This free sketching and painting
app is a fantastic starting point
if you’re new to digital art. The
interface is simple and intuitive,
letting you quickly pick from a
small selection of eight ‘brushes’
- a pen, pencil, charcoal and so
on – that are all really responsive.
You can also share your artistic
creations with a swipe of your
finger thanks to built-in social
media connectivity. The £3.99
Pro version has a few more
features, and you can add further
tools and functionality with in-
app purchases.
Platform: iPhone/iPad
Price: Free
Platform: iPhone/iPad
Price: £1.99Platform: iPad/iPhone/Android/
Windows/Mac
Price: Free (app) up to £65
(desktop Pro version)Platform: Windows/Mac/iPad/
iPhone/Android
Price: £3.49 (app) up to £35
(desktop version)TAYASUI SKETCHES ASKETCH SKETCHBOOK ARTRAGECreate Digital Art
Producing impressive pictures with technology is easier
than you think, plus it‘s a super portable format...
A
re you feeling
inspired by a picture
you’ve seen that was
created (or enhanced)
digitally, but are wary of trying it
yourself? Maybe it’s the thought
of costly design software or
graphics tablets that’s putting
you off? The good news is that
you don’t need either of those
things, as chances are you
already own the only hardware
you’ll need, and you can get
hold of some excellent painting
programs absolutely free.
iPads, iPhones and Android
phones and tablets are all
perfectly suited to digital
painting and drawing thanks to
their touch screens that offer an
instinctively ‘painterly’ interface.
Whether you choose to use your
finger or invest in a stylus (prices
range from about £2 to £40),ASKetch is a no-frills drawing
app that’s suitable for any level
of artist, and is best thought
of as a digital sketch pad. With
just three sorts of pencil to
choose from and a monochrome
palette, it’s the closest thing to
paper you’ll get on your iPad or
iPhone. It’s perfect for a quick
sketch if you’re out and about
and spot something inspiring,
but sophisticated enough that
you can create tremendously
detailed, nuanced drawings.Created by Autodesk, the
company behind some of
the world’s leading design
and engineering software,
Sketchbook is as polished
as you’d expect with such
a pedigree! The free app
(Sketchbook Express) has a wide
range of brushes and tools,
plus layers that you can work
on to build up an image. Paying
to upgrade to Sketchbook Pro
puts even more options at your
fingertips, though certainly if
you’re starting out the Express
version gives great results.Billed as ‘natural painting
software’, ArtRage is an
astonishingly lifelike app. Paints
respond much like their real-
world counterparts, and you can
tweak fine details such as the
amount of water on your brush
to give different effects. Great
for both painting and sketching,
ArtRage also includes a ‘script
recorder’ that can play back all
your brush strokes so that once a
painting is finished you can show
your process to someone else!you can create lifelike, detailed
sketches and paintings that can
then be shared instantly online,
printed out or transferred to a
desktop computer.
We’ve chosen four of our
favourite art apps to get you
started (see below), but there are
dozens available and many are
either free or very inexpensive so
you can always look around until
you find one that suits you.If you are
already familiar
with Adobe,
you can use
Illustrator to scan
then edit hand-drawn
artwork, or download
the Illustrator Draw
app. Photoshop users
can digitally manipulate
photographs, or convert the
photos into line drawings.Essentials