Working Through the Process
This past week I’ve been working on my latest pattern collection. This is the stage where I draw the elements that will become parts of the patterns. It’s always awkward because I don’t know what I need yet. I’ve done some brainstorming. I’ve drawn things that call to me. But I won’t really know what I have until I start the design process.
Before I can get to the fun part, though, I need to gather the drawings I’ve created and get them on my computer. Though I love technology, I prefer to draw by hand on real paper. Usually, I work on refining my drawings, then use tracing paper to get them just right for scanning.
But lately I’ve been wondering whether I could utilize technology to refine my drawings and skip the tracing paper and scanning. Several designers that I follow create their art or do their tracings on the iPad.
While I’ve used ProCreate on the iPad, it hasn't really saved me any time. Since anything created in ProCreate is pixel-based, I still need to vectorize the images once they reach Illustrator. This is basically the same thing as scanning my images from tracing paper. The only difference is that ProCreate lets me erase mistakes without starting a drawing over again.
But this week, I discovered that Adobe Fresco for iPad gives me the ability to create vector-based drawings. Plus, I can export the drawings directly to Illustrator. I found I could even color the drawings on the iPad, saving another step in the process. I spent the better part of an afternoon tracing and coloring images, all while enjoying the sunshine on my patio. After I was done, all of my images were happily waiting on my computer. Amazing.
In theory, this process should have made the workflow easier. In some ways it did. But in other ways, not so much.
I found that I spent a lot of time switching between tools while using the iPad. I got stray marks on my canvas when I touched the screen the wrong way. Plus, the Apple Pencil likes to switch from pen to eraser without warning, causing me to draw or erase when I want to do the opposite. But the thing that I noticed most was my tendency to obsess over perfecting each drawing. While being able to undo a stray mark is nice, it becomes a problem when I find myself re-drawing the same lines over and over again in the hopes of getting them perfect.
Yesterday, I had a few more drawings to transfer to the computer and I decided to do it with good, old-fashioned tracing paper. The experience was remarkably different. I was calmer. More patient. Less obsessed with perfection. I found that I enjoyed the experience more. I wasn’t distracted by an endless array of tools, worrying about which layer I was on, or testing my digital brush to be sure it was the correct size. I was simply in the moment.
Now, I do realize that if I used the iPad for drawing more often, I would probably become just as comfortable with that format as I am with pen and paper.
Yet, there is just something about using real paper that makes me feel closer to my work. I love the feel of the paper, the glide of my pen, watching the ink soak into the paper. That’s an experience the iPad simply cannot match.
I don’t plan to give up on the iPad. I’ll likely use it again. But trying my workflow both ways gave me a new appreciation for pen and paper. It may be slower, but it’s a welcome respite from the world of technology. Maybe that’s why I find it so fulfilling.
I think the big takeaway here is that it’s important to find a workflow that works for YOU, no matter the task or project. Suggestions from others can be helpful, but it’s important to try it for yourself and carve out your own path. Here's to doing things your way!