This article was published on November 10, 2010

Try This: ArtRage for iPad. Paint like Picasso using your fingers


Try This: ArtRage for iPad. Paint like Picasso using your fingers

TNW Quick Hit

ArtRage for iPad provides a unique painting experience for artists and amateurs alike.

Enjoyed: Super neat app which brings the features ArtRage3 Studio Pro’s desktop software to the iPad, allowing one to make masterpieces anywhere, at anytime.

Annoyed: ArtRage is packed with so many features and options, such that it is not an app one can simply pick and master.

Overall: 3.5/5

The Details:

ArtRage ($6.99) from Ambient Design is an art lover’s dream app.   A pricey option in the iTunes App Store, the app is so feature-rich and visually appealing that after spending some time using the app, one will quickly forget about the price.

ArtRage for iPad mimics the award-winning desktop version of ArtRage3 Studio Pro, while creating a painting experience one can only have when using an iPad.  The app provides an intuitive painting simulation which lets anyone from an artistic master or painting novice to enjoy the magic of painting and sketching.

Fortunately for the reader, my “creations” will remain private.  Finger paint creations, while fun, are nothing anyone wants to see outside of one’s parents.  Consider yourself spared.

To begin, launch the app and stare at the blank canvas.  The user can choose from 19 different canvas “Grain” options in a variety of colors. Alternatively one can import photos, converting them to oil for smearing, or as Reference Images pinned to the canvas as a guide while you work. You can load photos as Tracing Images that are overlaid on the canvas, and have ArtRage select colors from them automatically as you paint.

After deciding on your canvas, the possibilities are endless.  One can choose from a litany of real-world painting tools such as: Oil Brushes with thickness and smearing, Watercolor tracks tool and paper wetness as you paint, Airbrushing, Palette Knife for spreading and blending pigment, Paint Roller & Paint Tube, Inking Pen with auto-smoothing and pressure simulation, Pencil, Marker Pen, Chalk and Crayon, Eraser and Flood Fill.

The best part about it all?  Use of the materials does not require the expenditure of additional funds, and cleanup is never an issue.

After choosing your canvas and art creation tool(s), the real fun begins.  One can create anything, from the rudimentary scribbles above, to something more refined, below:

The features of the app are literally too many to list. Art creation is supported in both portrait and landscape mode, layering is unlimited, color samples are vast in number, and creations can be exported to a photo library or sent via email.

The app’s voluminous features are both fantastic and frustrating.  A solid reading of the app’s Quick Reference Guide is strongly recommended to truly enjoy all that ArtRage for iPad has to offer.  Doing so ensures one gets the most out of the app.

ArtRage for iPad is truly a grand app which makes creating art fun and clean, while also teaching one about how to craft true art using virtual tools.

If you’d like to see how a pro makes it happen, take a look at the video below of Jorge Lopez-Lorenzana painting Jacob Black

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