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Monday, July 25, 2011

Testing iPad Drawing Apps




The iPad and iOS products have an extensive number of apps that allow a person to doodle, create vectors, paint by emulating traditional techniques, as well as painting or drawing by incorporating the motion sensor, strange effects, and moving images. Having a highly sensitive multitouch screen, the iPad has programs that allow one to draw by changing the speed of your hand movement, by the amount of time a person presses a particular section of the screen, among other touch-movement related functionalities. Here are some of my favorite apps that I played around with this summer, but again, these are only a few apps and there are many more out there that if you get the chance you could download and test, and share with others through this or another website. Also, if I was able to draw using the iPad, I am sure you can draw almost anything as well. Here is a link to a Flickr search were you can see drawings by other people (Flickr - Colored Pencils iPad) - To see all of the images of the slide show above and other more recent images I drew on the iPad click visit this Picasa Web album.

For what it can do, this app has been a lot of fun. It has layers, a wide array of brushes and effects and it can be quite fun to play around with. Some of the functionalities took me longer to get used to than others, but the app tries to use the iPad's touch functionality as much as possible. (Link to my album for larger version and added pictures)


Wow, this is one of the funnest apps to both draw with and express yourself verbally. Mixing both typography and drawing, it can be used, as can be seen in the example below, to include a mission statement, a poem, a paragraph as part of a drawing (Such as UMN's Student Learning Outcomes). There are also a large number of fonts available and the size of the font can be either fixed, or it can change depending on the speed of the trace. Press for a bit on a part of the screen and pick up that particular color. You can use an image behind it as an onion screen. There are other very interesting word apps that are produced by this company such as TypePlay and Type it!, as well as from other companies such as LetterMPress that are worth exploring. (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures)




Artisan Paint ($1.99) - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/artisan-paint/id440947564?mt=8

This app, along with other neon paint apps are pretty simple and limited in what they can accomplish, however, they are attractive in their simplicity. While it does not use layers and the user is limited to using a certain number of colors (since adding additional color will result in the picture turning white), the light spectrum it creates was to me the best of its kind. Neon Paint, Neon Doodle HD, Neon Pad, and Glow Draw! are other apps in this category (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures).




This is a fun sketch up, one of the first one's I used and you can use a number of backgrounds with it. Like other Sketch apps, LiveSketch tries to keep user choices to a minimum and has a short learning curve. Try it if you like sketching, however, there are many interesting sketch apps, and this one is not particularly better than others (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures).







ASKetch ($1.99) - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/asketch/id371723593?mt=8



One of my favorite sketch apps. It one of the most simple sketch ups but also has one of the most fluid movements. While you can't color or use different types of lines, controlling only the opacity of the lines is enough for me. This app is quite enjoyable to use. Its simple and friendly! (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures)










There are many apps that turn pictures into cartoons on the iPad. This is one however, allows you to color the image yourself. By coloring the image as you want to it is not only a picture app but also a drawing app. ToonPAINT can be quite fun as it allows you to first create a toon out of a particular image and then you can color it as you see fit. It can create very interesting effects. (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures)





This app has lowered its price to $0.99 a couple of times. Perhaps you are lucky enough to buy it at that price. Its a fun up and it has a number of interesting blending options. Some people in the internet have done very neat drawings with this app. Its an app that will take some time to master, but if you have the time, and you like the effects it can make (such as blending colors with a dry brush), then go ahead and try it out. (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures)





If you like sketching, this is probably the best one. It is likely the sketch app with the greatest amount of functions. It includes a diverse number of types strokes to choose from and, unlike other sketch apps, this one uses colors! Apart from this, it includes a function that I have not seen elsewhere, as it allows you to record a video of the image while you draw it. After uploading it to YouTube, you can easily add sound to the video! (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures)







This app, in my opinion, does not include as many functions as Sketch Club, but it will allow you to sketch using different colors. It is also cheaper. If you have the money and time, it can be fun. I haven't played with it as much and with the semester about to start, I don't know if I will have time, but its quite a fun app.


From Drawing Apps


WURM ($1.99) - http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/wurm/id408289884?mt=8

This app allows you to use brushes and shapes you likely havent used before. Its use of colors and brushes allow you to be highly creative and create captivating patterns. This app was one of my wife's favorites. Again hopefully the iPad also allows your family to explore some of its innovative features. (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures)







YellowTail ($0.99) - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yellowtail/id412040861?mt=8


I haven't been able to display this app properly, but its simple design is innovative in that it is not only attractive but whatever you draw will move or wiggle. You could make an image that moves to tell a story, but without being able to undo a trace, this would be very complicated. It would be best to show this app through a video and I hope to add one in the future, but for now I hope this images display some of its capabilities. (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures)



This is a great app, especially when adding a metallic effect to pictures. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to draw something appealing with this app. For some pictures drawn with this app visit this page (Flickr). The app has an extensive list of functionalities and because of this, it has a slower learning curve. Yet, if you like metallic effects I suggest you purchase and  test this app! (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures)










This is another great app that I haven't been able to use much but which is able to simulate colored pencils better than other apps in the market. I enjoyed using so far and hopefully you will as well.

This app allow you to change the width of your trace based on the speed in which you trace. The faster your trace the thicker your stroke. Because of its simplicity, I have used this app quite a bit since I bought it. (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures)


Auryn Ink allows the user to paint with watercolors over interesting textures. It includes a dry brush, it also tries to incorporate within it the water effect that results from blending watercolors. As with other complicated drawing iPad apps, it has somewhat of a slow learning curve, but over time the user will likely become more comfortable with using these apps for their creative projects. For me, it has been a great app with which to doodle. (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures)




OmniSketch ($1.99) - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/omnisketch/id370938461?mt=8

OmniSketch is another app with diverse and interesting sketching features. Its main feature is a variety of diverse brushes that can help generate very interesting effects. As with other sketch apps you can mirror your traces, but unlike most other apps, you are able to mirror your drawing horizontally or vertically. This feature is also available in Sketchbook Pro. (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures)






This is another of my favorite iPad apps. Zen Brush ink is very fluid and the time you take to make your traces is very important. In addition, you can change the background and the color of the paint to create different strong brush effects. You can change the opacity of your brush into three different levels which can be layered on top of one another to create additional intensities. (Link to my album for larger versions and added pictures)







To add: PulsART, Adobe Ideas, Draw Studio

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2 comments:

jhon apps said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
October 14, 2011 at 4:03 AM
jhon apps said...

that is very nice art
thanks for sharing this.

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October 14, 2011 at 4:07 AM

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