Penny Arcade made a comic with the iPad – Blancer.com Tutorials and projects

Most people seem to agree the iPad is a pretty great device for reading (although perhaps not the best, eh Amazon?).

The debate still rages though about how suitable it is for making stuff. When it was first announced there was plenty of snark from bloggers like Paul Thurrott, who wrote:

“When you go out and about with just an iPad, you’re sending a message that you’re not going to contribute. You’re just there to consume.”

Obviously we beg to disagree, and not because we’re a pro-Apple site. It’s probably fair to say that despite comprehensive tools like iWork and a variety of just-give-me-my-text editors like myTexts, and even folding portable keyboards, the list of people writing novels on the iPad are probable fairly small; but I use my iPad for making notes and drafting blog posts more often than I use any other single computer. It’s small, neat, has great battery life, and does a superb job of not interrupting or distracting me.

But text entry, which admittedly is compromised by the iPad’s touchscreen keyboard, is only part of the story. The iOS app store sports a dizzying array of music apps, for example, even leading to a compelete multi-instrument iPad-only recreation of Eye of the Tiger. And there are a wide range of graphics apps too, which have been used to make things like these stunning pieces of artwork and even a New Yorker cover made with an iPhone.

All of these things do have a slightly proof of concept air about them though, a little whiff of “I made this with the iPad because I could.” Which is why I was impressed in a different way when I read yesterday’s strip by popular gaming webcomic Penny Arcade and the accompanying text article by artist Mike Krahulik:

“So I am home sick today and that’s why the strip looks a little strange. I was trying to figure out a way to draw the comic from home what with all my stuff being at the office. I remembered that I had downloaded the Sketchbook Pro app on my iPad. So today’s comic was drawn entirely with my pointer finger. Kiko was kind enough to drop my finger paintings into the panels and add the text for me.”

What impressed me is that this wasn’t art made for the sake of making art with an iPad; this was the iPad being used more routinely to make art that wasn’t in any way obviously different from the artist’s usual style. This is iOS content creation becoming normal rather than extraordinary. And that feels really exciting to me.

TUAW Penny Arcade made a comic with the iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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