While many digital art software programs include basic drawing tools, you'll want a vector-based package specifically for drawing. Vector-based software lets you use geometric shapes (circles, polygons, octagons) to draw your images with precision and offers a range of drawing tools and effects. Used in conjunction with a digital pen and tablet, it's possible to do all of your basic drawing with a vector-based program.
Art software programs give digital artists filters and brushes for creating fine art images. The effects typically include charcoal pencil, oil paint, pencil sketch, pen and ink and other fine art mediums. Art Rage and Corel Paint are examples of this type of software. These programs can be used with a traditional mouse, simply by clicking a tool and applying an effect to your image. You can also use a digital mouse pen to more closely emulate the act of painting or drawing.
Brushes and layers can be downloaded and plugged into your art software to extend the program's capabilities. Many artists create special brushes, filters and layers and either sell them or give them away. These elements are made for specific programs, such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements or GIMP and can be used to extend the functionality of the software they are designed to work with.
Three-dimensional image editing and model building software is useful for digital artists. This type of software uses wires frames and a selection of digital materials artists can use to build 3-D characters and settings. Not all digital artists work in this medium, but if you do art work for games, movies or simply want to experiment with dimension in your art, you may want to use a 3-D program such as Mudbox, Daz or Poser.