My rant of the day that appeared on Gizmodo speaking to idiots who are so locked into the what the iPad is “not” that they forget to see the tool that it “is.”

RANT:
I am a professional illustrator and designer. About 5 years ago my publishers required me to move 100% digital. I was hesitant, but saw the writing on the wall. I used (and still use) Sketchbook Pro, Photoshop and Painter to accomplish this task. I rarely touch paper /pencils / pens / or paint anymore. All of my thumbnails are done digital. All of my concepts are rendered digital. And my drawing and paintings are completely digital.

Sketchbook Pro has a built-in email feature that allows me to sketch hi-rez and and email low-rez concepts on the fly with one button. This past year I bought SBP for my iPhone. It works the same way. I use it a lot for “napkin doodles” as I sit in lunch meetings with clients, or sit in my car (parked!) sending off creative ideas in one direction as I travel in another.

As a long time Wacom user, it took a conceptual jump to produce anything of value on the device using my finger. But like making the jump from pen to stylus; jumping from stylus to finger is worth the small investment of time.

I can’t wait for this app and my iPad.I am not obtuse enough in my thinking to assume that it is meant to replace the tablet or even my desktop. It is a tool. I turn it on, the software and hardware disappear, and I work productively and transparently — just like Apple devices are meant to do.

If you are waiting for Microsoft to engineer something innovative that reflects the cultural meme of creative gestalt; You have other serious issues than not being able to draw with your finger.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS