Are there any digital tools that would replicate the workflow of drawing with ruler and compass? I've tried dozens of different apps but none of them get it quite right. Here's my wishlist:<p>Compass:<p>— Set a radius and "lock" it in place.<p>— Move the origin of the compass anywhere, without having to set the radius again.<p>— Press down to draw an arc (CW or CCW), starting and ending anywhere along the radius.<p>— Ability to snap to other lines and intersections.<p>— Hotkey to draw in increments, like 10°, 20°, 30°, 45°
etc.<p>— Ability to draw the arcs as guides to aid in geometric construcion.<p>Ruler:<p>— Change the angle of the ruler<p>— Move the ruler without having to set the angle again<p>— Press down to draw a line, starting and ending anywhere along the ruler.<p>— Ability to snap to other lines and intersections.<p>— Hotkey to rotate in increments of 10°, 20°, 30°, 45° etc.<p>— Ability to draw the lines as guides to aid in geometric construcion.<p>+ A fill tool to color shapes.
My dad was a civil engineer back in the '80s when I was a kid and seeing that first large image with all the instruments made me highly nostalgic, because he had a drawing tool-set very similar to the second from the left (it was manufactured and designed in the German Democratic Republic). I distinctly remember playing with those template drawing instruments.
Timely article. I’m doing straightedge and compass constructions for fun, and want them to look good. I’ve realized that in terms of compasses (at least), they don’t make em like they used to. Browsing for used stuff turns up plenty of incredible high quality gear for technical drawings. At very good prices.
When I went to Jr High School they still had drafting. We used the same textbook my dad used 20 years before. Lol. And I participated in the computer club where we played around on Apple II’s. Fast forward, my first year at university in typography class we were specing type lines, cutting them up and laying them out with wax on board, and photographing the composition in a positive film stat. Next year it was all about the Quark on Mac SE. I found it funny, even then, to grow up on the cusp of change.
My mother is a children's book illustrator. She has always done it by hand until very recently, mainly because she doesn't understand computers, but also because the watercolour effects she understood how to do by hand were tricky for her to achieve on the computer.<p>But I think she prefers using the computer now, the dual monitors, layers, and undo button are huge value adds.
My brother was in architecture school in the 80s and the had some
amusing contraptions like the Leroy Lettering set:<p><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QPpgVpDDqDU/VT-JJ417kvI/AAAAAAAAUes/0jl7l-SzVoM/s1600/16918867_3.jpg" rel="nofollow">https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QPpgVpDDqDU/VT-JJ417kvI/AAAAAAAAU...</a><p>Interesting.
Many of these tools and techniques are still very useful for woodworkers for laying out cuts and shapes on the timber. I have and use many of these in my workshop.
Thank you for this, I am very much an amateur comic artist and prefer "analogue" methods so this list of items is exceptionally helpful for items I haven't seen before4 / didn't know the name of.