Pros of procreate and other digital products

[AO84]

Why is it better than just paper and pencil? Faster?

Been pondering the whole digital setup thing... thanks

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Procreate is awesome. I use it all the time and wouldn’t be with out it. The day Andy Shinowsky demoed it on the forum I was hooked.

It is without a doubt the cheapest, most feature packed, intuitive and easy to use drawing program you could ever buy. Even our granddaughter plays with it.

You work in layers and can cut, paste, rotate, flip same as Photoshop. The drawing side is easy, limitless and contains a few tricks that are great to use. It has more features than I will ever use.

The software is dirt cheap but the downside is the tablet and pencil to run it on isn’t cheap and you have to replace them every few years.

Now here come the big BUT

It will not make you a better designer or enable you to draw any better or easier. If you can’t draw with pencil and paper…….then you won’t be able to draw on Procreate. However, if you can draw then Procreate will be a very useful device. Like all things it takes a bit of getting used to.

Everything that procreate does you can do with pencil and paper. It just takes longer and a bit of imagination. Paper, rubber and a pencil doesn’t need to be upgraded, the batteries won’t go flat and is dirt cheap.

I would encourage any novice and learner to start with pencil and paper because you will need an awful lot of it. Learn to control the pencil. It is the hardest thing to learn about engraving.

If you are looking for something digital for drawing with a lot of really useful functions…………,then Procreate is a really good way to go.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Matthew Evans]

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[monk]

andrew said it is good. so, i believe it to be so. i use corel draw. but, like andrew, i always start with a pencil. i draw large and correct the bad spots ( there are many), and then scan into corel, reduce to size and print out a transfer. be aware that not all projects are suitable for transfers. so, we're back to the pencil all over again. there's simply no way to avoid the pain induced by the pencil.

 

[Daniel29]

I guess a lot of the "digital setup thing" comes due to social media. It simply makes sharing a lot easier and with that it becomes more popular.

I am using an ipad myself and with it the apps procreate and sketchbook. Of course, if you cant draw it does not make you any better. But it maks drawing more comfortable. For example i can make a layer just for a sketch. Then make a layer on top of that for the final drawing. And if i want to try something different within that drawing i can make another layer and change leafs, shading, size, position etc just with a few finger swipes. And on top of it, you have all layers saved for a later use. With a single drawing you have your sketch, a layer for the outlines to transfer and the finished drawing to check the balance between positive/negative space, shading lines and so on. If i remember when i learned engraving and i had to redraw a sketch just to test some variations of my design ... well, that alone justifys such an app for me.
Of course, it is not a MUST for creative people and it does not make paper and pencil obsolete. Understand it as coexisting. Just use what you like and what fits your needs. At the end everything that counts is the result. But if you can afford a tablet/ipad i dont see a reason not to use it. You will soon appreciate the benefits.

Besides that, you can make timelaps videos of your creative process and share them too. Supposed you like something like this.

I dont know if it is possible to answer your question with a yes or no. Is procreate better than pen and paper? Its like the question if a pneumatic tool is better than hammer and chisel. If you know what you are doing then you can create outstanding work with both. If you dont have talent for drawing or engraving then you cant compensate that with the tools. If YES is not the perfect answer then i would definitivly say it has some major advantages.

 

[AllenClapp]

Affinity Designer also has a powerful, inexpensive package that works on Windows based tablets, etc., and does not require sipping the Apple Koolaid.

 

[AO84]

Allen, interesting. I'm acclimated to windows so that is good to know as an option...though nothing wrong with Apple, just never tried

 

[Goldjockey]

Prior to going to computer design for a lot of what I do, I worked with pencil and paper for many, many years.

Procreate is like paper and pencil on steroids in terms of productivity. Fantastic program, relatively easy to learn the basics, and wonderful for features like layering, line smoothing, quick corrections, and flawless work flow. Can't say enough good things about it.

I do wish it was vector rather than raster based, and had built in rulers for scaling work, but considering the program's versatility and ease of use, those are pretty minor gripes.

 

[sam]

Affinity Designer also has a powerful, inexpensive package that works on Windows based tablets, etc., and does not require sipping the Apple Koolaid.

Our entire household is an Apple ecosystem. iPhones, iPads, iMacs, Apple Watch...if it's Apple we probably have it. And every device communicates with each other by syncing images and many other things. I'm a video creator/editor, photographer, illustrator, and my iMac is powerful tool for all of these applications. When I see comments like "apple koolaid" I have to laugh. Apple devices have been a huge part of business for many years and I love 'em!

 

[dcurrie911]

I’m sure I could find a hundred good things to say about procreate or digital designing in general, but for me the biggest seller is that I have never erased through the screen of my tablet.

Dan

 

[AllenClapp]

Our entire household is an Apple ecosystem. iPhones, iPads, iMacs, Apple Watch...if it's Apple we probably have it. And every device communicates with each other by syncing images and many other things. I'm a video creator/editor, photographer, illustrator, and my iMac is powerful tool for all of these applications. When I see comments like "apple koolaid" I have to laugh. Apple devices have been a huge part of business for many years and I love 'em!

Sorry, Sam. I forgot to put some quotes around the "Apple Koolaid" and unfortunately didn't make sure that the intended humor would come through. I am continually amazed at, and humored by, some who are absolutely adamant that one system is better than the other FOR EVERYTHING, which is certainly NOT true. What you do mostly may affect which system is best--especially if you are mostly in the art world or mostly in the engineering world. The Mac system was built around the art world and it is only recently that you can get art-related software that functions that well on a Windows system, but some of the related Windows software like video editing still isn't up to the par of the Apple-related software. I didn't have much choice because some specialized engineering programs that I used all the time were not available to work on a Mac. At least many of the independent graphics software folks now make versions for both Apple and iMac that work pretty much the same on either system. I was happy to see the Affinity folks come out with graphics software that competes nicely with existing high-end systems, but at a lower price. If Procreate were available for Windows systems, this conversation would not have occurred. My point was intended to show that those who are constrained to a Windows system can get Procreate-like capability for much less than the standard Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw price. Affinity also has Mac versions that work the same, which will appeal to those who work on both platforms. Mahalo.

 

[Goldjockey]

Sorry, Sam. I forgot to put some quotes around the "Apple Koolaid" and unfortunately didn't make sure that the intended humor would come through. I am continually amazed at, and humored by, some who are absolutely adamant that one system is better than the other FOR EVERYTHING, which is certainly NOT true. What you do mostly may affect which system is best--especially if you are mostly in the art world or mostly in the engineering world. The Mac system was built around the art world and it is only recently that you can get art-related software that functions that well on a Windows system, but some of the related Windows software like video editing still isn't up to the par of the Apple-related software. I didn't have much choice because some specialized engineering programs that I used all the time were not available to work on a Mac. At least many of the independent graphics software folks now make versions for both Apple and iMac that work pretty much the same on either system. I was happy to see the Affinity folks come out with graphics software that competes nicely with existing high-end systems, but at a lower price. If Procreate were available for Windows systems, this conversation would not have occurred. My point was intended to show that those who are constrained to a Windows system can get Procreate-like capability for much less than the standard Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw price. Affinity also has Mac versions that work the same, which will appeal to those who work on both platforms. Mahalo.

After going from Windows based graphics systems to Macs around 2007 -2008, and running both systems on different physical machines, I learned I could use VMware Fusion to virtualize my Windows system with all the installed graphics software, and run it as a virtual machine on my Macs. This is not 'boot camp' it actually allows one to run both systems simultaneously on a Mac, with all Windows programs and files fully integrated and running on a single Mac desktop. This meant I could keep and continue to use all of my Windows based software and files without having to go out and replace it with Mac versions, while taking advantage of the excellent Mac OS, and Mac programs not available for Windows.

Have been using Fusion for years to seamlessly and simultaneously work on a single desktop between Windows and Mac programs, and have not missed my Windows physical machines one bit. A link to the software follows:

Note: VMware Fusion player is currently free! Pro is available for less than $100.

Download VMware Fusion | VMware

Fusion 12 Player and Fusion 12 Pro are the best way to run Windows on the Mac, and the ultimate development and testing utility. Discover why.

www.vmware.com

 

[jzknives]

Now here come the big BUT

It will not make you a better designer or enable you to draw any better or easier. If you can’t draw with pencil and paper…….then you won’t be able to draw on Procreate.

Im at this stage now and i can confirm. Im having trouble just drawing scrolls without elbows. I have no idea how to fill the scrolls in. Keep in mind i have a "designers eye" and , if i had the drawing skills , would be able to fill things out fine.

I simply cannot draw.

example

The best tool i had before procreate was those green plastic stencils that had the different sized scrolls and leafs. I could make decent designs with it and even put it on a knife bolster before ruining one side by trying to do "deep relief".

I tried using the stencils on the IPAD but the ipencil is simply too wide to fit in the gaps. It would be nice if they made a ipad compatible version of said stencils.

 

[Daniel29]

Especially if you still struggle with scrolls i would not use a stencil for drawing them. Search a scroll that is pleasing your eyes and try to draw it over and over again until you can draw it without flaws. In my opinion drawing a scroll should come out of your muscle memory. That wont happen if you are using stencils. It is not only to draw the scroll, you should also know WHY you draw the scroll exactly like this. With enough practice it becomes second nature.

Also keep in mind, you dont need to draw the scroll with a single stroke. I use a transparent pencil and shape my scrolls with lots of fast and shorter lines. With this i am working until i am satisfied with the scroll, how it rolls in, smoothing the shape etc. Then i use this as a skeleton and make a new layer on top for the clean drawing.

 

[John B.]

When learning to draw scroll backbones and using a template, use the dot system as a guide.
Join the dots with the use of of a hand held pencil.
Most people find that they need fewer dots and rely less on templates as time goes bye.

 

[jzknives]

Okay so i learned something new with procreate that is extremely important for engravers who need to draw detail.

The first drawing i did (in this thread) was done by importing a image and drawing on it. The issue with this is the resolution of the ink/pencil , is locked to the resolution of the image. Which means extreme small detail (like shading) is completely impossible.

What you do to fix this issue is you open a blank 4k resolution canvas and THEN import the image you want to draw on like my knife , and then "fit the image to screen" option. This will allow the resolution of the pen be extreme. big enough you can do fine shading and stuff.

if you do not do it this way you are not taking advantage of the device