The graphics display of and proliferation of artistic apps for the iPad has been fantastic. Unfortunately the lack of a pressure sensitive interface and input options (fingertip anyone?) has continued to frustrate me. With the oStylus at least one of those issues now has been solved for me.

Both the Pogo and Dagi (and from what I hear the Targus) stylus are short and stubby affairs. Not much bigger than a golf pencil, the grip is awkward and the necessity of needing a minimum size to activate the capacitive touch of the screen meant I was either trying to see around my hand or the pen itself to see the lines I was generating. The shortness also meant the accidental touch factor of my hand to the screen was a continual irritation.

The oStylus has a long barrel, allowing a much more comfortable grip, as if this were a brush or a full sized pencil. The signature ‘o’ tip has an open center to allow you to see the line for more precise marking, although since the apps I tried (ArtStudio HD and Sketchbook Pro) don’t have cursors this was kind of moot. The ‘o’ has a material covering so it’s not metal on the iPad glass. To date this has been my best experience with a stylus on the iPad.

I hope to put together a short vid of me working with the oStylus soon. The oStylus removes one big obstacle for me and allows me to think more about what I’m trying to visually create, rather than wrestling with the interface. This new tech has shown me is that I need to work to adapt my personal style to better showcase what the oStylus can help an artist do. Just scribbling around isn’t going to impress anyone. Quick sketch is certainly easy enough with it but a more painterly approach, with a thought process more towards shape and value than form and line seems to be called for.

You can get on their mailing list for release information at ostylus.com

Later!

So last year a caricaturist friend gave me a partially used TomBow pen that she had picked up in a shop somewhere on the west coast in a Little Japan corner of wherever she was.

I fell in love with it. At that time it was not available on the North American market and turns out to be a pen for writing exercises for the Japanese kanji letters. Joy of joys when about a month and a half ago, I found that it is now available on jetpens.com!! I ordered a few plus a couple others and have now been using them for a few weeks and feel I can solidly praise these up down and sideways

First up:
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen – Hard – Blue Body

http://www.jetpens.com/product_info.php/products_id/5035

If you love the line variation of the Markette but wish you had a finer version for smaller work, this is the marker for you. The bullet nib is not a foam brush tip or synthetic brush hair but a flexible plastic tip. I can draw in the same manner as the Markette – using the side of the tip to preserve the point. The inkflow is lovely and the longevity of this pen quite good! I’ve done dozens of sketches with it and it’s only just starting to get a little dry.  I do not know if the ink is waterproof (haven’t tested that) but it doesn’t appear to bleed over time the way the solvent heavy Markette does either.

There is a ‘green body’ version of this pen available at jetpens that looks to be an even finer tip. If you get it, please let me know what you think.

For long time I’ve had my eye on pen #2:
Kuretake No. 13 Fountain Hair Brush Pen

http://www.jetpens.com/product_info.php/products_id/2660

I saw Danielle Corsetto using this and while it is pricey, I’m liking it better than the Pentel Brush Pen (which I adore). It’s a fancy looking fountain pen, which is available in different body colours and there is an adapter for using it with other fountain pen refills according to the site. Again, I haven’t tested the ink for water fastness.  There are two reasons I like it better than Pentel though – 1)the brush is slightly smaller. This gives me better control and I’m able to ink smaller areas better. I can use both this pen and the Pentel for larger fills. and 2) my Pentel seems to bleed a bit between uses – with ink collecting in the brush and drying out, or mucking up around the cap seal. To date, I have not experienced that problem with this pen.

And since I was indulging I decided to treat myself to pen #3:
Kuretake Tegami Refillable Letter Pen

http://www.jetpens.com/product_info.php/products_id/4956

Like the brush pen, this is a pricey pen and available in different barrel colours. It’s a really spiffy pen though and is a joy to draw with. The tip is very much like the TomBow I started this review with, but slightly more flexible giving even more line sensitivity. Refills include a new pen tip so there’s no worry about eventually wearing it down or damaging it. Ink flow remains strong after dozens of sketches as well. I’ve been using it more than the TomBow over the weeks but giving both a decent exercise and it feels like it’s gonna outlast the TomBow, so the price of refills may be justified after the outlay of a fancy pen.

All of my drawing during convention season has been on smooth bristol over blue pencil. I love the feel the expensive pens have in my hand too. Maybe it’s just mental but yeah… I like the shiny professional look of them too.

I hope this info is helpful for folks. Heck, there’s plenty of time for you to add the pricey ones to your Christmas lists too If anyone finds a better price source for these I hope you’ll share that info as well.

Later!

Been awhile and for that I apologize. I’m much better at keeping up with my Twitter account. I guess short comments are more my speed Anyhow, just finished this beauty and wanted to share her as much as possible.

Me? Oh busy. That’s the norm though and it’s all a good busy.  Convention season was nuts and almost feels like it ended before we’ve begun planning for 2010. Things are much better spread out through the year next season, which will hopefully make the summer months much easier on everyone.  The buffers are slowly being rebuilt and I’m even finding time to relax and do fun things like this pin up.

So no matter what holiday you may choose to celebrate during this cold season, I hope it is among the warmth of friends and family.  Later

Once again it’s that time of the week where I like to hop online for the evening on Ustream TV to (hopefully) entertain you all with my art on my weekly broadcast, Lartist At Work. (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/lartist-at-work)

I really enjoy these weekly streams and if the metrics are to be believed, there’s a lot of you who are turning up each week to enjoy them too.  However, there’s been a few issues of recent that have cropped up that I’d just like to go over, to make sure we all enjoy things.

Just like the forums, the chatroom in ‘Lartist at Work’ is moderated.

And generally moderated by the same folks who help us out in the forums at leasticoulddo.com and lfgcomic.com.  Why them and not you? Because I know them, and they know me.  They are friends and co workers and are around to assist that things keep running smoothly.  The mods also know how to change the title of the chat room and will keep you apprised of links and situations you might be interested in.

Why does the chatroom need moderation? The primary reason is spammers.  The ‘bots find us and that gets unpleasant really fast.  For that same reason we ask that if you wish to participate in a chat, you register a nickname and log in.  It’s free and only takes a minute.

In addition, the chats have been averaging in the hundreds of users and as much as I try, I can’t keep up with all the conversations and questions that are flying by.  A moderator is able to be another pair of dedicated eyes to keep us on an even keel.  A couple of tools they can use are built in options for Ustream. “Bad” language is automatically censored as is the excessive use of CAPITAL LETTERS.  Too much of either will see you booted temporarily.  This is my choice.  I know, I do swear from time to time, but deal with it.  It’s a double standard.

“What for was I kicked?! I didn’t do nuthin’!”
If you haven’t been swearing, USING ALL CAPS, or pestering people, chances are good that Ustream just hiccuped.  The technology is still pretty new and there are times it’s taken me ages to get online and broadcasting.  There are times I’ve gotten disconnected. There are times *everyone* has been dropped from Ustream.  Don’t panic. Just log back in.

“Where did Lar go!? Is it over already?!”
Unless otherwise stated, the Ustreams run till midnight or so (EST). If the broadcast has cut off abruptly and I’m in midsentence, it can take me a minute to even realize I’m off air. I’m just that long winded.  Once again, don’t panic. Don’t spam the chatroom. Just hit F5 to refresh your screen and wait for me to get my act together and get the broadcast restarted.

So now that you’ve struggled through this post, why not join me and the rest of us for the evening stream?  Bring a friend! Bring several! And I hope to ’see’ you there

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/lartist-at-work – most every Friday evening beginning at 7pm EST till midnight-ish.

Later!

Kinda short notice to drop this on you but for anyone in the Kingston Ontario area this weekend, the fine fellows at 4Color/8Bit, the comic shop where Sohmer and I passed 24 Hour Comic Day back in October, have invited me to have a show of my art in their shop.  There is an evening reception this coming Saturday from 7pm till 10pm.  It’s invitation only but that just means you need to either swing by the shop to get one, or at least give them a call so they know to expect you.  It’s just a numbers thing.  They also have a Facebook page with all the info available there:

http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1089997123319#/event.php?eid=75084772426&ref=mf

Sohmer and Nick have promised to make an appearance Saturday as well, so there’s even more reasons to drop by and say hi!

The art will all be for sale, and will hang through July so if you can’t make it out to meet us in person, you can at least check out the store and see my stuff at your leisure.

Later!

Britain thinks it’s got talent? It’s got more than that!  It’s got WOLVERINE!

Go! Do your own! Post it high and low! Wolverine makes everything better!

Later

For those who may not already know it, I have been hosting a live, interactive show on Friday evenings on Ustream.tv.  This week I’m planning on doing some art lessons, and that’s where you come in.  I’d like to focus on the ‘how to draw’ aspect of things but I’m open to suggestions.  If you’ve got a specific art question you’d like me to try to tackle, please email before Friday’s stream at lar@leasticoulddo.com with the subject line “Ustream Art Question”.

The show can be found at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/lartist-at-work and I try to get rolling around 7pm EST and usually run till just after midnight.  There are clips from previous shows available there now if you’d like to check them out.

Hope to ’see’ you there   Later!

Lar

Now I’ve never been much of one to hold with the excuse that ‘my muse just wasn’t into it’ because deadlines are deadlines and never to be missed.  However, for those ’soft’ deadlines or the “whenever you have time” requests… yeah. Make yourself comfortable because it’s gonna be awhile.  But not because I don’t want to do it, but because I have enough hard deadlines to fill up my days!  That’s not procrastination, that’s just too few hours between awake and asleep.

But having put the coat of procrastination on so many times, I think I’ve come to recognize a few things to help me through it and maybe these thoughts can help you too.

Admittedly, that whole ‘muse’ thing isn’t entirely wrong.  I’ve learned for myself that while I may not be in the “mood” to do one project, it’s only because my brain is still percolating on it.  It’s not ‘mood’, that’s emotional.  It’s intellect and problem solving of the creative sort.  Your muse isn’t ready because you haven’t figured out how to turn the objective on it’s head and take ownership of it.  To really make it an enjoyable endeavour and not just another job to crank out.

The way I’ve found to speed the process up is to continue to work on other creative exercises.  Sometimes that means switching media entirely and maybe busting out the brushes to work in traditional media or cracking open some origami books to play with paper for a bit.  The important thing is to keep it in the back of my mind and not be in denial over a project.  Continuing with other creative exercises keeps my mind open and refreshed so that I can ponder the problem.  Often this leads to a burst of insight such that I’ve already planned and discarded a bunch of options before I ever draw that first line, making the time I do finally spend on something much more efficient and productive.  Many artists litter their workspaces with small toys and knick knacks not just because they are fun, but because it’s that added stimulation to the imagination.  

As a professional artist I ‘play’ for a living.  I get to draw and paint and colour.  Basic, primal, childrens activities.  A lifetime of it has allowed me to problem solve in different ways and gifted me with an ‘honesty’ towards myself, if not the world.  Just don’t be passive, that’s gonna dull your mind.  Keep thinking even when you’re playing with your action figures (be honest) and you’ll quickly find your muse ready to tackle more and more interesting projects with less and less effort and dread.

Later!