If you’re a creator in the virtual world space — or just someone who loves digital art — there’s a good chance you’ve already dabbled with heavy-hitters like Photoshop or GIMP. But today, we’re shining the spotlight on a lesser-known gem that’s making major waves: Krita.

Yes, it’s free. No, it’s not a toy.

Krita is a professional-grade, open-source painting program that rivals the best in the industry — and in some cases, it outpaces them. Built by artists for artists, Krita is tailored for illustrators, concept artists, matte painters, and anyone passionate about drawing, painting, or texturing. It’s smooth, powerful, intuitive — and best of all, accessible to everyone.

🖌️ What Makes Krita So Special?

• Advanced Brush Engine – Krita comes loaded with over 100 professionally crafted brushes, but the real power lies in its brush customization. You can tweak over 9 brush engines to create exactly the feel you’re going for — from natural media to crisp technical ink lines.
• Stunning Layer Management – Krita’s layer system is no slouch. From masks and filters to groupings and blending modes, it brings the power you’d expect from a top-tier platform, minus the price tag.
• Wrap-Around Mode – Perfect for creating seamless textures, Krita’s tileable painting view is a must-have for virtual world designers working on 3D surfaces and environment art.
• Built-In Animation Tools – Yep, you read that right. Krita includes a timeline and onion-skinning tools for 2D frame-by-frame animation. Seriously.
• HDR Painting, Python Scripting, and More – Krita’s for pros and power users too, with support for HDR monitors, LUTs, and a full scripting interface for custom workflows.

🌍 Why It Belongs in the Virtual World Creator’s Toolkit

If you’re a member of the There.com creative community or just exploring tools that play nicely with Blender, GMAX, or Substance 3D Painter, Krita is a perfect addition to your arsenal. It’s lightweight, endlessly flexible, and brilliantly suited for painting textures, designing user interfaces, or crafting virtual clothing and decor.

And because it’s open-source, Krita is constantly evolving—with real community feedback, rapid development, and no hidden paywalls.

🚀 Get Started

Ready to dive in? You can download Krita free at krita.org. It’s available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Whether you’re crafting avatars, modding your zone, or building next-level textures for your virtual environment, Krita delivers the power, freedom, and polish to get it done right.