How I used my phone and tablet to become an artist | Tech Reddy

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you or someone you know wants to learn how to create art, but you don’t have the materials to do it. But you have a phone. You may have a tablet.

Is it possible to become an artist with only those tools? The short answer is “yes”. Long answer, I tried it and was successful, but ran into some issues along the way.

Devices I use for mobile art

Most people like me won’t have the best smartphone on the market. I use a Samsung Galaxy A53, a mid-range phone. It is not designed to produce art. I can definitely say that it was not easy either.

I also have an iPad; Not an iPad Pro or anything built for excellence, just a regular iPad. I’ve always wanted to learn how to draw on a tablet—I’ve even heard how many professional artists do it. I had high hopes. I must say, they are really on to something.

It is important to share that I have also been creative for many years. My media has always been on the computer and that experience hasn’t transferred to the touch screen. I knew that. I came into this from the perspective of someone trying to learn art from their phone and tablet. If anything, past experience has set me back in more ways than one.

Great experience with time and patience

At first, the iPad disappointed me. It might not be a tablet newbie’s experience, but I struggled with it for the first 10 hours. Doesn’t sound good, does it? Don’t worry, everything will be fine. much better.

I just started drawing with my finger on the iPad. My interest in creation and my hopes were high. I thought the touch screen would make art really easy. I was expecting to be able to suddenly create amazing works right away. You see where this is going, right?

I complained about how slow and clumsy it felt to draw with my finger. I lacked precision. I’ve tried pens with touch screen tips. It was a scandal. So I decided that the Apple Pencil would solve this problem! Until I saw the value of it. If I’m not already going to spend money on artwork, I’m not going to do the same for a tool for the iPad.

Instead, I turned to Amazon and found a Meko stylus specifically designed for sensitivity and precision. It was very cheap and I can attest that it was well worth the price. I had to get used to the way it looked weird on the screen at first, but once I got the hang of it, it felt great — even usable on my phone. You might be surprised by its style, so I suggest you browse the best styluses and find the one that suits you.

I switched to trying art on my phone. The Sketchbook app made finger work really intuitive. Meanwhile, IbisPaint X really flourished with just a stylus. Both were free, which is a plus. Not only that, the phone screen is obviously smaller than the tablet. This was an issue I had, but surprisingly less than I thought.

After several weeks of hard training, I felt that I had reached the status of an artist, no matter what the odds. It took time to overcome them, but in that time I learned how to work better. I even discovered that I enjoy taking pictures with the touch screen! After all, I could do it anywhere. Watching movies, in the car, even at the airport. The fact that my work has become mobile and accessible has made it very useful and easy to work with.

This is where things go really wrong

Since the Galaxy A53 isn’t made for art, it’s not really suited for that purpose. The touchscreen can be affected by hard or soft objects. Any rolling or pushing of unrelated objects will damage the part. It’s great for just hand drawing, but horrible for the Meko stylus I got. It’s really frustrating because I lack the precision I need to make the art I want.

Unfortunately, another problem with using the phone is the screen size. As expected, it was too small. Not impossibly small, mind you (really great for small artwork or works without fine details). I like to paint it in my spare time, but I would never do a complex piece there for my own sanity.

What really irritated me about the iPad was its lack of intuitive features. I tried to import images and I indeed struggling to export images. Many times I’ve given up on exporting my work and taken a screenshot because I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Sometimes I avoided working with the iPad because I felt bad about the design of the software.

How to start an artistic creation on the go

If you want to start your own journey with art on the devices you own, I definitely recommend trying a phone or tablet. A phone is good for taking pictures, but it’s much harder to access. With a tablet you have free options like Sketchbook or IbisPaint on your phone, but Procreate really won me over. It costs money, and sometimes it’s confusing to use, but its brushes and options are unmatched. However, buy some kind of stylus to save yourself a headache later.

Starting with your phone is ideal for the right person because it can be done with generally zero cost or risk. You don’t need a stylus, and to be honest, the versatility of Sketchbook on my phone made me comfortable using my hands. The brushes and intuitive design made it very easy to start from scratch. Even though the screen is small, I will continue to practice with it because I had such a good experience.

If you’re still wondering how to get started with art, I always recommend the Drawabox website. It includes free lessons that cover all the steps of learning the art at different stages. The lessons available are easy to follow and encourage you to learn in the most constructive way possible.

Finally, the last piece of advice I can share with you is to not give up right away. Learning to draw is like learning a language. It takes time and practice to get it right, but with dedication and a willingness to learn, you can share any ideas you have. Don’t give up!

Editors’ recommendations