IPad 3G Anniversary

A year ago today I ran home during my break to grab my 3G Apple iPad. I remember being extremely excited. It was like a second Christmas. My expectations were high and I didn't know what this device would be like. Unfortunately I couldn't try it out immediately because you have to sync it with iTunes. When I got home I set it up right away.

The experience was strangely familiar. I read so much on it I just knew what to do. I used an iPod Touch before too. I made a list of apps that I knew I had to download on day one. I was just a little obsessed. Although I wasn't going to admit that at the time. It feels like I've had it forever. That's how Apple operates I guess. Their products just worm their way into your life.

I can't complain though. The iPad is my constant companion. It's become my canvas, my journal and even my fitness coach so to speak. I've managed to fit this product into almost every aspect of my life. I browse the web, read the news, watch Netflix videos and play games on it. As a cartoonist though the art apps are what I love the most about my iPad.

That's the main reason I finally talked myself into being an earlier adopter. I had a lot of doubts initially. I got burned when I got the PSP Go when it came out. I wanted to only make smart decisions with new technology. I just had a good feeling about the iPad. When I started drawing on it I was almost terrified. I had to work up the nerve to try drawing on it. Things were rough.

I'd only used a tablet to draw once and things didn't go so well. "Did I really make the right choice?" I thought to myself. Eventually I got away from thinking about the technology. I just thought as an artist instead and broke down my process and applied it to the iPad. Sketchbook Pro was the very first art app I got.

The Blue Dragon and Euphony paintings were my two first successful iPad pieces. I just approached it like I was working on paper and I started to get the results I desired. The painting I did of Rose is most likely the most important piece of my current portfolio. It was a struggle but I learned so much about drawing and painting human features.

I find myself applying concepts and tricks I either discovered myself or learned from fellow artists like Kyle Lambert. I could go on for pages but I won't. The iPad has changed my life so much. I never thought I would be saying that a year later but it really is the best piece of tech I have ever bought. (Sorry PS3!)

Because of the way I can manipulate these art apps I find myself with new opportunities. My Create 96 and The Grove sponsored art show (Apple iPie: Slices Of iPad Art) was a big success for me. In May my Sade painting will be featured in a show for Sketchbook Pro users. I'm passing on iPad 2 because I really am content with what I have. Video mirroring will have to wait for me.


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Featured Illustration: Oprah iPad Portrait

My Mom told me a few weeks ago that Oprah's show was coming to an end soon and I should paint her. I had a lot of projects to tackle so I just let that one sit. Eventually I decided to just go for it. I realize Oprah is a huge iPad fan and has even partnered with Flipboard. I have a lot of respect for Oprah and what she's accomplished over her career. When I paint a celebrity I always make sure it's someone I admire. I never paint just anyone. A lot of thought was put into this painting and I'm very proud of the results. Brushes was the perfect app for such a project. I'm very happy I added a portrait like this to my Brushes portfolio. It's important to me that I share the wealth with all of my art apps.



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Coming Attractions: Oprah iPad Portrait

I guess I got the idea for this from Rappers that post previews of their videos. I usually see these when I'm on Twitter or Hip Hop DX. While I don't like posting anything other than the finished product I wanted to promote this piece. Oprah is having her final episode soon. In honor of this I'm creating her iPad portrait. Brushes is the app I'm choosing because of the playback feature. Also my Brushes portfolio could use another solid portrait.

I made a painting in ArtRage to promote this painting that is in progress now.


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Euphony Series: Glamour

I did this one right before the show to pump up my art raffle at Apple iPie. I went for a Pulp Comics look for this one. My intention was to portray Euphony as a starlet from Old Hollywood.


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Skyzoo Series: The Burn Notice

This is the second painting in my Skyzoo Series. I named it after one of the songs on his colab album with Illmind: Live From The Tape Deck. Naming this one The Burn Notice turned out to be a good move since in the reference photo he's been lit in red. I did this one in Brushes.


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T-shirt Illustration: Bubblegum Kid

I got a vector drawing app for iPad called iDraw a while ago. I'm very curious about vector illustration and it's widely used too. Unfortunately I didn't understand the interface. I discovered InkPad yesterday. As soon as I learned that the makers of Brushes were behind I figured it was worth using.
I had PAC Man in mind when I came up with this. You could almost say it was a happy accident. The rendering was done in Sketchbook Pro.

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Featured Illustration: Dante (Devil May Cry 3)

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening for Playstation 2 was one of my favorite games. With his feature in Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 I decided to try my hand at illustrating him. I had no idea what app to start this in. Sketchbook Pro was the logical choice for the tool that let's you make straight lines. Brushes would be more challenging and I would get the playback too. I went with Brushes because I want to continue filling out my gallery in that app.

The majority of my work is in Sketchbook too. This was another great opportunity to work in Brushes. Dante is a demon hunter that uses a lot of different weapons to get the job done. I went with Nevan because it's a guitar and a scythe. Dante was challenging because of the pose. The background was very difficult because I chose a stain glass background. It was last minute but it made for a stronger piece. The painting video can be seen here.


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Featured Illustration: Talib Kweli

Last night I went to New Era's Flagship store in NYC to meet Talib Kweli. I found out he was going to be there to promote his new album.
I was still on a high after Skyzoo seeing my work and figured I should paint Talib. Things went even better than I expected. Kweli is a humble dude that makes time for fans. I was just surprised he asked me to sign the print for him. You can check out the making of video right here.

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The King of Pop

This is my last official Christmas illustration. It just got posted late. I painted this for the teacher I work with. She's a huge Michael fan and I love backing myself in a corner with my art. I really should've started something like this sooner but I had something else in mind. I was up until one in the morning but somehow I managed to paint this in one sitting. It was very surprising to say the least. At least I'm getting faster. This project was also important because I hadn't done any realistic looking portraits in Brushes.

This is my first attempt at that but I also have the experience I gained from Sketchbook Pro and ArtRage. It wasn't an easy painting but I did enjoy testing my limits. I mean I grew up on Mike too.


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Christmas Illustrations for all!

I wanted to give illustrations to my girlfriend and my family for Christmas this year. It was a real challenge getting everything done but nothing beats that Christmas morning astonishment.


For the most part these were made in Brushes for iPad. My Dad's was made in ArtRage to have a painterly effect. I had a blast doing these pieces. It was definitely a learning experience.


It's amazing what you can accomplish when you're under pressure to meet deadlines. Look for videos on these pieces later.


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Speed Painting: Fire

This is my third element speed painting. This painting was done in Brushes. I completed the whole thing on the bus going to the gym. That's another convenient feature of the iPad. I paint practically anywhere. I left my stylus at home so this was tackled with my index finger. It's much easier to finish a painting quickly if you're not using a stylus. I didn't have to worry about accuracy so why not?


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Apps I Use Daily: Brushes for iPad

Brushes is an app I have heard a lot about since I got my iPad. I ended up buying Sketchbook Pro first because that's what I was exposed to. Later I took an interest in ArtRage and added that to my list of art apps too. Recently I got Brushes for iPad. I wanted to post videos of my digital art on YouTube and Brushes is the app that will let you do that.

Once you start working on a piece there is an option that allows you to play back all of your brush strokes. It's similar to an animated video. Once the piece is complete you can export the actions and upload to YouTube. It's a wonderful art app but in all honesty that feature is what led me to buy it. Speaking of features though I feel like Brushes is a nice mix of options from Sketchbook and ArtRage. You can put reference on top of the canvas, the color and brush options are robust as well.

Tutorials would've been appreciated but after using Sketchbook this wasn't difficult to pick up. Brushes lacks shortcuts as far as I know but that's not really a big deal. I'm still scratching the surface and I'll figure out what works best for me.


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Featured Illustration: Bugs-B

This is my first illustration in Brushes for iPad. It's another Looney Tunes inspired piece. I decided to mash up Bugs Bunny with Jay-Z. Specifically I used American Gangster for my inspiration. It's my favorite Jay album. The iconography and imagery are just amazing for the booklet. This piece took a lot of thought because of the hues in the background. The smoke from the carrot cigar was tricky as well. Initially I was daunted by this piece but it had to be tackled. I'm very pleased with it and hope to take what I learned and apply it. The making of video can be viewed here.


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Sketchbook Hero Contest

I was on Pulse yesterday and I discovered that Autodesk is having a contest to decide who their next splash page artist will be. I'm very excited because Sketchbook Pro is the one art program I use for my work. (until I get ArtRage and possibly Brushes.) Unfortunately I had no idea what to submit. I had to talk to the teacher I work with and my girlfriend to help me decide. It's one thing to pick your own piece but it's another to get an outside opinion. I just submitted the illustration I did of Rose's cat, Reina.

It seems that she has the best chance for me to win the competition. I love all my work but I know every piece may not work for the contest. I even came up with mockups for the splash pages to help me make a choice. I think I knew Reina was the one to go with. We'll see how everything pans out.


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