My New iPad Pro Has Kidnapped Me

I have literally dropped off the face of the earth, maybe for a few years…. I blame it completely on my new iPad Pro.

Rest assured I am back in the land of the living. But ever since I bought this as a little Christmas present to myself, I cannot put it down. After doing lots of research, I settled on purchasing the 3rd Gen 12.9 inch iPad Pro along with the 2nd Gen Apple Pencil.

I mean besides everything else any iPad does, I’m going to specifically talk about drawing on the iPad.

My mother just mentioned to me the other day that I have been drawing since the age of 3. While I don’t remember this exactly, I do know that nothing makes my eyes sparkle more than seeing a blank heavyweight Strathmore and a graphite pencil. Well, that is until now. My blank paper has quickly become Procreate and my 2B an Apple Pencil.

Yes, while NOTHING can compare to actual paper and pencil, yada yada yada, this new medium comes certainly close. Why I love it:

  • I don’t have to clean up eraser shreddings or fear that my 2 year old will pick them up off the floor and eat them.
  • I don’t have to rip out the page if I make several mistakes.
  • I don’t get hand cramps.
  • I don’t break pencil leds.
  • I don’t have to keep sharpening pencils.
  • I don’t have dozens and dozens of papers lying everywhere.
  • I don’t have to create overlay grids.
  • I can zoom into my artwork till kingdom come.
  • I can rotate the artwork without actually rotating the iPad.
  • Eventually, this iPad Pro will make up for the $35 sketchpads and $20 Staedtler 12 Set Pencils.

The only thing that this iPad can’t emulate is the grit you feel when you draw on actual paper. My husband tried it and the first thing he said was “Why is this so slippery?” But that’s something I’m willing to settle with because the pros greatly outweigh the cons (of which there are none in my opinion other than the fast battery drain when using it heavy duty).

So, what has my iPad and I been up to?

I initially started practicing lettering (a game changer using Procreate), then I used it to design a whole line of Digital Planners. I get to combine 2 things I love into one product. Design and Organization. If anyone knows me, they know me for my spreadsheets and lists. Sometimes I feel that my life is just one big giant list!

Using Procreate / and a teeny tiny bit of Photoshop (to create my Digital Covers), Keynote (to create the Planners), with note taking apps like GoodNotes5 and Noteshelf 2, I was able to build a descent product line in just a little over 2 months. One of my Travel Planners is featured on Noteshelf in their inspiration gallery!

Fast forward now to the last couple of years, I’ve created a library of over 170 Digital Planner products and Accessories. Combining my love for design, productivity planning and organization, I have created a place that welcomes you to keep your life organized through the use of my functional planners while keeping my signature minimalist design and layouts.

You name it, I’ve got you covered! Small Business Planners, Student Planners, Pregnancy & Baby Planner, Wedding Planner, Family Recipe & Meal Planners, Reading Journals, Movie Logs, Women’s Trackers, Student Notebooks, Advent Calendars, and tons and tons of Notebooks, Gratitude Journals, Bullet Journals and Everyday Journals.

All of these products are available in my ETSY store at typemaven.com and are sold on Etsy and Creative Market.

I’ve now also started a YouTube channel (@drawwithmarina) teaching beginners and little ones how to draw.

More on Procreate with the iPad Pro

I still have lots to learn and practice on this app (which costs a mere $13.99), but the best thing about it is the pressure sensitive Apple Pencil. Picture yourself pressing a little harder on your watercolour brush and how the ink will react to that pressure on paper. Well now turn that into digital.

Procreate also has a great feature that makes your lines and curves straight with just a 1 second hold longer on your pencil. But depending on what I’m doing, I’ll admit my physical hand is not nearly as steady at creating curves like my Wacom Tablet, Photoshop and the ellipse tool, so there are times when I will need to transfer my file into Photoshop and fix it.

Besides all the brushes that it comes with, you can also create your own and textures as well. But seriously, there are a million features that I cannot even possibly go into, so me talking about it doesn’t do anything. It’s like the Matrix, you have to see and experience it for yourself!