Over the course of the past month I went on a bit of a "studio upgrading binge." The initial catalyst was finally receiving my Sketchboard Pro. I initially wrote about this intriguing accessory back in October of 2019 when I first backed the KickStarter for its development. Originally planned to arrive in spring of 2020, the manufacturing and shipping delays post Covid created quite a delay, but I'm happy to say it was worth the wait!
The Sketchboard Pro is basically an iPad cradle which mimics an old school artist's drawing board. The biggest benefit is that the screen then sits completely flush with the surrounding area making drawing much more natural and ergonomic. It's like the difference between drawing in a sketchbook where you're always needing to balance your hand off the page, versus drawing on a flat sheet of paper where you can get much more arm motion and support.
The board can also make drawing on a chair or sofa much more comfortable, or on the dining room table as it has four legs which can be deployed in a variety of ways to make it like an angled drafting table or easel.
I already spent most of my work time at a slightly angled drafting table, and the Sketchboard fit into my setup just as I hoped. Resting against the pencil stop edge of my drafting table the additional incline and placement of the iPad really allows me to draw in a much more upright and comfortable way.
So how does waiting on a year old KickStarter reward constitute a "binge?" Well, once I had that piece of the studio puzzle, I got the urge to fill in the gaps!
A few smaller items really helped round out the experience.
- An extra long and reinforced charging cable (which the Sketchboard cable manages beautifully) so that my tablet can always be charging as I work.
- An extra bluetooth keyboard to pair up with the iPad. I primarily use the Clip Studio Paint application which is incredibly powerful, but also rather complex and not entirely optimized for tablet use. It greatly benefits from having access to a full array of keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys versus just utilizing the touchscreen.
- A new art glove from Dokiwear. I'd always worked with a digital drawing glove that helped with skin contact against the screen. I'd originally bought one more than 10 years ago when I got a Wacom Cintiq and it was a bit worse for wear. The new one even has a bit of compression to help with cramping and stress injuries during those extra long drawing sessions when things are really going well! (I hope I have more of those...) 😬
- Then there was the arm to hold my secondary iPad. I've kept it at hand for displaying reference images as I draw. While I could simply split the screen on my main iPad, I much prefer to have as much screen real estate to draw on as possible. The elevation of the new Sketchboard didn't give me a good line of sight to the second screen anymore, so I had to get it elevated into my field of view and I absolutely love it up there! In the first picture you can see it serving up references via the great VizRef application, and my music being served up on the side... an absolute must during those late night drawing sessions!
Last but not least I got a new screen protector known as a Paperlike. I had never used a screen protector before and I can't believe I waited this long to try it out! Paperlike adds a matte finish to the screen which reduces glare, and more importantly adds a texture which makes it very much like drawing on paper! (Who would have guessed from the name!) I completely love the look and feel of it. Other items aside, if you're a digital artist on an iPad, I can't recommend the SketchBoard Pro and Paperlike combo enough.
Now that I'm comfortably nestled into my shiny new setup, I'm pretty happy with some of the work I've started turning out on my comic, "I Thought It Would Be Zombies..." I'll be getting back to sharing more updates and previews on that soon!
I've also been on a bit of binge buying some educational and inspirational art books and courses and will be sharing thoughts and recommendations as I work through those as well.
I hope you enjoy this peek at the studio and my working setup. I always enjoy seeing the setups of other artists so let me see yours if you're up for it! Also don't hesitate to ask in the comments section if you'd like any more information on the above products. I'd love to explore some of them in more depth and will edit the links back in here if I do so in the future!
Alright... time to actually do some work with this stuff and stop being such a poser!
-Bryan "the Imp" Imhoff
Follow me for more behind the scenes looks at the creation of "I Thought It Would Be Zombies..." Your votes help support its production! Also look for limited edition digital artwork for sale on NFTShowroom.com
Seems like I wasn't the only one to upgrade this year, although your setup sounds way more professional in comparison 🤣. Hope it all works all for you
Ah, it's not what you got, it's how you use it! There's folks who I know run circles around me with just a ballpoint pen and three hole punched notebook paper! 😆 How's things been with your new gear?
I have an 80% finished piece in progress, being able to work with new tech has opened up a lot of creative potential and I'm very excited to reveal it on here very soon...
Thanks for sharing these invaluable insights into the tools and workflow of a comic book artist.
I remember growing up in the 80's. I would soak up all the info I could from books and comic conventions, trying to decipher the secrets to creating comic books.
I had those huge bristol boards...the ink bottle...the nibs...those blue pencil holders with the special sharpener.
Computers have changed everything!
Oh I've still got plenty of all that stuff around too! I'd say at this point the industry is probably 50/50 digital and traditional. There's still a lot to be said for the traditional methods as well. I know I zoom in too damn much on digital and waste a lot of time! Lots of artists also have stayed traditional for one big practical reason... money. The sale of original artwork is a sizable additional income stream. That's one of my biggest interests when it comes to NFTs. I see them recreating the original art market in the digital space and bridging that monetary gap for digital artists.
Wonderful studio, it really is adorable, I congratulate you and I would love to have a table like that. How can I get one like that?