Jay Odjick is an amazing Algonquin artist who has been using the iPad Pro to illustrate Robert Munsch's lastest work, namely Bear for Breakfast.
Odjick had spent some time with the Wacom Cintiq but, like many others found the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to provide a much more direct, much more authentic artistic experience. Not only does going digital on the iPad Pro mean changes are easier to make, but Odjick could collaborate with Munsch easily and efficiently.
While Odjick began each illustration on the iPad Pro, he switched to the iMac for coloring. The sheer amount of documents and layers he could keep live on the iMac at any one time was staggering, and let him get his coloring down as fast as he wanted and in the way he wanted.
He's also working on A Word of The Day (in Algonquin) to promote awareness of the language, and has been working on an exhibit with the Canadian History Museum.
Still, with all that going on, Odjick took time earlier this week to his work and inspiration with 20 students from Dunlace Public School in Toronto at the Yorkdale Apple Store. He taught them the art of animal illustration using the latest generation 9.7-inch iPad, Apple Pencil, and the Tayasui Sketches School app.
Here are the tips he shared:
- Try to find balance between working on what you need to improve while still having fun.
- Be your toughest critic but also recognize and celebrate your improvements.
- There are many ways to do things and try to find what works for you - be bold and embrace technology.
- Try what I use, the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. Great gear and environmentally friendly!
- Practice, practice, practice.
- Remember - the only thing you can control is how hard you work!
The talent is all Odjick's, of course, but iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, and iMac, work as force multipliers to help him scale and share that work and his culture with the world.
It's amazing stuff, so check it out and share it with the artists, especially the young ones, in your life.
