New iPad accessory gives artists another medium

iPad /

Artists who use their mobile devices to create images can worry less about needing iPad repair services thanks to a recently developed tablet cover that lets them digitally track their work as it is being produced.

The new iSketchnote smart cover lets users draw with a pen onto a sheet of paper while sensors located in the cover track the motions and transmit the drawing to an iPad screen, according to Engadget. Some art apps require users to draw directly on the iPad with a stylus or other object, which could potentially cause damage and result in the user needing an iPad replacement glass.

The product's developers launched a Kickstarter funding drive for the app and quickly met their funding goal of $35,000. The iSketchnote should be ready for shipment next spring.

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Multiple apps are available that let users turn their iPads into sketchpads with little risk of needing an iPad repair, but they do not have the ability to mimic the feeling of using real paper and drawing tools, Caleb Goellner wrote in Comics Alliance. The iSketchnote is an attempt to draw in artists who want the experience of working with tangible materials and the convenience of easy digitization.

“The notebook basically opens with a flat sensor array on one side and the iPad on the other,” Goellner wrote. “Users pop paper on the sensor array and scribble away on top with otherwise ordinary pens fitted with special magnets. Their notes show up in a note-taking app on the iPad instantly (at least in theory, there may be some lag). The hook is that users can still get the feel of normal pens on normal paper while backing up their work instantly, giving them prompt access to a digital version of their work that's ready to be shared handily on social media, e-mail or whatever else.”

The iSketchnote will not be available for several months, so artists may want to download other apps to bridge the time before they are ready to be shipped. An iPad screen provides artists with a large, yet portable surface for creating art and it allows users to perform a multitude of complex tasks needed for creative endeavors. One earlier app that takes advantage of those qualities is iDraw, according to TouchReviews. The app offers an assortment of brush, shape and transforming tools for creating images.

Temperamental artists may get carried away with their work on the screen and cause damage to their device. In these cases, iResQ's iPad repair services can help.

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