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Drawing program for Mac?

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Dec 27, 2003
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My dad is looking to make some simple drawings. He has a few Mac Draw files he'd like to update.

He has Illustrator but has absolutely very idea how to use it.

Can anyone recommend a simple, cheap or free program?

Tiger compatible.
 
EazyDraw and Intaglio are analogous to Illustrator in that they're vector graphics applications, but much less expensive. Inkscape is available for free but requires XWindows and is prone to a number of maladies.
 
IMO, a much better investment is Illustrator: Classroom in a Book (Adobe Press) and/or some evening classes because it'll all open up for him and he'll then be using a piece of software, the possibilities of which will grow with his understanding.

There'll come a point with low-end software that he'll want to do something he can't do.
 
Good thought, but...

Blue Velvet said:
IMO, a much better investment is Illustrator: Classroom in a Book (Adobe Press) and/or some evening classes because it'll all open up for him and he'll then be using a piece of software, the possibilities of which will grow with his understanding.

There'll come a point with low-end software that he'll want to do something he can't do.
Click to expand...

I would normally agree, but he just doesn't have the time. When I lived nearby, just convincing him to switch to InDesign from Pagemaker took some work.

He's computer literate, but just not that artistic enough to even use 1% of what Illustrator can do. Hell, I know how to use the program but have only scratched about 2% of its capabilities.

I just want a program like MS Paint. Simple and stupid. He probably just wants to draw lines through pictures.
 
The primary benefit of sticking with Illustrator (or any big-name program) is the plethora of training resources available.

Classroom In a Book is obviously great. I prefer the videos at Lynda.com. But, aside from formal, for-purchase resources, you can pretty much search Google for anything you want to do, and come up with an answer.
 
For vector artwork, use the basic drawing tools in Office or iWork.

For photos, use iPhoto.

For general pixel-editing, use Seashore.

If your dad has simple needs and no time to learn programs, these simple tools are adequate and easy.
 
Paintbrush looks good for a simple drawings, but if he is thinking about turning digital painting into a bit of a hobby, I've seen a good review about Art Rage over on MacWorld. Full version is only $25 and there is a free starter version there:

http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.html
 
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