Everything

[Neon Illustrations]

Hello, I'm new to Affinity Designer, I'm using Windows on my Surface Pro 6, I use my surface pro pen, I've done so much research but I can't understand this, I bought it of Affinity Store not on the Microsoft store, I use Medibang and  FireAlpaca , I'm used to Undoing buttons, Gradient tools, normal layers, Coloring Normally, and sketching, I've done as much research as possible, but I can only find stuff for people with ipads, For Ipad users Its way easier to use where I get so frustrated I can't do anything like I used to, I love this place I got it because it's said to be the best, I  wanted to use good brushes and be able to sketch without getting frustrated with the layers, I'm sorry but I would love some help with all this. 

-Fellow Affinity User

Surface Pro 6

Windows

[Butler To Cats]

Hello, and welcome!

I believe the Affinity Store version is identical to the Microsoft Store version, only the registration and update processes are different.

Note: Part of the reason you are probably having trouble is that, unlike FireAlpaca and Medibang Paint, Affinity Designer is, at its heart, a vector program rather than a paint (raster) program. There is a Pixel persona, which is more like your paint/sketch experience, a raster/paint environment within Designer. You could use only the Pixel persona, and create only pixel layers to paint onto, which would be more like FireAlpaca or Medibang Paint, but you would be missing out on much of the power of the Designer program. Choose between Personas by clicking on the Persona icons at the top. Here's a tutorial example of only working with the Pixel persona (credit: Frankentoon).

Oh, yeah, Personas - think of two artists working closely together, one cuts out pieces of paper and pieces of string and pastes them onto layers (the Draw persona), the other one (the Pixel persona) paints on those paper shapes or onto transparent layers (your previous experience). Each artist uses different tools and has different ways of working.
You've only ever worked with the Pixel persona in your paint programs, now you are also dealing with its more technical sibling, the Draw persona (draw as in using a pencil with various shaped rulers, or even scissors with paper, more or less, not draw as in freehand sketch). From a painting viewpoint, you might start by thinking of those vector objects as permanent selection areas - you are firstly creating your selection areas (vector shapes, pieces of paper), then manipulating them or painting onto (into) them - it's not exactly true, but it's one way to start thinking in vectors.

If you've made good use of the curve snap, panel material, and panel tools in FireAlpaca and Medibang Paint, those are a couple of baby steps into vectors.

Working with vectors, the Draw persona, can be incredibly powerful once you've got your head around it, then combine it with raster tools - see a similar approach in video here (both examples by Frankentoon  (Enrique Figueroa) - I'm a big fan of his work, tutorials, and brushes - hmm, the Gallery is broken for me at the moment). 

A few starting points:

• Affinity Designer official (Serif) tutorials (for the desktop version, not the iPad)
• The Affinity Designer Workbook (available in print only, no ebook)- information and project-based tutorials for the desktop (not iPad) version
• The free vector inking chapter from the paid but not expensive Advanced Illustration ebook (yes, Frankentoon again)
• 2 hour, 42 minute tutorial on YouTube
• There are several Affinity Designer courses on paid platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, etc

Points you mentioned:

• The undo equivalent is Ctrl+Z or Edit menu > Undo, or use the History Panel to pick any point to undo to (you could multiple undo with a single click) or use the History slider. No, there is no undo button.
• The gradient fills are very powerful (not just linear or  circular, multiple colours, and you can edit them at any stage of your artwork, not only when you first create them).
• You still have "normal" layers in the Layers panel (they are labelled "Layer"), but it also shows each object on that layer - instead of "painting" on a layer (remember, you can still do that), a lot of the time you're sticking many paper cutout shapes , or strands of wool or wire, "onto" (into?) the layer, and you can still have access to any one of them (you can also paint on them).
• Colouring "normally" - you could create a new Pixel layer, change to the Pixel persona, then paint as "normal", as shown in previous links, or you can learn to do it the vector way: first you create a coloured shape with your vector tools (it's like a selection already filled with a base colour), maybe change it to a gradient or other fill rather than a flat colour, then maybe paint onto that shape.
• Sketching: Probably use the Pixel persona for that.