Welcome to My New Home + Edu-App No-Brainer 2/4 – This One Is for Artists and Watercolor-Lovers: Auryn Ink + Bonus Art Stylus Review

Hello again,

Happy Friday! It has been for me anyway!

As I mentioned in my last post,  The Stay at Home GeekMom does not have much time on weekends (yes, I consider Friday the weekend, I’m just ahead of my time…)  but I promised you some quick reviews and I have some exciting news.

If you didn’t notice while clicking you way over, I have a new home on the web. You can now visit me  at www.SAHGeekMom.com. I am so pleased with the turns my blog has taken, and it is time to have a homepage. I know it looks the same for now, but I’m about to start painting the walls with my own colors. Please bear with me, particulary when it comes to formatting, as I learn the ropes, experiment with some themes and templates and just generally settle in, get cozy, and create a play-space for Pump.

I hope you will join me as I discover the world of blogging and bring you the world of iPad and iPhone apps (and accessories) for parents, kids, artists of all kinds, in the broadest definition of the term, casual gamers and anyone who considers learning a lifelong journey and wants to use their iOS device to make that trip more fun. You can subscribe to my blog, my RSS feed, or follow me for updates, tips, and QuikRace Contests @sahgeekmom

Ok, you already know me, let’s get to today’s Edu-App No Brainer. On sale today, you must try Auryn Ink! It is one of my favorite painting apps, and will be covered more fully in an upcoming review of the best art apps, but today at .99 down from 3.99, I don’t want you to miss out.

Before you buy it, you have to understand  a little about the app. Auryn Ink is not just another painting app. This is a WATERCOLOR painting program. Auryn Ink does not market itself as a painting-app-for-everyone, they specifically state in their description that this is intended for medium-level to professional-level artists.

The brushes are not meant to give you the finest of detail, or add glitter, crayons, charcoal or stickers. They are supposed to be, well, watery. How watery is up to you, but it is amazing how painting with them doesn’t just create work that looks like you used watercolors, the page responds like you actually were painting watercolors onto canvas. It evens responds to GRAVITY!

Auryn apps are a unique combination of proprietary technology that incorporates fine art techniques and innovative storytelling. Pushing the boundaries of animation technologies comes naturally to Auryn’s founding members who have contributed to visual effects and animation expertise to leading edge and Oscar-winning feature films for Disney Feature Animation, DreamWorks, Sony and Digital Domain.

Deatils at www.auryn.com or read a real artist’s review at todayinart.com

The interface has been improved, I find it intuitive, but comments in the app store suggest it might take a little time to get used . Once you feel the canvas absorbing your paint, actually sucking it into the porous fabric, you will understand why this app shines. It’s up to you to chose a wet canvas (my choice always) or dry paper, how to let it dry, and as I mentioned you can control the density of the paint from extremely runny which gives wonderful effects, to finer brush and thicker paint.

Layering is, of cour

se, an option, which makes me want to remind you all again to MULTIi-TASK now that you can. Import a photo, sketch, digital painting that you may have adjusted or even created with another app and let Auryn Ink add wonderful new elements to your design, or start with a watercolor and export to a photo editor or another art app to add other mediums. The only limitation you face when making art on the iPad is the breadth of your own imagination.

Oh I forget to mention, Auryn Ink is really touch sensitive, so much so I had to get a new stylus to really make the most of it – see below for details. Auryn is great Indie app development group best known for interactive children’s storybook apps, and with a major release of The Little Mermaid (the real one, not the Disnified version,) set to launch soon

(shh! that’s a secret right from the owner of Auryn, but remember you heard it here first and come back to see it here at SAHGeekMom’s new home, I will have an exclusive preview and some promo codes to give you!)

They are responsive and eager for user feedback. They continue to work on Auryn Ink and I expect great things in the  future. Buy this app, for .99 it’s an absolutely steal and an Edu-App No-Brainer

Moving on, aside from teaming up with some great new developers and distributions companies so I can continue to bring you exclusive news and deals, what made today great was the package of iPhone 4 and iPad accessories that finally arrived by way of  my friend and fellow blogger, Krystal (read PolishGalore, her blog, – she’s has a serious nail-polish fetish and it’s contagious!) I ordered the PenGo Touchpen iPad Sylus available only at amazon.com by PenGo Creative Tools

I can’t describe it ny better than they did so I clipped this from Amazon:

The new PenGo Touchpen gives you the comfort and control of a pen, instead of using your finger – for use on any capacitive touch screen device or application. The innovative low-friction elastomer tip, allows you to write, draw and navigate with ease.

I got the silver one but they come in black, blue and white too. This Sylus is ideal for creating art on the iPad. It’s longer than an average stylus, making it feel comfortable and natural in the hand, and it has a tapered nub that emulates a real pen far better than any other I have seen to date.

I gave it a test run up against my Targus and PogoSketch styluses (styli? No one answered before??) and the difference is obvious. When I lightly run the PenGo across the tablet it barely leaves a trace. I need to apply pressure like a real pen, and as a result get much more realistic results. It is ideal for hand-writing apps too. (My favorite is Noteshelf, great wrist protection, great interface, not overcrowded with unnecessary features: 4.25 SAHGM stars!)

The Pengo Stylus for iPad should not replace your stylus for page turning, pecking at the keyboard or other day-to-day use, you will wear out the tip, and the touch senitivity is a liabilty. But if you want to paint this is the best option I’ve come across as yet. SAHGM gives it 4.5 stars!

Ok that’s it from me. Remember to check my Contest Page to see who wins the creative-play app Playtime Theater, and learn about upcoming contests brought to you by WeetWoo! and Dino Rush.