Unpopular opinion: I used to sketch every single design by hand in a Moleskine, but after a project in Portland needed 50 quick revisions, I switched to Procreate on an iPad.

The digital workflow lets me adjust silhouettes and swap color palettes in seconds, which saved the entire collection when the client changed their mind about the theme last Tuesday, so has anyone else made a similar switch from paper to tablet for initial drafts?

2 comments

2 Comments

seth_nguyen2d ago

My old art teacher insisted real artists only used sketchbooks, so I stuck with paper for years. Then a freelance job for a cafe in Austin needed twelve different menu layout options in two days. Trying to redraw everything by hand was impossible. I finally bought a tablet and the ability to copy layers and undo mistakes changed everything for me. Now I can't imagine going back to paper for those early messy drafts.

michaeladams2d ago

Totally get that, and @seth_nguyen nailed it with the undo button. I keep my old sketchbook for pure ideas, but for any client work, the tablet is the only way. You can duplicate a rough layout and flip it or try a new color in a minute, which saves your sanity when they keep changing the brief.