Saturday, February 08, 2014
STYLUSES AND DRAWING APPS FOR THE IPAD
Here's (above) a demo of the Jot Touch (the latest version = Jot Touch 4), which I'm told is the stylus of choice for most serious artists. The video's a year and a half old so the issues with line width and lag might have been fixed by now, I'm not sure. Of course the lag might be due to the ProCreate program, not the stylus.
On Amazon people complained that the Touch scratched their screens. You can use a screen protector but that puts a distance between the tip and the glass, and results in broken lines for some.
I have a feeling that Jot'll fix these problem in later versions (if they haven't already), so I'll hold off on that for now. I'm new to drawing apps so I'll start with something less troublesome: the "FiftyThree Pencil." It's not pressure sensitive, and it's not as good at detail as the Jot Touch, but it works well with the "Paper" program I want to use.
Paper is limited in what it can do but it's elegant, easy to use, has really intelligent color choices, and has a killer pen tool that looks like it would be great for cartoony, Walt Kelly-type lines.
Jot, on the other hand, makes boring rapidograph-type lines...at least I think it does. I've never actually used it. It was created for handwriting in an app called PenUltimate. If I'm wrong about Jot, or if it evolves into something that can do elegant thick and thin, then I'll try it, along with the ProCreate.
Actually, you need more than one drawing program. I love Paper but I'm glad I also have Adobe Ideas and Sketches because they can do things that Paper can't. Adobe Ideas can import photos and may be able to translate hand-drawn blocky letters into formal fonts.
What I'm most interested in is ipad animation apps. I haven't used any of them yet, but I'm about to. I'm guessing Flipbook HD (above) is the one to get.
Or maybe Animation Desk (above). I don't know...it's hard to tell which is best because the videos that promote them are all about bouncing balls and happy face symbols. They don't tell you what kind of lines they can make, or whether you can animate on ones and twos, or what the maximum scene length is. Some of the lesser-known programs are geared for moving pre-existing template characters. I guess you have to buy the app to find out what it can do.
[Note: I just downloaded the animation apps discussed above. In a month or so I'll let you know how they turned out.]
BTW: did you know that Wacom makes an ipad-type drawing tablet? I'm probably the last person on Earth to hear about it. Now THAT would be nice to have.
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13 comments:
You might be interested in this Jot non-photorealistic rendering program that works with blender.
http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/freestyle-jot-and-the-future-of-non-photorealistic-rendering
Hey Eddie, I've set up a new blog and thought you might be interested to see my cartoonist portfolio which I'll be submitting to employers.
GW: An interesting link! The examples were a bit cold for my taste, but it was still fun to see.
Joshua: Nice stuff! The banner at the top was impressive and so was the comic book.
I have tried AnimationDesk, but found it a bit too "skeukomorphy" trying to simulate a wooden animation desk, too much textures when what you want is a UI that lets you draw and gets out of the way.
I have a Samsung galaxy note that I bought recently and its been great. I draw on the note program it has and have been posting sketches on my Twitter every day. I'm gonna see if any of these apps are available for the Android. My new iphone should be here by tomorrow or Tuesday.
Ok for the android I found
Sketchbook Pro which I didnt have before but I have no idea if there's an equivalent of Paper or Adobe Ideas here.
Anon: Haw! I'm not sure that I know what you mean, but it feels like there's something off center about Animation Desk. Come to think of it, I'll probably try that first. There's not much to choose from.
Did you see the video showing the cumbersome way that Flipbook HD bounces a ball? I was shocked. Is THAT the state of the art for ipad anim apps?
Roberto: Sketchbook Pro and Art Rage both have apps but I get the feeling that ProCreate is the one to beat. On the other hand, what do I know?
Technologically, Eddie, you are light years ahead of me! I'm just starting to get used to my android cell phone as an e-book. And by the time I have a sure grip on what I'm doing with this gadget (and then get to renew my cell phone contract) who knows what will be available!
Have fun!
Roberto: I just read your comment to Cartoon Brew about the new Spumco Comic Book. I'm glad you credited the talented people who worked on it, but you underestmated John's contribution. I think you're overly influenced by Thad's take on Spumco, which is flawed.
I'm an old guy who is starting to take art lessons. Having fun. Would anyone recommend drawing on an iPad for me? My goal is to create animation of some ilk - cartooney. Thanks for any comments!
-Doug
Doug: I haven't tried the ipad animation programs yet but they're cheap, so if they don't work out you haven't lost much. I wouldn't buy an iPad just for that, though.
Why not start out with one of the cheapest Digicel FlipBook programs for the desktop? Buy a cheap digital drawing pad like the Bamboo to go with it.
"Why not start out with one of the cheapest Digicel FlipBook programs for the desktop? Buy a cheap digital drawing pad like the Bamboo to go with it."
I wish I had thought of that much earlier. In my situation, I can certainly afford that. It comes out to around 141 dollars total. I still really like Android for websurfing/gaming purposes but IOS is great on the phone too.
For diagramming in iPad you could try using creately
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