I really want to love this. iPad hardware just doesn't deliver.<p>The problem isn't that nice drawing software like this doesn't exist, it's that styli on iPad still <i>suck</i>. The capacitive screen (even on "new" iPad) only has about a 6mm capacitive resolution, so you're stuck fudging the fck along with a sausage for a stylus. Ars had a good review[1] on the current state of styli, and they said much the same. I've personally owned about four iPad styli and none come close to what I am capable of with an old Graphire.<p>We need pressure sensitivity, finer resolution, and proper calibration for this to work well. Everyone wants to replace drawing stuff with iPad (including myself) but until iPad supports Wacom-esque pressure sensitivity, feel and resolution on iPad everything you do there will likely be too rough compared to what you could get with a Bamboo on Painter/Illustrator or what could be drawn directly on paper, scanned in and retraced with said Wacom. Even the Galaxy Note / Lenovo Tablet / etc. are better for this.<p>[1] <a href="http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2012/03/does-the-stylus-still-blow-it-on-the-new-ipad.ars" rel="nofollow">http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2012/03/does-the-stylus...</a>
Just downloaded it and gave it a spin with my Bamboo stylus. Here are my impressions, FWIW:<p>* First impression: Nice tutorial, nice animations when picking a notebook. Great idea to do your app planning sketches as its own notebook.<p>* First impression while writing: Nice inky strokes, I like the colors.<p>* Second impression: Hmmm...this seems a bit laggy compared to Noteshelf or Penultimate. <flip over to those programs> Yup, definitely laggier (I have an iPad 2). Probably only a few milliseconds lag, but noticeable.<p>* Third impression: I like the rewind interface instead of an undo button. Very cool.<p>* Fourth impression: No zoom or magnifying glass? bummer.<p>* Final decision: Nice, impressive, innovative UI but unfortunately especially the lagginess will cause this to not replace Noteshelf as my default go-to notebook. The lack of zoom is also a bummer, since with a magnifying glass you could add so much more detail, it makes up for the iPad's lack of pinpoint accuracy.<p>3.5/5 (edit: just realized i'm not on the app store so I can give decimal ratings :P)<p>P.S. Also, a "hand guard" area to ignore touches as in Noteshelf would REALLY be nice to be able to draw without having to make sure you never touch the screen with your hand while drawing.
I couldn't tell at first if this was an app or just a sarcastic advertisement for actual paper as an alternative to tablets. Maybe that doesn't say much for my powers of observation, but it's also a testament to the product. At first glance, a white iPad running this app is not unlike a pad of drawing paper. Good job.
The app looks really, really cool, but I think this input lag demonstration by Microsoft has really spoilt me in the same way that I can no longer look at mobile devices without Retina and not cringe.<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOvQCPLkPt4" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOvQCPLkPt4</a>
Bought this this morning. I'm a figurative artist, for over 30 years, and this is a very nice tool. Especially for a version 1.0. The stroke dynamics are very good, and I'm running this on a first generation iPad. I've been sketching with it off and on all day, and have really grown to like it.<p>Things it needs:<p>* Pinch zoom in and out. Gotta have this. It works great when you are drawing at the scale of the whole page, but detail work suffers as the sampling of the device isn't good enough. (Nor are my fingers! This is why artists and illustrators often draw and paint as large as possible.) When they add zooming, and they say on their website they are, they need to be sure and adjust the tool's scaling to match the view.<p>* The limited color palette is fine, but I need to be able to pick the colors.<p>* More tools are a given, especially since the program itself is free and they are making their money by selling extra tools. I've already plunked down my eight bucks for all that's available.<p>The minimalist interface is fantastic. When you are drawing, and I'm speaking as a person who draws observationally, you want the tool to be as spacial and object oriented as possible. This doesn't mean you have to mimic "real world" drawing tools, but it <i>does</i> mean that the interface needs to not emphasize numerics and linguistics. The organization needs to be <i>very</i> simple; from a drawing point of view, if I have to drill down through a series of hierarchies I might has well type in menu selections from a command line. My attention needs to be on my subject and my drawing, not on a UI.<p>YMMV.
PIXAR animator @MR_Scribbles toying with it
<a href="http://shfp.tumblr.com/tagged/MadeWithPaper" rel="nofollow">http://shfp.tumblr.com/tagged/MadeWithPaper</a>
It looks really nice and well designed.<p>I really want to see a MacOSX version of this, there are not really any good minimalistic drawing programs on the Mac app store yet..
I'm curious about the bluetooth 4.0 LE pressure-sensitive stylus (<a href="http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/03/blue-tiger-stylus/" rel="nofollow">http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/03/blue-tiger-stylus/</a>); I've started to get really excited about 4.0 LE for electronic leash and other applications.
I actually don't like the rewind interface. It is an innovative way to use circular gestures, but it was frustrating to use. I'd rather have a circular context menu.<p>I do like the moleskin feel to it and the graphics. Good work!
How come the "nice designed" web sites is always the same, with the same font, large images, and soooo long to scroll. It's like a statement saying "we mind about design, we just don't have any creativity."
It seems to me the problem for detailed drawing is more of a hardware than a software problem at this point. It's very solvable on both sides it's a matter of timing the solution to hit the market when the major players in the pad space get to the right level of support for detailed styluses.<p>Clever alternative input methods to take an end run around screen resolution would be amazing if they're accurate enough.<p>I'd love to see someone give paper this 1 paper-cut.
Follow the link, watch the video that pops up... some guy walking around fiddling with a tablet. What's being sold here? The tablet? Some software? Services? No idea... watch for thirty seconds... still no idea... click the "about" button... more pictures of someone's shoes. Maybe they're selling shoes.
(Business hat) I wonder what would prompt someone to make yet another drawing app for the iPad? It's a fairly full space with entries from the major players, and the market of skilled artists is fairly small and is never going to blow up into a #1 hit.
I haven't played with this yet, but have to say the video splash on <a href="http://www.fiftythree.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.fiftythree.com/</a> 's homepage is awesome. So much more effective than some LaunchRock splash photo.
This app is being reviewed / hyped by every MacBook/ iOS site. No matter how good the UI is, they have pulled off a massive PR coup. How did they do it?
This looks really, really nice. Gorgeous UI.<p>But I kinda consider the ability to choose my own colors to be a critical feature in my drawing programs! BALEETED
Great app, guys. I love the design of the app and your website. Really fits the whole artistic New York hippie vibe. Keep up the good work and ignore the inevitable onslaught of negativity you read here...its par for course lately.
mmm looks delicious. I have been an avid user of the Sketchbook Pro way-of-things since Studio Paint. I have ordered a stylus to try this on my girlfriends iPad.