FireAlpaca

FireAlpaca is a free painting program for Windows and Mac.

Let’s face it, most free paint programs aren’t all that great – but FireAlpaca is! With this app you get everything you want in a paint program without all the fluff and photo-editing stuff you get in other freeware like GIMP.

Less bloat makes the program a breeze to use, and it’s been designed from the ground up to offer everything you need to get started. Crisp watercolor rendering, airbrushes, pencils, pens and other particle brushes are built right into the program – and you won’t have to pay extra to access new features as they’re added either.

Mac users already know the struggles of finding good free paint software, but with FireAlpaca you’ll get the same great program loaded with features and functionality. It’s also lightweight and fast, so even if your machine is a little older you won’t suffer the usual “screen lag” you might get with premium programs like Corel Painter or Photoshop.

Aside from being fast and easy to use, we love the customization options that are included with the program – you can even create your own brushes! The process works a lot like Photoshop and GIMP’s brush creation feature, and the developer’s website has a nice little tutorial that will help you get started in minutes.

One thing that really sets the program apart from other free illustration and painting software are the included comic templates. You’ll be able to choose from single panel, multi-panel, and even full-page comic templates and easily crop existing work to fit within the smart boxes.

It’s important to note that FireAlpaca was originally a Japanese program, but it’s being actively translated in over ten languages and the language support for English, Spanish, and Chinese are rather good!

On the whole there’s a lot to love about FireAlpaca. It’s freeware, offers full touch and tablet input support (even support for HUION devices!), customization options and lots of goodies that can save digital artists and designers lots of time and money – so check it out today!

Pros

• It’s Free! If you’re a digital artist or designer, you know how hard it is to find great free software for both PC and Mac that not only has lots of features but great support – FireAlpaca has both.
• Infinitely Customizable The software is easy to use, but advanced users can change everything from how the workspace looks, how brushes behave, and even create their own templates, brushes and filters too.
• Amazing Perspective Tools Create more realistic works that are true to life with FireAlpaca’s included perspective snap tools.

Cons

• Not Available in All Languages It’s important to note that some languages may not be supported, but most are. You can check the developer's website to find out more information about what languages are supported.