I got to where I barely used it, I had stuck it in a drawer and forgotten about it.
But the other week I pulled it out and downloaded an update to a drawing app I used to play around with, Paper53. They had made several improvements to the function and it's really a joy to use now.
I noticed, though, that I didn't really love drawing on the pad when it laid flat on my desk (or lap). I really needed it to be tilted up for better viewing.
Well, necessity is the mother of invention as they say.
I decided to make my own iPad "easel", or to get really fancy with the description a "pochade box".
A pochade box is essentially a small box, usually made of wood, that has 3 unique properties:
--it has a hinged lid that acts as an easel and holds your canvas or board for painting on
--it has a palette contained within it
--it has a storage space for all of your brushes, paints, thinners, etc.
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| A typical pochade box |
Now, this being the 21st Century and The Digital Age, i've got my palette and brushes contained in my iPad app, now all I needed was the easel part.
I sketched out a design and whipped it up in my handyman's basement at the house out of some scraps of old wood and nails. Sanded it, primed it, and painted it a nice charcoal gray to fit in with the apartment decor and--voila!--problem solved. It sits right on my desk next to my computer.
I'm pretty happy with it. The easel makes drawing so much easier. I even designed it to hold my drawing stylus to the side when it's not in use...making it a true pochade!
Here are some pics:
