So, I went and did it people. After putting off buying one for the past 5 years, I went and bought myself an iPad Pro.
Last year I bought myself a Samsung Galaxy Tab A with S pen to treat myself. I used it a few times and I even bought a really cute stylus to go with it. Even after testing out a few apps though, it never got me motivated to keep drawing.
Flash forward to now, and I’ve been following an artist on Instagram called IronYokai. Not only is she a power lifter, but she draws as well. Anyway, I couldn’t help but watch her and see that she did all of her art on an iPad Pro.
I tried to play down the hype in my head that an iPad Pro was the shit. I had been such a loyal android user and could never understood the over-priced hype of Apple products. I still don’t understand the blind loyalty, but seeing so many artists creating on Procreate with them, I became very jealous, and very curious.
My original reasoning in my head was that I didn’t want to spend over a grand on an iPad and then end up never really using it. That’s basically what became of my Galaxy tablet. I bought the thing to use for drawing but I never really took advantage of that. For a while i thought that I made the right decision.
The problem with the Galaxy: It lagged a lot, it couldn’t use procreate, and it was a little too small for my liking.
I can’t recall the exact reason I decided to finally start looking into an iPad, but eventually I started browsing OfferUp for used ones.
I eventually came upon one that someone was selling for a very low and reasonable price. It had a lot of memory, and it was the exact size that I wanted. Also to my surprise they were going to include the Apple Pencil, but it wasn’t in their original post.
Long story short, I ended up throwing down the money for it… and I have to say “Uh, WOW”.
Procreate definitely lives up to the hype. I must’ve been living under a rock!
At first I was intimidated by the selection of brushes, and the seemingly simple interface, but once I started to explore it more and getting the hang of it, I was totally in love with it.
I really like that Procreate seems to have adapted the best to a touch screen interface. It really makes use of having a mobile tablet workspace. The gesture controls and the adaptation to the Apple Pencil is phenomenal. Plus, you can get all these features and more with one simple payment of $9.99 in the Apple store.
I guess I can say that the iPad Pro and the pencil and procreate all live up to the hype. I’m just glad I didn’t have to pay full price on it. Haha
What I like about the iPad Pro/drawing on a digital tablet:
- Portable drawing
I never really used my Wacom tablet, and I couldn’t figure out why… but in the end I realized I just didn’t like having to set it up, and being glued to my desk. What i like about the iPad is that I can literally be anywhere and draw with it. I can be on the couch watching a movie, I can be on the floor of my bedroom, and I can be in my car. Heck. Anywhere! - Responsiveness
I did get the portability with my other tablet, but I did not get the responsiveness that I really desired. I would honestly avoid using my other tablet because it was not as responsive to my drawing. I eventually got used to a half second delay when I was drawing, and that’s what made it hard for me… to like. I guess. - You can make mistakes
This seems like an easy DUH, because digital artists talk about this compared to traditional all the time. But seriously people. The main beauty of being able to make mistakes is that you can just speed on ahead making and creating art without the consequences of having to start all over when you mess up! I have felt more joy drawing on the iPad Pro being able to test out colors and not sit there pondering what to do next, like with my traditional art.
There is a lot more I can say about the iPad Pro, but the bottom line is that I am glad I finally invested in one for myself. I’m just glad that I didn’t have to pay the full original price for it.
404 Modal