If you're an artist, you should be supporting Samsung
January 12, 2015, 11:34 am

I have had a wonderful year that has given me many wonderful opportunities but one of the more interesting ones has been to get involved with Apple in a small way.

I never used apple products growing up. My dad always had a computer in the house, but they were always other brands. From an old zenith portable, to more modern HP systems. We usually either had DOS or Windows. I was institutionalized against apple products.

When I was capable, I bought myself a Wacom Graphire drawing tablet, and began experimenting with drawing on the computer. At first I would draw in pencil, scan the drawing, and then color in the computer, but then I began trying to draw direct into PaintShop Pro and once I did, I was off to the races. Eventually I tried Photoshop Painter and other fun products, and when OpenCanvas came out, I was HOOKED.

When I began trying to develop games, I realized that I should probably attempt to create something for IOS, and it turns out you CAN'T develop for IOS, unless you have a Mac. So I got one. I purchased the smallest, cheapest mac laptop I could. ... Which was $1200 dollars. An astronomical price for me at the time. But that little system has had legs, and it changed my thoughts about Macs and their capabilities. I still have that Mac, I still use it to this day, and it is still impressive.

My point in bringing all of this up is that I have tried it all, in my own due time. I have had many mobile devices, I have had many computers, and I have used all the software. When I give you my opinion on most of these things, it tends to come from a place of experience, instead of just institutionalization.

I am always astounded at how astounded other people are when I show them the art that I make digitally. Don't they know that this is possible, and has been for some time?

No. They don't and although I don't want to ruffle newfound friendly feathers, it is important to note that Apple is largely the reason people don't know that this is possible. Apple's current state of artistic creation is subpar at best. And people have tried it, seen how it is, and decided that's just the current state.

But that is not the case. Samsung has been creating devices that have touch AND pen capability for artists for years now. And they're good at it. The Note line of products all come with a Wacom pen that is paired with the device (not any particular app) and these products give you the ability to be an artist on the go. These are not silly toys with nubs on the end, they are full featured, pressure sensitive, art producing, power houses. And as artists, you should know about them.

Autodesk Sketchbook Pro
December 29, 2014, 10:18 pm

I've been drawing a lot on my Instagram, and I am starting to post more on my Patreon as well.

A lot of people have been asking what tools I use to draw. I draw mostly these days on my Samsung Note 3. I use a program called Autodesk Sketchbook Pro for Android. If you visit that link, and it says it's missing, you're screwed. The thing of it is, the version of Sketchbook I use is no longer available for purchase, and more's the pity, because I don't like the new version.

The old version (which can be found around the internet, by searching for sketchbook pro apk) had the ability to lock the tool and swatch palettes to the side of the phone. For the life of me, I can not find this functionality in the new version. This is a hard line selling point, and the whole reason I use that software versus other similar competing products like Photoshop Touch (which has fucking awful pressure sensitivity) and Corel Painter (which actually has some awesome pens, but not separate erasers).

So when I tell people I use Autodesk Sketchbook, technically I'm telling them I use a product which doesn't even exist anymore, which is a real shame, because I use it daily now.

2015 is shaping up to be a great year. My plan is to make a portrait sketch every weekday, and a painted portrait every weekend. It's an ambitious goal, and one that will rely on the timing of others, so here's hoping.

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