Content Creation Trends

Written by Scott

I’m very excited about this new little device that came out a few months ago. So much so that I just wrote a small article about it in our newsletter. This little thing has gotten quite a bit of press and has folks either hating it or loving it.

I fall in the latter group.

Of what little device am I speaking? None other than the iPad.

Before you roll your eyes, hear me out. So far the majority of people have been talking about the content consumption aspect of the iPad. How people can browse the web, watch movies, listen to music, check email.

But there is a powerful group that has been in the shadows literally since the day it was released. A group that is using this thing to create content. We are in this exciting group.

In fact, since Angie became the world’s first iPad Caricature artist on morning of it’s release, we’ve been pushing the envelope as much as possible to see what we can accomplish with this portable, digital canvas.

You may have even seen a banner showing off some of her talents on a few sites:

Developers Rock
As an iPhone/iPad developer myself, I know the challenges the developers face when writing software for the iPad. I also know the capabilities of the device and what doors can be opened.

When we perform our Live Digital Caricatures, we plug into a large flat-panel screen so guests can see from across the room what (and who) is being drawn. At first, we lost that ability with the iPad. But after talking with the developers from both Sketchbook Pro and ArtStudio, the awesome guys included support for the video out port on the iPad so we can mirror what is being drawn up on the big screen.

Now countless other artists who wanted to get into the Live Digital Caricature field could now buy an iPad and hit the ground running. Up until this point, it took a tremendous amount of effort to setup a Live Digital Caricature system. Even with our book to make it easier, it’s still a lot of equipment to carry around.

No Powercord Required
The beauty of the iPad Caricature setup is that you can literally walk in with an iPad digital canvas in hand and start drawing. Boom. Done. Easy.

Yes, people lose the pressure sensitivity of a Wacom tablet like the Intuos or Cintiq. Yes, you lose the big show factor. Yes, printing becomes a little convoluted. But, man, it’s just too cool to have a portable touch screen computer the size of a sketchpad.

And one really interesting feature: the iPad’s 10-hour battery means you don’t need power anymore. In fact, the only time you might want to plug in is if you want to print or plug into a large screen television. However, the printer can be anywhere in the room since the iPad prints via Wifi.

But for the casual artist, just being able to sit down and drawn, then email the artwork to the person instantly is very liberating (not to mention great for the environment by saving paper/ink!).

Where’s it Headed?
That’s the million dollar question. As I’ve written about before (days before the iPad was even announced), this is going to introduce an exciting new trend.

Already we are seeing artists uploading their art being drawn on YouTube. Caricature artists, portrait artists, and so many other styles like fine art. All being created on this little device.

We’ve been busy spreading the word about the iPad Caricatures as well, giving clients the option of having the exciting Live Digital Caricature experience for just a little more than what a traditional caricature artist would cost.

And the results have been overwhelming! Clients are just as excited about this as we are.

Based on the stories from other artists, clients, and my own experience, I think the next few months we’ll see the acceleration slow as we collectively take our foot off the gas to prepare to shift gears. Then by the end of September and beginning of October, we’re going to see an explosion of artists hitting the event market with iPad Caricatures.

A Call to Artists
This is why we’re already in the process of bringing in more artists to Digital Blacksmiths to respond to this anticipated demand.

In fact, if you have an iPad and some samples of your artwork, send me an email. If we like what we see, we’ll bring you onboard and you’ll receive the full marketing force of Digital Blacksmiths.

After all, that’s what Digital Blacksmiths is all about; a group of talented digital artists who are pushing the boundaries of their craft.

I’m anxiously looking forward to this exciting new trend of content creation. It’s going to give artists a new opportunity and it’s going to give clients something exciting to experience.

See you there! The future is now!

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