Build SKETCHBOOK SKOOL
22 Artists Magazine January/February 2020
Don’t get me wrong. I love paper. I love ink. I love the
granulation of watercolor and the smudge of a 6B pencil.
But two summers ago, I decided to make like Dylan in
1965 and go electric, plugging into Procreate and the Apple
Pencil on my iPad. Perhaps you’re saying, “Ugh, digital art.
Turn the page,” and I’m with you. Or at least I was.
I’ve never much liked the look of obviously digital
images made using Illustrator and Photoshop—those icy
tours de force of bezier curves and perfect gradations. I like
the serendipity found in screwups, the little mistakes and
hiccups that reveal the human hand.Besides, I figured I already spend too much time in front
of a glowing screen. Was I really going to supplant the one
rich analog experience I had each day—drawing in my
sketchbook—by yet another electronic gizmo? What was
that going to do to my serenity?
I’d heard the same reaction from many of my artist
friends who had played around with the iPad for a day
or two. They complained that it was too crude. Too cold.
Too fiddly. Too much to learn that gets in the way of the
creative flow. But all of these misgivings have since lost
their hold on me.Me, Myself and iPad
DANNY GREGORY reveals the joy of creativity and
exploration found in an infi nite art studio within arm’s reach.
RIGHT
I consider this
piece a collaboration
between Monet and
me thanks to a Monet-
inspired palette via
the iPad.