I got an iPad Pro back in April of this year after learning that there was an iOS version of Clip Studio. Since this is the program I do all my work in these days, I was curious if an iPad could function as my travel device. After drawing on it for about a week I loved it. I didn’t just decide to use it when I travel. I started using the iPad exclusively for all my drawing.

I drew the comic strip on it.

Some of the work I did for the ESRB.

I even did the key art for the Heart of Fire Neverwinter expansion. This was a big piece with tons of layers and I did it start to finish on my iPad.

By the time October rolled around I was preaching about the iPad as a drawing tool to everyone I knew. When the new devices got announced I was excited to see how they would improve a device that I was using for hours every single day. I picked up one of the new iPad’s along with the new Apple Pencil and have been using them for about a week now. I can tell you this new iPad makes my previous device look like a rough draft.

The first thing I noticed when I started using it is just how much lighter it is. I would describe it as comically light. I handed it to Kiko and he laughed. It really doesn’t make any sense. The next thing you see is the beautiful new screen. I am happy to be rid of the home button and the Face ID login has not failed me yet. One of the biggest improvements for me is in the pencil though. The previous Apple Pencil had a little lightning adapter where its eraser would be. This was covered by a tiny plastic cap about the size of a child’s tooth. In order to charge the pencil you removed this cap and plugged the pencil into the lightning port on the bottom of your iPad. This was dumb for a lot of reasons.

For one thing, it meant you could not charge your iPad while the pencil was charging. You also had to try not to lose this tiny little pencil cap. It also was an incredibly fragile connection that always felt like it was about to break. It also looked incredibly stupid. But now! The new Apple Pencil attaches to the side of your iPad thanks to the magic of magnets! This is also how it syncs and charges. I will be honest with you and admit that after using my old iPad for eight solid months every single day, I had no idea how to check the battery level of the pencil. I never knew it was low until it was time to charge the damn thing. Now when you snap your pencil onto the side of the iPad, a little bubble shows you the battery life. Brilliant! The Pencil itself also feels better in my hand and has a touch sensor on it. You can now double tap the pencil with your finger and this functionality can be customized.

The machine feels lightning fast now as well. I can’t believe some of the multitasking I’ve been able to pull off. I sent this pic to Kiko the other night because I was drawing in Clip Studio while I had a show running in a floating window off to the side.



I was popping in and out of programs. Snapping different apps to the side of the screen and it never skipped a beat. All while working on big 600dpi files with lots of layers. My desktop would have shit itself.

Overall, I could not be happier with the upgrade. I cannot recommend it enough to other artists. It really is the only machine I need for work anymore. If you have any other questions about the new iPad and how it works for making art, feel free to hit me up on the tweeter.

-Gabe Out