Remote Access for Photoshop Using Air Keyboard for iPad and Andriod

Air Keyboard lets you use your mobile device as keyboard.

Okay. Almost everyday I check a website called AppsGoneFree to see, well, what apps have gone free! Today I stumbled across and app called Air Keyboard which allows you to use your iPad as a wireless keyboard for your Mac or PC. I thought Air Keyboard was something cool to try, but it is not something I would normally put on ArtTech Review until I went through the apps settings. In the app's settings I found that you can change the layout of your iPad to do a number of things. Air Keyboard lets you create a full-keyboard, compact keyboard, control your Windows' Media Player (I have a PC at home and I am assuming you can control iTunes on the Mac), just a touch pad and a layout for computer gaming all at your finger tips. This alone makes it a useful app, but it is what you can do with Photoshop that makes it a worth wild pickup for the digital artist.

Air Keyboard lets you access the Adobe Photoshop toolbar.

After going through the settings I realized that Air Keyboard allows you to access your Photoshop toolbar and a mouse from your mobile device allowing you to use Adobe Photoshop remotely. I tested the app on my own computer and I discovered that yes Air Keyboard allows me to Photoshop very easily! To get the app to work with your computer you must install Air Keyboard's software on your computer first. Once installed it should find your computer or laptop as long as you are connected to the same wireless network. If you can not find your computer you can manually enter your computer's IP Address. If you don't know how to find your IP Address click (here) and use the following website to find it.

Pros and Cons for Air Keyboard for the iPad.

Pros

1. The app is very inexpensive ($1.99 when I checked) and easy to use.
2. Air Keyboard lets you control Adobe Photoshop's toolbar!
3. The ability to design and customize Air Keyboard layouts.

Cons

1. Even the compact keyboard is difficult to type on due to its size. I can only image it will be even more difficult if you have an iPad Mini.

4 our of 5 stars

A First Look at the Intuos Creative Stylus by Wacom

The Intuos Creative Stylus by Wacom out of the box.

Last night I had an opportunity to preview the Intuos Creative Stylus by Wacom almost a month before it hits the stores on October 7th.  Being obsessed with finding the best styluses on the market I have compared a wide range products, but the Intuos Creative Stylus by Wacom is in a class by itself.

For me the only thing that was missing from most styluses is the ability to adjust the pressure and relative thickness of my mark without having to go back and forth constantly making subtle changes to the settings in the whichever app I was currently using. After extensive research I discovered pressure sensitive styluses that used Bluetooth 4.0 technology that gives the user more control over his or her marks. So I picked up the Pogo Connect and used it pretty rigorously for a few months and found that it has some connection problems forcing me to take the battery out in an attempt to re-connect the stylus with the iPad. The Pogo Connect also has a programmable button that allows you to execute a command, usually undo, but I found myself constantly hitting the button and undoing my work.

The Intuos Creative Stylus by Wacom connects to the iPad instantly and works without any problem what so ever. The Intuos comes with its own protective case, two additional nibs and a AAAA batter that I have never used before. The Intuos is weighted towards the tip and feels more like a pen or a marker rather than the Pogo Connect that felt like a very light hollow tube even with the AAA battery inside. The tip of the Intuos Creative Stylus is much finer than the Pogo Connect so I have a better idea where the stylus is hitting the surface of the iPad. The Intuos' tip is denser and does not flex as much as the Pogo Connect making the connection to the iPad stronger and my marks more direct.

The Intuos has two-buttons that come standard with most of the Wacom styluses (dating all the way back to my first Wacom Tablet in 1999). The first button is lower and closer to the head, but with enough of a lip to stop your finger from running over it. The second button further back on the stylus raised up significantly and takes a conscious effort to push keeping you  from bumping into it on accident. You can go into the settings of most of the drawing apps mentioned above and change the button's settings as needed (I set the low button to redo and the raised one to undo).

The only issue I had with the Intuos Stylus Connect was a clicking noise that would happen when I picked the stylus off the iPad and pressed back down the make dots  rather than straight lines. If you keep the Intuos Creative Stylus connected to the iPad as you draw you will not notice any noise or tapping sensation.

Pros and Cons for the Intuos Creative Stylus by Wacom.

Pros

1. Nice weight to the stylus making it feel more line a real pen. The weight of the stylus is also distributed more to the point then the back end making it easier to use than other styluses I have run across.
2. Instant connectivity! I have only really used it with Procreate, but it connected instantly and never disconnected from the device like the other Bluetooth 4.0 styluses I have used in the past.
3. The two buttons setup allows you to program each with a number of different options allowing for greater persionalization.
4. A solid carrying case and two additional nibs which is great if you use your stylus a lot and worry once the nib wares out you will have to wait for another one to be shipped to you.

Cons

1. The clicking noise created by lifting your stylus and tapping it on the screen is a little distracting, but I am sure I will become used to it in time.
2. The price tag. I feel that $99.95 is a little high for a stylus, but other styluses like Pogo Connect go for $79.99 and with the case and the additional nips I would pay the extra $20 and get the Intuos Creative Stylus by Wacom.

Over all the Intuos Creative Stylus from Wacom is the best stylus I have used to date and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys sketching on the iPad. If you are going to fork over $70+ for a Bluetooth 4.0 stylus anyway I would fork over the extra $20 for the Intuos Creative Stylus by Wacom, you will be happy that you did.

Update: I have used the Intuos Creative Stylus by Wacom for a few weeks now and I love it. The stylus seems to be much more sensitive then the Pogo Connect and it connects instantly to Procreate and it hasn't disconnected once while using it! The only problem is the AAAA Alkaline battery that Wacom uses to power its device. After only two weeks of use (spearing used) the battery is already dead. Doing a little research not every store carries AAAA batteries and there are no rechargeable batteries so the cost can get pretty high over time . The Pogo Connects for example lasted over a month on a single AAA battery giving you some confidence that you can use it for a while before it begins to run down.

The Intuos comes with a slot to hold your AAAA battery so you can either take the battery out when it is not in use or keep a second one with you if you worry about it dying on you. Because of the issues with battery life I am going to have to lower my rating from 5 stars to 4.

4 out of 5 stars

The Big Picture: Art Games for Kids and Adults

As an art educator I have witnessed first hand the power of  games and how they can be used to teach students. If a students becomes engage in the game and retains important information it makes my job a whole lot easier. I use Apps Gone Free almost every day searching for new an interesting apps for my own personal use, art apps to review and games to play. In my search have found a number of art games and interactive apps that teach students about color theory and art history.

Here are a few of the apps that you can use with your kids or test your own knowledge of art history.

Color Vacuum 

Color Vacuum introduces kids to RGB color mixing.

Color Vacuum ($0.99), an iPhone and iPad app, encourages kids to pick up and capture colors using the device's digital camera. The app lets kids see how Red, Green and Blue are used to create other colors through RGB color mixing method. The app also measures color intensity and saturation. As you move the view finder in the center over an object the color being captured appears in the center of the device's viewfinder in a small bubbles. The color shown in the bubble is captured and broken down into RGB color in tubes at the bottom of the screen.

The instructions are a little fuzzy and an adult will probably have to walk the student or their child through the app and show them how it is use.

Pros

• Uses a very interesting and stylized interface to teach kids about RGB color.

Cons

• The app  is a little to confusing for kids to grasp on their own without help from an adult.

I give Color Vacuum...

2 out of 5 stars

Blendamaze

Blendamaze mixes color theory and a traditional roller ball game together.

Blendamaze ($2.99) is a tilting board game that invites the player to role a white ball into different pallets (areas of color) to explore color mixing. Once the ball drops into the pallet it sinks in, the ball changes its color to that of the pallet and gets kicked back out somewhere else onto the wooden. When you get to higher levels you can role the white ball into different pallets and begin mixing colors. As the ball roles around on the board moving from one pallet to the next it creates a streak of color on the wooden board showing the path the ball has taken. The game has different categories such as Primary, Secondary, Tertiary and Complimentary colors with about 30 different games per category. Depending on how well you do in each game your receive stars to track your progress.

Pros

• A very simple application that teaches the fundamentals of color and color mixing.

Cons

• If you don't like "tilt and roll the ball through the maze" games then you probably won't like Blendamaze.

I gave Blendamaze...

4 out of 5 stars

Art Race

Art Race is a great brain teaser for art lovers!

Art Race (Free) is a wonderful flashcard game testing the player's ability to pairing an artist with an artwork. The game places a single image on your screen along with two artists' names. A timer counts down limiting your time to choose (or use Google to search for the answer) which artist you believe made the work. There are also stars to keep track of your score. If you get too many answers wrong then you will have to start that section over again.

Once you score enough points a new game level will open with new works of art and artists to choose from. The game has five painting levels ranging from Art Lover to Master, two sculpture levels with Appraiser and Expert and an architecture level that reads "coming soon". A great way to test your knowledge or prepare for an Art Appreciation exam.

Pros

• A great app for art and art history lovers!

Cons

• Needs more minority, female and contemporary artists to help round it out. 
• Needs embedded information on artists or movements or at least a link to the artist's Wikipedia page! 

I gave Art Race...

5 out of 5 stars

Van Gogh: Painted with Words

A well structured time line of Vincent Van Gogh's life.

Van Gogh: Painted with Words ($4.99), a biography on the artist's life, telling Van Gogh's life story and breaking down his work into various themes. The user can follow the timeline in sequential order or jump around from section to section. The app is also allows you to view Van Gogh's work in themes set to music so you can look at the work rather than following the biography.

Pros

• Great imagery and well laid out, the app gives you a variety of ways to interact with it and the audio intro is a good overview of Van Gogh's life.

Cons

• I don't know if the app has enough to justify its $4.99 price tag.
• The app is bright and colorful making the user think that it is good to use with children, but the level is really young adult and up.

I gave Van Gogh: Painted with Words...

5 out of 5 stars

Rembrandt

Rembrandt has great high def (HD) images and video links.

Rembrandt ($0.99) is an extensive collection of works by the master covering a wide range of media (painting, drawing, printmaking, etc) using high def (HD) quality images. The app also has a video section covering a number of art movements that link to YouTube. Its make, LOVA, has created similar apps for Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Manet, Titian, etc at $0.99 each. There is also an Art History Interactive which highlights 50 masterpieces for western art.

Pros

• Amazing HD quality images and the YouTube video library is pretty amazing as well!

Cons

• I watched some of the videos (awesome), but it would be helpful to know which videos would be appropriate for students in advance and which where not. 

I gave Rembrandt...

5 stars out of 5

Here are just a few of the educational art apps I have run across while researching studio apps for the iPad, iPhone and Android devices. Once I have a collection of 4 or 5 new educational apps and art games I will post them again to the site. Thanks for reading!

LiveSketch HD for the iPad: Mimicking Drawing Tools without Control

Most drawing apps give you a wide range of tools, choices of color and the ability to create your work using layers, but like Zen Brushes, LiveSketch HD is good at doing one thing and one thing only... creating work that looks like a mathematical mess rather than a true artistic creation.

LiveSketch HD allows you to draw lines on the screen that look like a cross between graphite drawing and vine charcoal, but rather than leaning on the strengths that each medium brings to the drawing board (no pun intended) it falls somewhere in the middle. Drawing with LiveSketch HD allows you to sketch, change colors and incorporate backgrounds and that is about it.

The line work is very stylized, but again the quality is entirely to uniform to make for a good drawing app. I spent time exploring the app and all its functions, but I was quick to realize that the app itself is very limited.

LiveSketch HD brings a charcoal look to their app.

The Pros and Cons for LiveSketch HD

Pros

1. The app creates a unique line that I have not run across in any other sketching app and does a great job of mimicking charcoal or a soft sketching pencil being dragged along its edge.
2. The app is relatively inexpensive ($1.99) and if you really like the look of the marks than it might be worth the price.

Cons

1. The app has no brush options allowing for little variety when it comes to line and value
2. LiveSketch HD has no layers and it only allows you to export your work to either the iPad's gallery or send it out via email.

Over all I feel that this app is entirely to limiting to recommend it unless your are really taken with the line quality and look the app provides. Don't let the fact that Japanese artist Yoshitoshi ABe used this app in a YouTube video be the only thing that persuades you to purchase this app. 

I give LiveSketch HD...

1 star out of 5

Paperless - Draw, Paint and Sketch App for the iPad

Drawing of my beautiful wife using Paperless.

While searching the vast reaches of iTunes I occasionally stumble upon an app that reminds me of other apps that I have already reviewed. Paperless - Draw, Paint and Sketch for the iPad OS 4.0 or later reminds me of other apps I have reviewed, but not in a good way.

If you have even thought about sketching on your iDevice you have run across Paper by 53 which is one of the staples when it comes to digital sketching on your iPad. Like Paper, "Paper-less" creates sketchbooks for you to organize your work by title so you can find your project later. Just like Paper and Sketches, two apps that faced off on my blog a few weeks ago, uses a basic array of drawing tools. Paperless feels a lot like Paper in its utilization of pencil, pen, brush, a marker and an eraser tools to create an edit marks. Unlike Paper, Paperless comes with all the drawing tools pre-loaded where you have to purchase tools in Paper by 53.

Paperless does allow yo to change brush settings, but not on every brush.

Paperless has re-do and undo buttons that allows you to go back or go forward up to 15 changes. You can use the color tool to organize colors by using a color palette of recently selected colors for quick access later on. You can adjust the each brush tools' opacity, shape, smoothness, etc. as you go into and lay-down marks. I did find however that when you made changes to size of the brush or its opacity that the brush itself didn't always change. I was sketching a tea kettle on my stove as I started to play with the app I decided the outline was to thick. I thinned the line and it took about 10 marks before the line actually thinned. I would continue to make marks and after 5 or 6 marks it would become thick and the next 4 or 5 would change to thin without any adjustment to the app on my part. I know that some apps utilize pressure sensitive styluses that can adjust to changes in pressure, but at the time I was using a standard stylus that does not register the change.

I decided to really see what this app could do so I drew a picture of my beautiful wife Malinda. I started with a blue layer as an under drawing, outlined it with black and added a third layer for color.I quickly realized that you can not change the order in which the layers are stacked, so I had to trace the image with black underneath the blue under drawing. Going back and forth, turning the blue layer on and off was very frustrating. I appreciate that Paperless allows you to create layers, but not being able to change the order of the layers ruined a good sketch. Unless you go into the app and figure this out on your own there is no way to tell. You are very limited with three layers so I decided to go in and add a background to the image after I started the sketch. I then realized that if you change the background it will cover over whatever is already there instead of adding a new background on a separate layer.

Paperless does allow you to create a sketchbook to store your sketches as well as lets you name each sketchbook adding pages to it as you go. I decided to add my sketch of Malinda to my "ArtTechReview" sketchbook when low and behold I discovered that you had to create the book first and add pages as you go. Unfortunately that meant that I could not add Malinda to my collection! :(

Pros and the Cons for Paperless...

Pros

Paperless lets you create sketchbooks to organize your work.

1. The app is fairly inexpensive as far as drawing apps go and it comes with a lot more options out of the box than similar apps like Paper by 53.
2. You can create sketchbooks to organize your work and personalize your projects as you move along.
3. There are a number of build in controls to edit different drawing tools allowing the artist to change opacity, size of the brush, brush thickness, etc.
4. You can access a number of colors that you have previously selected which keeps you from having to use the eye-dropper tool to select previously used colors.

Cons

1. Layers! I can't tell you how upset I was when I discovered that my under-drawing was stuck on top and that you could only use 3 layers in your work. For someone who uses 10-20 layers per drawing this felt very limiting.
2. Brush controls were very limiting. I also discovered that only certain adjustments could be made in each tool. The pencil for example only allowed you to adjust the size of the mark and nothing else. The brush allowed you to adjust the thickness, opacity, softness, etc, but these options were left off other tools. I understand that there are only so many adjustments that could be made with a real pencil, but it would be nice to experiment a little more.
3. Not being able to add pictures to sketchbooks unless you build the sketchbook first.
4. You can rotate the iPad, but not the canvas with your fingers. If you notice I have one vertical picture and two horizontal. The tools do not move and re-adjust themselves like they do in most drawing apps that I have tried. 

Over all I would go with Sketches over both Paper and Paperless if I wanted a good sketching app. Sketches is a buck cheaper than Paperless so if you want a basic and easy to use app then go with Sketches and leave Paperless in the nether regions of iTune's app store .

I give Paperless for the iPad...

2 stars out of 5

Installing Art Work with My Measures & Dimesions for the iPhone, iPad and Android

My Measure can help arts pre-plan their spaces.

I stumbled upon an app the other day that had practical applications for interior designers and a home contractor, but I see it as tool for the studio artists or art teachers prepare for an upcoming exhibition or mural projects. My Measures is an app that allows it user to take a picture, attach arrows to show height, width and depth of walls, windows or objects as you plan your exhibition. You can adjust the arrows' length, change their colors, create angles and add text/notes for later.

There are two versions of My Measures to purchase from the app store. The $2.99 version of My Measures allows you to add arrows, change colors, add measurements and change text as well as share your images with others via email. If you want to link your images to cloud apps like Dropbox and export your work as PDFs then you will need to purchase My Measures Pro for $5.99.

There is not a lot else to this program, but measuring, adding text, exporting images, but if you are an art who is to do a lot of pre-planning to prepare for an exhibition it is a good purchase. You really don't need to purchase the pro version unless you really want to spend an extra three dollars. If you have Dropbox on your iPhone or iPad already just back up your photos from My Measures and you really won't need the pro version at all.

Pros and Cons for My Measures...

Pro

1. My Measures is a great tool for interior designers, contractors and artists who need to map out a space before preparing a show.
2. The app is inexpensive and if you use it the app is worth the $2.99.

Con

1. The app is pretty useless unless you are an interior designer, contractor or an artist who is planning for a show so unless you are going to use it a lot I wouldn't bother purchasing it.

This app is great for someone who needs to take a lot of measurements of interior spaces and plan for shows. If you want to keep images in one space without having to organize a lot of random pieces of paper or on different pages in various sketchbooks.

I give My Measure...

5 out of 5 stars

Adobe Ideas Brings Vector Based Art to the iPad

Like most digital artists I find myself having to go back and forth between Adobe Photoshop (raster images) and Adobe Illustrator (vector images) depending on the project I am working on. For those that are not familiar with the differences between raster and vector based images. Here is a brief definition of both terms...

1. Raster images, bitmap, are pictures that are composed of tiny blocks of color (pixels) placed side by side.
2. Vector images are made up of  mathematical lines, strokes or shapes used create an image so when you stretch it out the picture does not become distorted.

Adobe Ideas lets you use a number of drawing tools.

If you want to scan and edit a photograph you would use Adobe Photoshop. The number of small squares of color is tied to the image's resolution or dpi (dots per square inch... really should be "blocks" per square inch). The more boxes or squares you have the crisper the image. Now most digital painting or sketching programs for the iPad, iPhone and Android create raster based images rather than vector images, but there are a few that do use vector based imagery out there. Programs like iDesign, InkPad and TouchDraw, to name a few, but Adobe Ideas is a free program that you can experiment with.

Like most sketching programs Adobe Ideas has several drawing tools and the ability to adjust the size, opacity and color of each mark that you make You also have an eraser tool and move tool to make a few adjustments to your images. Adobe Ideas has a very well designed color palette that allows you to see hue, saturation and brightness as well as controls for RGB (Red, Green and Blue). The color pallet has color themes, a very innovative way to save a set of colors and access them later. This allows you to go back and quick select color or use the same pallet in other works that you create.

Adobe Ideas lets you export your work to the photo library, camera, Google, Flicker and share it via email. The application has a very simple layout with a standard set of tools and a color theme option that is very different from other apps I have seen.

Save your color choices so you can use them later.

The Pros and the Cons of Adobe Ideas...

Pro

1. The app lets you experiment with vector based drawing app that  is backed up by a name that most serious artists are very familiar with.
2. A very good color pallet with more options than most sketching application.
3. The application is free which is pretty surprising for Adobe who seems to charge for everything these days.

Cons

1. When using the brushes I found it hard to control how much color is being added and where it goes. Most apps have this problem, but with a little practice you are can figure out exactly how much area is filled in, but with Adobe Ideas it seems to mimic mark making without much control. The only one I had any luck with is the pencil tool, but the brush and pen tools were difficult to use.
2. The canvas seems to rotate on their own and even though there is movement tool that allows you to move work side to side, up and down and zoom in and out there is no way to rotate which is very frustrating. It seems as if each time I open the app my work has changed direction and there is no way of fixing it. I went through each section of the app, but no way of fixing the problem.
3. Even though you can save your work to the Adobe Cloud it would be nice to sync Adobe Ideas to Dropbox or Google Drive. You can of course go into photos or the camera and upload it to Dropbox, but that is a un-needed extra step.
4. There is no real way of blending colors, shading or creating gradations in the work so objects appear to be very flat and graphic looking.

Over all I was very disappointed with Adobe Ideas on the whole. I wanted it to either function  more like Adobe Illustrator or more like a good digital painting app, but in the end I got neither.

I give Adobe Ideas...

1 star out of 5

Sketches by A. Tayasui Apps vs. Paper by 53 for the iPad

A few days ago I stumbled upon a new sketching app for the iPad called Sketches by A. Tayasui. I decided to take it for a test drive and I found myself comparing it to 53's Paper app. Both apps have a very clean design centered around a tray of artist tools. Each app has pencils, pens, brushes, and erasers as well as a very clean and well designed layout. Here is a side by side comparison as well as reviews of each app.

Sketch by A. Tayasui

Sketches has a wider range of tools than Paper by 53.

Like Paper by 53, Sketch has a pencil, pen, brush and eraser as part of your "art kit" with the addition of two mechanical pencils, a Tombow Dual Brush Pen, a flat painter's brush and an airbrush tool. Both programs have a color palette option, but Sketches uses color swatches which allows you to select colors as well as add your own colors to use later. Each tool is gray out until you select the one that you want to use. Once the tool is selected it turns red and opens a tool bar with rows of circles that grow larger in descending order. These circles represent increases and decreases in the size of the mark a tool can make.

The Fill Transfer functions a lot like the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator where it fills in patterns based on the lines that you have created. An interesting feature that I have not seen in any other sketching program I have reviewed so far, but not very useful or practical in my opinion. In addition to the Fill Transfer function Sketches will let you chose to push colors  forward or back creating overlapping effects without the use of layers. An interesting feature, but having real layers to work can be the difference between a sketch and a finished work of art.

Pros and Cons for Sketches by A. Tayasui Apps...

Pros

Sketches lets you save color choices for later under color swatches.

1. Aesthetically beautiful app that is easy to use and easy to navigate.
2. Gives you a wide range of drawing utensils that are visually manifested on a tool box to the left of you screen.
3. Sketches lets you use the pro version for free for 1-hour at a time so you can test it out before you purchase it. I have clicked on the 1-hour free trial on two or three different occasions so I know you can try it out more than once, but I don't know if their is a limit to how many times you can do this.
4. The pro version for $1.99 which is significantly less expensive than similar apps found in iTunes.

Cons

1. Even though you can adjust the size of your brushes in the pro version of the app there is little adjustments that you can make beyond adjusting the size and opacity of the brush you are currently using.
2. The only way to view your work is to scroll through all of the sketches without being able to group or organize files.
3. There is no way of increasing the size of your canvas or the file size in Sketches which can be very limiting.
4. No layers (see update below).

I give Sketches by A. Tayasui App...

Update: It looks like Sketches HAS added layers to the pro version in one of its more recent updates!

4 our of 5 stars

Paper by 53

Paper by 53 uses sketchbooks to help organize your drawings and art projects.

Like Sketches by A. Tayasui App, Paper is a well designed and aesthetically pleasing app used for sketching and note taking. Paper has a pencil, two markers and a pen tool to make marks, but in the free version there is no way of adjusting the size of the mark as well as the opacity. Sketches does have the ability to change size and opacity, but only in the pro version which is a $1.99. Paper only comes with the basic pen tool requiring you to either pay $1.99 for each tool in the tray (pencil, brush, two markers and a color mixer) or paying $6.99 for the set (five dollars more than Sketches). Paper also has a good color mixer, a brush that does a good job of mimicking the look of watercolor and good line quality without the ability to make subtle adjustments to the brush that comes standard with most sketching applications.

Paper only comes with a pen tool for free and the rest you have to purchase.

The one thing that sets Paper apart from its competitors is its page by page interface and the ability to create unique sketchbooks to organize your work. Paper gives you a wide range of covers to choose from as well as allowing you to create your own covers from photos found on your iPad. This is a great feature if you want to organize your work by project rather than having to search through PNG or JPEG files on your iPad.

Over all Paper is a very aesthetically beautiful app that is great for sketching and organizing work in sketchbooks, but not something I want to use to create a real finished work of art in like I would in ProCreate.

Pros and Cons for Paper by 53...

Pros

Paper has a very stylistic look to it, but it is very limiting.

1. Like Sketches, Paper is aesthetically pleasing and easy to use regardless if you are a novice or a professional artist.
2. The ability to create sketchbooks to help organize sketches or projects that you are working on.
3. Being able to flip through pages in your sketchbook works every easily and is very distinctly Paper.

Cons

1. There is little to no adjustments that you can make to your tools including adjustments to the size and opacity of the brush you are currently using (this might be different if you pay for all of the tools rather than just use the pen tool that comes with the app).
2. There is no way of increasing the size of your canvas or the file size in Sketches which can be very limiting.
3. No Layers!

I give Paper by 53...

3 out of 5 stars

Each app is best used for sketching, quick illustrations, etc, but not good for digital painting. Both apps are suited more for the casual user rather than the professional artist so if I was forced to choose between Sketches and Paper I would go with Sketches. 

Sketches has more tools and allows you to adjust the size and opacity of your brushes where Paper does not. You might be able to do more with the tools in Paper if you purchase them, but the pen tool alone is very limiting. Lets also not forget the cost of the two programs. Sketches gives you a lot of options for free and gives you a 1-hour free trial. If you decide to purchase it you only have to caught up $1.99 which is pretty inexpensive considering what you get. Paper is also free, but comes with only the pen tool and only 7 colors to choose from without the option of a color mixer. If you want you can pay $1.99 for each tool or $6.99 for all of the tools up front. Since I could not fully test Paper's full version for free I can not comment on what you will receive, but based on the sample it is not worth the money.

Pogo Connect by Ten One Designs Helps Bring Pressure Sensitivity to the iPad

Pogo Connect by Ten One is a pressure sensitive stylus.

I have been using sketching apps on the iPad for a year now and I have tried range of art apps and styluses alike, but I have been unable to fully reproduce the experience of sketching with a brush to the iPad until now. Today I will review Pogo Connect by Ten One Designs, a Bluetooth enabled stylus that uses Ten One Designs patent pending Crescendo Sensor to pick up changes in pressure which allow different apps vary the thickness of your line.

Pogo is easy to set up, but each app has its own unique way of connecting to the Pogo Connect and not all apps do a great job of registering the pressure changes. So far I have tried the Pogo Connect using ProCreate, Sketchbook Pro, Sketch Club, Zen Brush and Inkist with varying degrees of success. Up to this point I have had the best luck with ProCreate, Zen Brush and Sketch Club (in that order), but I had trouble varying the line quality with Sketchbook Pro and Inkist. Pogo Connect can also be used with animation apps FlipBook, Flipink and Animation Desk and writing apps like Noteshelf and smartnote to name a few. Ten One Design has created a list of apps that currently support Pogo Connect as well as a list of "coming soon" apps that will be added later. Make sure you check the list of apps and see how each app supports the Pogo Connect. Most apps will work with the iPad 3 and 4, but they do not work with the iPad 1 and 2. Other apps support all iPads, but there are a few that does not support the iPad 1 and 2.

Pogo Connect looks like  a standard stylus and shares the same metallic look of the iPad itself, but is very light and easy to hold. The Pogo Connect runs on a single AAA battery and the website boasts that the pen can run for months without needing a replacement. To connect the Pogo Connect with a specific app you must activate the Bluetooth under the setting found on the iPad, press down on the button on the handle until a blue light comes on, the light will blink and when it turns off it has generally connected with the app you are using. You will have to go into the apps settings, find styluses and look for Pogo Connect to activate it. Once you have found Pogo Connect follow the directions in the app (usually requires you to turn it on in the app so the iPad will search for it) and when the blue button stops blinking it has synced with the app and is ready to use..

Pogo Connect's button can undo your last mark.

The back button on the Pogo Connect is not just a button to connect the Pogo to the app, but serves a
second function as a back button allowing you to undo your last mark. You can keep clicking the button until the apps' history has run out and it won't allow you to undo anymore. I have ready that some users find the button a little annoying because it is easy to hit and accidentally undo your work one click at a time. I have not run into this problem myself, but knowing that this could happen in advance has made me more aware of what the button can do so I can avoid clicking it.

Pogo Connect's rubber tip does need to get replaced from time to time, about every 4-6 months, but replacements can be purchased from Ten One Design's website. Now you could pay $79.95 on Ten One Design's website or pay a little less on Amazon ($65.00), but I found that Amazon does sell open package items option where you can purchase an opened Pogo Connect for around $35.00. The cost of the open-box Pogo Connect is about the same price as the Adonit Jot Pro or the PenGo BrushPen. Even though I really liked both the Adonit Jot Pro and the PenGo BrushPen the Pogo Connect's ability to sense presser is a real game changer for me. If you are a serious artist the ability to apply pressure to your make is a big deal and than the Pogo Connect is well worth the money.

Pros and Cons for Pogo Connect by Ten One Designs...

Pros

1. Senses pressure when making marks in a wide range of creative apps... Nuff Said!
2. Works with a wide range of creative apps
3. Light weight and long battery life
4. The back button to undo marks comes in handy while working.

Cons

1. The cost of a brand new pen is higher than most people (poor artists) are will to spend, but well worth the cost in my opinion.

I come back and update my review in a month or two and let you know how it is holding up. Right now I have only had it a few days, but so far it is pretty amazing!

I give the Pogo Connect by Ten One Design...

5 of 5 stars

Reflector App Mirrors Your iDevice on your Mac or PC

As I began to build my blog I wanted to find a way to capture videos of my apps in use rather than limiting myself to only taking still screen shots on my iPad. I searched all over the web for an app that would allow me to capture video of my iPad in action and the only thing I kept find was instructions for jailbreaking my iPad. Not wanting to jailbreak my iPad I stumbled upon another option and that option is called the Reflector App.

Reflector App does not work with every iDevice so make sure your device meets the following requirements.

Requirements:

Reflector App lets you mirror your iDevice on your Mac or PC!

• An iPad 2 or later, running iOS 5 or later.
• If you want to mirror to Apple TV: An 2nd gen or 3rd gen Apple TV running software version 5 or later.
• If you want to mirror to a Mac: OS X Mountain Lion, a supported Mac, and an app to support mirroring.. Supported Macs are
• iMac (Mid 2011 or newer)
• Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer)
• MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer)
• MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer)
• Windows XP or greater operating system

The Reflector App allows you to view your iPad on your Mac or PC over WiFi as well as record your screen to create videos. Reflector App does have a free time trial, $12.99 for a full licence for one computer or you can purchase a Multi-Licence for up to 5 computers for $54.99. Reflector App can mirror your one or more iDevices on your Mac or PC screen allowing the user to create demos, do side-by-side comparisons or allow students to display their work on a computer screen or projector at the same time. You may be limited to the number of devices you can connect at once depending on the specs of your computer's CPU and the more devices you add the slower it will run.

The newer MacBooks and iPad can utilize AirPlay, a application that allows you to mirror your iPad to your television using Apple TV, but it only works if you have the Apple TV device. Some very rigid firewalls can block Apple TV, but Reflector App has still worked for me in those situations. Within the Reflector App program you can do some minor tweaking including the following. You can 1) Adjust the size of your iPad on your screen, 2) change the design of your iPad on your monitor to look like a black or white iPad or iPad Mini, 3) record your computer screen, 4) adjust the iPad's orientation on the screen, etc.

Reflector App is great for educators, graphic designers and programs who what to show a larger audience how an app functions on their iDevice. Just hook your computer up to a large television or projector will allow you to show your iPad screen to a large group of people.

The Pros and Cons of Reflector App for the Mac and PC...

Pros

Reflector App mirrors your iDevice without needing Apple TV!

1. Being able to share you iPad's screen with a larger audience for demonstration purposes makes Reflector App a very powerful educational and marketing tool.
2. Having the ability to record what you are doing on the iPad allows you to make iPad videos to create "How To" videos for students or clients (Reflector App is also great for someone who wants to make YouTube videos show his/her iPad in action).
3. The low cost and no yearly fees to use the application makes Reflector App incredibly good deal.

Cons

1. As of right now Reflector App does not have the capability to record audio so if you are making a "How To" video you will have to use another application to lay an audio track over your video recording.

Over all Reflector App does a great job of bringing your iPad screen to a much larger audience and unless you are willing to jailbreak your iPad it is the only game in town right now.

I give the Reflector App for the Mac and PC...

4 out of 5 stars for not having a audio recording option.

Zen Brush App Review for the iPhone and iPad

Zen Brush sketch on old paper.

Recently I received PenGo's BrushPen and I was very excited about using it with Zen Brush based on the images that I found in iTunes, but was disappointed in the apps' capabilities. Zen Brush is a monochromatic painting app that helps recreate the look of Chinese and Japanese silkscreen painting. While looking for a good painting program I read some side reviews about the program saying it was one of the best painting programs around.

Zen Brush does create marks that look a lot like silkscreen painting and as a water-colorist I love the look of the marks on the app, but the lack of brushes is disappointing to say the least. Zen Brush allows you to adjust the color of the app between gray and black or light brown and dark brown depending on the paper you have selected for your background. The look of the brush strokes reminding me a lot of ink brush sketching for my beginning drawing classes in college.

I love the look and the feel of the app as well as the effects some of the different papers bring to the table, but the lack of brushes keeps me from being able to recommend this app to artists that enjoy ink wash or watercolor. If they could just give the user a few more options in brushes, being able to adjust the opacity and make a few changes this app would be right up there with some of the best.

Zen Brush has lots of backgrounds to choose from.

Pros and Cons for Zen Brush for the iPad...

Pros

• Makes amazing ink washes with a very wide (and I mean wide) range of papers ranging from old Japanese papers, colored papers, metallic papers, framed works and of course some that are kind of far out there like seasonal papers for different times of the year.

Cons

• Color limitations to monochromatic only which is okay if you go in realizing that the app is based on silk-screen painting from the orient.
• The lack of brush options. If this is fixed I would give it as many stars as possible.

I am hesitant to recommend this app because if you are like me and you love ink wash or watercolor you will be so excited about what this app can do and equally disappointed in what it can't.

I give Zen Brush...

1 out of 5 stars

PenGo Paint App Review for the iPad

Recently I received a stylus from PenGo Creative, BrushPen Creative Tool System, which included a QR code and information for their creative app called PenGo Paint for the iPad. I reviewed the BrushPen Creative Tool System and decided to give PenGo Paint a whirl.

PenGo's Paint  is limiting when it comes to marks.

Like most creative apps PenGo Paint has several brushes for you access, layers, a color editing tool, etc, but that app itself does little to sets it apart from the competition. The app comes with five different brushes with different marks under each brush, but most of the marks are grainy or come out looking like rough 8-bit NES graphics. The line quality is pretty much the same from brush to brush so regardless if you are using the pen tool or the brush tool you will not be able to tell much difference.

PenGo Paint has layers, a basic color selector tool that comes standard with most sketching or digital painting apps and

Now to be fair it is a free program geared at promoting its' stylus rather than a cutting edge sketching app so you get what you pay for. It doesn't stack up with apps like ProCreate or Sketchbook Pro, but as far as free apps go it is not bad.

Pros and Cons for PenGo Paint...

Pros

PenGo Paint does let you export as a PSD file.

• Yep, you guessed it. It is free!
• When I went into the save option PenGo Paint does allow you to export your images as a PNG or a PSD file which is more then apps like Sketchbook Pro does and that is a $4.99 app.
• PenGo Paint has most of the bells and whistles that most standard sketching apps have without using an advertising bar at the bottom of the screen to help keep it free.

Cons

• The biggest con is the the brushes themselves. The app even gives you tools in the brushes to adjust things like radius, opacity, tapper and edge each brush feels very much the same and can be come frustrating to those artists who are looking for variety in the mark making.

Over all not bad as far as free apps go and being able to export your work as a PNG or a PSD file is pretty awesome, but the lack of mark making options makes me want to delete this app from my iPad ASAP.

I give PenGo Paint for the iPad...

1 out of 5 stars

BrushPen Creative Tool System by PenGo Creative

PenGo's BrushPen comes with two nibs and one brush.

This is my "out-of-the-box" review my newest stylus by PenGo Creative based in LA. The PenGo is a BrushPen with three attachments. Two traditional black stylus nibs of different sizes and a brush made from synthetic fibers. The stylus' nibs are attached to a hollow tube that allows you to screw and unscrew a nib or a brush at each end giving you more versatility when it comes to mark making application. Having a brush at one end and a stylus at another allows me to turn the stylus around easily so I can switch back and forth without having to go to a different tool.

The pen does come with a cap that protects only one tip of the stylus at a time and is best used to protect the brush from damage. Fortunately the brush head is small enough to keep the user from cutting off strands of the brush when the cap is removed or put back on like you can with other brush/styluses.

The PenGo stylus has a good weight and feel to it, but the cap is surprisingly heavy so it has a tenancy pull away or slip if you hold it to loosely. I find myself taking the cap off to work and putting it back on only to protect the brush head from damage.

Since the iPad cannot recognize changes in pressure (yet) you are forced to go into the settings of whichever drawing program that you are using, to best mimics the shape of the Pengo brush. I have noticed that the iPad does pick up the brush quite nicely so you can draw a circle for example and outline it with the brush making for a nice fluid motion. Having three different heads on one stylus does give you some flexibility, but you are still limited by the program itself and how you have that particular program configured.

Pros and Cons for the PenGo's BrushPen...

The brush is made of stiff synthetic fibers.

Pros

• Having a brush helps give the artist a feeling that he/she is using a brush to draw or paint rather than using an inexpensive rubber tipped stylus.
• I like the way the PenGo sits in my hand and that by having interchangeable nibs at each end I can easily go back and forth between brush and nib without having to reach for a different tool.

Cons

• The cap add additional weight to the back end of the stylus and pulls it away from the iPad's surface if you are not holding it tightly.
• There is only one cap for the stylus leaving the end not covered by the cap open to damage over time.
• There is no place to store of keep the third nib and with its small size it can be easily misplaced or lost.

Over all I like the feel of the PenGo BrushPen in my hand, that it has attachments at both ends allowing its' user an go back and forth between the brush and the pen without having to reach for another stylus and its price point of $29.99 for what you get over all. PenGo has also released an app to go with its' BrushPen called PenGo Paint for the iPad which I will be reviewing shortly.

I have read some reviews on Amazon when I was researching brushes for the iPad and some reviewers said that the nibs became unresponsive fairly quickly and some of the nibs would fall off the pen after they were taken on and off a number of times. I will update my review of PenGo's BrushPen in about a month and let you know how it is holding up.

For now I give BrushPen by PenGo...

5 out of 5 stars