Ok all you graphic designers/ digital artists

[dashDustin]

So the oldest has taken a liking to…..basically, art. Specifically digital creations. He’s expressed interest in a drawing tablet, and pretty much nothing else for Christmas. Given all the shit he’s been through since 11/2, we’re thinking we might get him something.

But it seems as though they all pretty much have to be hooked up to a computer. I’ve found 2 that don’t…one is reasonable, the other is just way out of our ball game and massive. We want something portable.

My initial reaction was iPad. He said that concerns him, given the issues caused by his phone. Makes sense. But I don’t know where to go now.

What do you guys create on? Is there anything of good quality that is also portable and doesn’t require connection to a big computer?

My first choice that wasn’t the iPad was the Wacom Cintiq 16. But…..computer. And portability isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but we’re all attempting to get him out of his room and into the sun.

[Peter Polack]

Etch-A-Sketch.

[rwsaunders]

My kid had a Wacom Bamboo pad years ago but she also had a laptop. For a kid starting out sketching, an IPad might do the trick. It isn’t connected online unless he wants it to be.

[j44ke]

How about a lot of good paper and drawing pencils, both graphite and colored? Then you can scan the images into the computer and edit there. Might allow drawing time on his own in his own space, and then digitizing with some helpful support/supervision. I am amazed by the number of kids on the subways in NYC who have a book of drawings - graffiti, anime, architecture, other people on the subway - and pull them out to draw diligently until their stop. Drawing as daily practice - low tech, no batteries, all your own stuff.

But structure might be helpful in a lot of ways, so art classes available outside of school (community center, local community college outreach, museum classes) would be something to consider. A real art class might be a place where he can develop compositional skills and understanding of color & perspective. Digital classes could be the target once chops are earned. And knowing some art "tricks" might make transitioning to digital production more successful.

I realize this sounds like a grown up telling a kid to go get experience - which it is - but experience will not only teach you stuff but it will make this less about the computer and more learning about tools and ways of doing and seeing and thinking.

Speaking here as someone with an undergraduate degree in visual arts. I use what I learned then only every day.

[Paul Jacobs]

I tend to agree with Jorn but Hockney is happy with his iPad.

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/arti...uring-lockdown

[vertical_doug]

I think the correct answer is all of the above.

Ipad is fine.

You may want to get him some watercolors and papers. But reality is good brushes add up in cost pretty quick.

You can look to see if there are any interesting classes he could attend on the digital space.

A combination of him effing around trying to create stuff with a little guidance of technique is best. Too much instruction just sucks the fun out.
(but the reality is you can find a lot of technical stuff on youtube.)

The issue you have is he really has no idea what he will find interesting a month from now. I think with the apple ecosystem, you just get access of a tremendous amount of apps to manipulate stuff whether he wants to explore video, AR, digital art.

You said he has concerns about his iphone, what specifically are those?

[Tom]

I was impressed by a local high school's art department head that makes sure all of his students, no matter what they pursue whether painting, sculpture or film, can draw with pencil and paper. He says it is the universal language. I'd go down the electronics path but I think as important or more is paper - lots to just experiment and doodle on but a book, too, so his more finished work has a place to be stored

[holliscx]

I think I would go left field and get a pandemic puppy or a record player with a few seminal albums that he can listen to while creating. Kids will find screens but the challenge is getting them off them.

I got my daughter an Apple pencil last year that she hasn't touched. We're still working on the puppy.

[Chik]

Everything Jorn said.

[j44ke]

...
You said he has concerns about his iphone, what specifically are those?

I think the young man is recovering from a visit to the dark side of the Internet and now recognizes the strength of its pull. Thus more sunlight less computer.

[dashDustin]

I'm pushing the paper idea. Mom is pushing the electronic idea. Tech in general is a draw for him. I downloaded Procreate on my iPad and....man, that's got some strength for a $10 app. But nothing is as simple as a good pencil and sheet of paper for escaping the world.

Maybe iPad AND paper....hmmmm

[defspace]

Do you have a Texas Arts Supply in your neck of the woods? An iPad's worth of budget and an afternoon and I bet you walk out with a kid who is going to be beyond stoked.

[rec head]

This is more a general thought on gifts and not at anyone particular: Get someone what they want not what you think they should want.

For Dustin's kid I would say the ipad is a good way to go if everything else that comes with an ipad and it's connectivity can be dealt with or controlled. Dustin, you probably know a lot more about parental control of devices, routers and modems than anyone at this point. Only you and your family can decide if it is safe.

As for what device, my wife uses Procreate to do some amazing work. She also has a Paperlike that she really likes.

[dashDustin]

Do you have a Texas Arts Supply in your neck of the woods? An iPad's worth of budget and an afternoon and I bet you walk out with a kid who is going to be beyond stoked.

all the cool stuff is in Houston. i don't care what anyone says.

no TAS here in Austin.

[dashDustin]

This is more a general thought on gifts and not at anyone particular: Get someone what they want not what you think they should want.

For Dustin's kid I would say the ipad is a good way to go if everything else that comes with an ipad and it's connectivity can be dealt with or controlled. Dustin, you probably know a lot more about parental control of devices, routers and modems than anyone at this point. Only you and your family can decide if it is safe.

As for what device, my wife uses Procreate to do some amazing work. She also has a Paperlike that she really likes.

This is sort of what I'm thinking. Via our mesh system, I've been able to block any and all things relating to Discord, and have experimented to confirm with my work phone. Using various Screen Limitations and app settings, I'm fairly confident that I can stop any backdoor (and front door) means of accessing the dark side. We can't keep him disconnected forever, and the school pretty much said the same back when he was first hospitalized ("if he doesn't have computer access, he can't do any work. His teachers aren't set up for printed material" which lead to profanity laced response from moi). But yeah. After running through my mind for the past week, I keep leaning towards iPad, and some quality paper + pencils. That combo seems to check all of the boxes...portability, power, ease of use, and ability to adapt. Plus the Apple ecosystem that he's familiar with.

[vertical_doug]

From an art point of view, the choice of medium determines what type of art you can create. If you use watercolour, you really can't paint like someone using oils.

If your son is interested in digital art, the medium is digital. The visual language is digital. Pen and paper is the wrong medium. It is that simple in my mind. If he really likes art, he will probably
decide to experiment in other mediums at some point.

As for the other issue, I can't really advise on how best to restrict certain websites etc. I went back and looked at some old posts. I can only hope for the best for you and your family.

[bcm119]

Get him a small laptop and a couple of free/open source graphics apps: Inkscape (similar to Adobe Illustrator) and GIMP (similar to Photoshop). You can do a lot of creating with these applications. A larger screen and a mouse will be a better medium for digital art than a pad.

[dashDustin]

Get him a small laptop and a couple of free/open source graphics apps: Inkscape (similar to Adobe Illustrator) and GIMP (similar to Photoshop). You can do a lot of creating with these applications. A larger screen and a mouse will be a better medium for digital art than a pad.

I'll have to check out Inkscape. Wasn't familiar with that one. I have, and use, GIMP and love it.

[false_aesthetic]

My random thoughts:

1. Graphic tablets can be pretty useless unless you know how to use the software you're interested in. I can think of a dozen or so students that purchased a Wacom Intuos for my digital editing class and then realized that most of what they were doing could be done easier/faster/smoother with a good mouse. I used a Wacom for in-depth photo editing/retouching but I rarely use one for any sort of graphic design stuff. It's all about workflow. For me, a MX Master 3s mouse is a better tool right now.

2. I use Photoshop, Illustrator, In-Design and a bunch of other random programs for my day job. I'm not doing high-end illustration, mostly color-ups for new product introductions and assets for our sales team. With the current demand of the Adobe suite, I would not be able to do this stuff with a tablet (e.g. ipad) . . . but you don't need a super high-end computer either. A Lenovo p50 from a few years ago is more than enough to handle most of the Adobe Creative Suite and, if you get 16gb+ RAM the kid can also run programs like Rhino or Fusion360 without much struggle. Another thing is that you don't need a super nice graphics card to run Adobe software unless you're rendering/animating. It's all nice but not necessary.

3. There are a lot of other programs out there that are similar to the Adobe Creative Suite but, if there is any desire to move beyond experimentation, it's probably best to go with the Adobe suite. The expense is real but there are educational discounts.

4. Consider a subscription to an educational course that focuses on what he/she is most interested in doing. If it's digital painting go that route. If it's designing album covers or shoes go that route. A general course doesn't hold most people's attention (especially younger students). Yes, they can figure out a lot by YouTube tutorials but I wouldn't rely on that stuff.

5. To answer your question directly, Wacom One at ~ $100 is where I'd start. All the higher-end pressure sensitive bells and whistles are definitely awesome but might be wasted if there isn't a deeper understanding of things.

6. I don't think Jorn is wrong about pen/paper but that kind've reminds me of my sister buying my niece a classical guitar when she wanted an electric. My niece doesn't touch the classical but when she's at her friends or at my place all she wants to do is play an electric. The pull just isn't the same. The other thing about tablets is that they work with other non-graphic related programs. A friend of mine uses his to edit audio and another prefers to "write" instead of type.

[dashDustin]

My random thoughts:

1. Graphic tablets can be pretty useless unless you know how to use the software you're interested in. I can think of a dozen or so students that purchased a Wacom Intuos for my digital editing class and then realized that most of what they were doing could be done easier/faster/smoother with a good mouse. I used a Wacom for in-depth photo editing/retouching but I rarely use one for any sort of graphic design stuff. It's all about workflow. For me, a MX Master 3s mouse is a better tool right now.

2. I use Photoshop, Illustrator, In-Design and a bunch of other random programs for my day job. I'm not doing high-end illustration, mostly color-ups for new product introductions and assets for our sales team. With the current demand of the Adobe suite, I would not be able to do this stuff with a tablet (e.g. ipad) . . . but you don't need a super high-end computer either. A Lenovo p50 from a few years ago is more than enough to handle most of the Adobe Creative Suite and, if you get 16gb+ RAM the kid can also run programs like Rhino or Fusion360 without much struggle. Another thing is that you don't need a super nice graphics card to run Adobe software unless you're rendering/animating. It's all nice but not necessary.

3. There are a lot of other programs out there that are similar to the Adobe Creative Suite but, if there is any desire to move beyond experimentation, it's probably best to go with the Adobe suite. The expense is real but there are educational discounts.

4. Consider a subscription to an educational course that focuses on what he/she is most interested in doing. If it's digital painting go that route. If it's designing album covers or shoes go that route. A general course doesn't hold most people's attention (especially younger students). Yes, they can figure out a lot by YouTube tutorials but I wouldn't rely on that stuff.

5. To answer your question directly, Wacom One at ~ $100 is where I'd start. All the higher-end pressure sensitive bells and whistles are definitely awesome but might be wasted if there isn't a deeper understanding of things.

6. I don't think Jorn is wrong about pen/paper but that kind've reminds me of my sister buying my niece a classical guitar when she wanted an electric. My niece doesn't touch the classical but when she's at her friends or at my place all she wants to do is play an electric. The pull just isn't the same. The other thing about tablets is that they work with other non-graphic related programs. A friend of mine uses his to edit audio and another prefers to "write" instead of type.

been waiting for you to chime in. I'll check out the Wacom One.

Also gonna start checking into art classes, and see what clubs/ groups might be available at the high school.