1: ArtRage: small program, doesn't hog system resources. But for me, it's too clumsy. The brush controls are thick and counter intuitive. There is a free version and an inexpensive $25 US shareware version.
2: Corel PainterX: pretty good all round painting program. Anyone who has used any older PaintShop Pro programs will feel right at home, as the tool bar layout and keyboard short cuts are still the same. Many good brushes and tools makes for good results. There are some plugins available too. Expensive price tag of $349 US will put off most newbies.
3: Adobe PhotoShop CS3: Comes with many tools and many brushes, and also has importable brushes. Can also use a lot of the Alien Skin plugins. I would suggest this program for the experienced digital painter, as beginners could easily be overwhelmed. It's a great program, but the price tag of $649 and $999 US will put most people off.
3a: Adobe Illustrator: Comes with many templates, swatches, shapes and brushes, All the functionality of PhotoShop, but less photograph centered and more drawing/painting. It is a little less expensive than Photoshop, but not by much at $599 US.(I have CS2 that I got years ago, the latest is CS3)
4: TwistedBrush Pro Studio: Easy to set up, easy to use, whether a newbie or experienced digital painter. There are many brushes, pencils, chalk, pen, and object brushes. Art filters and effects are included with the software. I have found this to be the hands down winner overall. Compared to the cost of Corel and Adobe, the $119 US price tag will attract not only the experienced digital painter, but will not be too much of a shocker for the beginner.
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