I have been drawing on my iPad at Dr. Sketchy's for several months now. Last month, I forgot my stylus! I didn't want to draw with my finger. I searched my purse in hopes of finding...a battery. Yes, a battery. A battery is conductive and can be used as a stylus on touch devices. I used a dead battery to draw with at Dr. Sketchy's. There were a few artists surprised at my impromptu tool. I liked the drawings that resulted from the battery drawings. The only difference in drawing with a stylus is getting used to holding a small instrument.

These drawings were done in Sketchbook Pro on the iPad. I have other drawing apps but I am must comfortable using this one.

Have you tried drawing on a iPhone, iPad or android device?

What has your experience been? Feel free to comment below.

I used my DIY iPad stylus this past Thursday at Dr Sketchy's. It worked pretty well. I ended up drawing more on the iPad than in my sketchbook. I love the share feature in Sketchbook Pro. I uploaded one of my sketches to Facebook. I even attempted a little "digital painting." I didn't get too far with it, but I am very happy with what I did, though.

I watched a ton of YouTube videos last night on how to make an iPad stylus. So I made one today. It didn't take long to make. It works and I am going to use it this Thursday at Dr. Sketchy's.

Here is the first sketch that I did with my stylus in Sketchbook Pro:

Below is the link to the video that I followed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opm0B1jd19A&feature=youtube_gdata_player

So anyway,on with the review. I enjoyed the story. I thought the story was good. I didn't think that Red Hulk died in issue two (I knew he was just down. I didn't think that his death would be taken so lightly. It wasn't made into a big deal.) In this issue, Spider-Man gets Jonah Jameson out of Subterreania. He goes back to avenge Red Hulk. He challenges the Morlan ruler and wins in a way only Spider-Man would. MoleMan regains his kingdom by default.

Spider-Man and Red Hulk get to back to New York and join the Avengers. MoleMan begins another plot against New York.

Overall, I thought it was okay. I think that the story was well told. I am not sure if I will continue reading the book.

Seeing as my studio is set up enough for me to continue to document my work, I dug up a pile of drawings from college. I looked through the old drawings and was pleasantly surprised at the work that I found. I didn't remember making every piece, but the feelings of making them came back. I remembered the classroom and the models and what it was like to be in college studying art. I was so excited everyday! I loved every experience to learn and grow. I know it sounds corny, but I really enjoyed art school and envy thing I got out of it in terms of making me a better artist. I missed those days. I know I can always go back to school and have different experiences, but that time was special.

There was a lot going on at that time. I was able to balance my fine art and commercial art interests. I produced a lot of art during that time and took some risks. My time was focused on making myself a better artist.

The biggest challenge is finding that balance again. A full time job and boyfriend weren't in the cards during college. I have tried several methods for creating a productive art routine. The latest iteration involves spending time in the studio at least ten hours a week. Five hours on Sunday and two hours a day Monday through Thursday.

I can put in the time on Sunday. The weekly commitment seems to the big challenge. I can get in maybe once during the week. Now, that I am writing this, I feel even more determined to get in the studio more this week. I have a few items to take care of this week, in order to get a head start in February.

Please feel free to comment on this or any of my posts. Thanks.

So I brought my iPad to dr Sketchy's this past Thursday, in an attempt to get proficient to drawing on the iPad. This is the second time that I drawn on the iPad at Dr Sketchy's. This time I added something extra. I brought my sketchbook and pencils along. I found it really strange to draw with my finger and I wasn't able to get the lines I expected. So this time, I toggled back and forth between my sketchbook and my iPad. (Note that I did not use a stylus. I lost the one that I had and I am shopping for a new one.) There was marked improvement in my drawings on the iPad. It felt better and a little more comfortable than last time. I was pleased with the results as time past. Naturally, I was faster on paper than on screen, but I was encouraged to keep drawing on my iPad. I got a few questions and complements on my drawings on the iPad. I really liked the way some of the drawings came out and loved that I can post to Twitter and Facebook right from the application. I used Sketchbook Pro for the iPad. I am not as fast as I would like to be when it comes to choosing and applying color though. Dr Sketchy's is a great environment for quick sketches without being overcommitted and Sketchbook Pro is a great program for developing sketches quickly.

As a part of my residency, I will be teaching art as well. I am not sure the programming yet, but it will be comics related. I haven't really taught before, but people have been advising me to do so for years. My first opportunity maybe at the local library. I am thinking about what the content for that class would be. If you have any ideas, please, let me know. You can comment on this post. Thank you for time and ideas.

So, back to my studio. I set up my bookshelf, filled with comics and illustration books. My drawing desk is set with a desk lamp and pencil sharpener. My art supplies are neatly sorted and ready to go. Last week, my boyfriend gave me some great ideas for organizing the remaining items, paintings from college, large sheets of papers, and other miscellaneous items. Wow, what a difference it made! My studio looks finished and is an inspiring artist space. I even have a spot for my action figures (open figures). They are atop of a book shelf and there is plenty of space for more. I wanted to put up some comic posters as well as my own artwork, my boyfriend thinks the walls should just feature my work. I think that the work the influences me should be included, so they will be. I have incorporated the sides of the bookshelf for small comic posters and postcards. The space should and will reflect me and my interests.

Hanging my artwork and posters will be the finishing touch to my studio setup. Once this is done, I think I will have a Studio Warming party. So, people will see my space and my work in an informal and casual setting. :-)

Photos coming shortly.

I have been looking forward to this book since it was announced a few months ago. In fact, I have told a few of my friends, who are hard
Core Joe Mad fans. The reason I have been looking forward to this book is for Joe Mad's art. I love his style and storytelling.

I was so eager for this book that I texted my friend who works Ina comic shop asking him how many copies of the book, the store had in stock. He eventually answered "a ton.". So I picked up the book last night. I was surprised to see a sketch cover variant and I picked that up too. I had a coupon for the shop that I received from a recent Dr. Sketchy's event, that invited me to pick up a few more books. But, in this review, I am only going to talk a out Avenging Spiderman.

So the comic is poly bagged in plastic, since there is a download code included for this issue. So even though I wanted to just buy this comic in the Marvel App store, I could not. It was not available and Marvel announced that the download code would only be available in the comic. So one has to buy the comic at the retailers. I am okay with this. There has been talk about how to include digital downloads in the comic industry without screwing over the retailers that have propped up the industry for so long. DC has same day digital downloads, Marvel has a subscription service,... I could go on and on about that but I digress.

So anyway, I bought the comics. I really wanted to read the comic on my iPad. I looked for the code on the back of the book (back inside cover). I already had the Marvel App downloaded and signed in, but I could not download the comic from the app. I had to visit the Mar el website and enter the code there. I also had to specify where I purchased the physical comic. (This information is probably gathered for marketing and research.) I signed into my Marvel account and downloaded the comic. I went back to the Marvel App, but I could not find it. Mind you, this is the first time that I have done this and am a pretty tech savvy person. I learned that I had to sign out of the Marvel App and Restore Purchases, and sign back in before the comic appeared. Then I had to download it. It downloaded quickly and I was ready to read the book! (Yes, I know that I could have read the book by the time it took for me to download it. But I REALLY wanted to read it on the iPad.)

So I opened the comic. A double tap lead me right into the apps intuitive reading format. There were two splash pages and they opened up in the App with the impact that they intended! The story flowed and I got really into the art. I usually pause on the panels, to note how great the art is or how the artist composed the panel. The art was not inked, so one could see the slight variations in tone and the quality of the mark making. Don't get me wrong, this does not detract from the storytelling at all.

The story starts with Spider-man talking directly to us about his hectic life as a superhero. He is with the Avengers and needs to get back to New York so he can get to his job. Red Hulk is tasked with bringing Spidey back to New York. Back in New York, J. Jonah Jameson signals the start of a marathon. As soon as it starts the crowd of joggers are confronted with a hoard of yellow skinned creatures. They make there way to Jameson and drag him underground. Spicy and Red Hulk try to save Jameson, but are swallowed up by a huge creature. Jameson is taken underground to discover that Mole Man is not longer the king is Subterraena. Someone else has taken over. This is where the book ended.

I enjoyed to book. I think my experienced was enhanced, reading it on the iPad. I am excited about the story and seeing Joe Mad's art again! Honestly, I hope there are no delays, and the book is not late. Anyone who is a Joe Mad fan knows that this is a true concern. I

I got a bag of swag, that included a preview book of the new 52 from DC. I read the book and I thought it was a good introduction to the new stories. I was surprised to find out that Rob Liefield is drawing a book for DC. I am looking forward to the new Static Shock series. There are a number of Batman books that are coming out. I think I will pick up a few titles to try out. I will see how this turns out.

Photo taken from the upstairs gallery inside Tate'sPhoto taken from the upstairs gallery inside Tate's