Art Set plus Sketchbook Pro Together? Refreshing!

So I like Art Set but to be honest, it falls a little flat when it comes to adding layers and such. I like sketchbook but to be honest, Art Set is so much more fun with the way you can just click on a crayon and a marker and such.. So...

So, I came up with a method that uses the best of both iPad app worlds! 

How very REFRESHING!

First, I create the image in Årt Set. I take it as far as it can go. Then, when I feel I just can't take the image any further, I open it in Sketchbook Pro. I add layers and stamps and bring even more life into the Art Set version.

Bringing iPad Illustrations to Life

So last week I downloaded Art Set for the iPad which is a lot like drawing on paper... but not really. In fact, it's hardly anything like drawing on paper. Only at the time, I didn't really realize that.

So I was like, wow, this is so much fun I should make some paper and then do a real mixed media drawing.

I pasted a bunch of newspapers together with a nice mixture of flour and water. Then I got out all my mixed media supplies.. colored pencils, crayons, markers, a little paint.. just like Art Set. Sure, right.

I thought the best way to really compare the real supplies with Art Set would be to copy one of the drawings I did with Art Set. I liked the way the Zonkey came out so...

First of all, the paper in Art Set doesn't rip if you press too hard with the colored pencils. Also, you don't need to wait for the paint to dry. Also, you can use any tool you want on top of another in Art Set. Not so in real life.

Put I kept at it.

trying different things.

And now I think I'm done. 

IDK there is a certain allure to the real stuff. But I like the Art Set version better. I might have to try another real one. Or take the Art Set image to Kinkos and blow it up real big. Now, that would be cool!

Making Paper

I've been having so much fun with drawing on my ipad using Art Set. I like the look of the mixed media... crayons, paint, marker, etc.. even if it is on a computer.  I thought I should try giving it  go on real paper.  The problem with doing one for real, no paper. 

And I could go to the store and buy a nice sheet of that cool paper that costs like 7 bucks a slice. But then again, who has 7 bucks? And if i did have 7 bucks ... do you know how many Roo Runs* that would be? 

So I'm sitting in my studio looking at some paper mache stuff I've been working on and i thought, wow, this might make really cool paper. So I go out a square piece of installation board and layered a bunch of old fishing newspaper pages with a nice mixture of flour and water. 

Now we wait till it dries. Stay tuned!!

*a Roo Run is a term that describes the event of going to the Kangaroo Gas Station to get a 25 cent refill in your Roo Cup. Click here for more on Roo Cups.

My Best Bark on Art Set

Two more illustrations using Art Set, the iPad app that works like a box of crayons. I like the feature that allows the drawing to be duplicated. This way if you getto a point where you think you should stop but still want to experiment with more, you can simply duplicate the drawing and work on the copy. 

That is exactly what I did here with Bark 1 and Bark 2. I liked Bark 1 but wanted to see what it would look like with a colored background. However, I also liked it how it was. Duplicating solved the problem! Yay, duplicating! 

So which Bark do you like best? 

Sketchbook Pro for iPad

Here's my take on the iPad app Sketchbook Pro. This is one of two apps I've already purchased for my art classes at Apex High School.  The other app, which I might give a review on later, is Layers.

Layers is a great starter program because it has some of the same features as Sketchbook Pro but with less options making it a little simpler to use. However, once you get a handle on using the tools and layer concept (which doesn't take long), you'll probably be looking for something with a little more umph. Enter Sketchbook Pro.

One of the nice features that many of these drawing apps come with is layers (layers as a tool not to be confused with Layers the App). Here you see a screen shot of the layers menu in Sketchbook Pro. You'll notice I have all the layers turned off (the little red X going through the eyeball icon) revealing only the sketch layer. I like to start out with a simple pencil sketch like this one. The beauty of layers is I can always turn it off later. 

For the second layer, I modeled in a lot of color using the airbrush tool. Although the app Layers has a really nice smudge tool, Sketchbook Pro allows me to adjust the opacity of the tool I'm using. This way I can spray colors on top of colors. 

Another really nice feature of Sketchbook Pro is all the different brushes it comes with. In the image above you can see the 8 little grey icons. These represent some of the different brushes available. I can swipe that menu and reveal more brushes. Plus I'm pretty sure I can add more brushes (though I haven't tried that yet). 

For the above layer you can see how I'm applying different brush types to another layer. All the different brushes add a lot of nice texture to the illustration.  Another cool feature is the ability to change the layer mode. It's on normal now but I could change it to Screen or Multiply.. etc.

Finally Sketchbook Pro comes with a bunch of goofy stamps... clouds, little people, bugs and butterflies.. a little corny and canned but they are fun to play with. Plus, I'm pretty sure, like custom brushes, that I can create my own stamps.  

There are a lot of other exciting options that I haven't mentioned.. like the transform tool that lets you rotate and resize your image. Or the symmetry tool that mirrors on the right everything you draw on the left. Want a butterfly with perfectly symmetrical wings??? Sketchbook pro also provides a full range of image sending options... email it, post to Twitter or Facebook, etc...

If your just looking for something fun and easy to use, I'd recommend you check out Art Set. If you are looking for something a little more grown up but still easy to use, give Layers a whirl. If you're looking for a big-boy (or girl) drawing app, Sketchbook Pro is detailed enough to do some serious damage.

Art Set on iPad

So I downloaded Art Set for my iPad.. it's not a "professional" drawing app.. it's more like a box of crayons.. and I love it!

It doesn't have layers ... Booo!!  And good!! Because to be honest, I rely too much on layers to make stuff look cool in other apps. Art Set is like a box of crayons and a piece of paper. Actually, some of these illustrations I wish I had created on paper....

Speaking of paper, Art Set has a bunch of different colored papers and textures. Another yay!

The only thing I wish Art Set had was the ability to post directly to Twitter and Facebook. It does allow you to save it to your photos and from there you can Tweet.. and email so you can FB. IDK, Sketchbook lets me post to Twitter and FB so I'm spoiled.

This is Zonkey Love Number 1. Art Set does let you make a copy of stuff so if you get to a good point and are afraid you'll mess up or just want to experiment, make a copy and have at it..

Tha'ts what I did for Zonkey Love #2 and i'm pretty happy with it. Now this is one I really wish I had made of paper. In fact, I might go get me some paper and try to recreate this in real life... 

Stay tuned!!

Secret... SSssshssss!

This guy lives in secret in the pond in your backyard. You never see him but he's there, mostly submerged and hidden among the weeds.

Both illustrations created on my Ipad using Sketchbook Pro.

Zonkey Says...

So this is the final piece I created for the Halle 2012 exhibit

it's titled Zonkey Says...

I went to the store and bought some spray paint...

And i bought some magnetic alphabet letters...

And some thin metal sheets and some tin snips...

and i cut out the metal and painted it white and glued it down to the frame and added the zonkey and the alphabet letters and...

then I took it to the show..

and people made the zonkey say stuff and it was fun.

iPad Wallpaper

This guy makes the best iPad wallpaper!

Go ahead, download him and make him your wallpaper.

You won't be disappointed!

Sketchbook Pro

Meanwhile... Sketchbook Pro has lots of different brushes and stamps and stuff. Plus, like Layers, it has layers.. plus you can change the mode of the layers to stuff like multiply and screen and whatnot. It's pretty cool.

This is the second illustration I created using sketchbook... just playing with the brushes and the stamps and stuff. I titled it Thinking :)

Meanwhile... Layers

So meanwhile, I'm trying to find a decent drawing program on the ipad. So far I've downloaded Layers, Sketchbook and 123D Sculpt, a 3D program. All i've messed with is Layers. 

what I like about layers is how simple it is. It has a brush, an eraser and a smudgy finger. That and of course, layers. I'll probably start my students off learning this program because of how simple and basic it is. 

First, I just wanted to sketch in layers, try out different brushes and stuff but without any real concern for the image. Then i wanted to take that first image and see if i could make it a little more 3dish. 

Now I need to move on and try sketchbook. it's got a lot more options. then onto the real 3D world 123D Sculpt. how very exciting, yes I know!