iPhone Sketches
April 3, 2009 12:19 PM Subscribe
Jorge Colombo is among the artists using the Brushes application on the iPhone as a digital palette and canvas to create iSketches. He has worked as an illustrator, as a photographer, and as a graphic designer. He also creates digital QT videos, initially restricting himself to one-minute movies, and lately moving into longer projects.[prev. some nsfw]
Funny how our collective fanboy attitude about the iPhone makes us focus more on the device on which these drawings were made than the artist. I mean, if I told you to just look at these drawings, you might well just say "meh," but if I mention "iPhone!" suddenly this becomes interesting. It's often hard for me to distinguish whether we're interested in the work because it is done on a tiny little hard to draw on device, or whether the works are any good. This is probably somewhat similar to marveling over paintings on the head of the pin, especially if the pin was branded by your favorite company.
posted by Muddler at 12:38 PM on April 3, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Muddler at 12:38 PM on April 3, 2009 [2 favorites]
They do realize that thing has a camera in it, right?
I keed, I keed...
posted by butterstick at 12:59 PM on April 3, 2009 [1 favorite]
I keed, I keed...
posted by butterstick at 12:59 PM on April 3, 2009 [1 favorite]
Those sketches were pretty good considering the limitations of the device. Without considering those limitations, not so much.
What's wrong with the cat in the "Out the Door" video?
posted by HE Amb. T. S. L. DuVal at 1:15 PM on April 3, 2009
What's wrong with the cat in the "Out the Door" video?
posted by HE Amb. T. S. L. DuVal at 1:15 PM on April 3, 2009
I'm too young to know if this happened, but were the masses impressed when MS Paint first came out and people started going nuts with the brush tool then?
posted by Smarson at 3:12 PM on April 3, 2009
posted by Smarson at 3:12 PM on April 3, 2009
These remind me of drawings done in the Graffiti Facebook app. Arguably, it's more difficult to use a mouse to draw, and I've seen some pretty impressive graffiti sketches.
posted by brenton at 3:19 PM on April 3, 2009
posted by brenton at 3:19 PM on April 3, 2009
> but if I mention "iPhone!" suddenly this becomes interesting.
Your answer is here:
> Those sketches were pretty good considering the limitations of the device. Without considering those limitations, not so much.
That is pretty much why this is neat.
You can get other touchscreen drawing surfaces which are much more complicated (and expensive), this is a cheap app you can put on your phone that lets you doodle. And some people are really good at it.
That is what art is, in some ways. People exploring the limitations of the medium in which they choose to work. Such as people who learn how to do etch a sketch art, or amazing chalk sidewalk drawings.
posted by mrzarquon at 4:17 PM on April 3, 2009 [1 favorite]
Your answer is here:
> Those sketches were pretty good considering the limitations of the device. Without considering those limitations, not so much.
That is pretty much why this is neat.
You can get other touchscreen drawing surfaces which are much more complicated (and expensive), this is a cheap app you can put on your phone that lets you doodle. And some people are really good at it.
That is what art is, in some ways. People exploring the limitations of the medium in which they choose to work. Such as people who learn how to do etch a sketch art, or amazing chalk sidewalk drawings.
posted by mrzarquon at 4:17 PM on April 3, 2009 [1 favorite]
Smarson - sort of. I remember one of my friend's dad used to create these amazing illustrations in Paint back in the Windows 3.1 days. Of course, people still do pretty incredible things nowadays
posted by spiderskull at 4:33 PM on April 3, 2009
posted by spiderskull at 4:33 PM on April 3, 2009
This Brushes app seems to take actual artistic talent and run it through some sort of "amateur" filter, making any drawing look like it was done by a kid. I'm not really seeing what's good about it, other than maybe using it as a sketch pad. I've never actually used it myself, so I don't know if you can make other stuff with it that doesn't look kinda bad.
Sorry, not trying to be all "that ain't art!" or anything. I just haven't seen anything that impressive yet.
posted by orme at 6:23 PM on April 3, 2009
Sorry, not trying to be all "that ain't art!" or anything. I just haven't seen anything that impressive yet.
posted by orme at 6:23 PM on April 3, 2009
This is what I think of when I hear iSketch: hours upon hours of time spent playing this classic.
posted by not_on_display at 6:39 PM on April 3, 2009
posted by not_on_display at 6:39 PM on April 3, 2009
I've got an iPhone / iPod touch drawing application in the App Store right now -- Paintbook. The current release is pencil only, but I upgraded it to a full spectrum and multi-brush type version on Wednesday -- we're only waiting on Apple to put it in the store. Many more features are coming soon.
Go get it!
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:34 AM on April 4, 2009
Go get it!
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:34 AM on April 4, 2009
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I have Brushes, and I love playing with it. What I lack is any real artistic training and ability; I look at stuff like this and think, I could do that! And then I break out the app and discover no, I really can't. But it's wicked fun to try.
posted by rtha at 12:27 PM on April 3, 2009