More on Paper by 53

Merry Christmas!  I hope your day has been a sweet one. We are enjoying playing with our little people and visiting family. There has also been time to continue messing around with Paper on my iPad. I like this app enough to keep it around and use. Tossing my iPad mini and a stylus in my purse is certainly easier than carrying my travel art bag everywhere. 

One thing the app eliminates from doing watercolors away from home is- well, water!  The watercolor feature is remarkably similar to real paint. While I won't replace using my travel set with this, I'm seeing that it does have its useful applications. Airplane trips come to mind, as well as sitting in meetings. 

Pros of using Paper are- 

Portability

One drawing surface and one tool

Can mix my own colors

Images of my work can be stored and easily shared

If I don't like a section, it can be edited out

Can import photos to enhance a project- versatility

Cons are-

Learning to use a fat-ended stylus 

Tiny details are difficult to make (but not impossible)

Still seems to have a 'digital' look when I'm done

One useful cheat I've found is putting a photo on the page. Using the pen tool within the app, trace the shapes in the photo. I did this with a picture of our littlest person. 

After the picture was traced, I removed the photo and began to add color with the brush tool, mixing colors as I wanted them. One use for this feature that appeals to me is those times when I'm having trouble working out a drawing. Being able to take a picture of the problem shapes and trace over them could help me see where my mistakes are coming from. While I wouldn't want to use it as a crutch for drawing, there have been subjects in the past when this could have been a big help. 

To me, painting is just fun, digitally or with the real deal. Learning a new skill over my break has been relaxing, too. Hooray for relaxation!  Goodness knows I needed it. 

Thanks for stopping by- Alice