Kyle Lambert Draws Beyoncé on an iPad

Posted on 15. Jul, 2010 by DAS Team in Articles, Face, Tutorials

Digital Artist Kyle Lambert has done it again! This is one of the most amazing things you will ever see. With only one finger, Lambert has made one of the most beautiful and challenging digital art pieces ever . We have been lucky enough to be able to ask Lambert several questions about how this artwork was done.

1) When the iPad came out, did you think that it will change the course of how we create digital art?

I had been finger painting on my iPhone for a while before the launch of the iPad. When I saw a painting demonstration for iPad it got quite excited about the potential of the device. But it wasn’t until I got to play with it that I realised what was going to be possible.

2) Before creating the Beyoncé portrait, were you practicing drawing on an iPad or is this your first attempt?

I had done a couple of test sketches with using my iPad and explored the use of layers and different brushes. I then decided to see how far I could push the device. I love painting portraits so it felt like the natural next step.

3) What brought the idea to create a speed painting on an iPad to your mind?

I never intended it to be a ‘Speed Painting’ as I usually work fast anyway. I guess it was the ability to play back the painting at the end that made me think about putting a video together to show how it was done.

4) What are the software tools you used to both draw the portrait on and record the speed painting video?

I painted the Beyoncé portrait using the Brushes iPad App. The recording of the painting stages is done automatically as you do it, which is amazing. At any time you can stop and play it back. Once completed you can then export it to your Mac and use the ‘Brushes Viewer’ desktop application to export the painting as a speeded up video.

5) How much time did it take your to create the Beyoncé portrait?

I spent roughly six hours on the piece over a couple of sittings. With any portrait it is always important to step away from it and come back with fresh eyes. I think that the more painting I do on the iPad, the quicker and more intuitive it will become.

6) Is creating art on an iPad as challenging as it looks?

It can be, there are certain things that it doesn’t do well. For example straight lines are a nightmare. Not an issue in this piece but if you were painting an rigid object it would be much quicker to use the tools in a desktop app. This is only a limitation within the software that will be added in future, I have no doubt.

Aside from that, painting on the iPad is a very quick and interactive way of creating artwork. Pinching to zoom and move around the image becomes a very natural way to navigate your piece.

7) How is drawing with one finger differ from drawing on a tablet?

It takes a bit of getting used to because you need to learn to identify where the app identifies your fingers ‘point’ to be. Once you overcome this obstacle it is very similar to the input of a tablet.

8 ) Are there any limitations or disadvantages when it comes to creating art on an iPad?

The only down side at present is the lack of pressure identification. On a graphics tablet I have to adjust the brush settings less because I can vary them using the pressure sensitivity of the tablet. But this is something I have already seen potential solutions for.

9) Are you happy with the results?

Absolutely, I had no idea that I would be able to get the painting anywhere near my other work. But I have discovered now that it is possible to carry around my iPad and paint anything that I want, anywhere that I want.

10) Are there any future plans to create more iPad Speed Paintings?

I have a couple of other paintings that I will hopefully post up soon, but my main focus now is to begin to integrate the device into my creative workflow for future projects. I am also quite excited about attempting some concept artwork with it, so stay tuned.

Thanks to Kyle Lambert for answering the questions and sharing with us his amazing artwork.

Step by Step Break Down:

Stage 1
I began by blocking in the basic shapes and colours of the portrait.

Stage 2
Here I have introduced the essential tone areas with a transparent white brush.

Stage 3
Next I started smoothing the skin with a soft edged light grey brush.

Stage 4
With the skin looking smooth, I reintroduced the contrast areas such as the hair and facial features with a black and white brush.

Stage 5
To achieve the skin texture, I used a widely spaced brush to paint dots of detail with transparent white and black.

Stage 6
To complete the painting I pinched to zoom in and worked my way around the image. With a 1px brush I painted in the finer details around the eyes and the individual hairs/skin characteristics.

For more information, visit Kyle Lambert’s:

Portfolio: http://www.kylelambert.co.uk

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kylelambert

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/wwwkylelambertcouk/105486863114

Tags: Beyonce, digital art, ipad, kyle lambert, music