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Sunday, September 11, 2011

iPad Art Tutorials: (Links and PDF's)

iPad Art Tutorial: (Links and PDF's)

This is a Review type of a post I decided to do for my friends over at Sketch Club. 

If you haven't tried Sketch Club yet and you like to do Painting or Drawing or Art In General on the IPhone and/or iPad then you don't know what your missing.

All of you that follow my Blog and have commented and/or your one of the people who send me emails daily thanking me for my reviews and requesting other review's and/or what posts you want next KNOW I don't give my seal of approval easily and it is next to impossible to get 10/10 stars from me unless you deserve it. As a matter of fact NOTHING has received over 8 stars as of yet.

Sketch Club is a 9/10. There are a few small details/brush features missing from it that "other apps" have and would be extremely useful.

(Example's):

Create your own Brush, Dry Brushing, Paint Loads etc.. But the thing is this....they aren't really needed because this App is so good. Dry brushing would be a good addition though. 

But to top it all off, the owner/creator of this App BlackPawn is one of the most friendly and down to earth guys you will EVER meet. He follows and researches his consumers wants and needs for his app and implements them ASAP if his consumers want them. This App is just over 6 months old and has had 7 Major updates. It includes recording your artwork videos as you draw it and SO SO MUCH MORE!

Bottom line check it out immediately.

The following links are designed for various "Other" Apps but they all translate to each other for the most part.

(Example:)
ProCreate has a blend tool and so does Sketch Club. Even though the basics are there, you might have to adjust the brush size or blending opacity etc.. To reach the same desired effect. BUT it is feasible.

Now back to the IPad Art links and PDF's, copy/paste the link's below, ALOT of these Tutorials are from MacWorld and/or Kyle Lambert. Who is one of if not THE best iPad artist on the iPad. Others come from various iPad Art Apps and are there own App Tutorials. They for the most part are all the same from App to App.

Sketch Club Tutorials: Tutorials & Brush Guide's:
http://sketchclub.com/help/

How-To use Layers in iPad Art:
http://www.macworld.com/article/161550/2011/08/ipadlayers.html

Understanding Blend Modes in iPad Art:
http://www.macworld.com/article/161337/2011/09/blendmode.html

ProCreate Brush and User's Guide:
http://savage.si/downloads/724.Procreate-User-Guide.pdf

Color Mixing Guide for IPad Art:
http://www.macworld.com/article/160773/2011/08/mixcolors.html

Understanding iPad Art Paintbrush Settings:
 http://www.macworld.com/article/160199/2011/06/ipadbrush.html

Sketchbook Pro: User's Guide and Brush Guide: 
(Can't get the Pics to show up in this guide and/or find another copy)
http://area.autodesk.com/userdata/forum/s/sketchbookproipad.pdf

iPad Brushes App: Brush and User's Guide:
http://www.brushesapp.com/Brushes_iPad_Users_Guide.pdf

iPad ArtRage App Tutorials: (Various Tutorials) Caricature's etc...:
http://www.artrage.com/artrage-tutorials.html

BA.net Tutorials:
http://ba.net/util/image.html

Itch Studios-PSD Art Tutorials:
http://itchstudios.com/psg/art_tut.htm


To finish out this review I am wanting to receive volunteers to help me design a PDF type Tutorial on Sketch Club and all it's wonderful Brushes and features.

http://sketchclub.com/help/ <------This link here shows about what I am asking for. Click on Brush Guide and that's a general Idea of what I am thinking. I wNt to make a whole Tutorial Guide using Sketch Club as a means to show EVERYONE who uses an iPad what Sketch Club can do and also what the brushes and effects that the Apps have are used for and what each one does.

Below is kinda a glossary of the tutorial or terms, if you are interested in helping to make the PDF then please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email or twitter mention and we can go from there. @CreatineReview .

Brush Guide: What each brush does and it's uses and effects, must show various sizes (let's say 5 for each brush or effect) to show the difference from the sizes. Let's say 1%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% for each brush.

This shows an example of each and looking at each brush size you might notice one size looks like a rug and another like grass or if you double layer the 5% brush it looks like a forest floor etc...(Only an Example). Must be done for each brush. So say we have 20 brushes and 5 examples of each equals only 100 lines you have to make. It is really easy to do each but very hard for one person to do. I need YOUR help.

Examples of the tutorial topics to be included:

Brushes: types, sizes, opacity and effects of each
Eraser's: sizes, opacity, effects etc of each
Fur, Grass, Pen, Pixels, Sketchy, Smooth, Text, Vector etc.. All the same.

Layers: How-to use them and blending, lightening, darkening etc...

Color Mixing, Blending, Shading, Multiply, Dodge, Transform etc..how do all these work and what are there features and use's?

This guide will be the Best of the Best and designed "Around" Sketch Club but the way it will be written can and will be used and adapted to be used with EVERY single iPad Art App out there.

Also with each video if anyone would like to make a small or short video on YouTube that we can link to some or all or any of the tutorials above that would be great.

(Example Only) Pastor Bob wants to show each brush using it's size, opacity and it's features and uses along with the actual brush and the others like Fur, Grass etc... In a small video to show WITH  the tutorial would help 50% of people who can read so,something BUT learns easier by seeing it actually being done AND also reading it.

Send me a comment or a message in Sketch Club or Twitter (@CreatineReview) or an email with any or all the parts you wish to contribute to. We can have more than one person doing each one and none will be left out. If me and Pastor Bob and Black all do brush tutorials each o e will be different or explained better or worse for some so it helps everyone overall.

Thanks for your time and I hope to hear from you all amd get this Guide/Tutorial written for our "iPad Art Communities"

Jon "Creatine"

Friday, September 9, 2011

Suggest My/Our Next Review

Hello to all the followers who have read my recent reviews and I want to personally thank you all for reading and commenting on them.

I have been reviewing Electronics and Various other things for just over 3 years. I was posting my reviews on another site until it was recently shut down due to me being the only one left trying to do reviews from Electronics to Cars to Models to Action Figures and various other things I know nothing about.

So I opened this Blog and made a new Twitter account so I can get back to what I love the most. Electronics and comments from you guys and gals about what you want me to review next.

I hope you all leave me feedback and comments and help me decide which road to take next as far as reviews and helping to get you all the right products for you Ipad or PC/Mac whatever it is you use.

My goal is VERY simple. I want to help each and every one of you save money and time and take the stress out of buying something that should be easy. It is impossible to buy a cheap stylus for example that works great with no frills and its use's are exactly what we need it for.

so I aim to change that by doing these review. I have done Stylus's and am working on Case's and Stands now and also I am in the works with doing something near and dear to me which is Art. I am going to do the Best of Series with the IPad Art Apps.

So you all know what is coming. I have contacted the following companies for a product review and have heard back from most of them. If you see an app I possibly missed and you want it added to the list? Leave me a comment and I will add it to the list also. I will contact the company and get the ball rolling

List of Current Art Apps Included: (Red Means Already Included, Blue means awaiting app approval or Return email confirmation)

ArtRage
Inspire Pro
Layers Pro
ProCreate
Sketch Club
Interactive Sketchbook
Art Studio
Sketchbook Express (Awaiting Sketchbook Pro from AutoDesk)
Brushes (Haven't heard from them as of yet)
Adobe Ideas

I have also contacted Zen Brush, Adobe Eazel etc... and will be awaiting replies from there PR Departments on if they want there app's included in this review. Simple reason being some company's want to add there customer comments to there website and use those as reveiws and not have anyone on YouTube or a Blog site and twitter etc... doing a review for there products. If they get a bad one from there customer comments they dont have to post it. If one of us does a bad reveiw it is there forever.

Not stating ANY of the above company's have declined or fall under the above review policy's but there are company's out there that do. I always ask and get permission to review ANY and ALL items or Apps or IPad's/Electronics (Before) I do a reveiw. Just Common Curteousy from me to them.

Any apps you want added please leave a comment and if Art is not your thing and you want apps from a different category like Entertainment or Movies or Picture Editing or Cooking the possibilities are endless.

Just leave me a comment and If I get a few people wanting the same Apps reviewed. Then I will do it for you!

Thanks for Reading my Blog and remember my twitter is @CreatineReview . New Blog posts will be listed there first. Follow me and you will get the Reveiw Post Updates only seconds after they are posted here.

God Bless and Thanks for your time.

Jon "Creatine" Moorehouse

PS: Dont forget those comments about my review and what you want checked out next!

Best Ipad Stylus's (NomadBrush, oStylus & Jot Pro/Jot)

The following 3 Company's have (In my honest opinion) The BEST STYLUS'S on the market today.

During this review I will go over each Stylus that I have chosen and/or reviewed. The oStylus, NomadBrush and the Jot /Jot Pro

Of course for the Capacitive Touch screens we all are awaiting Pressure Sensitive IPad Stylus's and believe me when I tell you it isn't as far out as you all think!!!

(In NO particular order)

http://adonit.net/

Jot and Jot Pro the best stylus for Art?

Drawing and Sketching and General Use like note taking and writing etc.. This stylus is great?

For the first time in a review I'll have my wife and kids try it out also. Off camera of course. They love it when i get new Review items in and they test them alot with me, so this time i am going to add there comments and concerns.
Here is some general info for the Jot and Jot Pro. I will be getting a review(able) item of each very soon from Adonit.net and will give you my overall opinion once it arrives. until then here is the description of each.

Jot Pro: $29.99

Comes in Gun Metal, Silver and Turquoise.

Features: You can see where you draw unlike your finger. Its able to do this with a Thin Clear Disk Tip, it is made of Durable Aluminum & Steel. Has a Cap made from the same that screws on and off. Also screws on the other side of the pen for storage while you are drawing.

It also is a Ball Point pen that can be used at ANY angle, whatever drawing angle u prefer. The clear plastic tip will NOT scratch your screen and is near impossible to break. If it happens to pop off simply pop it back in with an audible "Snap"

The Jot Pro differentiates from the Jot by the $10 difference which is for the Rubber Grip, Magnetic Connect for IPad-2 and it has a pen clip for safe storage. Clip in your pocket, purse or pen holder in your book bag or simply use the magnet to cling to your actual IPad.

Jot: $19.99

All the features of the Jot are Exactly the same as the Jot Pro with the exception of the Pen Clip, Magnetic Cling and Rubber Grip. If you aren't interested in the pen clip to stick in your pocket or you are like me and put it in your book bag slot where the pen/pencil holders are anyways then the clip don't matter anyhow and you can save the $10.

For an IPad #1 the magnetic cling doesn't apply anyways unless it is on your Case/Stand. In which case I do recommend the Jot Pro. And last but not least the rubber grip. I personally found both the Jot and Jot Pro very comfortable with or without the grip. This is a very comfortable and style savvy stylus.

One more thing to mention is that the Jot comes in different colors than the Jot Pro and they can be seen on the website here http://adonit.net/ or you can follow them on twitter @Adonit and click on the website directly from there.

Jot colors are: Green, Purple and Red. Please purchase this pen if you are tired of the same old "Foam/Rubber Tips" that work GREAT for a week then loose there shine and lackluster and start to go rugged and drag across your screen.

This tip WILL NOT go dull and or drag across or scratch your screen and there customer service is impeccable. They will resolve your issue. Sad part is with customer service as good as there's they have a flawless Stylus and you probably will never contact them to see just how good they are.

On to the best painting stylus on the market. (In my opinion and that of EVERYONE i know who has tried it)

The Nomad Brush

Like Painting with Brushes or ArtRage, Procreate etc.. For coloring in art, layers etc and for general use like scrolling and anything where u use a normal stylus. I must mention the Nomad Brush can be found here: http://nomadbrush.com/ and on twitter @nomadbrush. The Company owner is Don Lee if that helps you find him on twitter. I spoke to him personally and also via letter's. VERY passionate guy about the Ipad and Ipad-2 and more so about his product. I expect GREAT things from him in the near future.

(I actually have 3 of these and have reviewed them all extensively)

Nomad brush comes In 3 sizes and variations and is the be all and end all of painting stylus's for art apps for the IPad, IPhone,IPod or ANY other Capacitive Touch Screen Device. (Once again until we get pressure sensitivity, then we need to do these reviews all over) here is some product details on the Nomad Brush also.

There are 3 sizes to choose from and they all work on the IPad, IPod, IPhone or ANY other Capacitive Touch Screens/cell phones etc.. The Mini is 4.5" long and great for the IPod or IPhone or any smaller touch screens or cell phones.

The long Tip Nomad has a 0.7" long tip and is the longest of the Nomad's and is great for any app like Brushes, Procreate, ArtRage, Sketch Club & ArtStudio app for painting and anything else on the iPad you plan to do. I personally prefer my finger for typing but you can use the nomad for that if you desire. I wouldn't use it because in my head I think paint brush. Who wants to use a brush for clicking keys? Certainly not me. I say that only because the bristles would bend or break over time due to how hard i type sometimes. normal wear and tear on these should be fine. i have used them for typing and it works.

Last but not least the short tip Nomad 0.4" tip and great for everything the other brushes are used for. I did not however measure each brush's length overall and will have to add that to this review once I am back home with the brushes. Give me a break I am at the book store with my coffee using my iPad to type this at the local Starbucks.

Here is some actual product details for the Nomad Brush:
(Soft) Ferrule Grip, shaft/handle made of Walnut and Carbon. Synthetic and natural fibers make up the conductive tip of the brush.

For a short and sweet on the prices:
Nomad Mini: $19.99
Nomad Long Tip: $24.00
Nomad Short Tip: $24.00

If you are using a smaller Capacitive touchscreen use the Nomad Mini for best results. (IE.. iPhone, IPod or touchscreen Cell Phones).

For the IPad and various other products like the Samsung and Android type IPad equivalents I prefer the Long Tip it feels exactly like an actual paint brush and is better for me personally. The short tip does feel exactly like a paintbrush also and my wife preferred it. (Ya Ya go figure right?)

Both the links above are direct sites to buy the Stylus of your choice and please trust me when I say if you want the best stylus's on the market get one of each. A Jot or Jot Pro and any of the 3 Nomad Brushes.

My Overall Personal Preference will be to buy: (1) Nomad Brush Long Tip for IPad art and (1) for my IPhone or Cell phone art.

My Wife's choices: Nomad Brush Mini for her IPhone Painting, and oStylus for Drawing and Sketching on her IPhone. She also uses her finger for typing and various other things. She does in fact use the oStylus for her note taking though. Where as I prefer my finger.

Last but Certainly not Least oStylus:

oStylus is made out of the "Norm" of the other Stylus's on the market and I must say it is a Breath of Fresh Air. The Stylus is exceptionally made for better quality. Unlike the majorite of Stylus's on the Market this one is hand made each and everytime by a Jeweler in Ontario.

His Name is Andrew Goss and he has a Studio there in Canada called oStylus Design Studio. his website can be found here: http://ostylus.com/ and he is also on twitter @oStylus if you are wanting to order a oStlyus please follow the link in the website and/or check his profile on twitter. he can also be reached at (519) 371-1857 which is his studio and if you have ANY questions please give him a call.

Product Description on oStylus:

Weight: 0.4 oz. which is 12grams (Very Lightweight)

Materials: Solid Aluminum Handle thats been Sandblasted and Anodized. (Very Comfortable),The wire is made of Titanium and the "O" tip is Stainless Steel with a 10mil vinyl film for the tip that actually touch's the Ipad.

(Please Dont worry it wont scratch your screen, i have tried extensively)

All the materials on the oStylus are conductive and have a purpose and a use for the Capacitive Touch Screens. this product like the others can be used on any Capacitive Touch Screen Device.

Product Price: $37.50

(It is more expensive than other stylus's but if you check out there website and watch the videos you will understand why. and remember you get what you pay for. There ARE rubber tip plastic stylus's out there on the market as I write this that are more expensive due to the 'Name" of the brand. (They are complete JUNK)

This concludes this portion of the review. Thanks for your time and I hope you like the review. Please follow me on Twitter @CreatineReview and here on my blog.

*Next Review* Best IPad Art Apps and then Best Case's and Stands for your IPad.

Art Apps will be reviewed for best in Painting, Sketching, Vectoring, Doodling, Layering, fine detail lines etc.. and overall best on the iPad.

IPad Case's and Stands will be reviewed for style, functionality, appearance, usefulness, comfort and anything else your comments choose. Price and overall will be noted also.

Thanks for reading my review and God Bless!

Jon "Creatine" Moorehouse (USN Ret.)