Saturday, March 11, 2017

Living Sketchbook App Coming March 20



I'm filming a promo for the soon-to-be-released "Living Sketchbook™" app. The app lets you explore one of my sketchbooks with high res pinch-to-zoom images, while enjoying immersive and informative audio and video content.

Early reviewers are enthusiastic.

"This app is outstanding! One of my favorite aspects of your videos is getting the opportunity to hear your thoughts about the pieces you are painting. I love that I can get that same experience while enjoying the detailed views of the high-resolution sketches in the app.” —Jon Schindehette, Art Order
"As a Beta tester I can assure all that this is a great app - like having Jim next to you as you flip through one of his sketchbooks. And more!"
Wade Meyers 
The first volume of the app, "Boyhood Home" will be available March 20 for $4.99 for both iOS and Android phones and tablets.
App coding and development by Dan Gurney.

8 comments:

Dustin Wilson said...

I can't wait to download this. I have a phone and no tablet but would love to use it with something with a larger screen. Is there a chance for a version of the app for Windows, macOS, and Linux in the future? Something like Electron could be used to create a rich Web-based UI that would work on all three platforms.

Jared Cullum said...

I can't wait to download this. It's a brilliant idea.
On the topic of sketchbooks- I've been taking classes from different teachers who all practice watercolor sketching on scrapbook or toned paper (Steve Huston, Nathan Fowkes, Joseph Zbukvic to name a few).
Since I started painting, I've only used white cold press or hot press watercolor paper to practice watercolor since it seemed the most agreeable. I get the value of the middle tone ground although I'm struggling working out value on it but I hope to get better with loads of practice.
Side note: I also noticed a through-line of a lot of the teachers I've been learning from online who practice this sketching method of watercolor on a particular toned heavy cardstock being Art Center alumni. (Huston, Fowkes for example) Was that something taught there or just something they all happened to pick up with time/experience?
I didn't grow up or college somewhere with a "fine" art ed so I admit this may just be a common practice that totally escaped my late self-education.

James Gurney said...

Dustin, For now we're focusing on mobile devices, which allow for ideal combinations of image, video, and audio. The closest you can get to it online right now is my pages on Google Open Gallery, but there you can't scale the image while listening to the audio.

Jared, painting on toned paper is good fun. I don't know if it was taught at Art Center because I was hired out of there to paint animation backgrounds after my second semester, so I didn't stay in for the full term. But I think Craig Nelson might have been teaching that. Going back a ways, it was a popular method for J.M.W. Turner and Wm. Trost Richards—check out what they did with it. You might also experiment with pre-toning your watercolor paper with a light to mid-value casein underpainting, either a light red, an "ochery" yellow, or a bluish color. Putting a little chroma as well as tone can enliven a color scheme. Also, you can do a "ghost wash" over the whole thing (except the lightest lights) as David Curtis and Trevor Chamberlain do.

Capt Elaine Magliacane said...

Very cool... I see a little birthday present for myself as my birthday is on the 21st :-)

Oh and another suggestion for Jared is ink tense pencils... you can lay down the colors, wet to activate but once dry on the paper it will not lift when you paint over it.

Jared Cullum said...

Thank you James and Capt Elaine!
ive been utilizing the ghost wash which I learned from David Curtis books. I have done a lot with gouache and casein on top of tinted paper but not transparent watercolor. I'm up for trying anything to learn! Thanks again! :)

Unknown said...

Will it work on a new Kindle Fire HD?

James Gurney said...

Adolph, here's the list of devices it will work with:

iOS 9.0 and above
Android 4.3 KitKat and above

Compatible iOS devices:
iPhone 5s and above
iPad Air and above
iPad Mini 2 and above
iPad Pro and above
iPod Touch sixth generation and above

It requires a fairly robust processor because it's a somewhat graphics-heavy app, so if you own an older phones and tablets, it won't let you purchase it.

Suzy Pal Powell said...

I am looking forward to the app too! I love everything you sketch draw or paint. I watch all your videos. Are there any tips for sketching peole and getting a likeness? I am.working really hard at that but still struggling. Also you may not know yet but was wondering if you will be at SKB in Wyoming this year? I missed.last year.