Too many people assume that it takes a MacBook Pro or something similar to create serious digital art, while an iPad is more of a toy. The best response to that is a new video showing album artwork for Muse’s new Simulation Theory album being created with an iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil.
Kyle Lambert, the artist whose work is demonstrated in the video, says on his webpage, “I was contacted by Muse to create an illustrated album cover for their new studio album, Simulation Theory. The art combines Matt, Dom and Chris with the characters from their latest music videos, Something Human, Thought Contagion, Dig Down and The Dark Side.”
The video shows Lambert’s process at two points: when the images is still a line drawing and later when it’s nearing completion.
iPad Pro as an artists’ tool
Early iOS graphic design applications were fairly simplistic, but over the years these have evolved as iPad increased in power. Offerings like Pixelmator and Procreate are as powerful as desktop tools.
And artists have noticed. A recent New Yorker cover was done on an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil, just like the Muse album art.
Adobe, the 500-pound gorilla of the digital art world, has also taken note. A real version of Photoshop for iPad will be released next year, to go with the company’s other tools for Apple’s tablet.
New hardware on the way
And Apple is supposedly about to update its part of the equation as well. Redesigned iPad Pro models are widely expected next week and could be accompanied by a second-generation Apple Pencil.
The invitation to the event at which these will be announced came in dozens of variations, and there’s speculation that these were all created with the upcoming tablet and Pencil.
