It's Not Rocket Science!
As seen on Bleeding Cool News!
by George Peter Gatsis
2012 - 01 - 04

Alternative to the expensive screen tablet(s) and traditional commissions.

Can't afford a $1200.00 to $2500.00 screen tablet?

OPTION #1:

How about building one for yourself at a reduced cost... of about $1000.

OPTION #2:

iPAD with a FOAM TIP stylus pen... NOT rubber tip. The rubber tip over time becomes cumbersome.

The Apps show above range from 99 cents to 10 dollars.

  1. Adobe Ideas and Inkpad are vector base drawing programs.
  2. SketchBook, Penultimate, Bamboo Paper and Inkpad are bitmap programs.
  3. AnimationDesk... is straight forward to understand.
  4. Pages is a powerful word processor and layout program.

So how does all this work in Option #2?

  1. Sketch out the comic panel using anyone of the bitmap programs. Save it and...
  2. Use anyone of the Vector programs to clean up and color the artwork. Save it and...
  3. Use Pages to layout your page.

Below are 10 screen snapshots of creating art through OPTION #2.

Or just do all your panel art in SketchBook... Save it and place it in Pages to layout.

Cost all together... iPad about $500 - Bitmap App about 99 cents to $2 - Vector App about 99 cents to $2 - Page layout App about $10.

That sounds almost too easy... what's the catch?

Art is art in all it's many forms. Digital art is just as good as physical art.

WAIT WHAT!!? What the hell are you talking about!!?
I can draw a commission piece on board or canvas and sell it. It's unique. No one else would have it. You can't do that with a digital commission.

Ahhh... but yes you can.
Draw your digital illustration in black and white or in color or whatever else inbetween. Then do a high quality printout at any size you wish and on a wide range of surfaces... and then have it UV protected.

Make sure everything about the printout is perfect. Sign it... and then DESTROY THE DIGITAL FILE!

There you go. A one of a kind digital commission. There is no way you'll be able to reproduce it exactly like the first time... as long as you are true to yourself by destroying the digital file.

Everything in this article is a suggested starting point to discovering the many wonderful options to in-expensive alternative tools to create digital art by maintaining the HAND-EYE coordination ( pencil and paper ) we have all grown up with.

Sincerely,

George Peter Gatsis