Inspired by David Hockney's incredible Bigger Picture, created entirely on an iPad, artist Samantha Brockway embarked on a mission to advance her creative practice using this tool – with great results. In this three week introductory course, Sam will share the tips she has learned along the way.
The course will cover iPad basics such as navigating the device and using the stylus, as well as art techniques like drawing, painting, adding text and manipulating images. By the end of the course, you will have a solid understanding of how to use your iPad for art and will have created several pieces.
Using Your iPad in Art is aimed at creative people who have an iPad and want to learn how to use it to develop their own work. We will be developing drawings and compositions from source material like existing sketches or photographs and editing existing artwork. So the ability to draw and plan a composition is useful.
We will be using an app on the iPad to import files and photos, edit, draw, paint, and add text. There are many apps out there, such as Procreate, that you can explore once you are confident.
Initially, we will look at the ArtStudio app and its features, familiarising ourselves with the tools, brushes, textures, stylus, and layers. From there, we will move to the introduction of layers with photos and text. We'll explore how layers can be manipulated and moved to create an image or plan source material, keeping the layers or flattening them to one image. We'll also practice importing and exporting photos and images as PDFs that can be sent to print.
We will then create an image together. Next, we will look at manipulating an existing image, transforming it into something new. Finally, there will be an opportunity to create your own sketch or artwork.
Please note the small class size (8) to allow for plenty of 1:1 time.
Plenty of opportunities to take screen breaks and grab a cuppa.
We hope to see you in class!
What to bring
Your iPad (fully charged!) and preferably a stylus (although you can use your finger)
You need to have downloaded the ArtStudio App to your iPad (costs £4.99).
What’s included
Coffee, tea (plus decaf!) and biscuits.
Dates and times
Wednesdays 6:00pm – 8:00pm
30 April, 7 & 14 May
Cost
£75 per person.
Suitable for ages 18+.
Spaces limited to 8 in total so book early to avoid disappointment!
Booking
Booking is made direct through Yardley Arts. You can email bookings@yardleyarts.org or book online below.
About the tutor
Samantha is a professional illustrator who works in many mediums but has loved working in watercolour since she saved up as child for her first boxed set of paint. She has always loved the translucent nature of watercolour and the texture of the pigments in the water.
Graduating from Bristol with a BA Hons in Graphics and Illustration, Samantha was shortlisted for the Macmillan Children’s Book Illustration Competition. She went on to illustrate several books and exhibited her work in London, Bristol, Kings Lynn, St Ives and Cambridge before becoming an in-house illustrator for the Greetings Cards industry where she worked for 15 years.
Samantha is now working as a freelance artist and illustrator and runs regular workshops in Northamptonshire. She believes everyone can paint and with the right skills become more confident in the process.
A prize winner at Northants Open Studios 2023 and 2024 Exhibitions and first prize at KDAS 119th Exhibition 2024.
About Using your iPad in Art, Samantha says
“I am not a technical expert, but I do love the iPad as a creative tool. I bought my first iPad well over a decade ago after I saw David Hockney's early iPad work he was developing for his Bigger Picture exhibition. The iPad and the exhibition didn't disappoint, and I have been inspired by both ever since. At a basic level, the iPad is very intuitive and easy to use. It is capable of much more, but that's a whole other course.
I use the iPad not only to create artwork but also to help me plan compositions and experiment with changes to paintings I am working on. For example, I might add or remove details to see if it works before committing to the page. This is very useful if you are working in watercolour. I also manipulate the colour of existing artwork and add text to create something totally new.”
To see examples of her work and more information, please visit her website samanthabrockway.com or find her on instagram @sam.brockway