Is drawing on the iPad a good option?

[Shanny8]

@susutaru I'm considering getting the XP Pen magic tablet...the iPad I have is a 9.5 inch, so smaller- the 12" iPad is like $1200 and I definitely DON'T want to spend that much on a portable/mobile tablet that I may or may not use as often.

[susutaru]

I can totally understand that. The Magic Pen Pad costs a third of the Ipad I would had to buy so...no xD

I can recommend it to you, If you want I can take a screenshot from the working space later.
If you work with high resolution you should reconsider the choice, bc it's lagging from time to time. (but really, I have huge databases XD I cannot blame the little thing)

[Shanny8]

If you work with high resolution you should reconsider the choice

Define high res? My pencil/ink work on my laptop is usually done at 600 dpi; I really dont feel my colors can bump things up, but I have noticed the amount of layers I use when coloring has gone up. I try to merge a lot of stuffs, but a lot of times I keep certain layers separate in case I ever need to recycle/re-use a layer(which I have done with a lot of outer space/starry backgrounds)

[BoomerZ]

@susutaru
The dpi on any computer/digital medium means nothing until you print. Only total pixels matter. That is based on the starting canvas which you set. DPI only comes into play once you print, the quality of the picture is the same. Example: A 1200 pixel picture at 75 dpi will just be larger (physical size on paper) when printed than a 1200 pixel picture printed at 1200 dpi. Don't let the dpi determine what is high res.

[susutaru]

I normally draw my webtoon pages in 1.600 x 20.000 Pixel with 600dpi resolution. Which generates huge datas.
Thats just for the print later. When I upload the pages here on Tapas I reduce it to 300 dpi resolution so its size is getting halfed.

@BoomerZ
I read somewhere that higher resolutions are better for the later printing progress. When I published my manga, for black and white there also had to be a very high resolution, that's why I'm stuck to this.

[BoomerZ]

I read somewhere that higher resolutions are better for the later printing progress. When I published my manga, for black and white there also had to be a very high resolution, that's why I'm stuck to this.

Higher resolution yes, not dpi. DPI is a print term, not a digital term. You want to draw you picture/comics at the highest resolution you can (my usual is 5 times the needed size. So 940 pix across for webcomics becomes 4700) then resized down in your drawing program on export. DO NOT allow a website to downsize it, you have the control for quality, not them. ANY half decent art program will do it better than a website upload. For actual artwork you want to print, go much bigger than that. like 50k+ pix. I usually go as large as I can because you can always make it smaller and lose resolution, you can't gain resolution. When you print something the dpi will determine the size (real size on the paper by the dpi) Once again, you can resize down, if you go up with a raster format, you will get tiling. That is the reason some use vector art. You can resize as large as you want and not get tiling. In your example of 1600x20000, that is the max resolution. Whether it's 75 or 1200 dpi, the size is the same. The difference only shows when you print. At 75 dpi the picture will be HUGE, at 1200 the picture fit on a piece of paper. And the 75 would look horrible. But the resolution is actually the same, 1600x20000, there is just less of them per square inch. 600 dpi does not hide more info in the resolution than 75 does, it's the same.

[brettbuckley]

I can’t imagine going back to drawing on paper—imagine not being able to morph and mirror! Drawing on an iPad is great if you have a good program and take the time to learn it and set it up just right for your needs. Problem is the iPads are expensive. You’ll need an iPad Pro (or newish Air) and a compatible Apple Pencil. Even my old 2018 iPad Pro worked fine, but a newer one is better. I recommend Art Studio Pro—inexpensive and heaps better than Procreate, with no layer limitations and a more traditional interface. Go for a larger 12.9 or 13 inch model if you can, and then the size is not too small. The most difficult trick for iPad art, like anything digital, at least for me, is to get your brain to not want to zoom up too far, then you have no idea what you’re looking at, or you are working on detail that will never matter. Showing a 1cm grid on the screen helps to “keep it real”. Good luck!

[krazycafetales262]

An iPad and medibang paint is all I use. (I've tried procreate and still struggle to use it. Will have to keep playing with it.)

I love being able to draw no matter where I am, though you do have to get use to how it feels. It's not the same as drawing on paper.

[skullforceagents]

Personally, I love drawing on the iPad. It’s very convenient and produces great results! Definitely get procreate if you’re looking into using iPad.

[Lensing]

I got the xpen magic drawing pad now, I ordered it because I thought about giving my
nieces 2 of them and I can compare it directly to the IPad.

The magic drawing pad costs like 40% of the price and it´s better than the IPad.

The drawing experience on the xpen is worlds better than on the IPad, even
without screensaver (I got the paperlike on the Ipad) and with just the standard
nib. The Ipad was, for me, the worst investion in the last years. The xpen
feels great to draw on from the first moment.

[Shanny8]

Okay...then I guess I'll be trying to get this for my birthday!

[susutaru]

I can give an update now.
Still not using an Ipad but..I totally LOVE the magic drawing pen. It#s really like drawing on Paper. So smooooth since you are used to how you have to hold the pencil.
It has a better drawing feeling than the big XP Pen I have at my desk. And I don't get lost there digitally - means my lineart improves even more. It's really worth the money!

[Shanny8]

my lineart improves even more

This. I feel like the tilt on my iPad make my linework look really inconsistent...not looking for it to replace working on my XP Pen desk tablet- but I do want to work on [mobile] pieces more.