When Apple first unveiled the iPad to the world , it was categorize as nothing more than a exalt media consumption machine .
Yet in the months that followed , app developers and creative substance abuser proved that the Apple tablet could also be a powerful and various creation tool .
A little more than a year later , artist are using their iPads as portable art studios for everything from sketch ideas to painting digital masterpieces . But if you are new to feel painting — or digital art in cosmopolitan — it may be unmanageable to figure out how to continue . So in the smell of getting started , let ’s simplify the process of creating artwork on the iPad with a rundown of some of the in effect iPad artwork apps available today .
Brushes ( $ 8) , by Steve Sprang / Taptrix , was the first iPad app that I download and the main reason that I purchase my first iPad . I really enjoyed using the iPhone version of this app , so I screw that with the redundant screen space and profligate processor , the iPad adaptation would be fantastic .
The Brushes user interface is soft to get used to : a round-eyed toolbar at the bottom of the screen insure everything . All of the options that you would expect to see are there , including a color wheel , brush computer menu , undo / redo , and a layer menu . The app offers fast clash stroke performance , and smooth pinch zooming , seafaring , and machine save . All of the artwork that you make is hive away inside the built - in gallery .
Most imposingly , the Brushes app mechanically records the physical process of creating each painting and allows you play back the outgrowth by and by , right inside the app . It even throw you an option to export your actions as a single file , which can be convert to a picture using the come with Mac software , Brushes Viewer .
SketchBook Pro 2 ( $ 5 ) is a mobile version of Autodesk ’s desktop digital art app program of the same name . At first coup d’oeil , the interface has a very similar feeling to that of Brushes , but as you start to delve deeper into SketchBook Pro ’s carte you will discover a whole kitchen stove of extra Pseudemys scripta and preferences that will make pro users find right at home .
Ironically , SketchBook Pro offers a broader range of thicket options than the Steve Sprang / Taptrix Brushes app , but the extra choices at times are consuming and can slow down the cognitive operation of create artwork . Having said that , in the late 2.0 release by Autodesk there are now customizable side pallets for brushes and color , which help cannonball along up and simplify your originative workflow . Plus the new adaptation is less expensive than the original .
The toolset in SketchBook Pro is impressive , with pick for thread square lines and geometric shapes , and adding text to your artwork . If you are using an iPad 2 , there ’s also an selection to work at the high resolution of 2048 - by-1536 pixels . Another benefit of using SketchBook Pro is that you could export your ruined art containing up to 12 layers in PSD data formatting , allowing you to continue work in a desktop app such as Adobe Photoshop .
ArtRage($7 ) , by Ambient Design , offer a very dissimilar approach to painting on the iPad with tools that train to reduplicate rather than replace traditional house painting techniques — and with stunning results .
The oil blusher brush behaves exactly as you would look , with strokes that have a raw and textural quality to them . Using the pallet knife , you’re able to easily spread paint around the canvas and blend color together in an unbelievably naturalistic way . There are simulations for water-color key , an airbrush , pastel , and a reach of other telling tool to opt from .
alas though , as with SketchBook Pro , the added functionality does make ArtRage at time complicated to use . For the oil paint brush alone there are seven variable quantity to believe , including the size of the thicket , the level of pressure applied when painting , the amount of dilutant in the paint , and the measure of paint loaded with each encounter separatrix . Not only do you have to understand what each of these scope does , but also how and when to use them in effect in your art .
Lucky Clan’sArtStudio for iPad($5 ) brings some of the safe feature film from across a chain of mountains of painting apps into one place and is plausibly the most desktop - like app that I have used on the iPad . It has a broad array of encounter including an airbrush , wet brush , and a useful scatter brush for make patterns and textures . There are hidden panel of options for brushes , color , and layers that give you extra pick , when require .
A great feature of ArtStudio is its filter panel for making stylized adjustments to your painting , such as Gaussian blur , sharpen , noise , and colorize . Unfortunately , the user port suffers because of the number of tool usable . Despite that , I found ArtStudio a quick app to navigate and easy to get used to work with .
Procreate , ( $ 5 ) by Savage Interactive , is a paint app built with execution in mind . It is incredibly reactive and has a beautifully simple user user interface . It features a fixed menu around the out edge of the canvas , offering immediate accession to slider for adjusting brush size and opacity , as well as undo and redo buttons . The full copse , layer , and color menus are accessible and well - give with large visuals .
Procreate ’s functionality is exchangeable to that of the Brushes app , but it has some utilitarian extra feature include a customizable smudge creature that allows you to commingle colors together — and for the first time — a cock for creating your own custom brush .
Adobe Eazel for Photoshop($5 ) is Adobe ’s first attempt at a paint app , and an exciting demonstration of how the iPad can be used in conjunction with background software . Eazel have an interesting liquid - paint simulation , which can bring forth natural looking , loose paint study . Adobe has put through a unequalled five - finger interface for Eazel , which literally invest its tools at your fingertip . This simplified user interface is fun to use , but can be get to at times , as it requires a certain degree of sleight to navigate successfully .
As an extension of Adobe Photoshop CS5 , Eazel isworth a expression , but as a standalone picture diligence , this version lacks canonical features such as brush choices and layer .
So far , all of the apps refer are intended for creative person who like to outline and paint , but lately Steve Sprang / Taptrix , the developers of Brushes , release a new app calledInkpad($5 ) , which is a full bobble transmitter representative app . Using your fingers you could tap and plot Bézier curve with the pen tool , draw geometric shapes , and make path adjustments as you work .
Inkpad has an incredible depth of functionality with a well - think - out user user interface . There is a float toolbar for the main toolset and pop - up card for layers , color swatch , and path readjustment . Overall , Inkpad is a brightly executed iPad app and a oral cavity - watering chance for any vector creative person .
If you are new to iPad finger painting or digital house painting in ecumenical , Brushes and Procreate are by far the easiest apps to learn . They both have really clean interfaces and do n’t overly complicate the mental process with too many setting .
ArtStudio or SketchBook Pro may be good choices for more experienced user who are looking for an app with the same amount of options as a background package , while ArtRage is the obvious choice for artists looking to attain a raw timbre in their work .
There is no perfect iPad art app . Each has its own strong suit and weaknesses — I often work with several dissimilar apps to complete a individual while of art . I moot encounter to be my primary iPad fine art app because it offers a good balance of features and usability with the option to playback and export your steps later . For me , that is a Orcinus orca lineament .
