Hi-Fi’s Kristy Miller greets fans at Phoenix Comicon

Hi-Fi Schedule Phoenix Comicon 2013

Appearing all weekend long at booth #2235

Friday Noon: Story time with Wick & Kelty in the READING CORNER

Friday 3PM room 124B Digital Color for Comics – Learn how to color comic books like the pros

Saturday 3PM room 124B Making Comics with the iPad – Learn which apps and stylus pens work best

See you at Phoenix Comicon and stay tuned for SDCC info…

You can find Hi-Fi at booth H-15:

• Comics & books colored & painted by Hi-Fi
• Bring your favorite Hi-Fi colored comics for autographs
• New Prints
• Get hands on with How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad
• Sketches
• Portfolio review

Special Events

Friday: Mint Condition Art Show - 7:00PM Ltd. Gallery

Mint Condition is a tribute to comic books featuring original artwork and prints from over 50 talented creators. Hi-Fi’s Brian Miller will be debuting the latest in his series of Pop Culture Propaganda illustrations titled “Paradise Island” Friday evening at Ltd. Gallery – 307 E PIKE St., Seattle, WA.

Saturday: Making Comics with the iPad – 5:00PM Room 401

See a comic book character come to life as Hi-Fi’s Brian and Kristy Miller demonstrate step-by-step  techniques from their book How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad. Learn the basic tools and techniques including which apps & stylus pens work best and how you can transform your iPad into a mobile art studio.

Sunday: Digital Color for Comics – 11:00AM Room 401

Learn about the creative art of comic book coloring as Hi-Fi’s Brian and Kristy Miller demonstrate the step-by-step transformation of a comic book page from black & white to full color. See techniques demonstrated from their books Hi-Fi Color for Comics and Master Digital Color. Learn the basics of flatting, rendering, color holds, and special effects along with top digital coloring tips.

4th Place: Pogo Sketch

Pogo is busy making headlines with their Pogo Connect pressure sensitive stylus, however that was not available at the time of testing. Instead Pogo provided the Pogo Sketch which feels two generations old because it is. The stylus is very small in height and diameter and originally designed for use with Apple’s iPhone. When paired with the iPad the experience is less than ideal.

In use the Pogo Sketch’s short height makes it more difficult than most to use without resting your hand on the screen. You can always use software with palm rejection or use an artist’s glove but other stylus pens work better without needing to resort to these extra procedures. The small diameter tip should be a boon for artists but two factors work against the Pogo Sketch. The pressure needed to create brush strokes and tap interface elements is more than most other styli. Also, the Pogo Sketch needs to be used at 90º relative to the iPad’s screen for best results. There is a small margin of tilt where the Pogo will work, beyond this it is nearly impossible to create new brush strokes or tap.

At the end of the day I must recommend using your finger over this stylus. It simply is not worth the frustration to use. Lets only hope the Pogo Connect, which is finally shipping after several delays, fares much better.

+ Small tip allows you to see more of the screen and less of the tip

+ Small design makes it easy to carry

+ Integrated pocket clip (also stops pen from rolling away on smooth or angled surfaces)

- Too small to be useful

- Tip requires more pressure than most to create brush strokes

- Nearly impossible to use at an angle

3th Place: LynkTec TruGlide Duo Stylus Pen

The TruGlide duo looks more like something you would find on an executive’s desk than in an artist studio. LynkTec is certainly appealing to the business market with the high quality look and feel of the matte finished stylus surface and deeply reflective polished stainless steel details. The TruGlide Du features two tips, one is the stylus and the other is a built in ink pen allowing users to use one tool for the iPad and paper. The stylus end features a unique metal mesh tip which promises to provides the smoothest gliding action on the iPad’s surface available.

When used for painting and sketching I can honestly say this is one stylus better left in the boardroom.  I found the pressure needed to register brush strokes or tap interface items inconsistent. This may be down to the sponge-like material that seems to be cushioning the metal mesh tip. This creates a frustrating situation where one success flu brush stroke is met with 1 or 2 that do not register until the tip shape has reformed, or you press harder. It was very difficult to lay down repetitive strokes or build up values from light to dark or dark to light. Shading at all was nearly impossible. The smoothness of the stylus is quite amazing and for that CEO jotting notes it is probably quite delightful. As a sketching and painting tool I found the slick smoothness lacking the tactile feedback the best of the rubber tip stylus pens provide. The TruGlide also has the larger tip of any stylus tested, obscuring a larger portion of the iPad’s screen than most.

This would make a great stylus for a businessperson but it has no place as an art tool in this current form.

+ High quality construction

+ Includes built in ink-pen and cap with pocket clip

+ Nice looking carry case included

- Diameter of stylus tip very large obstructing view of artwork

- Pressure required for tapping and brush strokes inconsistent

- Smooth gliding action offers very little in the way of feedback

2rd Place: Go Smart 300 Series

The unique design of this stylus and cap make it look like a rocket-ship and the original designs don’t stop there. The machined aluminum body of the Go Smart features two integrated magnets allowing for easy attachment to your iPad, any metal surface, or Apple’s own Smart Cover. The disc shaped tip design is made from metal and allows you to see more of your screen than any other stylus.

In use the metal tip of the Go Smart behaves more like a pen than a pencil or paintbrush. The smoothness with which the tip glides against the glass certainly feels pen-like, as does the hard nature of the tip. Being able to see through the center of the tip is ideal for detail work. I found this very useful for inking projects where ink lines need to meet-up exactly. None of the other stylus pens provide the pixel perfect accuracy of the Go Smart. That said, for me this stylus worked best as a writing and inking tool. While it technically does a fantastic job sketching and painting the feedback from the tip did not feel as natural as some others.

For those seeking a less dramatic design the 200 series offers the same basic feature set in a form that looks more like a traditional pen with cap. Both the 200 and 300 series include a carry case.

+ Unique tip design allows you to see your work unlike the bulky tips of other stylus pens

+ Unique cap acts as stand (vertical ) and keeps the stylus from rolling away (horizontal)

+ Integrated magnets allow attachment to Apple Smart Cover

- Dropping could bend or break the tip

- Feels more like a writing and inking  instrument than a pencil or paintbrush

- Default tip angle works well for some, may frustrate others

1st Place: Nomad Compose dual-tip long

The Nomad Compose dual-tip stylus promises to be all things to all users, a short beveled brush tip for sketching and a longer brush tip for painting. In practice this arrangement does work but the performance is not as balanced as I would have hoped.

The short brush end can be used for sketching but does not work as well as many rubber, plastic, & metal tips I have tested. The main issue seems to be the pressure needed to register a stroke with this short beveled tip. It requires more force than feels comfortable also making it difficult to create smooth, fluid strokes. That said, you can see a lot of thought went into the design of the shorter beveled tip including a soft rubber bumper that protects the iPad screen if you press hard enough to make contact. With some refinement the bevel tip could be as good as the best in this series of comparisons. For now, it falls short.

How did the Nomad come up 1st if the bevel tip was a bit of a let down? In practice the longer brush tip is a pure revelation. Unlike the bevel end the brush end requires only the lightest contact with the iPad surface to initiate a brush stroke and feels very intuitive. I was able to create smooth, flowing, natural looking brush strokes easily using the Nomad. I found the Nomad brush worked great for blocking in areas of color and for shading. The natural feel and feedback allowed me to work quickly and I felt my paintings progressed faster and looked better than before. Once my paintings were about three-quarters complete I switched to a rubber tip stylus for final finishing details.

Even if you never use the shorter bevel tip end, you need a Nomad in your toolbox. The long tip brush is quite simply that good. The design allows for removal and replacement of the short tip… hopefully Nomad will roll out additional tips for the Nomad Compose. And if you only want the long brush? Nomad offers a single tip model, the Nomad Flex, with only the long brush tip, and you even save a few bucks over the dual-tip model.

The carry case is a must if you want to avoid damaging the delicate brush tip. The square shape of the case means no worry of roll-a-ways. The case is capable of holding 2 Nomad brushes or 1 brush and up to 3 additional tips. The only feature missing from the carry case is a magnet that would allow attaching it to Apple’s Smart Cover.

+ Brush tip looks, feel, and behaves just like a real paintbrush

+ Stylus design allows for easy replacement of short tips

+ Included carry case a must to protect delicate brush bristles

- Needs a wider variety of optional tips to improve usefulness

- Like a real paint brush some bristles will fall out or distort over time

- Sadly the perfect painting tool does not also make the perfect sketching tool

What’s the takeaway from this review? The conclusion I have arrived at is no one of these odd-ball styli is a direct replacement for any of the top rubber tip stylus pens. The Go Smart and Nomad each offer unique features that can add to your enjoyment of sketching and painting. Both make great additions to your artist’s toolbox but neither is an all-in-one solution by itself. If you do a lot of painting with your iPad I highly recommend adding a Nomad brush to your toolkit. The log brush end seems to unlock some hidden abilities within artist and iPad alike. If your artwork included technical drawing where precision is important the Go Smart may be for you. Certainly the ability to clearly see and connect drawn lines perfectly makes the Go Smart a worthy companion. I also find it incredibly useful for inking pencil drawings.

Thank you for reading part 3 of this series on stylus pens for iPad. Be sure to come back for the final installment installments where I will pit pressure sensitive stylus pens head to head to decide which is the ultimate champion. Please share your experiences with any of the stylus devices mentioned in the reviews in the feedback.

Brian Miller is the founder of comic book color studio Hi-Fi colour deisgn and the co-author of the book, How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad, available from iTunes.

In a world where pressure sensitive stylus pens for the iPad have finally arrived why a rubber tip stylus? In a word, simplicity. These styli require no batteries, work in all temperatures, and do not have tiny parts to break or lose. I found that no matter which high-tech stylus I was testing, having one of these traditional rubber tip stylus pens around always came in handy too.

5th Place: Spigen H14

While there is nothing wrong with this stylus the Spigen H14 simply felt the least robust in testing. The stylus is constructed of a hollow shaft with a matte finish that looks attractive but creates annoying noises as you hold the pen. Like a mini echo chamber. The tapered bezel and rubber tip are not tight fitting to the body of the stylus leading to clicking and taping noises each time you touch the tip to the iPad’s surface. The pen is lightweight and I would say annoyingly so, offering little in the way of feedback or balance. It works as advertised but does not feel as well crafted as the other units in this test.

+ Replcement rubber tip included

+ attractive matte finish

+ Integrated pocket clip (also stops pen from rolling away on smooth or angled surfaces)

- Lightweight to the point of feeling fragile

- Tip requires more pressure than most to create brush strokes

- Annoying noises

4th Place: Griffin Stylus

To be honest I was not expecting much from the Griffin stylus. This product has been around since before the introduction of the iPad and was sold as a stylus for iPhones originally. Imagine my surprise when it outperformed the newer Spigen H14 easily in daily use. I may not be able to recommend it as a serious artist tool but if I’m being honest it isn’t that far off some of the newer, more expensive models in this test. If you find yourself in need of a replacement stylus while traveling or simply want an inexpensive stylus that can stand up to a lot of abuse and still offer 75% of what the top 3 finishers have on tap then grab one of these. It’s not the best but it will work in a pinch and there is nothing about this stylus that will hold you back.

+ Tip pressure feels about right but resistance feedback could be better

+ Super build quality, tough as nails

+ Integrated pocket clip

- No replacement tips included

- Less elegant in design than others, the BIC pen of styli

- Diameter of stylus is smaller than others and less comfortable for extended use, shorter from tip to tail than others too

3rd Place: Just Mobile AluPen

Yes it looks like a pencil that has been fed too many Happy Meals but I can see why the design set loves the Just Mobile AluPen. The solid, chunky, stylus is made form a single piece of aluminum and has a near perfect weight and balance. The design is pared down to the very basics, and aluminum body and a rubber nib. This clean and elegant design appeals to people the same way many Apple products do and the packaging reminds one of unboxing and iPhone as well.

The AluPen performed very well in testing. The diameter of the stylus is just too large for me to use comfortably for more than an hour. If it were 85% the current circumference it would be a better fit for me. That said the tip feel and resistance are near perfect and I was able to create brush strokes as bold or delicate as any of the other styli on test. If you like the simplicity of the AluPen and it fits you comfortably this could be your everyday stylus.

+ A near perfect blend of style and substance

+ Unique shape stops it from rolling away

+ One piece design means no parts to break or lose

- No replacement tips available

- Included soft carry pouch does little to protect the rubber tip from crush or puncture damage

- Version with desktop stylus holder cost over 50% more

2nd Place: Wacom Bamboo Pocket

This stylus has a lot going for it and should be high on your list for consideration. The Wacom Bamboo Pocket looks and feels like something that could have been designed and engineered on Cybertron. When not in use the pen can transform down to a smaller size with much of the body sliding inside the soft cushion grip. A snap on cap protects the stylus tip. With the cap on and the stylus compressed to the smaller side the stylus easily fits in your pocket or can attach to the headphone jack of your iPad using the included clip.  There are even silver, blue, and red rings to personalize your stylus.

What’s it like to use? That all depends on which tip you install. The Wacom Bamboo Pocket comes pre-installed with what Wacom call their “hard” tip. The hard nib is remarkable in that it feels exactly like using the broad side of a Copic Marker. If you regularly sketch and draw with Copic makers you will really like the feel of this tip. That said, I found the pressure and resistance needed to draw and paint tired my hand quickly making this stylus less than ideal for the amount of painting I do. Luckily the Wacom Bamboo Pocket also comes with an additional “soft” tip. With the soft tip in place the Wacom Bamboo Pocket transformed from one of my least favorite stylus pens into one I started reaching for more often. The soft tip certainly feels more natural to me for painting. Tip replacement is a snap and should your tip become wore out or damaged you can purchase additional hard and soft tips in 3-packs from Wacom. Wacom also offers a free Bamboo Paper notebook App available from iTunes (in-app upgrade to full version $1.99).

+ Hard and Soft rubber tips offer 2 levels of pressure and resistance

+ Well engineered and built with many customizable options

+ Integrated pocket clip and clip to attach stylus to iPad via headphone jack

- Most expensive rubber tipped stylus in test

- Customization also means many small parts and pieces to break/lose

- Does not include Autobot & Decepticon decals

1st Place: V23 Next Möbius

During the course of the testing the V23 Next Möbius consistently impressed me with its perfect weight and balance. When I grew tired of fumbling with others and wanted to sit down with my iPad and compete my paintings the Möbius was my go to stylus. The Möbius proved to be just as comfortable to use at hour 8 as it was at hour 1 which is important for me as I tend to draw and paint 12-18 hours each day. The only drawback I noticed was the sleek design may want to roll away if placed on a smooth table or drawing board. Luckily the included metal case snaps magnetically to the Apple Smart Cover on my iPad allowing me to easily carry the Möbius with me everywhere without the need of an extra bag or worries of damaging the tip.

In use the Möbius tip pressure and resistance felt the most like drawing with a pencil or painting with a paintbrush. Drawing, shading, and blending were easily accomplished without having to “relearn” anything. I also liked the small diameter of the tip, which did not block my view as much as the larger tips of other styli did. The length of the tip allowed me to sketch and paint at angles that the other styli could not match. In the end the stylus fit into my workflow and did not demand I change any part of my routine to accommodate it. The perfect art tool for the iPad.

+ Metal very case and 2 replacement rubber tips included

+ Beautiful design, comfortable shape, nicely balanced weight

+ Pressure needed to paint and draw feels natural, resistance feels most like pencil or paintbrush

- Tip can subtly flex sideways if you use too much pressure

- Might roll away if sat on smooth or angled surfaces

- Try finding the ö key on your keyboard when typing Möbius

Thank you for reading part 2 of our series on stylus pens for iPad. Be sure to come back for the remaining installments on non-rubber tipped styli and pressure sensitive stylus pens and feel free to share your experiences with any of the stylus devices mentioned in the reviews in the feedback.

Brian Miller is the founder of comic book color studio Hi-Fi colour deisgn and the co-author of the book, How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad, available from iTunes.

Artwork from this review…
One of the projects we were working on at Hi-Fi colour design during this test of stylus pens is now available for pre-order from Amazon.com.

Wolverine: An Origin Story 
Written by Rich Thomas Jr., Illustrations by Val Semeiks as painted by Hi-Fi, cover illustration by Pat Olliffe as painted by Hi-Fi’s Brian Miller

You will see the cover was painted on iPad using the tools and techniques shown in How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad. The painting was then imported in Adobe Photoshop where final details were added and the entire cover was converted to CMYK color space for printing. Learn how to paint amazing super-hero artwork like this in How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad.

In our search to answer that pressing question of, “What stylus should I use?” Kristy and I contacted manufacturers of stylus pens from Adonit to Wacom and everyone in between. In the end we gathered a bakery’s dozen of stylus pens to review. We will put these stylus pens to the test sketching, inking, and painting comic book, cartoon, and children’s storybook artwork. Below you will find the contenders for our stylus test.

Adonit Jot Touch

Tip: Plastic Disc

Replacement tips included: 1 plus USB charger

Pressure sensitive mode: Yes

Storage case included: Yes

Price $99.99

GoSmart 200 Series & 300 Series

Tip: Metal Disc

Replacement tips included: 0

Pressure sensitive mode: No

Storage case included: Yes

Price $24.95

Griffin Stylus

Tip: Rubber

Replacement tips included: 0

Pressure sensitive mode: No

Storage case included: No

Price $19.99

Hex3 JaJa

Tip: Plastic Disc

Replacement tips included: 0

Pressure sensitive mode: Yes

Storage case included: No

Price $89.99

Just Mobile AluPen

Tip: Rubber

Replacement tips included: 0

Pressure sensitive mode: No

Storage case included: Yes and packaging can be reused as storage case

Price $24.95

LynkTek TrueGlide & TrueGlide Duo

Tip: Metal Mesh

Replacement tips included: 0

Pressure sensitive mode: No

Storage case included: TrueGlide No, TrueGlide Duo Yes

Price $15.95 – $39.95

NomadBrush Nomad Compose dual tip

Tip: Bristle

Replacement tips included: 0 (bevel tip can be interchanged with included metal cap)

Pressure sensitive mode: No

Storage case included: Optional 2012 Standard for 2013

Price $35.00

Spigen H14

Tip: Rubber

Replacement tips included: 1

Pressure sensitive mode: No

Storage case included: No

Price $19.99 (also available H10 $12.99 – H12 $16.99)

Ten 1 Design Pogo Sketch

Tip: Sponge

Replacement tips included: 0

Pressure sensitive mode: No

Storage case included: No

Price $14.95

V23 Next Möbius

Tip: Rubber

Replacement tips included: 2

Pressure sensitive mode: No

Storage case included: Yes

Price $29.95

Wacom Bamboo Pocket

Tip: Rubber

Replacement tips included: The stylus comes with the “hard” nib pre-installed 1 alternate “soft” nib is included

Pressure sensitive mode: No

Storage case included: No but packaging can be reused as storage case

Price $34.95

That is the line-up for the review. We have a mix of tip styles including rubber, metal, plastic, and a paint brush to put through the paces as well as a couple of pressure sensitive models to test. You may also notice a few well hyped stylus products missing from this test, notably the Sensu Brush and Pogo Connect. Sensu Brush makers, Artist Hardware, offered us a demo unit during San Diego Comic Con then failed to deliver on their promise. They also failed to return our e-mails or phone calls. Pogo on the other hand simply did not have a review unit of their Connect stylus available for testing or purchase. Their product looks like it should be impressive but if you need a stylus today, look elsewhere. The date for Pogo Connect shipments has slipped again. This time to November 18th.

Come back next week for “Which stylus should I use?” Part 2 and see how each stylus holds stacks up when sketching, inking, and painting with the iPad.

Brian Miller is the founder of comic book color studio Hi-Fi colour deisgn and the co-author of the book, How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad available from iTunes.

A collection of just some of the Marvel books painted by Hi-Fi.

One of the most important markets that comic book characters have remained strong in is actually so subtle that it’s easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. Enter the world of Licensed Art.

What exactly is Licensed Art and why is it important in relation to comic books? Before we get into that, I’ll explain how the employee relationship works in the comic book industry.

In the world of professional production art, the way things work is pretty straightforward. There is an employer/employee work relationship where an employer will pay an employee to create art. This art is then used in a final product that it was intended for. For example, when comic book veterans Ian Churchill, Norm Rapmund, and the team of Color Artists at Hi-Fi create artwork for “The Ravagers” from DC Comics, the nature of the art being produced under the legal definition of Work-For-Hire is typically (but not necessarily always) intended for limited publication in comic book form. That is, the artists can expect to see their work reproduced in the monthly comic, later on in a collected Trade Paperback version, as well as in Digital Comic versions.

Marvel Super Heroes 3D Activity Center, with box art created by Hi-Fi Artists. One neat thing about working on Licensed Art projects is that you never know where you'll see your artwork pop up next!

Most work contracts for big league companies such as DC Comics and Marvel are catch-all contracts, meaning that under the explicit language of the contract the art becomes the property of the company that has ordered it, and they have complete reproduction rights on it. So if one day we see a t-shirt with a scene from an issue of “The Ravagers” for sale, it is, without divulging the details of the contracts, most likely within the rights of DC Comics to do so and profit from that.

With that profit comes a cost. The old saying, “You have to spend money in order to make money” is reversed in this case; when you make money, you have to spend money. This is called a Royalty Payment. Royalty Payments ensure that there is a quid-pro-quo (this for that) arrangement when something is reused for profit. For example, if an art team is paid $X for the original production art for a comic book, and the company produces from that art a pair of shoes with the artwork printed on the sides, it’s only fair that the art team is given a portion of that profit as well. Typically, Royalty Payments are a very low percentage, and only kick in after a certain profit ceiling has been reached. Regarding Royalty Payments, a contract will typically explain that once a certain amount of money has been made from the new product produced from the old art, then the art team will get a fraction of a percent of the profit made from each new sale.

This is a wonderful setup for artists, but it can backfire on the company in some situations, specifically where the products being made are created with little profit, or even being offered “at cost” in value markets.

In comes Licensed Art. In essence, all art in the comic industry is licensed. What we refer to with this term, however, is when art is produced for the company who has complete, carte blanche rights to its use from there on, and may sell the rights to that art to other companies for the creation of new products.

Licensed Art is vital because it permits comic book companies to use, distribute, and reuse artwork while keeping a budget.

As artists, of course we want to ensure our own financial safety by making as much money as possible, so in the production of Licensed Art we are typically paid slightly more up front. Think of it as a Royalty Payment in advance.

This allows for a new market of low-profit, high distribution products to be created and to then saturate the market.

Coloring books, greeting cards, stickers, school supplies, lunch boxes, Frisbees, shoes, the list goes on. All of these products you can find at the local department store, supermarket, dollar store, and even the corner gas station. These things are all great, but even mighty companies like DC Comics and Marvel aren’t big enough to have their own footwear division, Frisbee factories, etc.

Art from different sources has been assembled together on this cool movie projector, included with an activity book! Here you see Captain America on the projector (Left), along side the original painted artwork (Right).

Because they’re produced in such high quantities to be offered at such a low price, it would be nearly impossible for the company to recover any profit if Royalty Payments were a consideration with these products. The idea here is to respond to consumer demand, by offering these things. There isn’t always a lot of money for a company to make, but the tradeoff in having “The Mighty Avengers” coloring and activity books in the dollar store is that a consumer demand has been met, the company has “broken even” on the sale of the product, and now there is a happy child with a coloring book, who in ten years may remember how cool he thought “Spider-Man” was, growing up, and that may lead to him visiting his local comic book store and catching up with his old friend Peter Parker.

Hi-Fi Artists are responsible for much of the Licensed Art you may see from Marvel today, with much more to come.

The Mighty Avengers Look and Find, featuring Licensed Art from Hi-Fi Artists.

We illustrate and paint Marvel characters for children’s books, activity and coloring sets, and many other products. As Marvel and its parent company Disney brainstorm to create new products, many times our art will be reused. For example, I recently saw a page I had painted for “The Courageous Captain America: An Origin Story,” where Captain America is running to battle in World War II reused as the image on an audio button for “The Mighty Avengers: Play-a-Sound” book and more Hi-Fi artwork can be seen on the cover of “The Mighty Avengers: Look and Find” both of which are published by Publications International.

Hi-Fi painted artwork used beautifully along the margins of a children's activity book. Youngsters couldn't ask for better reference! This Captain America image is very popular.

The art keeps coming back in different products, and that’s great news. Marvel and others are pleased with the work we’ve done and is continuing to reuse much of it as Licensed Art. I even saw an activity book where some of Hi-Fi Creative Director Brian Miller’s paintings for the protective sleeve covers of the Marvel Origin Story books were re-purposed into face masks. What a cool added value for the activity book, to be able to pop out a die-cut mask and wear it to become your favorite Avenger!

There are many teams producing Licensed Art for the comic book industry, but much like every product, there is a dwindling contingency that is American-made. Because of economic hardships, following the example of what happened with the 1980s Cartoon and Animation Industry, many companies have opted to look to the artists of Asia to produce comic book art. Though they’re very talented, because of lower standards of living they accept a lower rate of payment. The comic book industry has pushed and tugged towards this end, but American artists are pulling it back. Hi-Fi Colour Design, despite the British “u” in Colour is an American-based company and many Hi-Fi Artists and colleagues live and work in America.

Veteran comic book penciler and Pittsburgh’s own Pat Olliffe produces much of the preliminary pencil work that we use as the framework to what we do. Brian and Kristy Miller have the heart of Kansas City and the hip-factor of Arizona. They manage these large projects as well as provide art from the Hi-Fi Mothership in Arizona. Hi-Fi Artists like “yours truly” provide art from around the nation. Some pages that I painted in “The Incredible Hulk: An Origin Story” were painted on an 18-hour bus ride to New Orleans. A battle between Iron Man and Hawkeye in “Hawkeye Joins The Mighty Avengers” was painted at the same table in the family home where my whole family encouraged me to draw when I was a child.

The Mighty Avengers Play-A-Sound Book. I was pleasantly surprised when I first saw artwork I had painted for another book now appearing on one of the sound effect buttons on this. Neat!

I believe that these are only possibilities for the American artist. We’re free to be mobile, and not confined to a studio in . The office of Hi-Fi is virtual, and the work week of the Hi-Fi Artist is flexible. Our art can and has been made from our homes, coffee shops, libraries, and even in unexpected places like on interstate bus rides. With the advent of Tablet computing, and great how-to books such as How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad I can’t wait to hear about what interesting new places people will create artwork from.

We’re all very proud to serve you in bringing your favorite characters to you. From the Color Art found in the pages of DC Comics’ “Green Lantern Annual #1” at your local comic shop, to Marvel children’s books found at the book store and on iTunes, to anywhere else the art may appear.

Keep your eyes open for more Marvel art from Hi-Fi Artists in the near future!

Matthew Swift is a Painter and Color Artist with comic book color studio Hi-Fi Colour Design.  Hi-Fi provides color and paint services for publishers like DC, Disney, Image, Marvel, and more.  You can follow Hi-Fi on Twitter at: twitter.com/hificolor and see more comic book art on Hi-Fi’s Facebook page at: facebook.com/HiFiColourDesign

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If you like this video and are interested in creating comic book artwork with your iPad you can learn more about How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad and download a free sample tutorial.

How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad Available from the iBookstore.

We learned that many comic book creators are excited and about creating with the iPad.  From Jim Lee famously posting a color sketch of Wonder Woman he created with his iPad on Twitter to pros using the iPad to create and send layouts to their editors for approval. The enthusiasm is off the charts.  Most artists are no longer asking themselves when they will create with the iPad but what will they create with the iPad?

artists are no longer asking themselves when they will create with the iPad but WHAT will they create with the iPad?

We learned there is skepticism too.  While Kristy and I like to focus on what can be done with the iPad today with an eye toward the future some will point out the current limitations and that is valid. As the hardware and software advances, the resolution and memory issues will be addressed. The important thing for artist is to start experimenting and creating now. How long does it take an artist to master a new medium like the iPad?  By the time the hardware and software are perfected those creating with the iPad now be in demand while others scramble to catch-up.

How long does it take an artist to master a new medium like the iPad?  By the time the hardware and software are perfected those creating with the iPad now be in demand while others scramble to catch-up.

We Learned creators feel chained to the workstations and are looking to spend more time with friends and family.  iPad apps for creators like SketchBook Pro are lightweight and focused. Artists can sketch, ink, and paint with the iPad anywhere, anytime. Creators can use How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad is to transform their iPad into a mobile art studio and live life un-tethered from their home computer.

We learned many creators were so frustrated with the early stylus input products that these people gave up.  This is definitely the most repeated story from that day at Comic-Con International. Fortunately, a new wave of stylus devices are coming to market with the artists in mind. We are conducting a real world test of a handful of stylus products, including some pressure sensitive models, and will be posting the full review on October 24th.

We are conducting a real world test of stylus products, including some pressure sensitive models

We learned people are creating amazing artwork with the iPad.  While some creators are sitting on the sidelines waiting for the iPad to do what their desktop computer does (we think they are missing the point), others are serving up stunning artwork today.  Creators are experimenting and showing the world the iPad can make an elegant addition to the artists’ toolbox.

After the panel Kristy and I handed out hundreds of download cards to those in attendance so everyone could check out How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad.  The response so far has been nothing short of amazing. People are already posting their comic art online and I hope to see publishers large and small debuting new comics next year at comic-con where iPad art payed a major role.

Brian Miller is the founder of comic book color studio Hi-Fi colour deisgn.  Hi-Fi provides color and paint services for publishers like DC, Disney, Image, Marvel, and more.  You can follow Hi-Fi on Twitter at: twitter.com/hificolor and see more comic book art on Hi-Fi’s Facebook page at: facebook.com/HiFiColourDesign

If you like comic artwork and are interested in turning your iPad into a mobile art studio you can learn more about How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad and download a free sample tutorial.

How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad Available from the iBookstore.

Copic Color Library

If you sketch and draw using traditional media, odds are you are familiar with the colorful dual tip markers made by Copic.  You will find the color panel in the SketchBook Pro for iPad brush editor has been slightly revised. The icon that was previously used to swap between the color swatches and the color wheel has been changed and now resembles a color wheel with 4 grayscale swatches inside.  When tapped, this new icon reveals a pop-over menu allowing you to select from three options: color swatches, color wheel, or the new Copic color library.

The Copic color library presents you with three user interface elements from which to select colors: A spectrum column, color swatches, and a color preview area.  In the spectrum column you can tap to select a family of colors like reds, greens, or blues.  When you tap on one of these colors the selection of Copic color swatches in the panel changes to reflect your selection.  The number of swatches and variety varies depending upon your selection. Tap any Copic color swatch and the color you tap will be displayed in the color preview area indicating your selection as the active color.  Any brush strokes you make will use the active color.  To the right of the active color in the preview area you will see a small display indicating complimentary colors for the active swatch.  You can tap one of the complimentary colors and now the complimentary color will become the active color and variations of the new active color family fill the area displaying Copic swatches.

Most artist will find the addition of the Copic color library a welcome one.  Copic has supplied a nice variety of colors and if you want to do a bit of customizing you can always use a Copic color as a starting point then customize the color using the color wheel and save the as a custom color swatch in the swatches panel (not the Copic color library).

Revised Marker Brush

What fun would adding the Copic color library to SketchBook Pro for iPad be if the marker itself did not behave a bit more like a true Copic marker?  The marker brush gives you more of that wet edge feeling and while the colors don’t bleed like a true marker there is enough spread to the brush tip that you can achieve the look of overlapping and mixing of colors when adjusting the opacity and size of the brush.  The refinements should tempt you to utilize the marker brush more often.

Updated Preferences

Gone is the setting for High Resolution Canvas (more on that later) and in it’s place is a new preference labeled, 3rd Party Pen Connection.  When selected this preference currently offers support for 3 forthcoming input stylus products; Adonit Jot Touch, TenOne Pogo, and Hex3 JaJa.  Autodesk’s decision to include built in support for these products indicates their commitment to providing an experience tailored toward the user. Want to use your finger?  Go for it.  Use a traditional stylus? Rock on.  Have a desire to try a pro-level stylus with pressure sensitivity? Be our guest.  This is an impressive addition and one that opens the door for other third party developers working on a variety of input products.  The question of the moment is, how do these pressure sensitive style products work with SketchBook Pro for iPad?  Several of the stylus makers have pledged to provide Hi-Fi with test units.  We will be conducting a real world, in house test of these and will report back.  Look for a full review at HowToPaintComicBooks.com in October.

Revised New Sketch & Import Image menus

As mentioned the ability to set a default canvas size has been jettisoned from SketchBook Pro for iPad preferences.  Good news is you can now choose your canvas size anytime you create a new sketch (Image Editor or Gallery) or import an image into the Gallery.  When you tap the New Sketch icon or Import Image icon you are now presented with an attractive new menu presenting the current canvas sizes to you.  You may choose 1024 x 768 or 2048 x 1536 for your canvas. Also of note 1024 x 768 canvas size now supports these maximum layers depending upon which iPad model you are using: 6 layers on iPad 1, 12 layers on iPad 2, or 18 layers on 3rd Gen iPad.  The implementation of this new canvas size menu allows for additional canvas sizes to be added to SketchBook Pro for iPad as new iPad models are introduced and future software updates are made.

File Sharing enhancements

When you tap the Export Image icon you will immediately notice the redesigned menu featuring new export options like Flickr and Facebook.  The Facebook implementation allows you to add a caption and export the image to any existing Facebook album you have previously created. Twitter and email integration in iOS5 allow you to compose tweets and emails within SketchBook Pro for iPad.  No need to jump to Mail or Twitter apps.  Other image export features work as before.

SketchBook Pro for iPad 2.6 provides subtle enhancements throughout.  The Copic color library is the major new feature and one most users will start using immediately.  The underlying changes for canvas size, file sharing, and third party stylus support prove Autodesk are hard at work to ensure SketchBook Pro for iPad remains at the forefront of painting apps for iPad while laying a foundation for future enhancements.  Several menus have been revised since How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad was published.  Refer to this post anytime you need a refresher on the changes.

SketchBook Pro for iPad Available from the iTunes App store.

How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad Available from the iBookstore.

Stay tuned for a full review of pressure sensitive stylus products compatible with SketchBook Pro for iPad in the future.

When is a book not a book?

When it is one of the new Multi-Touch books available exclusively for iPad from the Apple iBookstore.  If that leaves you scratching your head, you’re not alone.  Turns out many people have not heard of Multi-Touch books yet.  The name itself isn’t exactly descriptive.  While Multi-Touch may conjure up images of Vishnu the multi-armed Hindu deity, in Apple speak Multi-Touch means a book where gestures allow you to access rich multi-media features.  Lets take a look at some of the Multi-Touch features included in How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad.

Navigation:

From the home page for each chapter simply tap the name of any section to jump directly to that tutorial or swipe to scroll through thumbnails of pages for the chapter and tap the page you want to go to.  When reading the book you can pinch any page to reduce it back into the thumbnail view and swipe to the next section or chapter you want to visit.

Swipe though chapters and pages quickly to choose your favorite tutorials and projects.

Interactive Images:

One of the biggest challenges when learning new software, like SketchBook Pro for iPad, is discovering where all the tools are hiding and how to access the features you want to use.  With interactive images you can see the user interface for SketchBook Pro and tap to learn more about specific tools and features. Each workspace is labeled using the same naming conventions used though ought the book. As you work through the projects and tutorials in How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad you can refer back to the SketchBook Pro for iPad overview at any time as a refresher.

Interactive images allow you to explore important information.

Tutorial Galleries:

When Kristy and I authored Hi-Fi Color for Comics and Master Digital Color the most shocking moments were seeing what content was cut from the books by editorial and production.  Limited by page count paper books may only allow 2-3 images to illustrate a specific skill or technique when 5-6 may have worked better.  Using Multi-Touch technology we have embedded many images in the space of one.  Use your finger to swipe through images illustrating step-by-step how to complete each painting.  You can even tap to zoom the images up to full-screen size so you can see every detail.

Swipe through images to see step-by-step how to complete each skill.

Video:

If you attend major comic book conventions like Comic-Con International (aka San Diego Comic-Con) you will find Kristy and I in the panel rooms demonstrating digital color and paint techniques.  What we have found is some people can teach themselves using only a book but some people have an, “A-ha!” moment when they see a skill or technique live on screen.  How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad contains video tutorials for techniques that are easier to understand visually than in print.  The book also includes video for the majority of the painting projects so you can see how the tutorial art was painted and learn how to best approach a given illustration before painting your own. You can use two fingers to zoom any video and play it at full-screen size.

Watch video tutorials and see how to apply tools and techniques.

Chapter Reviews:

Kristy touched on this in a recent post and it bears repeating. If you are a student or even the studious type these chapter reviews will help you remember the skills and techniques from each chapter of the book. Match the tool icon with its name.  Answer questions based on images from the book.  Drag labels onto the correct areas of an image.  When you are done you can check your answers and move to the next chapter or try again.  Chapter reviews are a fun and interactive way to reinforce everything you are learning so it becomes second nature.

Chapter reviews are a fun and interactive way to reinforce the skills you learn.

Notes View:

If you read Kristy’s recent post you already know you can highlight text and even add notes to sections of the book as you work though the tutorials but you may have missed the action that unlocks even more hidden features, Notes view. You access Notes view by turning your iPad from landscape to portrait orientation with How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad open.  All the images and videos shrink down to thumbnails along the left of the page allowing you to focus on the text.  As you read each section simply tap any image or video to see it full-size.  Notes view also allows you to access all of your highlighted sections and notes in one central location.  You can even make flash cards from your highlights and notes.

Notes view helps you focus on important information and make notes for later use.

As you can see Multi-Touch books are just like the books you already enjoy only with enhanced features and multimedia built in.  How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad gives you a complete art instruction book along with interactive images, step-by-step tutorial galleries, videos, chapter reviews and more. You also get access to all the tutorial artwork shown in the book so you can follow along, painting each project as it is shown in the book.

Download a free sample and purchase from the iBookstore

 Kristy and I have worked hard to make How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad one of the best art instruction books available.  Visit the iBookstore and download it today and let us know about your experience with Multi-Touch.  We think you will find it makes learning to paint easier and more fun than ever.

How to Paint Comic Books with the iPad

Available from the iBookstore