When I was first shown an application that allowed you to paint on the iPhone, my instant response was, "What's the point?" On a screen that size and with your fingers? But then I had a quick play with an application called Scribble which allowed you to pick from primary colours and create simple doodles. I mainly used it for sketching quick cartoons or storyboards but never really bothered with color.
Then one day, curious as to how the iPhone painting apps had progressed I stumbled upon Brushes. An application that claimed to have full colour mixing and brush sizes similar to that provided in a full desktop application such as Photoshop and Painter.
I purchased the app and was instantly impressed by the user interface and features offered by the application. I did a few rough sketches to get used to the feel of painting on an iPhone and soon began to realise the potential of the app. I then purchased a simple iPhone stylus that enabled me to input more precise strokes.
Just when I was about to begin really testing the app, Brushes 2.0 was released which added the ability to use multiple layers. This was a big step and made me eager to see what it was capable of doing.
Like I do with most painting applications, I thought I'd see how well I could paint a portrait. I found this image of Jennifer Aniston and began working. It turned out that I couldn't have picked a more difficult first painting to do because of how smooth Jennifer's skin is, how long and straight her hair is and the fact she had her head at a strange angle. Despite how much of a challenge it was, I found the experience very enjoyable.
I was blown away at what I had produced in just a couple of hours. I then discovered a little hidden feature of Brushes. The Brushes Viewer; a desktop viewing application that plays back how you painted the picture.
This video can be seen speeded up above. Stills can also be seen from the clip below. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, definitely give this app a go.. Fantastic Value!
~
