Lyndeborough, New Hampshire – Independent developer, Pirate’s Moon today is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of MyArtTools 2.5, the important update to their popular drawing app, designed exclusively for use with the iPad Pro and optimized for the precision of the Apple Pencil. MyArtTools is the digital creative equivalent of an artist’s painting canvas or drawing pad.

MyArtTools is perfect for creating quick studies or finished works. Users can create their drawings from scratch, or they can import images or capture live images using the iPad Pro’s camera. The app is powered by both a 64-bit drawing engine and a vector drawing engine. Created by artist Richard Hoeper for artists, the app is designed to emulate real-life artistic media, which includes pastels, brushes, pencils, conte, and other artistic mediums.

“I am a 71 year old artist with a 50 year art career. When I went to art school there were no personal computers, and it wasn’t until the Mac II came out with a color monitor (1987-ish), that I became interested in working on-screen,” shares Richard Hoeper, creator of MyArtTools. “I was 41 and began using a program called Director developing interactive presentations and frame-by-frame hand-sketched animation. Director had a scripting language, which I learned how to write, and that was the beginning of my interest in programming. Over the years I taught myself how to code in several languages, eventually falling into Apple’s Objective C and then Swift while working for an educational enterprise company.”

MyArtTools supports multiple composition layers, with each tool creating its own layer. Clipping paths can be used to shape and extract images from one layer to a new layer. Layers can be combined into complex drawings. Use the included filters to modify any bitmap image layer. The tool properties panel can be used to adjust the various tool layer controls. Users can create, save and reuse gradients.

Features include:
* Requires any model iPad Pro
* Optimized for the Apple Pencil
* Emulates real-life artistic media
* Intuitive interface
* Multiple layers for precise composition control
* Captures images from the iPad cameras
* Imports images from the iPad Photos app
* Crop and share creations with all your social networking accounts
* Save high resolution PNG images to iCloud, the Files app, DropBox, etc.
* Within the app, save layered files of works-in-progress
* Reopen saved layered files
* Use clipping paths to extract images from layers
* Combine layers into one image
* Extensive help files
* Help files are localized for English, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese
* Privacy: MyArtTools collects no information from the user. None. Zero.

Using MyArtTools, artists can create beautiful sketches and paintings anywhere. Works-in-progress can be saved as layered files. Finished works can be saved as high resolution PNG files to iCloud, the Files app, Dropbox, and other storage options. Finished works can also be shared with friends and family on any of the popular social networks.

Artists can work in bitmap drawing mode or in vector drawing mode. Each mode offers a wide-ranging set of tools and features.

Bitmap Drawing:
* Highly responsive 64bit drawing engine
* Exceptional 64-bit color
* 12 Tools emulating real-life artistic media
* Each tool is a separate layer
* Adjustable layer hierarchy
* Adjustable properties for each tool
* Over 30 GPU accelerated artistic filters
* Save and reopen working files
* Multiple color palettes (fixed or custom)
* Eyedropper color selection
* Convert images to drawing tools

Vector Drawing:
* 64bit vector drawing engine
* Pre-defined and custom shape creation
* Vector clipping paths
* Vector based text tool
* Save and reopen custom gradients

Hoeper was always frustrated with the iPad drawing apps he’d used, they failed to provide digital equivalents of the tools he used with his drawing pad. None of the apps gave him the feeling of using pastels, brushes, conte and other media. With the release of the iPad 2 in 2011, Hoeper developed a proof-of-concept for a drawing app but was frustrated with attempting to create precision drawing tools when a finger or standard stylus was used as a drawing tool. The precision just wasn’t there. Then came the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil, which were game changers for the artist.

“When I first saw the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil, I knew my dreams had come true,” shares Richard. “I’m proud of the results of my work, the app’s tools look quite similar to what can be found on canvas or paper in any artist’s studio. The debut of the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil helped the app come into its own. It has taken two years to mature the app in Swift, and to refine it down to the artistic tools that version 2.5 offers.”

What’s New in 2.5:
* Minor updates and bug fixes
* Requires any iPad Pro
* Optimized for the Apple Pencil – iPad Pro combination
* Crop and share creations with all your social networking accounts
* Save high resolution PNG images to iCloud, the Files app, DropBox, etc.
* Use clipping paths to extract images from layers
* Over 30 GPU accelerated artistic filters
* Fully supports retina screens

Hoeper is developing an online sci-fi graphic novel called “The Dimensional Parser Chronicles.” All graphic layout of the novel is being done in MyArtTools. Work is currently being done on Chapter 1, and Hoeper is completing pages as time permits. The artist invites interested observers to visit the website and click on the “Story” link. The pages provide an excellent example of what can be accomplished using MyArtTools and the Apple Pencil.

Device Requirements:
* Any Model iPad Pro
* Requires iOS 11.0 or later
* 43.5 MB

Pricing and Availability:
MyArtTools 2.5 is only $4.99 USD (or an equivalent amount in other currencies) and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Entertainment category. Potential buyers of the app should note that MyArtTools requires an iPad Pro, and is optimized for use with the Apple Pencil. Review copies are available upon request to members of the press.

Pirate’s Moon
MyArtTools 2.5
More Information
Purchase and Download
The Dimensional Parser Chronicles
MyArtTools Art Work Examples

Pirate’s Moon, Inc., of Lyndeborough, NH, was founded in 1986 to provide interactive multimedia development services. Pirate’s Moon, Inc. has provided services for many types of companies including: Public Relations, Medical Tutorial, Educational, Enterprise, and Small Business. The company’s media services have developed and changed as the Internet has replaced Floppy and CD development and as Mobile apps have replaced Internet use. Their current primary thrusts are developing iOS applications both internally and externally. All Material and Software (C) Copyright 2018 Pirate’s Moon, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.