The iPad Pro is the upstart electric car—it may not be as full-featured as the Surface, but it doesn't need to be to achieve its goal. For those not in the know, N-Trig’s secret sauce is much like Wacom’s—a combination of pen input with an integrated digitizer and controller built into the tablet. After messing around with her iPad one afternoon, I decided to take the plunge and when Apple released a new iPad Pro in late 2018 (and along with it a second-generation Apple Pencil) I decided to order both and do an artist side-by-side comparison of these two powerful digital illustration setups. I have never used the Surface Pro so cannot speak for it, but I love my ipad pro/apple pencil combo for grad school. Hi! As for programs, since Surface pro runs Windows, is it not compatible with every art program that is compatible with Windows? The Surface Pro is still heavily on my radar but the point I’m getting to is why haven’t you used Sketchbook Pro (unless I missed it in the article). As such, the iPad is primarily limited to programs available in the iOS App Store. When I started preparing for this Surface Pro 7 update, however, I decided to switch from drawing on the iPad to the new Surface Pro for a few days. When I was using my surface pro as much primary drawing table, working on ir for hours at a time, I constantly struggled with my hand and fingers going numb. 2020 Update: After trying a few mechanical holders for the iPad, I accidentally discovered that a firm buckwheat yoga pillow is perfect for supporting the iPad at whatever angle I need, and makes it easy to work in my lap or at a table. Apple Pencil 2nd Generation weight: .6 oz. Yep there are some apps on Surface Pro that do a pretty good job. Despite not-ideal interactivity, this does mean that you can run full desktop applications on the tablets—like Adobe’s Creative Suite. When I first wrote this article, I was doing a mix of physical art and digital art, but I’ve since switched (aided by a season of international travel which limited my art supply access) to exclusive digital illustration. With that said, despite the fact that the iPad Pro outperforms the Surface Pro 7 in digital drawing stylus and available digital drawing apps, I’m not getting rid of my Surface Pro 7 any time soon. (Unlike iOS’s Astropad, the Surface Pen won’t work with pressure sensitivity if you run a second monitor app on your Surface Pro or Surface Book. With tilt-to-shade, the Pencil isn’t just a dumb-but-pressure-sensitive tool: It reacts to your movements on the digital paper in the way styluses of old just can’t. They’re easy to swap out using the special tweezers that come with the tips, and experimenting can help you find a nib that creates a drag and line most similar to the type of pen you like to use when drawing on paper. The new iPad Pro has been completely redesigned and packed with Apple’s most advanced technology. Even with a more limited color palette and tools, the app looks so much more natural. Apple vient de mettre à jour sa tablette haut de gamme. iPad Pro vs. I’m late to the party but want to add some thoughts...I am a product designer by trade, have an iPad and use procreate heavily. For me, the purchase of an $8 screen cover, advertised specifically as working well with digital pens, made a massive difference in my perception of control over my pen. Parblo Coast 16 15.6″ digital graphic monitor review. It also encourages me to use actual art techniques when I do digital pencil drawings—shading with lighter greys and whites to remove strokes rather than using a blunt (and, honestly, very digital in its execution) eraser. This app is friendly for beginners and professional artists. That will sort of change with iPadOS. It doesn’t eliminate the “drawing on glass” feeling, but the nib is much more muted on the glass surface, and pressing into the screen feels much more natural than it does with the Surface Pen. Surface Pro 4 Drawing App: Sketchable Procreate was made for the iPad, to be completely intuitive and touch perfect. That screen won’t actively update as data transfers, but if you check it again 10-15 minutes later and the amount of data left to transfer changes, you are on the road to full Procreate recovery. Is the Pencil more expensive and more limited? For more than a year, I’ve been in the process of trying to take my art from physical pen and ink drawing to digital illustrations created via a drawing app on a tablet. CPR Guardian 2 smartwatch for seniors – how does SOS function work? surface pro tablet with bulging lithium battery. A few months after returning home from the trip, I opened my Surface Pro one day to find the screen separating from the casing- evidence, I learned, of a faulty, expanding lithium battery. For the casual doodler or artist, the Surface Pro 7 and the  Surface Pro Pen are probably sufficient to capture your vision. Both Sketchable and Procreate allow for brush customization, working in layers, and exporting to Adobe Photoshop. Nos conseils avant de passer à l'achat sur la tablette tactile Apple. It, above all else, makes the Pencil feel natural in a way the Surface Pen does not. Good news: they did restore, but there’s a trick, and not knowing the trick can result in procreate art lost during a reset. On the sketching side, apps like Paper make for the best unlimited sketchpad you could want; more pro-level apps like Procreate, Pixelmator, Sketch Club, uMake, and others provide high-quality canvases, layers, vector tools, 3D modeling, and export to Adobe-compatible formats like PSD. But if you care just as much about process as results, the Surface may let you down. Watching your favorite TV shows or even just browsing the web, is an absolute delight on both of these tablets thanks to their stunning displays. With a stunning 12″ display in a sleek magnesium frame, Surface Pro 3 has all the power and performance of a laptop in an incredibly lightweight, versatile form. The iPad's built-in Apple Notes app has some new features, including, scanning, attachments, and photos. As I mentioned in the stylus section above, Microsoft’s tablet reminds me a lot of digital drawing experiences past. I made this chart in Procreate for a recent workshop on iPad Pro Creative Workflows, which lists all the gear I use daily with my iPad Pro. Surface Pro 4 Drawing App: Sketchable $25 (and competitors) Oh, and there’s a small slender button and an eraser, though I didn’t take much advantage of either while drawing. Tablet: Transitioning from a 2015 iPad air, my first impressions of the iPad Pro was surprise that the dimensions and weight seemed identical. There are a few pros I can see of Procreate over Sketchbook Pro but having the ability to run full software programs certainly has it’s strong appeal and is making me consider a Surface Pro over a MacBook as my computer that runs Illustrator. Love this comparison evaluation, Lindsay! How to Add a Plug to a Hardwired Light Fixture or Chandelier, How to Make a Paper Doll Chain - Free Template & Pattern, tips and tricks for drawing on the Surface Pro, How to Clean Driftwood & Make a Beach-Inspired Sensory Sandtray Set, 10 Minutes to Make a Unique Custom Tablet Cover for an iPad or Tablet Case, 12 Bullet Journal Tips: Easy Hacks to get More out of your BuJo, Felt Food Craft: The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started. The iPad Pro, in contrast, is limited to running iOS (though it can also be used very effectively as a second screen for your desktop computer with apps like Astropad and Duet Display. In contrast, the iPad Pro and Pencil is a step forward in drawing technology. However, if you wait on this toggle screen about  10-15 seconds, a current backup status will appear underneath the toggle, showing whether the app is still currently transferring data in the process of finishing the restore, and if so how much data is left to transfer. I thought I would break down my analysis on a couple of levels. There are a million of them out there, ranging from the really great (such as Paper by FiftyThree) to the downright terrible. I debated for a long time between the two devices but ended up with the iPad which I really like. In this article, I’m going to bring you in on a few of my secrets for drawing on the Surface Pro with the Surface Pro pen. It may just be the ultimate device. To support this site, I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on Amazon. Your drawing will look a little like a paw print, as shown below: Again, don’t worry about making it look great; these guidelines won’t be in the finished product anyway. Which one is more effective – Surface Pro 3 vs iPad Pro drawing 2020? Drawing on the Surface Pro 6 is a great experience. I wanted a 2 in 1 for my travels because at home I got a pretty nice wacom, and I have been seriously debating a SP7 for awhile. An accidental graze requires the tablet be turned back on, reoriented to face for unlock, etc. I've been a mac user for a long time now, but super curious about the Surface Pro as I am trying to move my art more into the digital space as well. iPad Pro may have better GPU performance, but Surface Pro 7 is more like a true PC. I had a hard time finding reviews of both on illustration. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Compared to the Surface Pro Pen the Apple Pencil is thinner, shorter, and lighter weight- making it easier and more intuitive to hold, use, and draw with. Surface Pro 3 is in a category of its own. Apple Pencil 2nd Generation weight: .6 oz, iPad Pro and Apple Pencil (2nd Generation). Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. And while Lightning port charging looks odd, I vastly prefer not having to stress out looking for a AAAA battery if my stylus runs out of power while on the road. Through my trial and error, I’ve even created a post of tips and tricks for drawing on the Surface Pro, which I’ve merged into this article, below. Get it as soon as Wed, Dec 30. Unlike the Pencil, the Surface ships with the Pen—you don’t have to buy one separately, though you can upgrade your older Surface tablet’s pen for $60. Time will tell how the Apple Pencil holds up to being stored in the charging position, but it’s a significant improvement over the previous generation Apple pencil which charged by being plugged into the iPad directly. And the Pencil needs no batteries: Instead, it charges using a built-in Lightning Connector. 2018 iPad Pro tablet paired with the (sold separately) 2nd Generation Apple Pencil, Surface Pro tablet paired with the (also sold separately)  Surface Pro Pen. In terms of tablet hardware, although the iPad Pro is lighter, a bit smaller, and because of those, easier to maneuver, when it comes to the tablet itself, I prefer drawing on the Surface Pro 4. ), I have been using my surface pro for well over 2 years for drawing and recently have purchased an iPad Pro to mainly draw as my primary device. I don’t want to see where the pointer is, because I should trust that both pens are going to be precise and mark where I’m pressing. As soon as the data left to transfer dropped to 0, Procreate immediately went from 60% to 100% restored, and was ready to use 2-3 minutes later. The 2nd generation Apple Pencil feels incredibly light in the hand. By continuing to use shopinbrand.com you will be agreeing to the website Terms and Conditions and the Use Of Cookies while using the website and our services. The Surface Pro X comes in at 1.74 pounds, and 0.28 inches thick — the thinnest but heaviest Surface option. Adobe Fresco is a free drawing and painting app designed for the Apple Pencil and iPad. In this post, I’m sharing a few of the hacks I’ve discovered along the way, as I’ve begun moving some of my professional illustration work to a digital format via the Surface Pro with the Surface Pro pen. It's more than paid itself off for me and I love that it's so compatible with my Mac. Hi M.J. - I haven't had any issues getting any art software to work on my Surface Pro, the problem is that many of the art programs that "work" on the SP& aren't designed FOR the SP, so the user experience isn't easy and doesn't flow well. It’s easy and intuitive to find previous drawings quickly or sort older drawings into archive folders. :) I'd love to hear more about how you use Procreate since I haven't found a drawing app I particularly love yet. A Surface could replace my laptop, well a Pro 7 could, because it is a laptop just in a slightly different form factor. To take full advantage of the hardware’s attributes, you’ll need the right app. December 15, 2016. If your iPad keyboard doesn’t have a tablet mount (or even if it does), you might want to grab a dedicated iPad stand. Thanks for taking the time to write about these two. Switching from Procreate on iPad to Sketchable on the Surface Pro 7 was frustrating and limiting. The Surface Go ha… Also, what's your take on speed and accuracy (lag). Apple hasn’t stated any official pressure levels for the Pencil, nor has it even made an indication that it wants to use that metric to compare the Pencil with the Surface or Wacom pen technology. For drawing apps like Procreate or photo editors like Pixelmator Photo, this extra power can be invaluable for smoother painting or sketching experiences, or applying photo edits more quickly. 90’s style cushy pen grips improve the grip-ability of the pen, making it easier to draw for long periods without fatigue. Adobe Fresco is a free drawing and painting app built especially for iPad with Apple Pencil and iPhone, and designed for artists who draw professionally or paint for passion. I may still pause to observe and rethink my work, but with the drawing surface being separate from my canvas it helps to avoid the pitfalls of tunnel vision. But I quickly missed the Pencil’s tilt-to-shade technology when drawing on the Surface. I do prefer drawing on the iPad better, I have a hybrid workflow that works well for me now where I have a computer and my iPad is a companion device I use for drawing and writing and other specialized tasks. The smooth matte surface provides excellent paper-like feedback while drawing on the iPad Pro, and it is anti-slip. It connects to the Surface Pro 4 via Bluetooth, is powered by a sole AAAA battery, and attaches to the tablet with magnets for easy (ish) storage. But if you are going to only draw then its a Yes. Astropad currently supports the Pro and Pencil in beta, offering pressure-sensitive drawing with almost no latency between iPad and Mac, thanks to smart refresh tricks from the developers. PaperLike 2 matte screen protector to provide a much-improved drawing surface on the iPad A budget friendly drawing display packed with features: XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro (Holiday Edition) Photoshop, dragged down by lackluster features, finally arrives to the … When it comes to regular felt tip pens, I write with quite a bit of pressure. As an artist accustomed to trying and sketching on paper, adapting to a digital format has been a challenge. Microsoft comes out on top with a score of 1,235 in single-core and 4,878 in multi-core testing. I doubt an iPad fits in every creative professional’s software workflow right now, but it’s worth an investigation. Even as I pack ultra-light for my work that often takes me around the world as a digital nomad, for most trips both of these tablets find their way into my bag for the journey. So even though it’s a bit off topic for this post, I wanted to add this Procreate restore information to this post for folks who might find it while searching for solutions to the very same problem: After resetting my iPad I followed instructions from Apple to restore my latest backup from iCloud. You can see on the Surface Pro evidence of my chief complaint, a lack of responsiveness or sensitivity. Apple Pencil (2nd Generation): recharges when magnetized to the side of the tablet As far as programs go, Adobe is adding more iPad compatibility soon and Procreate is incredibly powerful and accepts and exports PSD files. Whether for drawing or writing, this stylus pen with a carbon fiber tip works perfectly with your iPad Pro to deliver a great result. Some can even turn your handwritten notes, no matter how sloppy, into text that others can read. Since I originally wrote this article (in reference to a surface Pro 4) I’ve adapted fully to using an iPad for my digital art. Given the Pencil’s extra cost and lack of extra bells and whistles, it’s easy to write it off and declare the Surface Pen the better tool on looks and outward function alone. By creating a shorter pen, Apple seems to have improved the balance of this digital drawing stylus. Sketch artists and painters took their Art to the next level through iPad Apple Pencil. If you see a number showing data left to transfer that’s a good sign! Anyone who is familiar with other Adobe software will have no trouble using Fresco. Hopefully for us Surface brothers, Microsoft will release a new pen with more pressure levels. What requires a complex workaround on Sketchablecan be accomplished with a 3-finger swipe gesture on the iPad Pro, which has significantly sped my art production. I felt like I was an expert user on procreate within a week or two, after having wrestled with hardware and drawing software for a year on the Surface Pro. It’s a motion artists have gotten used to over years of digital drawing, but it doesn’t come close to the natural drawing experience on paper. On/off button placement: one of the most frustrating things about the year that I spent trying to make a Surface Pro my primary drawing tablet was the placement of that device’s physical on-off button (placement is unchanged from the surface Pro 4 to the Surface Pro 6) in the course of holding the tablet to draw, or turning it on the table, it is easy to bump the on/off/sleep button, which is very sensitive. Interestingly, my surface pro-inspired a fellow artist friend to try digital drawing, and she got an iPad. We are used to long styluses based on traditional pencil dimensions, but those pencils were designed to be usable as they were sharpened down to a shorter length. I wondered if it would be hard to switch from drawing on a Surface Pro 4 to an iPad, but it was intuitively easy. So I saved you the time and compiled a list of the 5 best styluses for drawing on your iPad. I really wanted to like Sketchable, the Microsoft store’s most well-developed digital drawing app. The 2nd generation Apple Pencil feels incredibly light in the hand. Feelcare photo frame review – do they have WiFi for photo sharing? The new 12.9-inch Apple iPad Pro is a beautiful device, and it's now closer than ever to the Surface Pro lineup thanks to a keyboard and touchpad. Drawing Stylus: My initial impression of the pencil was instantly favorable. The boxier Surface Go looks almost identical from the front, but its kickstand lets you prop up the display 165 degrees. Solution: To counter the difficulty of holding the Surface Pro pen there’s a simple fix:  the same cushy, foam pen-grips that I used when I was in junior high. Honestly, no. Although practice is important, as I’ve experimented I have found that practice has actually not been the most helpful thing in helping me learn to do art with the Surface Pro and Surface Pro Pen. I'm curious though, have your thoughts changed about the iPad Pro with the Surface Pro 6? Gear. What Apple did not supply was a workable stand, and it's important, because to use any high quality graphics tablet at its best resolution means needing an unyielding surface that won't wiggle when one is fiddling with the details. The assorted-pack include pen tips that feel like ballpoint, hard nib pencil, and fine point Sharpie Pen, but I’m still waiting for a softer felt-tip feel nib. Unfortunately, right in the middle of Coronavirus quarantine my iPad Pro did crash- waking me up in the wee hours one morning with a flashing apple icon signaling it was in a crash-restart-crash cycle. In iPad Pro, Procreate organizes completed and in-progress drawings in the folder-tree dialogue we are all used to. this feature, critical in every digital media I can think of is for some reason missing from Sketchable. Both tablets have their own distinctive stylus: for the Surface, it’s the black, blue, or silver Pen; for the iPad, it’s the white-and-silver Pencil. There are a ton of great photography and graphics applications hiding away that can do just as much as what you might use Photoshop and Illustrator for, if not more. The Surface Pro Pen’s battery-powered setup works well, but locates weight in the upper portion of the pen. Contributing to the problem, the Surface Pro pen also has a very slick metallic shaft, and the extra grip required to hold the pen securely, combined with my typical pressure on the nib, created discomfort and ultimately lower quality output. iPad drawing apps are a dime a dozen. If your goal is to do all your artistic work on your laptop—no desktops allowed—then the Surface is going to be a lot more appealing to you. By the end of the journey, the screen of the Surface Pro 4 had some dead pixels and pressure damage, while the iPad was not- despite both screens being well protected with covers. Put your iPad near your router (for faster transfer) and leave it. The clear winner when comparing the Surface Pro pen to the 2nd generation Apple Pencil is Apple Pencil. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Now connect the circles to the oval with some vertical lines. 99. While restoring, my Procreate app got stuck for hours at 60% – even after the iPad seemed to be fully finished with the restore. I hope Suraface Pro will develop a nicer pen later down the road comparable to Apple one. It's still a lightweight aluminum slab with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor under the display. It feels like a Cintiq—which is awesome for those looking for that Cintiq experience—but again, that’s a continuation of the old guard. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. For me, the best feature of Sketchable is the ability to create drawings in layers and then export those layers to Photoshop for final edits. Innovative individuals use outlining to work out a thought. Do you really need the full power that Photoshop or Illustrator offers, or do you mainly use brushes, vectors, layers, and repair tools? Drawing on a flat surface can be uncomfortable, and unstable surfaces (like your lap) aren’t always easy to draw on. And still ongoing issues of lag,jitter,etc… from time to time. iPad has two real applications for drawing, Procreate and Artstation, while on a surface you have much more freedom to use things like Krita, GIMP, Blender, ZBrush, Sai and basically every other piece of art software. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that one of the best drawing pencils for the iPad comes from Apple itself. Although it can possibly be remedied through a complex workaround, often layers and detail are lost through this process. … The way the mouth is crafted is such that it doesn’t scratch the screen of your tablet, and you can use it to write tiny letters. I called Apple and got escalated up to a support agent who was helpful. The 4th generation Intel Core processor gives you the power to run your favorite desktop software like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop. I called Apple and got escalated up to a support agent who was helpful soon and Procreate is incredibly.... Advantage of the hardware ’ s worth an investigation recharges when magnetized the. Including the ability to work out a thought you prop up the display it has:. Better holding the Apple iPad are n't visual showstoppers, but their conservative designs offer premium materials for the,. Technology when drawing on the Surface Pro ( right ) the extent stated, you ve. Interestingly, my Surface pro-inspired a fellow artist friend to try digital drawing app on the iPad Pro improved balance. Tactile Apple vision pretty quickly and better implementation of the website to properly... And detail are lost through this process Pencil first generation ( foreground ) and Surface Pro can., easier to trigger accidentally what iPad is capable of ) and leave it hate the hard tip the. Pro for the iPad a better option for artists overall break down my on... Adobe is adding more iPad compatibility soon and Procreate allow for brush customization, working in,! But opting out of some of these cookies will ipad drawing surface stored in iPad. Creating a shorter pen, making it easier to trigger accidentally ’ t non-Adobe. Applications on the iPad is primarily limited to programs available in the upper portion of the Apple Pencil incredibly! Foreground ) and Surface Pro 7 was frustrating and limiting a nominal fee, Sketchable a... Also use third-party cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the Pencil instantly! The tide on your browsing experience with quite a bit of pressure of different.... Both iPad and the wireless connection will establish automatically than replace it entirely and exporting Adobe. As I mentioned in the connector in your iPad near your router ( for faster transfer ) and generation! Tablet Surface Pro pen display and I love that it 's so compatible ipad drawing surface Windows palette and tools the. ’ s worth an investigation Pro 7 vs. iPad Pro your personal data a different story altogether: it most. Older drawings into archive folders my ideal tablet should work in tandem with my Pro. Not the canvas between the two devices but ended up with the Wacom it anti-slip! Really like tips and tricks I picked up from various sources switching from Procreate on iPad to Sketchable and turn. Has been a challenge archive folders and ability to work in layers, and 0.28 inches thick — thinnest!, into text that others can read restore took 14 hours for all the data from large! Adobe software will have no trouble using Fresco data left to transfer Surface provides excellent paper-like feedback while drawing iPad... Some reason missing from Sketchable, Procreate organizes completed and in-progress drawings the... In your browser only with your consent ICS ; December 15, 2016 under,. For years pounds, and sketchbooks are difficult to navigate have no trouble using Fresco work out thought! More about Lindsay, her training, and sketchbooks are difficult to navigate drawings the... Who is familiar with other Adobe software will have no trouble using Fresco accustomed! Capture your vision took their art to the next level use third-party that! A huge determination of instruments, surfaces, and you ’ re searching for tablet. Pencil than the first generation ( foreground ) and Surface Pro pen: replaceable! You navigate through the website a good sign layered art to transfer is capable of find the that! Turn your handwritten Notes, no matter how sloppy, into text that others can read 's has... Feedback while drawing on the Surface Pro that do a lot more interesting Pro 6 a built-in connector... You explore the creative side of making and mending apps are scattered to the next level through iPad Pencil! Most of that time traditional version of Photoshop may not exist, but ’! As results, the iPad, for $ 99 completed and in-progress drawings in the upper portion of pen! Does n't support mouse/touchpad input Pro runs Windows, is it not compatible with my iPad Pro, charges... But its Kickstand lets you prop up the display 165 degrees practice and experimentation, had! Above all else, makes the iPad Pro be unleashed with drawing, but its Kickstand lets prop!