Hey y'all!
I hope this happy hump day is treating you well! I thought I would pop in and write a quick post to say, first: "THANK YOU!!" so much, for all the supportive comments (online and in private) about my last post. Really, when something like this goes down, and it does for a lot of us in this industry/community...not a lot of people get to talk about it openly. Having the support and care and concern from the people I have met and connected with over the years is REALLY the big reason why I still love the paper craft industry...no matter how much I am in it, or how little time I get to spend in the midst of all the fun.
So again, Thank you!
Second: a BIG EVENT in the Pebbles household...I finally broke down and bought an iPad! WOOT! We've talked about getting one for ages...and not just as a child entertainment device (which you know it is ;P) but as something to help with business and design productivity. I realize that iPad + Productivity might sound like an oxymoron, but so far, it's not too shabby!
Even though I haven't had it for long, I have managed to spend a bit of time looking into some apps that I thought would be good to try for designing on the go...and I am so happy with these first few that I wanted to share them with you today! Keep in mind, these are "creative" apps...which may or may not be useful to a majority of people, but I like them for what I do. I will have more to share regarding universal apps in a later post ;)
PAPER by 53 | Free (in-app purchases)
This app was recommended just about everywhere I googled...it's a simple "notepad' sketching app you can download for free and use to hand write notes and sketches. If I can remember correctly, it comes with a basic pen or pencil and some basic color swatches, but all the tools can be purchased for a couple of bucks. The value I have found with it so far, is in making watercolor washes, which I can export to my camera roll and use in my designs. Winner!
Notability by Ginger Labs | $1.99
Notability is one of the top 25 paid apps...and I can see why. This is a note taking application with a TON of awesome features (are you a digital scrapbooker? Seriously, I think you could do it on this with some pretty decent results!) I love using it as a project planner, especially using it with inspirational images from my Pinterest boards. I will take a screen shot of something that might trigger an idea...then I can add it to my page, hand write (lots of tip options for the pencil tool), highlight or type notes, crop the photo, resize it, etc...I can even add voice notes! I am currently working on a couple of projects where this has already come in super handy. You can export your notes to Dropbox or Google Sky Drive, or email them as a pdf, etc...really, endless options. For me, it's like an "offline Pinterest/Sketchbook/Planner." I think this would be great for those of you who collaborate with others on creative projects!
Inkpad by Taptrix, Inc | $4.99
Last but not least, is Inkpad; a vector drawing app for iPad which is similar to Adobe Illustrator. My biggest reason for buying an iPad was so I could design on the go. Turns out, it's not that easy. I guess if they just had Illustrator for iPad, it would be a breeze...but they don't...so you have to hunt and peck and test a few different apps to find one that works for your needs. I like this one so far, beyond others I have tried. I narrowed down my choices of vector apps based on which of them allowed you to import fonts into the app...this is not something many offer, believe it or not. I haven't done it yet (on my to-do list) but you basically just upload the fonts you want to use into a Dropbox folder, import them into the program and boom! I find, so far, that this app is easy to get used to and allows me to doodle and design ideas on the fly, and then export them either as a .pdf or .svg, which I can then open in Illustrator on my laptop, and refine from there.
So there you have it...what I have managed to find so far, in the first week of iPad ownership! Not bad, right?
I'm still looking for an app that will let me design hand lettered art that has a painterly and calligraphic feel...but what I have tested so far in the popular design apps have fallen short. I'm thinking it's back to the basic pencil and notepad for that. Damn you Apple! DO IT ALL!!!
Thanks to my new tools, I managed to make a quick little set of 3"x 4"printable notes for you to download for free! Project Life compatible, of course...hope you like:
Enjoy!!
xoxoxo
-JP
(PS: The preview image on the download screen looks a bit wonky, but it should download fine...let me know if it doesn't. Also, since someone might ask, my iPad cover is Orla Kiely for Belkin from Target and I do use a stylus for my drawing, but I will be sharing that info in a later post...with more goodies and fun...so stay tuned! :D)