Drawing with the ipad

A few people have been enquiring, so for those who would like some basic information about the iPad as a drawing tool, here is a side note post with a quick bit of background information for anyone new to the concept. Please note, I am approximately 4 weeks old and a handful of drawings in as an iPad user, so please don't take this as a definitive guide :)

David Hockney,'The Arrival of Spring'  ipad drawings, 2016

http://www.fondation-vincentvangogh-arles.org/en/expositions/davidhockney/ 

The widely recognised pioneer and master of the medium in a fine art context is British artist David Hockney. Hockney started drawing on his iPhone in 2008, and has since moved to the iPad, with its obvious benefit of a larger surface area. Hockney has always embraced a wide range of media in his lengthy and prolific career. As well as traditional painting and drawing, Hockney has explored, and pushed the  artistic boundaries of media including photography, video, fax, printmaking and photocopying.  

Hockney champions the iPad as a drawing tool for its immediacy, versatility, convenience, and democracy. He famously sends pictures to friends and relatives who can do what they want with them. He exploits the luminosity inherent to screen-based work by often choosing subjects where light itself is the point of the picture. 

There is a terrific interview with Hockney in the Telegraph where he describes his use of the iPad as an artmaking tool. I love that he has always had his tailor include a special pocket in his suits to house his sketchbooks. This  pocket has now been expanded in size  to fit his iPad. 

This short clip of curator Charlie Scheips talking about Hockney's ipad art is also worth a look for some more information on Hockney's approach. 

We were lucky enough to have a Hockney exhibition recently at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.  As per this exhibition, Hockney's iPad drawings are often shown on the devices themselves, however some also are produced as works on paper. The current technology means large scale works can be created at high quality output. 

Whilst unlikely to ever threaten traditional means of production, as Hockney points out, the characteristics of the iPad apps, and its sheer convenience mean that work can be created in all sorts of scenarios where otherwise  it may have been unlikely or impossible.

The iPad allows for painting  and drawing with fingers and also with a stylus. The ability to zoom into sections of the page means that quite detailed results can be achieved using hands alone. The Apple pencil however, is a convincing, pressure-sensitive, intuitive  and satisfying asset to the toolbox.

There are a wide range of drawing applications available. Hockney famously uses the Brushes app, and by all accounts seems happy to stick with that. A very popular app, and the one I have been exploring, is Procreate. This app is widely promoted by Apple as a drawing tool of choice, and from my perspective, well worth the $15 price tag. (It comes from Tassie by the way: hurruh!)  Many will find it intuitive to use, and anyone who has used Photoshop or Illustrator will work it out easily. If your preferred learning style is to be shown how to do something, then search 'today at Apple', and book into a free 1 hour class at your local Apple store. 

Whilst there are certain limited workarounds available, drawing apps such as Procreate, and tools such as the iPad pencil are optimised to work with the iPad pro. Check if your device is compatible. 

Cath Barcan, 'Head of Sophokles in a glass case' ipad drawing, 2018

"Bronze portrait said to represent the playwright Sophokles (about 496-406 BC)

300-100 BC

Said to have been found in a well at Smyrna

(modern Izmir, Turkey)

...

Formerly in the collection of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, who, in the 17th century, employed agents to collect sculpture along the coast of Western Turkey."

-from the descriptive text, British Museum

Of course, no self-respecting classical sculpture would have hair as messy as this. Anyone who believes that all art is a form of self-portrait might be tempted to use this as an example (beard notwithstanding of course!) 

I'm still wrestling with the overwhelming complexities of the British Museum. I'm letting these bronze sculptures flesh out a little, and look back somewhat supercilliously, after all these years of being looked at.