Opening up the Brushes app for the first time I got those same feelings. I know it has layers, an extraordinary color palette tool, multiple brushes and of course undo. But there is something primary about the experience. You swipe and fill color with your finger. Nothing seems more direct.

I like a drawing experience that invites me to be spontaneous, probably because it is so forgiving. With a limitless number of canvases, I can be raw with no thought to waste or judgment. This is the promise of a tech tool that delivers an immediate response like pencil, like paint.

However, brushes is a very powerful app. One my favorite features is Brushes Viewer, the ability to save the file as QuickTime movie and watch your process play back in rapid animation. This is a remarkable aid in viewing your or someone else’s thinking. What better way to see that come to life than with this feature.

I have decided to make some time for this app on a regular basis. I’ll share my efforts soon.

Please reduce, reuse, and recycle these ideas.

The first symbol is the “yin and yang”, a Chinese sign expressing the philosophical concept of opposing forces that are interconnected.
Visual aspects

• strong figure–ground
• symmetry
• complementary color: black and white
• contrast

Meanings

• life and death
• mind and matter
• opposition and attraction

The circular form — that occurs in so many symbols — establishes continuity and expresses a desire for unity while containing two contrasting forms that connote (or signify or suggest) interdependence.This contradiction is a simple yet profound idea that is life.

Please reduce, reuse, and recycle these ideas.