Review: Art Guide - iPad/iPhone app by Art Fund

The new free Art Guide app (for iPhone/iPod/IPad) developed by the Art Fund and available from iTunes is an excellent app for those aiming to get out and about to see exhibitions in the main art galleries and museums around the UK

Initial impression, sat at my desk, are very favourable.  It looks like it's a very useful app for all those visiting exhibitions on a regular basis.  It provides listings of current major exhibitions and even has a  "popular" tab providing a top ten list of all current exhibitions.

The Art Guide App from iTunes
photographed on my iPad
copyright - all rights reserved

Pros:

• "nearby" function has the capacity to identify where you are
• identifies the most popular exhibitions
• very easy to develop a "wish list" of things you want to see and visit
• "trip planner" enables you to identify what's on in an area you are planning to visit.  You can identify location by post code and then identify exhibitions / galleries and museums within a defined area (you choose the mileage).  It also prompts for different mileages.
• provides detailed information about individual venues including how to contact them, when they are open and what the charges are - plus directions using Google Maps
• enables anybody with a National Art Pass to check the benefits and discounts wherever you are
• provides a prompt about an exhibition coming to an end (if you set up a wishlist)

Cons:

• much more suitable for iPhone and iPod than the iPad where it lacks the scope to make use of all the screen and the functionality of the iPad

Here's a YouTube video which explains what it does and shows you what you can see and how it works

Purpose of app

This is the description about the Art Guide on the iTunes website

Passionate about art? This free app is the ultimate guide to seeing and experiencing art across the UK. The Art Guide brought to you by the Art Fund helps you discover world-class exhibitions, museums and stunning country homes near you.

This is the official listing of what it does

• Search for the most interesting and inspirational exhibitions across the UK

• Discover over 600 museums and galleries

• Check for National Art Pass benefits and discounts wherever you are

• Create a wishlist of your favourite exhibitions and places you'd like to visit

• Set up alerts in your wishlist telling you when an exhibition is coming to an end

• Browse high-res image galleries of venues, exhibition highlights and work the Art Fund has helped buy

What type of app? 

According to iTunes, it's:

• Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, 
• iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and 
• iPad.Requires iOS 4.2 or late

According to the Art Fund the android version is in the works and coming soon.  I shall certainly be downloading it to my Samsung Galaxy.

The app is looking a bit small and lonely on my iPad as it's obviously configured primarily for the iPhone and iPod.

I do wish both developers and iTunes would be more explicit about those apps which are "available" for the iPad and which ones are "designed for" the iPad!

Primarily this is an iPhone app which has been made available on the iPad.  It lacks iPad functionality (eg there's only one way you can look at it and it doesn't turn as you change the angle of the iPad.) I'd like to see an upgrade happening very fast to get this app fully sized for the iPad.

Product review: A stylus for iPad sketching #1

I want to do a review of different styli (styluses) used for iPad Sketching. That's because this week I bought my second stylus for sketching having seen both the Hockney Exhibition at the RA on Tuesday - which includes his ipad sketches - and a video film of Hockney using a stylus for his iPad Sketching.

Now I want to know if there are any that are better.

I'm favourably impressed with the Griffin iPad Stylus that I've bought and below you can find a preliminary product review

However I now want to know more about what's available!  If any readers are using a stylus with your iPad can you please get in touch and tell me how you find the stylus you use - see end for more details.

Griffin iPad Stylus

Tree - produced using an iPad, Brushes app and Griffin Stylus

I've bought a Griffin iPad Stylus from John Lewis for £14.95.  The Amazon website indicates that I can get one online at less than half price - just £7.39 - see Griffin Stylus for Apple iPad, iPod, iPhone

This is my second stylus.  The first one disappeared really fast and I think being light and completely black with just a bit of metal partly accounts for that.  They're a bit too expensive to lose on a regular basis so this time I've got to work out a way of:

• being able to see where I've put it down faster (bear in mind I have pencils and pens everywhere!)
• being able to secure it to the iPad so it doesn't get lost

The Griffin website store indicates that they do them in various colours - so all I need to do now is work out where to get one in my favourite colours.  However before I do that I want to see if there is a better stylus out there.

The general consensus is that it's easy to use and is particularly helpful for those with fat/large fingers and for those wanting to work creatively by drawing or sketching.

It has an omnidirectional rubber tip which is very sensitive and reproduces every characteristic of the stroke I used in the Brushes app exactly.  I use both pastels and pencils in a way which means they are held lightly - and I can do exactly the same with this stylus and get identical results.

I tried it first in line mode and then switched to the pseudo pastel stroke and has a great time varying the transparency of the scumble - see above sketch of an imaginary tree.  It all worked as I expected and I had no problems.  (Can I just emphasise the marks in the sketch are based on how I use pastels and do not reflect negatively on how the pen works!)

I also found that producing sketches speeded up enormously because now I could see the sketch while sketching rather than having it obscured by my hand.  It's also great for keeping your screen free from smears from fingers.  The clip on the end means I can fix it to the elasticated closure on my iPad cover.  However I'd still like a better way of keeping it secure.

One complaint is that the rubber on the end can disintegrate - and there's no obvious way in which this can be replaced.

I'll see how I can get on with it and will report back.  However initial impressions are very favourable - apart from the fact I lost the first one within 24 hours of buying it!

Here's a video of the animated sketching using the Brushes App



Griffin Stylus - Other reviews

Here's some links to reviews of this Griffin Stylus.  First a video review by somebody who draws and sketches

• PC Advisor - Griffin Stylus review (November 2010
• Macworld - Griffin Stylus for iPad review (November 2010)
• User reviews of Griffin Stylus pen on revoo.com
• It's had a LOT of reviews on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com 
• Griffinoids - video review Griffin Stylus Review for iPad iPhone & iPod touch (good first part to see what this looks like.  Mine does not have the lanyard hole in the top.  Second half focuses on what the reviewer uses it for ie note-taking and ganes)

Is there any other stylus you recommend?

Serenity Caldwell at Macworld.com produced a comprehensive Macworld review Drawing on the iPad: 12 touchscreen styluses reviewed in May 2011.  This covers the Griffin Stylus which earns 3.5 stars.

See the charts at the end for details of how each did - plus the video below for an insight into what each looks like and how they work - and whether they are effective.



I know that one other stylus I want to try is the Wacom Bamboo Stylus

Is there any other stylus you've used for DRAWING and SKETCHING that you would like to recommend?

Please either leave a comment - which makes it easier to share with others - or email me (see "contact me" info in side column.)