The Conversation: Painter Takes Art to iPad

Jan. 21, 2011 -- At a minimum most painters need brushes, paint and a canvas to create their works, but for Pixar animator Don Shank, and others in the world of iPad art, all it takes are fingers and a screen.

"I don't mind painting with my fingertips," said Shank. "It's a little more like using pastels."

Shank, who also paints with acrylics, says he knew the iPad would be great for art from the moment he heard that an application called Brushes would be available for it.

For Shank, iPad works have never been about money, and his artistic expression, whether digital or tangible, is focused on the image, not the technique.

"I didn't really come at it from a business standpoint," Shank said. "Like a lot of artists we have our sketch books, we want to play with ideas, any kind of different tool is interesting to explore."

His newfound form of expression does come with one major perk: it has an undo button and even turns his projects into movies. From first touch to final product, artists can see every finger stroke they make.

"I find that it's very interesting when I don't think about what I'm doing and then I go back and watch the movie," said Shank.

In this case of digital art, the artistic journey can become art of its own.

Shank spoke with ABC's Linsey Davis for a Conversation on iPad artwork. We hope you'll watch.

Click here for more "Conversation" videos.