Bob Ross may have left us long ago, but the beloved painter — with his relaxing voice, kind smile, and trademark afro — is still admired today, particular by those who grew up watching him and his “happy little trees” on PBS (you can watch repeats of The Joy of Painting on Hulu). If you’re looking to apply his techniques on a digital medium, Adobe has a new series of instructions on how to paint on an iPad Pro, using the Apple Pencil stylus and Adobe Photoshop Sketch — Bob Ross-style, literally.
Working with Bob Ross Inc., the four-part series features artist Chad Cameron, a children’s book illustrator who not only teaches us the techniques of painting landscapes on the tablet, but goes all the way by dressing up as Ross — including the afro that personified the late artist. The new series even uses the same opening theme. It’s both somewhat disturbing and awkward, and a loving tribute.
“Adobe paid attention to the details to make sure it was not a parody but homage to Bob,” says Joan Kowalski, the media director of Bob Ross Inc. “For example, they asked us about the brand of clothes he wore and the types of easels he used. It showed us they really cared.
“We miss our friend very much,” Kowalski adds. “It was lovely to see the likeness of him once again.”
The first episode of The Joy of Sketching is available now (watch it above), with the rest posted in the next two weeks. But imitation aside, Cameron demonstrates effectively how to draw on the iPad Pro. The first episode teaches you some of the basics of using Adobe Sketch, and introduces the viewer to the tools, like brushes and color wheel, in preparation for learning how to actually paint in follow-up episodes.
We find the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to be excellent tools for digital art. Even if you aren’t a Bob Ross fan, the videos provide a fun (or creepy, depending on your point of view) intro to how to utilize them. Check out our review of the iPad Pro.
Below is a classic Bob Ross episode. Compare the old with the new, and see what you think.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.