Comic-Con 2008 Modbook Recap

Another Comic-Con has come and gone and for this year's convention, I had the pleasure of having my Axiotron Modbook with me.  

The common questions asked of visitors at my table where "What's that?" and "That's a Macintosh?"  "How different is it from a Wacom Cintiq?"  Many have already heard of the Modbook which means the word of mouth has gone around.   But an equal amount of people where completely surprised by it.  They had no idea such a device existed.  

Obviously many where eager to try out the Modbook for themselves and I was more than happy to oblige them.  For all of you thinking about getting one and are on the fence, drawing on it is the only real way to know.  Of course you already know where I come out on that.

I'm awaiting word on when and where Axiotron will be doing the next demo.  (Hopefully somewhere at SIGGRAPH 2008 in Los Angeles this month)  Otherwise, feel free to flag me down if you see me walking down the street.....

More pictures from San Diego are HERE on my Comic-Con recap on Random Anomalies.

Modbook at San Diego Comic-Con '08

If you are in the Southern California area and would like to see the Modbook in action, I'll be doing some sketching using my Modbook during this week's San Diego Comic-Con.  Go to Exhibitor Table G4 to check it out.  I can also fill you in on the making of my new sketchbook ALTERNATING CURRENTS. 

Product brochures will also be available at my table courtesy of the fine folks at Axiotron. Hope to see you there...

The Modbook Payoff

One of my main reasons for upgrading to a digital workstation is streamlining my process, both with my story art and self-publishing endeavors.

With my latest sketchbook ALTERNATING CURRENTS, the Modbook enabled me to illustrate and assemble the project in half the time. Though the book features traditional drawings, it is predominantly digital which reduced the amount of scanning resulting in decreased production time.

Of course there is the contention that the book looks too digital and less traditional.  This is simply one way of doing things and if one puts in the time, those digital creations are on par with their traditional counterparts.   

In the end, programs like Photoshop, Painter and Sketchbook Pro are merely tools just like Oils, pastels and watercolors.  The intangible will always be the artist.  

The sketchbook debuts at this summer's San Diego COMIC-CON.

Accessory Update: iRizer & Folding Keyboard

It took a while but I finally received two products I purchased in February from MATIAS: The iRizer notebook stand and the Folding USB Keyboard.

The iRizer has been available for a while now but the Macintosh version of the folding keyboard was delayed and they didn't want to ship the items separately. The iRizer was exactly what I thought it was going to be. A portable, lightweight stand for everyday use. I had reservations because the maximum tilt angle was only 50 degrees which may not be enough to view the screen directly. But I am happy to report that at normal table height, I had no problem viewing the screen at all. (This stand is intended to hold a normal laptop so the maximum 50 degree angle would be at the extreme) The iRizer is made out of hard plastic and easy to carry and assemble. And since it disassembles flat, it's pretty easy to slip in a laptop case.

I wasn't sure what I would be getting with the Matias Folding Keyboard. All the product photos looked very good but like anything you buy over the internet, it's a roll of the dice in terms of actual quality. Once again I am happy to report that THIS KEYBOARD IS PRETTY AWESOME! The great thing about it is that you're not sacrificing functionality at all. It is a full sized keyboard. What you gain in space and weight in a mini-keyboard, you give up in functionality but that is not the case with this product.

Like the iRizer, it's lightweight. As a matter of fact it weighs next to nothing. Yet when you open it up, lay it down and start typing on it, it feels just like a regular keyboard. It has just the right amount of tactile feedback and the keyboard action is smooth and fluid. The construction quality is impressive as well. Extra functions include dedicated buttons for controlling the system volume. (Mute, Volume up and down)

One gripe I have is that they took out the Caps Lock key in lieu of a Fn key. They incorporated this button so certain functions could be used without having to move your hand to reach across the keyboard. So to enable the Caps Lock you have to press Fn then another key. A little irritating when you are in a groove typing.

One question left to answer for both products is durability, especially for the keyboard. I plan to use the keyboard full time either on the go or at home. So we'll see how it fares in the long run. Info including product measurements and such can be found on the sidebar in the accessory links.

Now I've got a portable iMac!

Folding keyboard...Transform!!

..Fzzzzzzt!!

Thankfully, assembly of the iRizer requires zero brain power. Just slide the stand in the desired slot/viewing angle and .....

...voila!!

This is at the 50 degree setting

... now that it's done, simply add a Modbook

Even though this angle is tolerable for general use, I suppose ergonomically, it will cause fatigue at some point. I've tried propping up a book at the back end of the stand to increase the angle and it certainly makes it better, however I shouldn't have to explain that this might cause the whole thing to come crashing forward so use your best judgement. Use a Reader's Digest instead of War and Peace.

....zzzzzzzzzz

iRizer Update - 5-6-08

As much as the iRizer works great as an all around stand, it's a little rickety to do a lot of drawing on especially if you have a heavy stroke. If you plan on using your Modbook as your main workstation, the iRizer is probably not for you. A more sturdy stand or monitor arm will work better.

SKETCHBOOK PRO 2009: Inching Forward

I was astounded when I first demo'd Alias' Sketchbook Pro in 2005 at SIGGRAPH on a Wacom Cintiq. This was the future I thought. A true digital drawing platform that delivered realistic tool simulation the likes of which have never been seen. I downloaded a demo and I was hooked. Soon I purchased version 2.0 and over two years, one comic book and numerous sketches and illustrations later, SBP is still a mainstay in my digital process.

In between that time, Alias was acquired by Autodesk and this beloved program was put in limbo with it's future uncertain. Rumors of other companies purchasing SBP where rampant and speculation was that Autodesk was simply going to let the program die. Meanwhile the SBP faithful clamored for so many features to be added to SBP in a hypotethical version 3.0.

The ability to work on multiple windows, blend modes, fill or paintbucket feature, special effects, etc. are just some of the many suggested new features that can make an already great product more powerful.

After downloading and performing trials on Autodesk's attempt at an updated version of SBP, I can safely say that it's been sort of a let down. I guess I was really looking forward to a much more substantial upgrade that what was released.

Basically, the program remains unchanged. ( see Fig 1 and 2 below for the interface comparison) This is a GOOD thing really because had they fooled around with the tool simulation I would have really cried foul, got my cash back and ran back to the loving arms of version 2.0. But thank goodness Autodesk decided not to fix something that wasn't broken.

Okay so what's new? Not a whole lot really. The following are the two most notable new features:

1. PHOTOSHOP PSD INTEGRATION - It's now possible to switch from Photoshop to SBP seamlessly and modify PSD files. SBP even preserves all the original layer information. This is a very big deal because the old alternative was to work with TIFF files. Because SBP's compression is different from Photoshop, layers where automatically flattened when you create TIFF files in SBP and import them to Photoshop. (and vice versa)

2. FLOOD FILL / FLOOD FILL VISIBLE LAYERS - a.k.a - a paintbucket tool. No more enlarging the paintbrush to fill large portions of art with color. Unfortunately these new tools won't work in conjunction with either Select or Lasso Select. Pretty lame in my estimation. So the way it works is the area to be filled must be closed in by a line.

The less notable features? In the LAYER window a thumbnail of each layer is now visible. Instead of writing in the name of a layer, it's now typed in via keyboard. (You can still write the layer name in by selecting this view) And to accomodate the layer thumbnail image, the layer opacity slider has been moved. Honestly these features are either here or there for me. In fact, the old layer interface in SBP 2.o was better. This one looks pretty clunky.

So if I had to grade Autodesk on this version of SBP what would it be? a whopping C+

As much as I am glad that SBP is getting a much needed boost, it falls short of expectations and the new features (mainly the FILL tools) lack any kind of groundbreaking functionality. This felt like "going through the motions" and does not take advantage of the programs unique and innate qualities.

Thankfully for us who have come to rely on Sketchbook Pro, the program still delivers the goods and the additional features are a welcome addition. I hope there's a bit more vision and a whole lot more useful features to be found in the next version of this landmark program.

Fig. 1 - The old Alias SBP version 2.o interface

Fig. 2 - The new SBP 2009 interface. Not much has changed.

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Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 2009

It's been a long time coming but the much clamored-for update for the phenomenal digital sketch program SKETCHBOOK PRO is finally available for purchase.

I paid $90 for the downloadable upgrade from Alias' version 2.0. Now called SKETCHBOOK PRO 2009, it has some new features including the ability to import and modify Photoshop PSD files. Expect a full review soon on a separate post.

Fun with Color

While in Ventura, California recently I painted part of a hillside using Sketchbook Pro. I imported the the image to Photoshop for color correction and added some texture. It was an impromptu situation so the framing was not optimum. I had to tug and stretch the image in Photoshop to fit in a square, so unfortunately the image looks a bit cropped. Otherwise I was happy with the outcome.