Character Development

Importing Images Into Procreate

I’m old school when it comes to drawing. I still enjoy using a pencil and paper, but I love to apply color digitally. I’ve been posting 30 second videos on Instagram lately of some quick color sketchbook stuff I’ve been doing with the Procreate App and I keep getting asked the same question… how do you get your sketchbook pages into Procreate?

I’m using a scanner to get the sketchbook pages into my computer, formatting them a little bit in Photoshop and (I’m all Apple products) airdropping them onto my iPad Pro. There are a lot of ways to get your scanned files onto your iPad (Dropbox, Email, Cloud drives, etc.)… but the easiest way to get a sketchbook page loaded onto your iPad is to just take a picture of it with the camera thats on your iPad. Click, boom, done!

Now you just need to open Procreate, create and open a new canvas, open the actions menu (the little wrench) go to ADD and then INSERT A PHOTO and your sketchbook page will be in your photos. When it imports into Procreate you will have the option to resize it and then you can grab a digital brush and start slinging paint!

Experimenting With A Post

Since I’m currently trapped inside my house because of the weather, I thought I would experiment with making a blog post using my iPad instead of my computer, so here we go…

I’ve recently been doing a lot of painting on my iPad using the Procreate app and Apple Pencil. I’ve used the Procreate app since it first came out and love the way it records video of your work in process. I’ve been posting these little 30 second videos on my Instagram page, so you can see them there if you’re interested.

My Procreate pictures are mainly just quick little sketchbook ideas, so sometimes I throw a random piece of scenery into the background (as I did on this one) and paint my characters right over the top of it.

Elder Scrolls Online

I play a game called Elder Scrolls Online where I occasionally have to save the world from infestations of dragons, monsters and various other unsavory creatures. One of the things I like best about the game is it allows you to construct your very own custom characters. As I illustrated this picture of a fellow I designed, I discovered there seems to be a disconnect between the character I see on my Xbox and the character I see in my head. He’s an orc named WeaselHammer, he’s a tank and that’s his ferocious war chicken Frank who stands faithfully at his side, ready for action.