Oh it’s been a year…

The next stop on my art journey is this Saturday at the Maidenhead Art on the Street event. The more I find out about it the more I’m excited to be a part of it and I’ve gone from being a very irregular visitor to come to being  smitten with their art shop (an amazing place with four floors and an art room which makes my art classroom pale into dungeon like status. That said, it will not topple Guildford Art Centre from my affections as one of the nicest places on the planet, partially because I think Phillipa would kill me if I said anything even remotely close to that effect. It’s a close race though…)

The Art on the Street  event? Sounds brilliant. 120 pitches for artists to sell their wares, lots of information for new and growing artists, live music, treasure maps, all sorts. Fantastic stuff. You can read more about it here: http://www.maidenheadartmarket.org/

My involvement? Well, I’ve been drawing on a range of odd and unusual screens for a while, as readers of the blog will know, and one of my favourite screens is a Promethean IWB 500. Mutlitouch and a lovely canvas to use Art Rage software on. I’d already live drawn on a Promethean IWB at a trade show before and had video’d not only one of the images created (IWB art) but also the journey to the show (iPad art).

This time it’s different! This time there’s a plan (Last time I was told to show up and draw).

This time it’s a book draw.

Yes, I know. One of them… And yes, it does sound counter-intuitive bearing in mind we’ll be drawing on a large flat, matt canvas with digital paint.

The thing is, I know they work. I like the characters (The Dragon and His Princess). And to see kids come out of the session with a small book that they’ve made? Always very exciting. So I put my mind to how the Dragon and His Princess would interact with an IWB and, from then on in, the story pretty much wrote itself…

So… Here are some images that have been made during the planning process and, on Saturday… It’ll all be very busy and lively and exciting I expect and a very exciting book will be finished. Me, I’ve only done a small part of it, there’s much more to be made and that’s not my job, me I’ll just be there to hold the IWB pen and encourage others to do the cool stuff…. Videos and pictures of the day to follow, these are doodles from the week leading up to May the 12th, 2012th.

All images painted on Promethean IWB 500 using Art Rage software between teaching classes You can see a video of the making of two of the images above here: http://www.youtube.com/user/apaulio

Looking forward to it? Oh yes. That said I have to get a train there at 8 which means getting up at 6.30. On a night after youth group. And then wifeys out in the evening so I’m not even able to sleep then! (Then a Sunday group doing art and craft activities…. The fun never ends. Sunday afternoon will be sleep, sleep, sleep, as Damon Albarn once beautifully soundtracked)…

Big screen fun, small paper finale. Hope you can join me, say hi if you do.

So, now it’s here: Stylus t. Frog and the Weapons of Mass Construction. 100 pages of iPad artwork.

Yes, my ability to pick a succinct and snappy name still eludes me, that much is certain. But I like Stylus t. and felt he deserved equal billing. Although, again, bearing in mind he is in the title and I am a footnote also says a lot about me, psychologically, I suspect.

Anyhow, a sample can also be found at the same link above, and at £4.99 for 100 pages for the full on version  it’s…. good value? Hard to work it out. Some books are cheaper, some more expensive. Hopefully it’s a fair price. I am a struggling artist with a next generation Absenthe style addiction to uphold (hello Comixology app).

Hope you like! Let me know, if you do There’s lot in there from art apps (Brushes, Adobe Ideas, Art Rage, Eazel, Sketchshare and more), styli (Nomad Brush, Pogo, Stylus Sock and so on) and much much more…

Previously, in Kercalblogland:

(apologies is that’s confusing. I just realised I’d buried the lead in a big way).

Oh boy this has been a bit of a journey.

In Feb Apple released a desktop app called iBooks Author. I was instantly smitten, inspired, excited and so on. Within weeks I’d produced 90% of a book on iPad art.

So far so good. The application was easy to use, had a couple of niggles but nothing show stopping, and the process flowed pretty well, often late into the night, night after night.

And then I read the T and Cs. To sell a book I needed a US tax code. That took…. a while… I needed an ISBN. That was a little easier. And it needed to clear Apple iBookstore QA. That also took a while (6 weeks in fact although, fair play to them as soon as they opened the floodgates that must have been a LOT of words they had to read from a large number of submissions).

Hundreds of screen refreshes later I was rewarded by the little green dot and was so delighted I didn’t know what to do. As it was just gone 6am (having been woken by my son getting cross with Mario Kart) I tried and failed to get another half hours sleep. Now it’s the morning of emailing, texting, tweeting and as much as I can do to get any sort of interest in the work. We’ll see how that goes…

…and a brief info burst, as I’ve been asked for one:

Who: Paul Kercal – A level graphics teacher and iPad artist. And youth worker. And occasional writer. Where? Guildford College mainly. Why? Love iPads and iPhones: the screen offers a lovely immediacy – it’s fab to be involved in friction free artworking. When? I draw on busses and trains off and on. Sometimes in cafes, occasionally in pubs. For more info contact wd ((at)) kercal ((dot)) co ((dot)) uk

So first off, that’s nice. I’m not alone in my occasionally mad machinations.

Secondly an app has sprung up recently which REALLY inspires my love of collaborative work. It’s a lot of fun, something which, from the get go, I wanted to share with the world and so, over a range of social networks, I have. This is not a post about that app, more on the collaboration it has inspired.

And no, it’s not Draw Something, although I love the fact that that app, more than any other, has got the mobile device world drawing on their screens…

The app I’ve fallen in love with is called Sketchshare and, from the instant it first booted (hah, there’s a blast from the past word), it blew my mind.

Remember when the Nintendo DS first appeared? What inspired people the most? Mario 64 on a handheld? One of the left-field games? (I didn’t come to a DS until a little later so, for me, one of the launch games was Feel The Magic which I thought was gloriously odd and made some brave and clever decisions). For me it was the chat room and the ability to draw and type at the same time. Fast forward to now and, Netsketch aside, no app has made me want to draw with people as I put stylus to glass screen (although I am growing to like Draw Something as well)…

Anyway, this post is about the collaboration aspect and last night I came back from a family birthday party with a stinking cold and opened up an art chat with the amazing Mr Dave Hall. Fun it was and we spent a wonderful couple of hours creating this image together:

The time flew by and was only interrupted by the fact that my sons bedtime took priority (or, more truthfully that my wife reminded me that my sons bedtime took priority) and that was the spur to finish. But we could have gone on and on… Fun it was, and more fun it will grow to be.

The fact that up to four people can draw at the same time? Lovely. Haven’t managed to get four people drawing at the same time but I will, I hope. As it is all of the sketchshare collaborations I’ve had, with Roz, Rose, Ben, Stefan, Chris, Stew, Richard, Mr Rama, Mr Stick and Mr Siggs, Lenny and the Grauel and, of course, the luminescent Lumilyon… All have been wonderful moments, chatting and doodling and seeing what happens when pixels are herded together by more than one pair of hands.

Long time readers of the blog will know that 2004 – 2009 were lovely art collab years focused around the Big Book Draw. Is there a way to get that and the newly found collapp work put together? I really hope so… We’ll see… For the moment? Onwards, onto the next picture, and the one after. My favourite ones being those that friends are a part of, rather than simply the audience of.

Why collaborative art? Because enthusiasm is infectious and is a bug that wants to be caught…

So with that in mind I bought issue 200 of Commy A as soon as it hit the shelves, ready to party (Actually it joined me on the journey to Microsoft when I was up there to chat art apps and education, as noted here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56759148@N00/7048974535/in/photostream Computer Arts drawn on a train, using Adobe Ideas app).

And then two art apps had retina display updates: Art Rage and ProCreate and I had to test out the former (and will do the latter later). Art Rage is a lovely iPad app (and desktop and iPhone app as well, all equally amazing) but to me I enjoy it most on the iPad, the idea of such an extraordinarily powerful app running on such a small slither of computer is the future full stop.

So: issue 200, remixed, painted on iPad 3, using Art Rage app and three styli: Cosmonaut for blocking in, Nomad Brush for flourish and Pogo Pro for final detail lines. Would have used my Jot stylus too but it seems to have gummed up

with an accompanying process video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lADewJbtNuY

The last pic… That’s something different. Son boy is autistic (very high on the ASD spectrum) and wasn’t the quietest of company on the walk (which is why we went out anyhow, just to get some exercise done). On the route we saw a curved mirror and his first thought was to rest his head against the smooth glass. It was a moment of respite, noise wise, and seemed a very visual way of looking at how he might be seeing the world…

Accidentally reviewed Paper (by FiftyThree) over a few sequential tweets so thought I’d add that here before I can never find it again…

Paul Kercal ‏ @Kercal

Initial thoughts on paper: undo icon ((action)) is very misleading (read macworld review for fix), LOVELY pad implementation, tools feel expensive ish.

Paul Kercal ‏ @Kercal

Paul Kercal ‏ @Kercal

Overall, love it with reservations. Don’t know if no zoom is big thing or adds to purity. Beautiful inky lines.

Paul Kercal ‏ @Kercal

Paper again: things we’ve become used to not there, gorgeous, lovely pad integration. Didn’t like the initial opening screen paper texture.

Paul Kercal ‏ @Kercal

Between @Sketchshare, Draw Somethng+ Paper has there ever been more iPad drawing? Hope it’s start of lots of people finding their art

So there we have it. A potted review of one of the new vogue art apps. Updates soon I hope with things like clock hands for undo (to see how far you’re going back and forth, resizes on watercolour, zoom etc. But it’s a LOT of fun and the closest thing to having a Moleskine in your pocket. On a screen. Doodles below, will carry on using this app, I think.

BUT on to business! This Sunday coming, April the 1st, (it’s been a mad March) sees the Bar Des Arts host the world’s first tablet ONLY life drawing session with the brilliant Brighton Life Drawing Sessions as the models. It’s going to be a corker and there are still a few tickets left so if you want to join in get in touch.

(click on the image for larger version).

We’ll start at 7 and end at 9.30 and, while there play with art apps and styli and all sorts. And hopefully some people in the room will discover how easy and lovely drawing on iPad’s and other styli can be…

(more stuff to come but much to do, aargh!)

Weds was the opening of the art exhibition. For those who’ve not read prior posts: I organised an art exhibition of my students and those in the photography and Fine Art departments. It wasn’t without issue but it was a lovely show. The original plan had been for the tutors to follow it up with an exhibition of their own but, for one reason of another they mostly dropped out leaving me with a couple of weeks of exhibition venue to fill, if I wanted to. My workload should have dictated that I said no and that I’d pass but I’m a little bit too stubborn and stupid to do that. So I phoned around, got a few other artists to join in and then we had a magnificent 7 artists doing a lovely collaborative exhibition of everything from soft toys to coil guns, pen and ink to iPad art with fine art in between. Lovely stuff.

So we filled the room full of people, everyone seemed to have a very merry time and it was all lovely.

Thursday I don’t really remember, Friday I taught for the morning, dashed up to London to buy an iPad 3 or two, dashed back, did youth group, got home to draw and was so tired I fell asleep almost instantly, which is where things more or less remain. Saturday and Sunday, father in laws birthday/Mothering Sunday notwithstanding, have been very dozy days.

(didn’t take any photos of the iPad 3 dash – it was a little frenetic and I felt guilty about walking in and out of the store without having to queue – but I did take a couple of snaps at Chin Chins Also: tweeted the next image to a twitter contact which I hope entertained him in a q for a few seconds or so…)

Next on the list is next Saturday (photo and art walk around Camden Market – more of which later), the week after is the Hockney exhibition with my students and the world’s first iPad and tablet only life drawing session…

So: lots on the menu over the next couple of weeks and then have a week COMPLETELY booked off. After that? We’ll see. Still no idea on the iPad art book hitting the bookstore – the EIN/ITIN/SS4/w8-BEN/W7/US IRS/Apple accreditation side of things still being all ways up in the air – but stuff to come, that’s for sure…

Long story ahoy, hope it fits*.

I’m doing a collab art exhib with youth group kids**, local artists*** as well as my iPad and iPhone art.

This is one of my pics and the image on the right is called Charlie Blimey (after one of Marks catchphrases). It’s drawn entirely on an iPod touch and the story of the pic is the down on his luck reporter Charlie Blimey meeting up with Julian L’Strange (played by Jason Isaacs in the never to be commissioned TV pilot) in an alternate world where Wikileaks happened in print in the 1970s(x*). In a daring move Charley is played by Simon.

So, despite having commuted on SWT trains for years ( ) and camped out when possible at the Curzon for a range of animations this is as close as I’ve got to saying hallo to Messrs K and M.

x*yes I know, but this is more Our Friends in the North than All the President’s Men.

All of these explanations aren’t on the fb page comment.

* the limit of the facebook comments character/updates.

**the exhib is of a magnificent 7 people, two who I work with, my wife, my daughter (although she doesn’t know this yet) – both of whom make brilliant and characterful soft toys, a local – and brilliant – illustrator called Sharon Davey and an ex-youth group kid (my daughter being the other) now turned youth group leader called Nick Thatcher who makes mashup machinery. All excellent stuff and my only fear (and a huge, crushing, damning fear) is that after all of the setup only one person will come. That said Triple FFF brewery have sent 34 pints to be consumed during the night and it’ll help if I’m on my todd.

(I will post more work by all of the other artists but for the moment here are two of the images on display from the 20 year old engineering genius, Nick Thatcher. The first is a working, USB powered, Mini Coil Gun ((naturally)) The second picture is his fully working high speed bullet proof segway. I kid you not. He’s built all of it, including the software/gyroscope programming, when he gets back from work which is, whichever way you look at it, pretty darn astonishing. Also on display tonight will be images of Coil Guns, laser guns and bespoke culinary artillery).

Well, funny you should ask… At the Bar Des Arts (who’ve been an ace and very helpful gallery partner) which is opposite the Yvonne Arnaud, Millbrook, Guildford.

And you don’t even have long to wait as it starts tomorrow night, Weds 14th.

All joking aside this exhibition is a joy to see (and have put up over the past week or so) and has, if I can put it this way, ecclecticity coming out of the wazzoo. Looks lovely and I can’t wait for tomorrow night

Until later I can only really post a couple of my pictures up on the wall but I hope a good few friends will pop by to see them in the frame…

And there’s more to come (I have 12 or so pieces in the show)…