I wish to keep improving this skill forever, but alas, drawing Lenins will not put food on the table. Although I wonder if one day I'll be skilled enough for my drawings to actually do that.
By the way, I wish to rant about outlines for a bit. When I started drawing I initially attempted to replicate an anime-ish style, however, what always stood in the way is the "lineart phase" after the sketch phase. I was never able to get it right, and I always thought it was a waste of time anyway because the sketch itself always looked much more lively, not just that, BUT OUTLINES DON'T EXIST IN REAL LIFE! But hey, at least now I can draw anime girls too, I guess.
Thank you.
Since getting my first tablet back in 2020 I always used Krita, initially on principle as to not even dignify adobe photoshop with a pirated installation, but I learned over time to appreciate Krita for what it offers.
Krita is free to download, open source and frequently updated with new features. It might not have the fanciest functions of photoshop but it has parity with all the functions that matter for digital illustration. As a plus it even has basic animation tools if you wish to have fun with those.
Compared to SAI I would say it is an objective improvement, compared to photoshop I would say it is much more user friendly, sadly I never tried GIMP so I can't compare it.
you're the second person I've had recommend kitra to me, i'll get over the hurdle of learninh a new program, thanks comrade!