Since the late 90's the School of Visual Arts Graduate Illustration as Visual Essay program has had a foundation year computer class. Just like the drawing, painting, location drawing and writing classes, the computer class exists to guarantee that our students are agile and confident storytellers across all mediums and surfaces.
In Fall 2010 we created a new class titled Digital Book for second year students born out of the students cries for help with the ever changing technology. After the first year we started giving each students iPads to create their own digital books. Last year, due to the higher tech skills that students were entering the program with, we rolled our two computer classes into one. This year we thought we would try something new and purchased iPad Pros and Apple Pencils for the students to use. We are also planning on having specific assignments in multiple classes that will utilize these tools. This is not to say we are ever giving up sketchbooks, ink brushes, pencils, markers or oil paint. We view technology as just another tool to help our students find their own personal voice.
The best part about handing iPad Pro's, Apple Pencils and Adobe's drawing apps to people who draw is that you don't have to teach them anything - they just start making things. These are a few of the drawings created within the first minutes.
Assignment 01: New York City
Assignment 02: The Medium is the Message
Assignment 03: Shadow
At the Adobe Max creativity conference in fall of 2016, the Adobe team announced that Sketch will be updated to support Photoshop powerful brushes. To celebrate this exciting moment Adobe partnered with Kyle Webster to commission a set of seven new brushes exclusively for Adobe Sketch on iPad.
We gave the MFAI students the same brushes a week early. Access to Kyle's brushes as well as the same brushes many of the students have been using in Photoshop is somewhat of a game changer. The work became more expressive, the iPad Pro's connection to the larger creative ecosystem was further realized.
The Video Project
A short film by first year student Stephen Procopio done in the first semester (Fall 2016) of Marshall Arisman's storytelling class. Each student was asked to produce an iMovie on an iPad Pro based on a personal story.