Interview with Jess M

Published    31st December, 2013

Do you paint professionally or as a hobby artist?

I don’t know how to answer that. I have always painted, I don’t consider it a hobby, but not a job either. Sometimes it’s paid, and most of the time it
isn’t. But I always enjoy drawing.

When and how did you end up trying digital painting for the first time?

My first experience with digital painting was 4 years ago, more or less. At the beginning it was strange for me, but immediately I saw the benefits of
digital color. Although I still use traditional techniques for drawing, the color is 100% digital.

What is it that makes you choose digital over traditional painting? Or do you still prefer traditional means, and if so, why?

I can’t choose only one, both have their advantages that are irreplaceable, so I choose both.

How did you first find out about open source communities? What is your opinion about them?

When I left Windows I started to look for free and open source alternatives for the software that I had been using. Whenever there is a FOSS alternative I will choose it. I think that is necessary to support this kind of projects.

Have you worked for or contributed to any FOSS project?

No, I have never worked in one, but I try to support the projects that are interesting for me.

How did you find about Krita?

By accident. I was looking for an image editor and I decided to try Krita; then I realized that it was so much better for drawing and digital painting.

How was your first take on it?

I liked it so much. It seemed to me so fluid, intuitive, and funny for improvisation. In fact, the best things I’ve made until now with Krita were
improvisations.

What do you love about Krita?

That it is an intuitive program, and the huge variety of brushes and styles.

What do you think needs improvement in Krita? Also, something you really hate?

Until now I haven’t seen anything that needs improvement in my little time of using Krita, but I suppose that support for more formats would be good.

In your opinion, what sets Krita apart from the other tools that you use?

In my case, I wanted a good program for drawing, coloring and also a program that allows image editing. Moreover, that it was open source. And I didn’t find anything better than Krita.