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.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

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.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Euphony Series: Chillin'

I had the idea for this Euphony piece for a few months but I think it made more sense to work on it on vacation. You could say this illustration is the spiritual successor to the original Euphony. I even went back to putting headphones on her. She is all about music after all. The location in the painting is inspired by The New Haven Green. The figure was hard to set up freehand so I added one point perspective to make things manageable. I'm very pleased with the results.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Lupe Fiasco "Lasers" Concept Series: Till I Get There

The idea for this just came to me out of the blue. Since Words I Never Said was so dark I felt it was only right that the next piece be whimsical. This painting was inspired by Monopoly. I just wanted to represent what happened to Lupe. His album was in limbo and no one thought it would see the light of day.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)

Savior Illustration: Hunter Lockhart Concept Drawings

It's been years since I've done any concept illustrations but I felt like my Hunter Lockhart character needed a refresh. She is a brigand from my Savior web comic. I wanted to make sure I was happy with her design before I worked on Chapter One. (She makes a very brief appearance.) I also rendered her firearm as well. Flintlock pistols seemed to fit the medieval/steam punk vibe I'm going for.


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Featured Illustration: Shrine Lanterns

For my Birthday, Rose and I went up to Shrine at Foxwoods. I love Asian Fusion Food. After we finished dinner I decided I wanted to paint some of the lanterns hanging from the ceiling. It's funny but I would never be able to do something like this traditionally. What am I supposed to do whip out the oils and go? The manager would go crazy. That's just another perk of iPainting. I did this one in ArtRage.


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Lupe Fiasco "Lasers" Concept Series: Letting Go

This is an ArtRage painting for the first cut off of Lasers by Lupe Fiasco. The imagery was extremely important to this piece. I wanted to convey a powerful message of a man literally letting go and falling into the abyss. There are several other messages in this piece too but what fun would it be if I gave away everything?


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Lupe Fiasco Series: Lasers

I just want to make it clear that Lupe Fiasco is definitely one of my favorite rappers. That said save for a few tracks I was a little disappointed with Lasers. I followed Lupe's label situation and all the fan protests too. I was excited when Atlantic Records was pressured to release the album. Unfortunately what we got was a dumbed down Lupe Fiasco album.

From what I understand Atlantic forced him into a situation where he had to dumb down his lyrics and make his songs poppier. It shows on the album that his creativity was stifled. Songs like Superstar and Paris, Tokyo are poppy but the lyricism and creativity are still amazing. Lupe can make popular music but still remain true to his fans.

The pop songs on Lasers don't do his talents justice. I just wish Lupe hadn't given in. I feel like it's a slap in the face to all of the fans that appreciate him complex wordplay and storytelling. I just feel like both parties are at fault. That led me to start this new series to voice my opinion on what this album should've been like and what happened instead.


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Featured Illustration: Paraffin

I got Procreate for iPad (Yes, the name is very lame.) yesterday and I couldn't think of anything to draw. After finishing a very labor intensive portrait I didn't want to use anymore photo reference. Rose suggested I draw her Paraffin kitchen doll. I mostly did it from memory but I couldn't help but glance at the model she made out of clay. Overall I had fun taking on this little experiment.


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Featured Illustration: Thoughts Of Spring II

I started this painting while giving an ArtRage demo at a gallery show Downtown. I figured I would finish it and add something to my Spring series. I started using reference but worked from memory to finish it. This piece is definitely more abstract than the last and I think I like it that way.


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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.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (Anubis)