September 30, 2013

Review: LYNKtec TruGlide Pro brush / pen styus

Okay, I've used this baby and messed around with it -

finally ready to share some thoughts!

First off, I absolutely love the finger-print like microfiber tip.

Why is it better than rubber? I have no idea. But personally it works for me.

Unfortunately, as with all brush tips, it's very difficult to really get a responsive stylus brush. Probably because the bristles must be very stiff, but not too stiff as to scratch the glass, and flexible enough to respond to pen pressure.

I have no idea if this is an issue for a stylus developer or a drawing-app developer

Another plus besides the great tips is the weight - the pen is really light (yay!) and the clip is super strong - so you shouldn't be dropping this all over the place!

★ ADVICE TO ARTIST PROS ★

I really feel, if you are the kind of artist that is ALWAYS using your tablet to make masterpieces, and you own a Wacom tablet or Cintiq or something to do serious artwork in like Photoshop, then a brush tip isn't going to satisfy you.

You're better off just getting the pen and pretending it's a brush tip.

But that's just me - I haven't used a mouse in years so I'm quite picky about things like that.

◇◇◇◇◇ LYNKTec TruGlide stylus ◇◇◇◇◇

◉ The TruGlide is a universal stylus that is compatible with all touchscreen devices such as tablets, smart phones, and eReaders. Its patented conductive microfiber tip is what makes this stylus stand out against its rubber-tipped competitors. The tightly woven fibers are smoother and more durable than rubber and truly glide across your screen, dramatically improving writing, texting, and drawing.

◉ $29.95 for pen (+$14.95 for the brush tip)
BUY IT HERE

I'm showing the BUNDLE here which has all the cool stuff for $39.95 (which you can buy here)

PROS: super light, easy to change tips, love the clip, comes with a suh-weet aluminum case
CONS: depending on what drawing program you are using, the brush may not be as responsive as you'd like, but that isn't really a reflection on this product, more about how the program responds to pen pressure.

Grade: A+

September 29, 2013

Disarming Cupid

Went to a stunning lecture at the museum, so many new things learned - it was a wholly enlightening experience! Made me see my workplace in a totally new light.

(The Veronese painting up there comes from the personal collection of Hester Diamond - Beastie Boy Mike D's mom!!! And also step mom of a woman at the museum - whatwhat)

Bought this bag from Madewell, the Lovelock tote, but returning it because it's simply too nice.

I can't have such a beautiful leather bag because it will only get scratched and I wouldn't want to use it for fear of wear.

So I exchanged it for a much cheaper bag I can beat the stuffing out of and not care.

Finishing up a new painting for the Spoke art gallery, can you tell what movie it's from?

Hope you're enjoying this lovely season, can't believe my 3 year wedding anniversary is coming up soon!

September 22, 2013

Boston Derby Dames team logos

Yay I can finally talk about this amazingly fun project I just finished!

It was really so cool to be asked by the Boston Derby Dames to help them re-brand their league and team logos; (I don't think they know that I had been hoping to work with them since 2006!!)

If you are in MA you should definitely check out a bout!

You can see the work on the team uniforms, merch and website: [BDD site]

PROCESS

FREELANCE TIPS

It's important to really know your client.

If you really want a good experience;

become temporarily obsessed with them and what they love.

Case in point: It hit me kind of late in the game that I was working with a very dated skate design. Real roller derby athletes don't even use this kind of skate anymore. If we were going for a retro design maybe it would be a good style to use, but that's not what the client wanted.

By adding the stopper it dated the skate even more, and kind of kept it looking more ice-skate than anything.

So it wasn't until I started really studying the uniform that I realized I should be using the official skate itself! DUH

Subtle changes

Final:

September 19, 2013

Teen Painting Class with me!

look at the fun we have! Noah painting Tom Selleck + what-not!

My dear, dear students,

You are back in school and no doubt inundated with lots of junk to do and thus signed up for my painting class too late - right as they had called me to cancel it - and that has made us all quite sad.

But fear not!

For there is a special 5 week class starting October 17th!

AND AND AND

on Halloween we are making a HUUUUUGE puppet!

Like GIGANTIC!

Inspired by this wonderful artist: Wayne White

Pretty neat, right?

Click here for class information + sign up ASAP!

September 15, 2013

Marvel Avengers / X-Men pin-ups

Hey friends,

You may have noticed a lack up frequent updates and commercial artwork - and that's because I recently wrapped up work on some secret projects…

… and also because life is busy busy bee, even though the blog makes it appear that I just romp around New England all day I'm actually working in my studio and in Natick quite a bit.

But here are some pin ups that went on eBay this month, as well as some that are ending RIGHT NOWWWW and some that are ending next Sunday (9/22) at 10pm. EST!