Do I want to give it a go, that is the question! I love pencil, paper and paints, they’re familiar friends and with a cup of clear water for washing my brushes and a sheet of white paper, I’m ready to begin my day.
So why would I step away from something I know well, pick up a modern stylus and walk towards what may possibly be a steep learning curve! Especially when simplicity is what I’m about! Why complicate things when, for me, sketching in the traditional old fashioned way feels so good?
What I Discovered in the Digital World
It thrills me to know my iPad has everything I need for sketching, hidden inside. At a moment’s notice I can be drawing under a leafy tree or sitting happily on a train with digital tablet lightly on my lap, stylus in hand, sketching to my heart’s desire. There’s no need to have water for mixing colours, no rags for spilt ink, no packing up pencils, paints or brushes, and the very thought I can take my iPad anywhere with me is liberating and fills me with joy – it’s amazing really what the digital world has to offer, it’s pretty close to magic!
I like the software Procreate, and my challenge first and foremost is to keep my traditional style unchanged so that the next animated book I’m working on, Looking for Fun with Maddie, has the same visual feel. Will I be able to hold on to my style of simple lead pencil lines and watercolour painting?