Raised on love for illustration spawned from a steady diet of comics, Dungeons & Dragons, and cartoons from the 1980’s, AppleInsider contributing editor Brian Patterson graduated from high school in 1995 and the workforce as a silkscreen printer and freelance illustrator/graphic designer, working on Apple hardware and software every night from day one.
Unable to attend art school through conventional means, Brian’s initial skill set was entirely self-taught in a time well before videos and tutorials for everything existed on YouTube. The process was long and difficult, but he learned with every project and eventually caught the eye of a big art department.
In that department, over the course of a decade, Brian’s skill level in art, design, and Apple expertise jumped by leaps and bounds, as he handled projects and campaigns for national brands and Billboard Top 10 artists and ascended to the position of Art Director. During these years, Brian researched, campaigned, and brought in new approaches and technology to the firm that fundamentally changed the way they do business with those lessons retained to this day.
During these years, Brian created and launched the webcomic d20Monkey, a series following the exploits of a gaming group and their adventures in their lives and exploits of their characters in the world of tabletop roleplaying games. The series grew a large audience, and in 2015, Brian resigned his Art Director position to go full-time with comics and freelance illustration/design.
In 2021, Brian Patterson is a beloved member of the online comics industry with a completed 10-year series under his belt — and a new series on the way. And also, along the way, he contributed to the design and art on several crowdfunded projects, and accumulated art and writing credits from every major roleplaying game publisher. He brings to AppleInsider a large audience of fans, and over two decades of real-life experience as a graphic designer and illustrator with Apple products backing him on every step of the journey.
Brian currently uses a 2018 Mac Mini with an eGPU, a 22-inch Wacom Cintiq, and the Adobe Creative Suite.
The MelGeek O2 is a low-profile mechanical keyboard that manages to stick the landing when it comes to user experience for Mac users — at least from a hardware perspective.
The Keychron Q14 Max is an Alice-layout mechanical keyboard with a flipped numpad. It's unusual, but perfect for the right person.
The Keychain K15 Max is a good low-profile Alice-layout keyboard for Mac users, albeit with no real color options.
The Anker Solix C1000X is a capable portable power station for emergencies, but price and noise could be barriers to purchase.
The Keychron Q3 HE is a great compact mechanical keyboard, one that offers lots of customization thanks to its Hall Effect switches.
Ugreen's "Genshin Impact" partnership will help iPhone gamers extend their digital adventures, with a selection of thematically colorful accessories.
The Bluetti Elite 200 is quiet and very handy in a power cut or off-grid situations, but its sheer weight could put off some users.
The Keychron K10 Max is an incredibly sturdy and versatile wireless mechanical keyboard that is a welcome addition to both Mac and Windows workspaces.
The Jackery Explorer 2000 provides an emergency power option that's extremely handy during a power cut. It's also portable enough for off-grid trips, if you can manage the weight.
The Flexispot E7 Plus is an extremely sturdy standing desk that's a worthy investment for your health and workflow when working at your Mac.
The Das Keyboard MacTigr is an aluminum mechanical keyboard that's worth being used in most Mac setups. That is, if you can stand the fixed USB-C cable.
The Heybike Hauler is a premium e-bike that offers a comfortable ride and ample cargo options, if you can stomach the price tag.
The Xencelabs Pen Display 16 is a great alternative to Wacom for digital artists who want to level up artistry on the Mac.
The Xencelabs Pen Display 24 is a dream for artists wanting to step into the professional world, and it gives comparable Wacom tablets a run for their money.
The Loupedeck Live or Loupedeck CT can revolutionize a creative professional's workflow, as long as the price doesn't scare you off.
Launched into a crowded field, Satechi's new Thunderbolt 4 Dock doesn't just provide legacy ports, but more Thunderbolt as well.
Huion's Kamvas Pro 24(4K) is a big-screen graphics tablet that promises a lot to digital artists at a reasonable price. Here's what one artist thinks about the creation tool.
Digital tabletop role-playing game services have flourished lately, as people search for new ways to play especially during a pandemic. Here's how to get started playing classics like Dungeons and Dragons and other similar games, over the Internet.
While graphics tablets are the standard tool of the trade for digital artists, the Apple Pencil and iPad Pro could be considered an all-in-one package that combines the peripheral and a computer into one easily carriable device. Here's one artist's opinion on Apple's stylus and tablet, and how it could impact their workflow.
The Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 Touch is an attractive tablet for those wanting to improve their digital art workflow, but its shortcomings make it hard to fully recommend.
While Wacoms are effectively a standard tool for digital artists, rivals such as the XP-Pen Artist 24Pro offer a budget-conscious alternative. AppleInsider handed over the cheaper rival to a webcomic artist to see if it stands toe-to-toe.
You don't have to spend thousands on a great artist's tablet for your Mac because the Wacom Cintiq 16 is here. AppleInsider hands it to a webcomic artist, to see what he thinks of it.
{{ summary }}
