What does a boot drawn on MS Paint have to do with that? Well now, that there picture above wasn't drawn on MS Paint, or any other desktop app for that matter. Going through the recent feed for Urlesque I was pointed towards a post on Today In Art on artwork created on iPhones/iPod Touchs. And they're pretty bloody impressive, especially when you consider they were created on a 3.5" diagonal screen... with fingertips. Intrigued, I had a look at one of the applications listed in said post, Sketchbook Mobile from Autodesk, they of the mighty Maya. As well as the full version (priced at £1.79) there's a free version, Sketchbook MobileX, which I downloaded and installed on the touchy Spod just before heading out to the Doc this afternoon. Sitting in the waiting room, surrounded by the poorly-but-definitely-not-swine-fluey, I decide to give it a spin. The instructions and controls are simply and effectively demonstrated, allowing you to get started almost immediately.
Now, drawing with my finger is something I don't think I've done since I was a toddler making shapes in sand and it's a peculiar feeling, especially after being so used to using pencils, pens, brushes, some kind of interface between me and the surface. So a bit of a mental shift is required to get into drawing on this, and to be honest I'd feel happier with a stylus or something similar. Having said that, the lack of stylus means this really is utterly portable - have finger, will draw. I first had a go at drawing a bin but immediately arsed it up, very difficult to pull off the smooth oval curves, so I erased that brief monstrosity with the briefest of clicks and surreptitiously stared around for something else to draw, settling on a bloke's boot-clad foot. The result, which must have taken about 5-10 minutes, is above.
As a sketch, it's crude compared to what I'd expect doing the same with pencil & paper, but for a first start on a new drawing medium I'm pretty happy with it and curious to see just how far I can take this app, considering the work others have already produced. The use of colour was particularly enjoyable and I do rather like the effect I got of the folds on the blue jeans. Most of all, it was pleasantly surprising how easily I slipped into that sketching mindset when drawing, despite the odd medium - made me realise how much I missed it. Something like Sketchbook Mobile could never replace a proper sketchbook, but the sheer portability of it (I'm very rarely without my touchy Spod) will hopefully encourage me to have a sketch at any opportune time, safe in the knowledge that anything particularly shit can simply be deleted. An empty touchscreen isn't half as scary as an empty page.
(MP3 taken from Funky16Corners Radio v.59 - Hammond Madness!)
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