I’ve noticed a lot of the most talented artists I follow here use a mobile app called Ibis Paint X for their 2D illustrations. I’ve been privileged/spoiled enough to do most of my art on a graphics tablet attached to a powerful laptop AND an iPad Pro + Apple Pencil, so I thought “if I really want to call myself a digital artist in this day and age, then I should be able to draw on ANYTHING, even my tiny phone screen with just my finger!”

I am extremely impressed with Ibis Paint X so far. With the “line stabilizer” turned up to maximum, I could easily draw with just my thumb (and I guess 2 fingers to zoom in and out of the canvas), and I am pleasantly surprised by the sheer amount of brushes, textures, anatomy guides and other assets I could quickly download for use in my projects! It seems more sophisticated than most 2D art/photo editing software I’ve used on my PC, while also acknowledging the limitations of drawing on a phone and how to work around them.

I’m not proud enough of the image above to put it on the Art Portal—it is my first attempt so far—but maybe with a bit of practice this little “mobile app that could” will replace more “industry standard” PC and iPad software for me. And I will get that practice in, because sometimes my back hurts too much after a combination of working out and sitting at the computer all day, but if I can draw on my phone, I can work on stuff even while lying down!