A new combination of technology has provided yet another opportunity for pleasure in my world recently. I feel almost as if I have graduated from a particular stage in my life since the arrival of my new Modbook. Not only is it my first mac, (go on, scoff, but I still love my PC which never gives me any trouble!!) but it’s also my first tablet; I’ve used tablets before, but never liked them due to the disjunction between pen tip and screen.
The Modbook, built by Axiotron, definitely steps far above and beyond the iPad, Apple’s new super-sized iPod tablet. And because I use it strictly for creative stuff, and not as a glorified iPod, the nib-controlled touchscreen is better suited than the alternative, ‘capacitive,’ screen which allows direct contact with your fingers. (As in the iPad) In this way my hand doesn’t affect my work while it is rested on the screen, only the pen tip does.
Overall I give this thing a 9 / 10 score, it really brings a new dimension to my computer relationship; I can skip the sketchbook for my digital work, and curl up on the couch with my stylus and Macbook to develop ideas and draw up illustrations.
Enter Scribbles, the new sketching program from atebits.com. Scribbles does exactly what it promises, they have taken everything they learned from all the previous drawing programs, and thrown it completely out the window.
Not only is the user interface brilliantly subtle, and simple, but the most thrilling feature is the concept: a border-less, size-less, drawing space. There is no limit to your ‘paper’, the whole thing displays in vector, so it’s infinitely zoom-able in both directions. The program outputs as raster images only however, but I find it very useful for preliminary idea sketching. I love knowing that if I develop something and I want to expand on it I’m not running off the edge of the paper as I would in real life. And vice-versa, that if I develop an idea and want to add detail I can always zoom in and draw without pixelation.
The Modbook plus Scribbles turns out to be my new favorite pair. The quick pick tools and simple interface of Scribbles lends itself nicely to the stylus, plus the pressure and angle sensitive stylus of the Modbook make sketching really cool and intuative. Scribbles has layers and transparency, plus several brushes a circular color swab and a one click publish option – to the Scribbles gallery online.
I look forward to the new, not yet unavailable, Modbook Pro, coming soon from Axiotron. Also check out the Scribbles gallery for drawings from the Scribbles users, myself included.
No comments yet.