Mischief, the pen-based sketching application for Mac and Windows, has just been bought by The Foundry, creators of 3D software like NUKE and Mari, signalling the company's expansion into 2D territory.
The Foundry has also brought in the developer behind Autodesk's highly successful Sketchbook Pro, Chris Cheung. Having helped create the leading mobile digital art tool, it's possible Mischief will go on to fully explore the tablet medium with Chris at the helm.
Whatever happens, the future of Mischief will be unrestrained by its bigger company cousin, insists Chris. "Made with Mischief is going to be an independently operated business, a subsidiary of The Foundry," he says. "What this means is ongoing support for Mischief to continue to innovate."
The mischievousness of the software lies in its approach to the canvas and brushes. Rather than being constrained by the dimensions entered when creating a new image in Photoshop, Mischief presents you with a nigh-on infinite canvas, which can be zoomed and panned in just about every direction.
The lines you create don't pixelate as you zoom in - a little like a vector illustration program. This infinite canvas is therefore ideal for creatives who like to sit down with a stylus and see what happens. Draw a tree and you could zoom in and create an army of tiny elves inhabiting it, or zoom out and create an epic fantasy landscape of which the tree is only a tiny element.
The free version offers six brushes, a palette of colours and an infinite canvas, whilst the full version costs $25, and offers brushes, erasers, a full colour palette with custom swatches, layers, and the ability to export PSD files – and there's a free trial for 15 days.
