Those with a bit of technical know-how can use their Kindles to follow RSS feeds for free on Google Reader. I was able to do it in 2009-2010 through the experimental web browser on the Kindle 3G, but it looks like there’s a few more free ways to sync Google Reader with Kindles these days. iPad owners can read RSS feeds in a visually beautiful way through the free Flipboard app.

Kindle and iPad owners can also download and read free out-of-copyright books from ManyBooks or the Kindle store itself. The works of H.G. Wells, George MacDonald, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Mark Twain are good examples. Vampire fans might also enjoy Dracula and Carmilla.

iPad owners can use their iPad’s web browser to read free webcomics online – Stinz, The Desert Peach, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, xkcd, and A Distant Soil.

I do not use my iPad to listen to music. If I did, however, I could listen to free content from Pandora or one of the other free music streaming apps.

The only videos I watch on my iPad are videos on YouTube. Simon’s Cat, “Going to the Store” and funny animal videos provide plenty of diversion for free.

I do purchase digital books and comics for my devices, but that’s my personal choice and not one made for me by the devices themselves. The Internet is a bottomless basket of free content, and Kindle and iPad owners can go a long, long way on that free content alone.

I recently relettered Lore #9-11 in Manga Studio EX 4.0. I also drew two new covers for Lore #9-12. As luck would have it, I spent a portion of each day away from home during that time period. I looked for a way to use both of my machines and backup the data.

In the past, I would have used a USB flash drive and tried to remember to backup the files periodically. However, I’m lousy about manual backups. I’ve also had USB drives fail or go missing in the past, which made me skittish about entrusting my project to a USB drive.

So, I gave Dropbox a try.

Dropbox is a service that synchronizes files over the Internet. I signed up for a free 2GB Dropbox account, installed the Dropbox software on both computers, and set the Dropbox folder software on each machine to my account.

When installed, the Dropbox software creates a folder called “My Dropbox.” Any changes within one machine’s Dropbox folder are mirrored to the “My Dropbox” folders on other machines synched to the same account. The “My Dropbox” folder acts like a single shared folder between machines. In addition, Dropbox will store the past 30 days’ worth of changes on its own servers. So in addition to mirroring my files across two machines, I had online backup as well.

For me, the experience was seamless. As long as I had an Internet connection, Dropbox synched and backed up my files every time I hit “Save.” I’d reletter comics on my portable machine, go home and continue working on the desktop machine without a hitch.

Dropbox also came in handy when I accidentally deleted the wrong image sequence while rushing to prep files for Ka-Blam. Because Dropbox keeps 30 days’ worth of backups, I was able to restore the files from the Dropbox server. I had to wait for them to download, but it was still quicker than reaching for one of my “undelete” utilities.

In addition to speeding up my workflow between machines, Dropbox also proved useful for storing sketch ideas and reference material. No matter which machine I used, I always had access to the same data.

I’ll definitely keep using Dropbox for my most current comics projects. Even if I did all my work on one machine, Dropbox’ backup provides peace of mind.

Here’s my design:

I compiled Lore #9-12 into two 40-page comics and drew these covers for the two reprint issues. I have also relettered Lore #9-11 with my more legible “Lore” font.  Both reprint issues will be available soon through IndyPlanet and DriveThruComics.

I drew each of these covers in Manga Studio EX 4.0 on my Motion Computing LE1600 Tablet PC at 1200dpi resolution for a 5.5×7.5″ image. I modeled the pipes, chairs, ceiling and tables in LightWave 3D and imported the LightWave object files into Manga Studio for rendering as background elements. When finished, I exported the layers in Photoshop format as an antialiased 300dpi PSD file. I then used Photoshop for coloring, compositing and text elements.

ANIMATION INFORMATION

• Animation Archive – online archive of animation art
• Animation Meat – model sheets and notes from animation greats
• Animation Podcast – audio interviews with animation artists
• Bill Plympton: Advice to Students
• Bill Plympton: How to Survive
• Floyd Norman – gags and animation history
• Frank & Ollie – tips from two of the “Nine Old Men”‘
• Milt Kahl on animation – audio recording from another of the “Nine Old Men”
• Pencil Test Depot
• Richard Williams – video clips from The Animator’s Survival Kit – Animated
• SynchroLux – animation information and techniques
• TAG Blog – industry and art news
• Temple of the Seven Golden Camels – animation/storyboarding information

3D FREEWARE

• Blender — an all-purpose 3D and compositing package
  Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, Irix
• POV-Ray — a free render engine
  Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
• Wings 3D — a 3D modeler
  Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
• DAZ Studio — a Poser competitor
  Windows, Mac OS X
• Google Sketchup — another 3D modeler
  Windows, Mac OS X

2D FREEWARE

• Irfanview — an image browser
  Windows
• GIMP — an image editor
  Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
• Inkscape — a vector graphics editor
  Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
• Scribus — desktop publishing
  Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, OS/2 (!!!)
• Bullzip — a PDF printer
  Windows
• Project Dogwaffle 1.2 — a paint program
  Windows
• ImageMagick — a commandline image editor
  Windows, Mac OS X, Unix
• Pencil — a traditional 2D animation software package
  Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
• ArtRage 2.5 Starter Edition — another paint program
  Windows, Mac OS X
• HDR Shop v1 — free if used for non-commercial purposes
  Windows
• CinePaint — HDR image editor
  Mac OS X, Linux, BSD

For example, Wacom owners whose tablet shipped with a serial number for Adobe Photoshop Elements can upgrade to Adobe Photoshop CS4 for 50%-off the upgrade price. That’s a killer deal.

However, some Wacom tablet owners may need to call Adobe Tech Support to successfully install the upgrade if the installer rejects their Photoshop Elements serial number.

Despite this potential hassle, Wacom still offers a great deal on Photoshop for artists who do not qualify for an academic discount.

Since then I have been asked many questions about this setup, especially as the price of used LE1600 tablets continues to fall. Here’s some thoughts for those who buy LE1600 systems:

• Don’t store the Motion Computing stylus in the built-in holster until the computer has fully cooled. Otherwise, the rubber grip could expand, loosen and fall off the pen body. Motion Computing fixed this issue in early 2007, but a used LE1600 might ship with the older stylus.
• Install TabTipTamer for super-fast response when drawing.
• Consider purchasing and installing a WriteShield for a paperlike drawing surface.
• If the USB ports ever start “failing,” disable power management on the USB hubs in Windows XP.
• Once or twice a month, the screen blanks out, displaying only solid white or black. To deal with this inconvenience, I have the power switch assigned to “Hibernate” mode in the Motion Dashboard. Whenever the screen blanks out, I pull the LE1600 power switch and wait for the computer to store its present state to the hard drive and turn off the power. I then count to three and pull the power switch again to turn on the computer and bring it out of “Hibernate” mode. The computer picks up where it left off, with no work lost.
• Make sure the Wacom Penabled driver is installed so that non-TabletPC applications can “see” the pressure sensitivity.
• A Targus Podium Coolpad protects your lap and props up the LE1600 at a comfy angle. Of all the LE1600 accessories I own, I get the most questions about the Coolpad.

At the time of this writing, I’ve drawn three comics, various sketches and a trade paperback cover on my LE1600. It’s a great little machine.

The perceived resolution also looks much, much higher than the true 300dpi of the images. At a reading distance, each page looks like a 600 or 1200dpi print, even though the images are only 300dpi.

This higher perceived resolution is made possible by two things: antialiasing and Ka-Blam’s ability to print insanely fine grayscale tones.

I’ll explain the easier one first. Page 4 of the Ka-Blam sampler (a sample page from Sara Turner’s The Search for Lennox) and the very first “puzzle piece” page of Lore, Vol. 1 demonstrate Ka-Blam’s supremely fine grayscale tones. Ka-Blam may request 300dpi originals, but they use a machine capable of far higher resolutions than 300dpi, and they lavish this high resolution on the grayscale tones.

In short, each pixel element on a 300dpi image is made up of even finer dots when printed through Ka-Blam.

So, an artist can get greater perceived resolution out of a Ka-Blam print if he uses antialiasing, a technique normally reserved for graphics displayed on low-resolution displays like televisions and computer screens:

The Sphinx on the left uses no antialiasing. Only black and white pixels define the image. The “staircase” look of the diagonal lines is called “aliasing.” The Sphinx on the right uses antialiasing. Black, white, and 254 levels of gray pixels inbetween define this image. The gray pixels smooth the appearance of the image.

Normally, high-resolution aliased images are used in print. This is because the printer uses only black ink on white paper, so images are best defined with only black and white pixels. A gray pixel would get translated into black-and-white pixels, and at high resolutions, the printer normally runs out of pixels. This risks making a high-resolution antialiased image look “fuzzy” when printed.

However, Ka-Blam’s printers work at resolutions so much higher than 300dpi that, contrary to conventional printing wisdom, an antialiased image can look better. When confronted with a gray pixel on a 300dpi image, a Ka-Blam machine does not run out of resolution to define the gray pixel. The resulting tone will look fuzzy when examined closely with a magnifying glass, but it will still look smoother than a 300dpi image that uses only black and white pixels.

So…an antialiased image can work best for Ka-Blam reproduction. At SPX last weekend, most people could tell the difference between an aliased and antialiased 300dpi image on a Ka-Blam printer. Some could not. For those who want to create antialiased images of their work, though, the following tutorial is for you.

STEP 1: Start with a high-resolution original.

I’m not going to discuss scanning techniques here. That’s a whole tutorial in and of itself. Just start with a 600dpi or 1200dpi original that prints perfectly on a 600dpi or 1200dpi laser printer.

STEP 2: Convert the image to “Grayscale” in an image editor

An antialiased image needs grayscale pixels. If you start with a 1-bit “Bitmap” image that’s defined only with black and white pixels, some image editing programs will not be able to antialias the image when they reduce the size. If the image is already in “Grayscale” or “RGB” mode, this step is not necessary.

This step is also not necessary if you use the Irfanview freeware program to resize your images to 300dpi. IrfanView converts bitmap images to grayscale and resamples the image while scaling in one step. An image editor like Photoshop, however, requires that the user first convert a bitmap image to grayscale for antialiasing while scaling. In Adobe Photoshop, you’ll find it under “Image->Mode->Grayscale.”

STEP 3: Resize the image

Again — if you’re using IrfanView, skip step 2.

1. In IrfanView, go to “Image->Resize/Resample.”
2. Activate “Preserve aspect ratio” and set the DPI to 300.
3. Under “Size method,” choose “Resample (better quality)” and leave it at its default “Lanczos” filter.
4. Then define the size. If you’re starting from a 600dpi image, set the new size to 50%. If you’re starting from a 1200dpi image, set the new size to 25%. You’ll find the size definition under “Set new size as percentage of original.”
5. In the upper-left hand corner, confirm that the “New size” is smaller than the “Current size.” If not, you might have to enter the percentage value again.
6. Then hit “OK” to create a 300dpi, antialiased version of your original image.
7. Go to “File->Save As” to save this image out under a different filename. That way, you can return to your higher-resolution original in case anything goes wrong.

In Photoshop, follow Step 2 and convert your image to “Grayscale” mode. Then…

1. Open up “Image->Image Size”
2. Make sure “Resample Image” is activated, and leave it at its default of “Bicubic.”
3. In the “Resolution” box, type in “300.”
4. Click “OK” to create a 300dpi antialiased version of the high-resolution original.
5. Use “File->Save As” to save out this 300dpi version under a different filename from the original.

Both Photoshop and Irfanview give you a choice of antialiasing filters. In Photoshop, the “Bicubic” filter works fine for antialiasing comics art. In Irfanview, I have not seen much difference between the filters when reducing the size of black-and-white artwork, so I leave it at its default of “Lanczos.” Now that you know the above steps, consider experimenting to see what filters you like best.

NOTE for Manga Studio users

Folks using Manga Studio for their comics don’t need the above steps to generate antialiased 300dpi images for Ka-Blam. If they’re drawing at 600 or 1200dpi in Manga Studio, all they need to do is export the results at 300dpi in “RGB” mode for antialiased 300dpi images of their work. Lore, Vol. 1 was exported at 300dpi in “RGB” mode out of a 1200dpi Manga Studio EX 3.0 project.

Happy Antialiasing!