Paper by FiftyThree app

This is the first drawing app I'm going to try.  I chose this one partly because it is free on the App Store.

Initially, when I did some internet research, this app could be used to create notebooks that then could be printed off like a Moleskin.  I thought that this might be something that would be neat if you had a number of sketches done while on a holiday.  It would be a nice keepsake.  Once I started to use it, I found that printing books like a Moleskin was no longer available (at least when I went to try it).  There is an option to print it yourself or save it as a pdf file.

This app has a limited number of tools that they have made free when you download the app.  It includes an eraser, a nib pen, a pencil, a marker, an ink pen, and a water-colour brush.  It also has a cutout tool, a roller, and a ruler tool.

It has a set of premix colours that can be chosen, or they can be combined to mix a unique colour that can be saved.  It works really slick and gives a wide range of colours.

Some things that I've notices are that there is no way to adjust the size of the various drawing tools.  I guess the only way would be to enlarge the image on your tablet and then use it for small items.

This is the tool bar.



Here is a quick cover design I did.  It think that the line down the side is to emulate the elastic of a Moleskin. The pre-made covers that are shown on the Paper website are no longer part of it.  When I contacted them, it was explained to me that they had to take those out to make room for other components.  I thought that I could perhaps import a photo to use, but that doesn't seem an option.  It looks like I might have to take a picture of something and then use it or create a painting on the cover.  


Below, I did a sample of each of the drawing tools to show what they do.  I did some lettering, underlining, a curved line, hatch marks, and a squiggle for each one as a comparison.

I did this using the Brush to show the range of tone when applying it over and over again.  It does maintain a watercolour effect.










The app provides grid paper, so I decided that I would make a colour chart of all their pre-made colours.  It was also a good exercise in using the stylus to carefully fill in the squares and to erase any colouring outside the lines.

They also have lined paper so I used the stylus to do some lettering.  I felt like I was back in elementary school doing a page of writing.  I have to say that I was pleased with how accurate the stylus was in being on the line itself.






Below are a sample of some of the other tools provided by Paper.







The cutouts allow for an odd shape to be drawn and then moved or taken out completely. 
















The ruler tool allows for drawing like a pen, but it also gives perfectly straight lines and shapes.  This could be very handy when drawing buildings and horizon lines.  It's always tough to get those straight lines freehand.

The roller can be used to fill in large spaces as well as to create shapes.  It can create a leaf shape, petals, or swoops.










When I was out driving yesterday, there was a beautiful sunset.  I felt that I had to try to create a painting using it for inspiration.  I used the ink pen to initially put in the trees, then used the brush to add colour.  I did try the marker, but found it too harsh.  I found the app allowed me to blend colours with my finger after putting them on with the brush.  I was pleased with the result.

As I work with Paper, I'll continue to add in some thoughts and drawings.
I have found an excellent site for tutorials.
               https://mademistakes.com/mastering-paper/
               http://www.fiftythree.com/think
               http://www.fiftythree.com/pencil

Paper by 53 stylus

I am interested in doing some urban sketching, but would like to try doing digital sketches on a tablet.  I thought that this would be a good way to keep all my sketches and be able to transfer them onto my computer.  Up until now, I would have to scan the drawings onto it.  

I received an iPad and plan to try to create some sketches using it.  I know that there are number of apps that are available for drawing, sketching, and painting.  I'm not sure which app will be the best one for drawing on the pad, so I plan to get some of them and try them out.  I'll post what I'm doing to act as a comparison.

I am using the Paper by 53 stylus.  I chose this one after doing a bit of research.  I didn't want a stylus with the big squishy end on it.  I figured for sketching, it should be something that could be easier to know where the end is.  I looked at some of them that have the clear disk on the end, but was concerned about the disk scratching the tablet.  

I've tried to use the 53 stylus.   It is shaped like a carpenter's pencil.  I have just begun to use it and found it to be comfortable to use and good at knowing where that end is.  It comes with a replacement tip and eraser.  It is a rechargeable stylus.  The tip comes out to he pencil and has a USB charger on it.  It is designed to be used with the Paper by 53 app, but I'm going to see how it is with other apps as well.  With the Paper app, the stylus connects with Bluetooth.  The end of the stylus actually can be used as an eraser when using the app.  It's also supposed to recognize when your hand is on the tablet and not have it wreck your drawing.  So far, it seems to do all of that.

Acrylic painting

This fall, I took a class in acrylic painting.  We used different mediums such as light moulding paste and glazing medium.

These paintings were done using a palette knife and moulding paste.  I used the Golden paste.  I really enjoyed painting with it.  It gave each piece a lot of texture, which I like.

In this piece, I used the light moulding paste.  I also sprayed the bottom to smooth out the paint.  That way, I got the reflection which I was looking for.

These two pieces also used the method of spraying the piece with water to create an interesting sky.  It looks like rain.

We also worked on some portraits, which I'm still working on.  When I'm done them, I'll add them to this post.

My First Acrylic Painting

It's been quite awhile since I've created a post.  My guild had a show/sale and I was getting pieces ready for it.
For this show, I decided that I would try my hand at acrylics.  This was quite a step from the watercolours that I usually do.  I was hoping to take a class, but it was cancelled due to low enrolment. So, it came down to doing some research on the internet about different techniques and styles.

I'm not an abstract painter, but I thought that I would give it a try.  I put on a lot of soft acrylic paint and used a large palette knife (more like a trowel) to move the paint around.  I poured some into a squirt bottle and used it to splatter some more paint on it.  Needless to say, things were quite thick.  It took quite a long time for the paint to dry.  About 2 days.  I quite like the way it turned out.  I liked the freedom to play around with the paint and not worry about it looking like a particular thing.  When I was done, I thought that it looked a bit like some woods with rocks.  Here it is.

This summer, I think that I will try some more.  Perhaps I will go crazy and paint outside.  That way, I can splatter, flick, and spray paint without having to worry about getting it on my carpet and walls.  It may end up looking like a cross between and a kindergarten painting and a Pollock.  That would be interesting, right?  When it's done, I'll post it.  Wish me luck.

You Can Draw in 30 Days - Final Review

The book has lots of instruction using the basics of foreshortening, placement, size, overlapping, shading, shadow, contour, horizon, and density.  These are all important when learning to draw.  There was lots of variety in the lessons.

I did find that some of the lessons were very basic.  They would be a good first step for someone who wanted to learn how to draw.  The instructions are clearly written and easy to follow.  The samples are simple and don't skip steps.  Success should follow easily.  As a former teacher, this would be an excellent resource for elementary school teachers since so many of them have to teach art and have limited skills themselves.

As for anyone advanced, I feel that this book doesn't take the skill level to an advanced format.  I would have liked to see some of that.  It could have been put into the Bonus Challenge sections.  

I will keep this book handy and perhaps ever refer to it for cartooning or sketching ideas.  

Camera Lucida iphone app

A camera lucida is a device that, through the use of mirrors, projects an image onto a drawing surface which then allows the artist to draw or trace that image, because you actually see the image as you draw it.  This allows for an accurate rendition of that object or photograph.

One night, I had saw a program on TV that figured some masters used a device called a camera obscura to help them draw a scene accurately.  This program was called "Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters" by David Hockney.  His theory was controversial because he claimed that artists such as Ingres, Van Eyck, and Caravaggio didn't work freehand, but used a camera obscura and a camera lucida.

http://www.ancientmagicarttools.com/history-the-lost-secrets-of-the-old-masters/


I came across a Camera Lucida on the Lee Valley website when I was looking for some Christmas presents.  I was seriously considering buying one, thinking that it would be a neat thing to try.  

images taken from leevalley.com

Then, when I was checking for iphone apps, I came across a camera lucida for the iphone and the ipad. It cost me $4.99.  I decided to purchase it and give it a try.  I decided on this rather than the actual camera lucida from Lee Valley because it would work with photos on my iphone.  The actual one only works with a still life set up.  I liked the idea of being able to take a photo of a person, a still life, an object, or a landscape and use it.

There were a few things that I had to figure out.  One was, how to set up something so that I could put my iphone up high so that the image projected onto a piece of paper was large enough.  It also had to be a set up that I could look through the iphone screen as I drew the projected image.  I finally found a roll of paper that worked.  I got the idea from the itunes website (https://itunes.apple.com/app/camera-lucida/id362499096?mt=8). 

It worked really well.  The first thing I tried was a photograph of a family member.  It was clear and it was easy to use.  There was a tiny bit of delay in putting the pencil on the paper and having it show on the screen.  I got used to it fairly quickly.  There is a zoom on the app that allows you to get in close to the image to draw all the details.

There are some elements that come with the app that certainly add to it.  You can create a video of your drawing, your can use a grid, outline, and various settings for colour, mirroring, and corner ticks for lining up the image.

There is a website for the Camera Lucida app and I would recommend going through it.  There are videos that show how it works.  http://www.cameralucidaapp.com/about.html

I do recommend this app for anyone who is curious about trying a camera lucida.  Would I use it for my own art?  I'm not sure.  Perhaps if I was struggling to get some detail "just right", I might use it.  I may try to set it up mirroring my iphone with my laptop to see the image.  That way, I could get a much larger image.  If I do that, I'll leave a post later.

DROPBOX 

I came across Dropbox for my computer and my iphone.  I had heard a bit about it, but never really looked into it.  It was recommended as a top 10 app for the iphone on one website.

I've just begun using it.  I have so many photos on my phone and it was slow going to email the ones I wanted to have on my computer so that I could use them for my blog and other items.  Using Dropbox made it so easy to have all my photos there so that I could call them up and use them.  It is also easy to put photos from my computer into Dropbox so that they can also be viewed on my phone.  

I also have a number of files on my phone that were too large to email it to myself so that I could have them on my computer, which is where I wanted them.  With Dropbox, I can send my files there and then move them easily onto my computer.  So easy!

Dropbox is free.  For the iphone, it is found in the AppStore.  For a computer, it can be downloaded from dropbox.com

I recommend this app.  It's fairly easy to use.  There is a good help section in Dropbox itself.  It covers off a multitude of topics and gives clear instructions on what to do.

You Can Draw in 30 Days

I have taken numerous drawing classes over the years and have always felt that I learned a lot and that they gave me a lot of techniques that really did improve my drawing.

When I was at Chapters this past week, I came across the book You Can Draw in 30 Days by Mark Kistler.  It states that it can be used for those who feel that they can't draw, but it does cover the basics along with challenges for those who feel that they are ready for it.

I decided to buy this and work through it to see what I could get from his technique.  I also thought that it would kickstart me into doing more drawing.  

I won't be posting my drawings every day, but I'll probably post them every week.  So, check back for my results and my review of the lessons.  Just click on the above tab "You Can Draw in 30 Days".