Surface Studio Calligraphy apps

Question

I'm thinking about buying a Surface Studio to mainly pratice Vietnamese and Chinese calligraphy. I'm using Procreate and Zen Brush 2 on my Ipad Pro now and they are pretty good. Do you know any Windows apps or software that are similar or better than those and that I can use on the Surface Studio ? This is the main factor for me to buy the device. Thanks

Answer 1

By the looks of the programs you list, all you need is a paint program and Windows comes with one "Paint" along with "Sketch" that is launched from the taskbar - both come with Windows and the later is activated on devices with a pen.

The Store app has several programs and a lot of them are free to include Fresh Paint.

Check those out.

Microsoft is developing a 3D variant of "Paint" called "Paint 3D" which is in preview right now for insiders and it replaces "Paint" when installed.

Along with the Studio, probably suggest to also get the tip kit for the pen to get different strokes.

Answer 2

Thanks for answering. I know there are many painting softwares in Windows. However, what I'm looking for is one specializing in calligraphy, which can imitate the Chinese writing brushes like the one you can see in Zen Brush 2. It would be teriffic for the big surface studio.

Answer 3

There is one app in the Store from ZinStudio which is "free" but I looked at their web site and there is a question mark on it.  If you have a Windows 10 computer, launch the Store and in the search box, type in "calligraphy" (without quotes) and you will see five apps.  The one with a Chinese publisher is it.

The Apple stylus "Pencil" has the feature of tilting it to widen the stroke and you maybe better off sticking with it.  The pen on Surface devices rely on pressure to widen the stroke and you can get the tip kit (pretty cheap) that has different tips to use but not sure if that will really work without a lot of experimenting.

Apple has a plus in regards to the Pencil (I have an iPad Pro with the Pencil as well) and it was engineered to do what it is you want to do.

I would say before spending any money is look around for any stores that will stock the Studio and see if they will have a demo model to try out.  That is a pretty expensive machine to buy and later find out it will not do what you want.

You can also look at what both Adobe and Corel has to offer as well.  They have real good PC software (but pricey).

http://www.adobe.com

http://www.corel.com

Answer 4

Thanks.

Answer 5

Hi Crystal,

I am excited to see your interest in the Microsoft Surface Studio. I wanted to go into a little more detail about a few features on the device that will benefit you. The surface pen included with this device has 1,024 different pressure sensors for drawing and writing. This has provided many users with the feeling that they are actually writing on a piece of paper. When resting your hand on the screen, you will experience a natural feel you find familiar with drawing and writing. This device is a fully functional, powerful machine with the added benefit of being a full-fledged studio drawing tablet. There is an optional pen tip kit that you can purchase online which provides different coverage and a more traditional pen or pencil feeling. This computer has a 4.5k resolution screen, and the definition is something you truly must see to believe.

There is an application that you can find directly on the Microsoft Store that I think you would find of interest. It is called “Plumbago, a Microsoft Garage Project” While I have not personally used this application, it has had great reviews, and I personally believe that it ties right in to what you are looking for. This application features a smooth and realistic ink and paper experience.