Product review: A stylus for iPad sketching #1

I want to do a review of different styli (styluses) used for iPad Sketching. That's because this week I bought my second stylus for sketching having seen both the Hockney Exhibition at the RA on Tuesday - which includes his ipad sketches - and a video film of Hockney using a stylus for his iPad Sketching.

Now I want to know if there are any that are better.

I'm favourably impressed with the Griffin iPad Stylus that I've bought and below you can find a preliminary product review

However I now want to know more about what's available!  If any readers are using a stylus with your iPad can you please get in touch and tell me how you find the stylus you use - see end for more details.

Griffin iPad Stylus

Tree - produced using an iPad, Brushes app and Griffin Stylus

I've bought a Griffin iPad Stylus from John Lewis for £14.95.  The Amazon website indicates that I can get one online at less than half price - just £7.39 - see Griffin Stylus for Apple iPad, iPod, iPhone

This is my second stylus.  The first one disappeared really fast and I think being light and completely black with just a bit of metal partly accounts for that.  They're a bit too expensive to lose on a regular basis so this time I've got to work out a way of:

• being able to see where I've put it down faster (bear in mind I have pencils and pens everywhere!)
• being able to secure it to the iPad so it doesn't get lost

The Griffin website store indicates that they do them in various colours - so all I need to do now is work out where to get one in my favourite colours.  However before I do that I want to see if there is a better stylus out there.

The general consensus is that it's easy to use and is particularly helpful for those with fat/large fingers and for those wanting to work creatively by drawing or sketching.

It has an omnidirectional rubber tip which is very sensitive and reproduces every characteristic of the stroke I used in the Brushes app exactly.  I use both pastels and pencils in a way which means they are held lightly - and I can do exactly the same with this stylus and get identical results.

I tried it first in line mode and then switched to the pseudo pastel stroke and has a great time varying the transparency of the scumble - see above sketch of an imaginary tree.  It all worked as I expected and I had no problems.  (Can I just emphasise the marks in the sketch are based on how I use pastels and do not reflect negatively on how the pen works!)

I also found that producing sketches speeded up enormously because now I could see the sketch while sketching rather than having it obscured by my hand.  It's also great for keeping your screen free from smears from fingers.  The clip on the end means I can fix it to the elasticated closure on my iPad cover.  However I'd still like a better way of keeping it secure.

One complaint is that the rubber on the end can disintegrate - and there's no obvious way in which this can be replaced.

I'll see how I can get on with it and will report back.  However initial impressions are very favourable - apart from the fact I lost the first one within 24 hours of buying it!

Here's a video of the animated sketching using the Brushes App



Griffin Stylus - Other reviews

Here's some links to reviews of this Griffin Stylus.  First a video review by somebody who draws and sketches

• PC Advisor - Griffin Stylus review (November 2010
• Macworld - Griffin Stylus for iPad review (November 2010)
• User reviews of Griffin Stylus pen on revoo.com
• It's had a LOT of reviews on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com 
• Griffinoids - video review Griffin Stylus Review for iPad iPhone & iPod touch (good first part to see what this looks like.  Mine does not have the lanyard hole in the top.  Second half focuses on what the reviewer uses it for ie note-taking and ganes)

Is there any other stylus you recommend?

Serenity Caldwell at Macworld.com produced a comprehensive Macworld review Drawing on the iPad: 12 touchscreen styluses reviewed in May 2011.  This covers the Griffin Stylus which earns 3.5 stars.

See the charts at the end for details of how each did - plus the video below for an insight into what each looks like and how they work - and whether they are effective.



I know that one other stylus I want to try is the Wacom Bamboo Stylus

Is there any other stylus you've used for DRAWING and SKETCHING that you would like to recommend?

Please either leave a comment - which makes it easier to share with others - or email me (see "contact me" info in side column.)

Book review: A Yorkshire Sketchbook by David Hockney

A Yorkshire Sketchbook - by David Hockney

Back in 2006-7, I nearly became a conduit for David Hockney fans all over the world who wanted a copy of the DVD of David Hockney's sketchbooks.  (See David Hockney: Fifteen Sketchbooks 2002-2003 - Update on DVD availability and David Hockney "15 sketchbooks" DVD - a further update).

This NEW sketchbook is going to interest all those who qualify for one or the other of two niches relevant to this book - which are:

• diehard Hockney fans and 
• dedicated facsimile sketchbook aficionados out there who get very excited every time a new facsimile sketchbook by a famous artist is made available.

This review looks at the new sketchbook - and also considers it within the context of the DVD ($39.95) which I think is now only available via the Hockney Store website based in Los Angeles.

I own a copy of A Yorkshire Sketchbook - but then I'm a die-hard Hockney fan and I always buy his sketchbooks no matter what the price.  I'm very happy with it - but I think others will think it just a tad expensive at full price.

Title: (UK) A Yorkshire Sketchbook by David Hockney (USA: David Hockney: A Yorkshire Sketchbook)

Synopsis: This is a small facsimile sketchbook of one used by David Hockney in April 2004 - as the hawthorne blossom was coming into bloom. It contains 92 pages of sketches within a leather bound handback cover and a slip cover incorporating a watercolour painting. There are no words or associated text. Most of the sketches are in a panoramic format across a double page spread of this landscape format sketchbook. Sketches are mostly in watercolour or pen and ink and are monochromatic with some use of a limited palette - typically based on traditional renaissance colours of blue, green and red.

Summary review: RECOMMENDED - This is the nearest you'll ever get to handling a Hockney sketchbook.  It's different rather than better than the DVD of his earlier sketchbooks. The DVD has 15 sketchbooks and many more images. This is "like" the real thing insofar as it is a facsimile of a small sketchbook measuring 21cm wide by 14.5cm high. It remedies the distance introduced when viewing images from a sketchbook as individual images on a screen.   It's also much more like looking at the sketchbook of a friend - with all the associated fluctuations in media use and quality of sketch. It's much easier to pick up the transitions in thought processes behind what he sketches and how he is sketching.  It's also easier to flick through and easier share with a friend. I've also seen the real sketchbooks and this facsimile offers good quality reproduction of the sketches.

Highlights panoramic sketches demonstrate his painting technique in watercolour  very focused on initial sketches of landscapes in the East Yorkshire Wolds also includes sketches of individuals and the environment of his home in Bridlington easier to review all the sketches quickly good quality binding, paper and cover - just like a good quality sketchbook!

Think Again? only 43 illustrations of sketches (most are a double page spread across the centre fold) the DVD gives many more images from 15 different sketchbooks (ie it's more expensive but more sketches for the price paid) you can view different Hockney sketchbooks in the exhibition David Hockney RA - The Bigger Picture. Maybe view these first? Those not familiar with a day to day sketchbook might have an unrealistic expectation that there would be more and/or better sketches in this sketchbook.  However those who use sketchbooks on a regular basis already know that not every sketch an artist produces is a little gem! Hockney does not hide or exclude his "failures".

Who should buy this?: diehard Hockney fans people who collect "real" sketchbooks by famous artists - for posterity!

Who should not buy this? anybody expecting an explanation in words of how Hockney uses his sketchbooks anybody expecting to see iPad sketches - there are none

Author / (Publisher): Royal Academy of Arts Technical data: Publication Date:  19 December 2011 (UK);  Full Price £14.95 3 January 2012 (USA) Full price $25 There's no need to pay full price as it is available for a discounted price on Amazon (I've included the links) and possibly in other stores as well.

I've no idea whether or not this will come out as a DVD.  It's entirely possible it will only be a limited print run - in which case it could become more valuable.

For the record - this is the publisher's description

In recent years David Hockney has returned to England to paint the East Yorkshire landscape remembered from his youth. Although his passionate interest in new technology has led him to develop a virtuoso drawing technique on an iPad, he has also been accompanied outdoors by the traditional sketchbook, an invaluable tool as he works quickly to capture the changing light and fleeting effects of the weather. Executed in watercolour and ink, these panoramic scenes have the spatial complexity of finished paintings - the broad sweep of sky or road, the patchwork tapestry of land - yet convey the immediacy of Hockney's impressions. And as in the views down village streets and across kitchen tables that appear alongside them, his rooted and fond knowledge of the Yorkshire Wolds is always clear. If you know the landscape there, the character of the sketches is unmistakable: if you don't, it will come to life in these pages.
92 pages, 14.5 x 21cm, 43 illustrations.

For more information about David Hockney - and more books by Hockney - see my website David Hockney - Resources for Art Lovers

The Favourite Coloured Pencil Awards! (2011 Brand Poll Results)

577 people voted during 2011 in the 2011 POLL: Which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil? to determine which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil on Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artist.

The results are as follows

• The Favourite Coloured Pencil in 2011 - Faber Castell Polychromos
• The Favourite Lightfast (6901) Coloured Pencil in 2011 - Caran d'Ache Luminance (this is a pencil which is accredited as being compliant with the standard ASTM D-6901 for testing Lightfastness in Coloured Pencils created by the American Society for Testing and Material.
• The Favourite brand of Coloured Pencil Media in 2011 - Sanford Prismacolor

Which means "no change" from last year.  At the end I've got a table which show the changes between 2009 and 2011.

Below are the results of the poll.

Which is your current favourite brand of artist grade coloured pencil?
2011 Opinion Poll from Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists

577 artists voted in 2011 (compared to 760 artists in 2010 compared to 792 in 2009)

The emphasis of the poll is at looking at your CURRENT FAVOURITE coloured pencils.  This is on the basis that each year brands are upgraded, new products are introduced and coloured pencil artists try new pencils - and they can change their mind about which pencils they like to use best.

Below you can see how market share has changed in the last two years - according to those who respond to this poll

(Note - this poll/chart/table in now way suggests this is totally accurate about real market share - but the sample size is such it's very likely to a good indicator)

Indications of Coloured Pencil Manufacturer's market share according to 2011 Poll

Coloured Pencil Manufacturers                    (all brands)	2009	2010	2011	Increase / (decrease) 2009 to 2011
	%	%	%
Sanford Prismacolor (all brands)	29.4	32.6	32.8	3.4
Faber Castell Polychromos	27.3	26.4	27.4	0.1
Derwent ( all brands)	22.5	21.3	17.7	-4.8
Caran d’Ache (all brands)	10.4	10.7	7.9	-2.5
Lyra Rembrandt	7.2	4.2	9.7	2.5
Royal Talens van Gogh	2.0	2.8	1.9	-0.1
Blick Studio Artists	0.0	2.0	2.4	2.4
Pantone			0.2	0.2
	98.8	100.0	100.0	1.2

• GAINERS: Sanford Prismacolor, Lyra Rembrandt and Blick
• LOSS OF SHARE:  Derwent, Caran d'Ache and Talens van Gogh (latter is no longer available in the USA)

Both Faber Castell and Sanford Prismacolor are maintaining their position from last year, while Sanford has now established that the recovery in 2010 was no 'flash in the pan'.

Dick Blick is doing reasonable business with their new pencils - which are thought to be made by Koh-i-Noor

Caran d'Ache Luminance appears to be maintaining its popularity with those who want accredited lightfast coloured pencils - despite the price.  However the popularity of their Pablo pencils has diminished.

With Derwent, the Coloursoft brand is holding up well with the Artists and Studio Pencils (which have both been around for a very long time) losing some ground.

The probable explanation for the drop in the Talens Van Gogh drop is almost entirely accounted for by the fact they are no longer exported to the USA and hence are only available there is you order them from Europe.  For some reason they keep being described as "discontinued" in the USA (even on the CPSA website!).  There's a lot of difference between "discontinued" and "no longer available in the USA"!  I just did a very quick search online and found them on the iartsupplies website.

You can now vote on the 2012 POLL: Which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil?

Do SUBSCRIBE

if you'd like to be kept informed about the other Poll results for 2010 

and/or reviews of art products and art books in 2011. 

You can find a subscription link near the top of the side column.

Shipping art: FedEx is the most trusted service

I've been running opinion polls about posting and shipping art in 2011.  These have consistently identified FedEx as being the service most people seem to trust when shipping artwork.

One caveat is that the numbers responding to the polls have not been high - hence why I'd like to encourage more people to participate in the two ongoing polls listed below.

• In February 2011, the Making A Mark Poll for February asked the question Which service do you trust when posting/shipping artwork?
• Results were reported in Which service do you trust when you post or ship artwork? (Results)
• On my information site How to pack, post and ship art - Resources for Artists, I've been running
  two polls.Click the links if you have still to vote. 
• POLL: Which is the best post/shipping service for artwork in the UK?
• POLL: Which is the best post/shipping service in the USA?

Below you can see the charts of results from the three different polls - together with the number of respondents to date

February Poll - Which service do you trust when you post or ship artwork?

FedEx came top in February with 28% of the poll

Results of Making A Mark Poll February 2011 (29 respondents)

FedEx(UK) is the clear leader in my poll about the best post/shipping service in the UK

FedEx is just ahead of UPS in my poll about the best post-shipping service in the USA

If you are an artist and post or ship art in the UK or USA - and you have not yet responded - you can help give other artists an even better picture about which services artists prefer to use by voting in one or other of the polls on How to pack, post and ship art.

Just click the links to the polls to vote.

On Making A Mark today, there is a post which is a Review of Specialist Art Couriers in the UK.  This is primarily about the couriers used by artists to get their artwork to and from an exhibition.  Follow ups to that review will be posted on this blog.

NEW: Analysis of Lightfastness of Prismacolor Colored Pencils

Prismacolor has published its very first detailed color chart detailing the ASTM lightfastness ratings for its existing range of 132 Prismacolor Pencils.

The ratings also apply to Art Stix of the same colour.

Here's the Color Chart (download as a pdf file from the Prismacolor blog)!  See Introducing 18 New Colors; revived and refreshed for 2011!

Prismacolor Premier Lighfast Color Chart

This is the Lightfastness Legend used on the Chart.  It rates the lightfastness of different pencil colors (ie their ability to maintain their colour over time while exposed to light) from Excellent to Poor.

Prismacolor Pencils - Lightfast Legend

The colours have all been tested according to the processes laid down by the ASTM D6901-06 and the lightfastness ratings have been established.  This provides a level playing field for comparing colours and their lightfastness across different brands.

For more about lightfastness see my "resources for artists" website Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists - and, in particular, the section about COLOURED PENCILS - COLOURS AND LIGHTFASTNESS

My own feeling is that Prismacolor now have far more colours in Groups 4 and 5 compared to other manufacturers.  I'm really not sure why they want to produce quite so many pinks, violets, purple and blues - colours which are effectively fugitive.  Certainly both Talens and Caran d'Ache, which have also had their pencils tested to ASTM standard, have many fewer pencils but virtually all their pencils are Group I and II.

I'd certainly prefer a complete set which had as a minimum a very good standard of lightfastness - even if it meant less pencils.  But maybe I'm a voice on my own on that one?

The general consensus is that artists producing artwork which is intended to be archival should only be using Class I and II (Excellent and Very Good) colours.

Below I list the new colours and also which group all the rest of the colours fall into.

Group I - Excellent Lightfastness rating

• Artichoke
• Lemon Yellow
• Yellow Ochre
• Spanish Orange
• Goldenrod
• Mineral Orange
• Crimson Lake
• Light Peach
• Beige
• Nectar
• Light Peach
• Powder Blue
• Parrot Green
• Yellow Chartreuse
• Green Ochre
• Kelly Green
• Dark Green
• Sandbar Brown
• Sepia
• Jade Green
• Peacock Green
• Light Umber
• Chocolate
• Burnt Ochre
• Sienna Brown
• Terra Cotta
• Henna
• Expresso
• Dark Umber
• Dark Brown
• Warm Grey 10%
• Warm Grey 20%
• Warm Grey 30%
• Warm Grey 50%
• Warm Grey 70%
• Warm Grey 90%
• Cool Grey 10%
• Cool Grey 20%
• Cool Grey 30%
• Cool Grey 50%
• Cool Grey 70%
• Cool Grey 90%
• Black
• French Grey 10%
• French Grey 20%
• French Grey 30%
• French Grey 50%
• French Grey 70%
• French Grey 90%
• White
• Metallic Silver
• Bronze

Group II - Very Good Lightfastness rating

• Cream
• Ginger Root
• Jasmine
• Sand
• Pumpkin Orange
• Carmine Red
• Scarlet lake
• Crimson Red
• Peach
• Beige Sienna
• Chestnut
• Black Raspberry
• Black Cherry
• Black Grape
• Mediterranean Blue
• Indigo Blue
• Chartreuse
• True Green
• Grass Green
• Olive Green
• Kelp Green
• Slate Grey
• Metallic Gold

Group III - Good Lightfastness rating

• Canary Yellow
• Pale Vermillion
• Peach Beige
• Seashell Pink
• Rosy Beige
• Raspberry
• Greyed Lavender
• Violet
• Copenhagen Blue
• Electric Blue
• Denim Blue
• True Blue
• Sky Blue Light
• Peacock Blue
• Cloud Blue
• Non-Photo Blue
• Light Acqua
• Aquamarine
• Light Green
• Spring Green
• Marine Green
• Celadon Green
• Muted Turquoise
• Putty Beige

Group IV - Fair Lightfastness rating

• Sunburst yellow
• Magenta
• Pink
• Pink Rose
• Clay Rose
• Pink Rose
• Mahogany Red
• Dark Purple
• China Blue
• Blue Slate
• Moss Green
• Tuscan red

Group V - Poor Lightfastness rating

• Yellowed Orange
• Orange
• Poppy Red
• Process Red
• Mulberry
• Hot Pink
• Salmon Pink
• Blush Pink
• Lavender
• Lilac
• Dahlia Purple
• Parma Violet
• Imperial Violet
• Blue Violet Lake
• Violet Blue
• Ultramarine
• Light Cerulean Blue
• Caribbean Sea
• Periwinkle
• Blue Lake
• Pale Sage
• Limepeel
• Apple Green

NEW Pencils ( but some with old colour names)

Prismacolor have also released 18 new pencils which are currently undergoing a formal assessment to determine their final lightfast rating.  These revive some of the favourite colours from the past!

I'm assuming that they have tried to address the horrible lightfastness problems that some of these pencils had in the past.

The "new" colours are:

• Deco Yellow, 
• Deco Peach 
• Deco Pink
• Permanent Red
• Indathrone Blue
• Cadmium Orange Hue
• Prussian Green
• Sap Green Light
• Grey Green Light
• Cobalt Turquoise
• Cerulean Blue
• Cobalt Blue Hue 
• Eggshell
• Pomegranate
• Dioaxazine Purple Hue
• Neon Yellow
• Neon Orange
• Neon Pink

The new pencils bring the complete set up to 150 pencils - which will be available soon in all new packaging.

Links:

• Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists - including
• 2011 POLL: Which is the best brand of artist grade coloured pencil?
• 2011 POLL: What's your favourite watercolour pencil?
• POLL: Coloured Pencils - do you go for Colour or Brand?
• Coloured Pencils - information, advice and resources for artists

Book Review - The Illustrated Herbal by Wilfred Blunt

The Illustrated Herbal by Wilfrid Blunt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For those interested in the history of the development of The Illustrated Herbal this is an excellent reference book. Initial indications (from skim reading it on the way home from the RHS Autumn Show at the Horticultural Show where I bought it) are that this book has amazing illustrations from a wide range of herbals - many of which are hundreds of years old. It also has in-depth coverage of the development of the herbal.

The authors are Wilfred Blunt - who wrote the much acclaimed book The Art of Botanical Illustration" - and Sandra Raphael

Very much recommended for all those interested in the history of the development of botanical art - and the the development of the illustrated herbal in particular

View all my reviews on Goodreads
View my resource site A History of Botanical Art

POLL: Coloured Pencils - colour or brand?

Which is more important - colour or brand - when buying coloured pencils?  This post is about a new opinion poll for coloured pencil artists.

People vary as to whether they prioritise colour or brand when making their purchase of coloured pencils. 

• My own personal preference is to go for the best colour from a reliable good quality brand. Hence I vary as to which brands I favour for different colours - and use most brands in the process!
• For some they go for the colour irrespective of quality issues
• Other people are dedicated to using one brand - or maybe two. Possibly because that's all the local art store stocks and they haven't yet got used to ordering online.

Here are some possible options identified in a new Opinion Poll I'm running on Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists.  Click this link to access the poll  POLL: Coloured Pencils - do you go for Colour or Brand?

• I'm always looking for the right colour
• Colour is the priority - but only from brands which are good quality and reliable
• Most of my pencils are from one or two brands
• I prefer to stick to one brand

Below is a sample of the coloured pencils I was using yesterday while I was Sketching the Herb Garden at Sissinghurst. Guess which answer I'll be ticking!

A sample of Coloured Pencil Brands on a sketching outing
They include: Caran d'Ache Pablo, Caran d'Ache Luminance, Derwent Artists, Derwent Coloursoft,
Derwent Signature, Faber Castell Polychromos, Lyra Rembrandt Polycolour, Karisma