New iPad and What I Think of It So Far for Art

Hi everyone! Well, I finally broke down and purchased an iPad. I mentioned in another post I was considering purchasing a iPad in order to draw and create art on it. The thing is I needed it for other things aside from art. So, a few months ago I purchased one on sale. Since then, I have been using it for art as well as anything else I needed it for. I feel comfortable to start talking about what I think about iPad for art.

Before I talk about my opinions, I wanted to mention I have used an iPad before for art. I have digitally drawn and painted on it for many years. I just never owned one of my own for the purpose of creating my own art. (This is also why I felt so driven to purchase one) There are certain programs I like and there are some I don’t like. Still, I used them all depending on what my job was and what it required program wise.

As for my own personal art, using an iPad for my own personal art for the first time was intimidating. iPads are easy to set up, but picking a program (AKA an app) to use for art was the most frustrating part. I didn’t want to waste my time with apps I knew I didn’t like. Still, picking one I liked was difficult. Instead, I downloaded three apps I like and have been familiar with.

The apps are Procreate, Sketchbook, and ibisPaint X. Generally speaking, I like all three apps. Sketchbook and ibisPaint X are free to download while Procreate costs money. All three work really well, yet all three have their downsides. So far Procreate is the app I spent the most time using. I believe I need to work on Sketchbook and ibisPaint X more before I can say which one I like the most.

In addition to the three illustration apps, I also downloaded Manikin. Manikin is a free app I used multiple times in the past, but didn’t think I would actually like to use for personal art reasons. After downloading it and playing with it for a while, I can honestly say I can see myself using it a lot. The app is a replacement for an artist mannequins, a posable figure used to draw poses. They are also a replacement for real life models. I own a small sized artist mannequin, but it didn’t work well. (I mean the mannequin I own’s joints. Not the use for an artist mannequin for drawing poses.) I curious if this app will help me in my sketches in the future.

I am still working with all the apps to see if I like the enough to keep them. Right now, all four apps are good. I did have an issue with Procreate, but I think it is a user error that caused it. Still, I’m enjoy getting back into digital art! It’s been a while since I just sat down and doodled with a digital device. It feels good to do it again. I am also amazed by how everything came back to me. I am using an Apple Pencil to draw with. So far it is working good as well.

Well, that’s all for now! Thank you for reading!