For the past several months, I've been experimenting on the iPad with the Apple Pencil. While it has sped up my sketch process considerably, I'm still trying to figure out how and if I'll use it for final art. That decision is far down the road, but in the meantime, I'm having a great time exploring applications like Adobe Photoshop Sketch and Procreate as I consider ways to recreate the look of my analog illustration digitally. One of the really fun features I recently discovered was the Timelapse function. The iPad actually "records" your entire drawing session of a document.
This is most entertaining to me—seeing my illustration choices sped up in video form. For instance, in the image called, Flying Machines, you'll see my first thought was to draw an ice cream cone on wheels. I guess I didn't like that, so I switched to helicopter-like contraptions, flown by animals.
Flying Machines Timelapse Drawing
Here's one called Roller Skates where I was trying to make choices about the background. Yes? No? I settle for mostly no.
Roller Skates Timelapse Drawing
I'm also wondering about the story-telling possibilities with Timelapse. While it would be complicated to incorporate, I think with a little planning, there are possibilities. As quick examples, here's a drawing I made called Cat in the Woods. It takes on a short narrative as you see the footprints appear and the cat's eye direction change at the very end. (I know, you have to squint to see it.)
Cat in the Woods Timelapse Drawing
With my Teacher Appreciation Day illustration, I must've I wanted to draw a dog exercising at first, but quickly changed my mind to an image related to the final piece. But because I'm using the same dog character, it seems at the beginning like we've gotten a peek into her personal life—first with an exercise coach, maybe before she goes to her job at school where she is then greeted by the cat student with the fork. It sure did take me a few tries to get that fork right!
Teacher Appreciation Day Timelapse Drawing
At any rate, it's interesting to see the decisions I was making in process: things I test out, then eliminate, and also elements that I obviously have to draw over and over, until I get the look I want. So there you have it—the ugly underbelly of my current iPad drawing process.
A few of these images are available for purchase as prints in my shop. Just click here to see the whole assortment, and a slew of other products featuring my art. Thanks for reading!