Best Reasons to Use the IPad to Draw?

When trying to decide for yourself whether to use an IPad or traditional paper – pen – marker – pencil drawings as your main media for your art, there are many things to consider!

One of the biggest advantages the iPad has over traditional methods is the variety of colors and brushes and paper sizes you can use. These are infinite. If you’re going to draw in markers on paper for most of your work, how convenient is it to have an infinite number of colors to use all in a 1.4 lb. package?

Sure the iPad is far more expensive than paper and some markers. But, if you’re buying 19,000 markers, well, the iPad Pro 12.9″ model with M4 chip starts to look REALLY GOOD – Doesn’t it?

Here are some comparisons of traditional methods of drawing and painting versus using the iPad to draw. I think you’re going to come to the same conclusions we have about it. The iPad cannot be beat but it does have a few drawbacks.

We’re not suggesting to never use traditional methods, but for your primary work, you should probably use the iPad for drawing 90% of your artwork.

Using an iPad to draw offers a range of benefits over traditional methods like paper and pen, pencil, marker, or paint. Here are some of the main reasons artists might choose an iPad over traditional media, along with advantages, disadvantages, and considerations related to income, iteration, and convenience:

Advantages of Using an iPad for Drawing

Infinite Canvas and Layers

You can zoom in for detailed work without losing quality, and use multiple layers for different elements of your drawing.
Layers allow for non-destructive editing, meaning you can make changes without altering the original artwork. This is probably one of the top 3 advantages of using the iPad over traditional paper/pen methods of drawing. At any time you can go backward in your process to a point you were previously and start fresh from there. You can even duplicate your artwork at that point and start a new one – over and over – to give you many options.
The OPTIONS available with ipad are overwhelming. This is the main reason to use an iPad for your drawing and painting artwork over traditional paper/canvas methods.

Infinite Colors Available

Color Wheel – This allows you to pick any color by adjusting hue, saturation, and brightness.
Classic – A traditional color picker with sliders for hue, saturation, and brightness.
Harmony – Helps you find complementary colors and other color harmonies.
Value – Lets you enter specific RGB or hexadecimal values for precise color choices.
Palettes – You can create and save multiple color palettes. Each palette can hold up to 30 colors, but you can create as many palettes as you need.

Portability and Convenience

An iPad Pro is extremely lightweight (around 1.4 pounds) and combines multiple tools in one device plus an electronic pencil.
Ipads eliminate the need to carry hundreds of pens, pencils, markers, paper pads, and canvasses.

Versatile Tools and Options

Apps like Procreate, Adobe Fresco, and other digital programs offer a wide variety of brushes, colors, and effects that mimic traditional media. You can even create your own brushes to give you exactly the look and feel you need. Again the OPTIONS available with an iPad are incredible.
Undo and redo functions make it easier to correct mistakes without any trace of what was there before. Erasers on paper or canvas are far from perfect. Having a digital medium like the iPad make mistakes a thing of the past. This is a mindblowing development in itself!

Efficient Workflow

Digital art can be easily duplicated, modified, and iterated upon. Imagine starting out with one basic drawing and changing it a hundred ways and having 101 pieces of art in many different varieties, instead of just one original like you’d have with paper and pen.
Time-saving features like custom brushes, quick selections, and fill tools speed up the creative process.

Digital Storage and Organization

Thousands of drawings can be stored digitally without taking up physical space.
High-resolution files can be created without worrying about the physical limitations of paper. Imagine zooming in to take care of the tiniest details in your image, then zooming out and seeing the precision-effect digitally. Are you talked into using the IPAD AS YOUR MAIN DRAWING DEVICE YET?
Procreate and other apps take an automatic time-lapse video of your creation – an easy way to add content to your Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or other social media accounts.
Fire, theft, or other disaster need not affect you with an iPad when your work is properly backed up to the Cloud – available to you any time, anywhere, regardless if your house burns down or is in the middle of a hurricane. Traditional forms of art are very succeptible to all kinds of disaster.

Integration with Other Digital Platforms

Easy to share and publish work online, collaborate with other artists, or sell digital prints. Using digital media can open up your art creation to many other techniques, including collaborating with other artists who can add to your art and send it back. 10,000 people could contribute to your artwork. You couldn’t do that with traditional media, just based on the logistical problems.
Compatible with software for animation, graphic design, and other digital art forms.

Disadvantages of Using an iPad for Drawing

Initial Cost

An iPad Pro and Apple Pencil can be expensive compared to traditional art supplies when you initially consider it. But then, when you also add up the cost of buying paints, pens, markers, paper, and canvas continually, over the life of your career you’ll quickly realize that spending $999 to $3,000 USD on a new iPad that will last 10 years, is the much better option. This doesn’t even take into account the money you’ll save on sending original artwork through the mail system ($$$$$) vs. digitally online (free)!
Apps and software may also have costs associated with them. But, Procreate is currently sitting at $12.99 at the Apple Store for the full version for the iPad. You could spend that much on a paintbrush!
Somehow, these disadvantages turned out to be advantages for using the iPad!

iPad Learning Curve

Getting used to the digital interface and tools can take time for artists accustomed to traditional methods. However, if you’re starting out as a new artist, you can spend time on both and learn both equally as fast – having 2 ways of producing unique art. It doesn’t really make sense to ignore one or the other, learn both and increase your marketability, income, and the satisfaction in your creative process.
The tactile feel of drawing on a screen is different from paper, which may be a drawback for some artists. Drawing on paper or canvas is also not precise for detail work, so the instruments you’re using may not afford you the level of control you need with traditional methods. Using an iPad is VERY precise and the zoom feature allows close-up work that can make you look like a pro in no time.

Dependency on Technology

The iPad requires charging and maintenance, app upgrades, a good case, and careful handling – much more than paper/pen methods.
Potential for technical issues or malfunctions. This is addressed by warranties – both automatic and extras you can buy to ensure you are covered for malfunctions/breakage.

iPad vs Traditional Media in Relation to Income and Iteration

Income Potential

Digital art is highly marketable in today’s online and print markets. Artists need to take digital images of their original (traditional) art in order to market it and sell it at online platforms anyway. Why not just create digitally from the start?
Can create and sell digital prints, merchandise, or offer custom digital artwork. Adding your art to stickers, coffee cups, school notebooks, and other merchandise can be a great way to increase income.
Easier to work on commissions as changes can be made quickly and efficiently.

Iterating and Developing Ideas

Digital tools like iPads and other tablets make it easier to explore multiple variations of a single idea without starting from scratch. The possibilities are endless, no matter where you are on a piece.
Quick adjustments and experiments can lead to new creative directions and innovations. The variety of tools you have available when creating with digital media like a tablet computer make it super-easy to experiment and see what effect it has on your art. Experiments can be re-wound and you can start over any time with lossless quality.

iPad Comparison to Traditional Methods

Storage Capacity

An iPad can store tens of thousands of drawings digitally. With the current M4 iPad Pro, you have up to 2 Terabytes of storage. That’s a LOT of high resolution files. Not to mention, with a simple memory stick option you can save tens of thousands more digital drawings as well. It’s limitless and very economically feasible.
A typical pad of paper might hold 50-100 sheets.

Weight and Portability

iPad Pro (around 1.4 pounds) vs. a massive paper tablet or sketchbook (varies but often heavier and bulkier).
Carrying a variety of traditional tools (pens, markers, paints) can be cumbersome but more importantly, impossible when comparing the variety you have with the iPad vs traditional media.

Convenience and Options

The iPad offers a virtually infinite number of tools and colors within one device.
Traditional methods require multiple physical tools and mediums, each adding to the bulk and complexity of carrying and organizing supplies.

Using an iPad for drawing can significantly enhance an artist’s workflow, offer new creative possibilities, and open up additional income opportunities. It provides unmatched convenience and versatility, making it a valuable tool for modern artists.

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