If you’re like most people (and I bet you are), you instantly turn to
your smartphone or tablet when you’re (1) bored while waiting for the
bus, (2) trying to look busy to avoid small talk, or (3) pretending to
be looking for something on your phone to avoid an awkward situation.
Whipping
out your device and scribbling doodles on a sketchbook app may prove to
be a great escape. Or, maybe you just really want to practice some
brushstrokes and painting styles, intent on making a masterpiece that
will give Michaelangelo a run for his money.
Whether it’s just
curbing your boredom or actually trying to refine your artistic skills,
you’ll find these doodling and freehand drawing apps worth checking out.
Have you ever finished a masterpiece and wanted to relive how your precious work of art came to be? Then you’re going to love
Paint Joy – Movie Your Drawing.
The app’s main selling point is the gallery record feature, which
records every step of your drawing process so you can retrace your steps
later and see your masterpiece unfold right before your eyes. It’s
perfect for when you want to show off or demonstrate to friends or to
refine your drawing techniques by taking a closer look at your methods.
Paint
Joy also lets you paint on photos you’ve taken. This is helpful when
you’d like to add annotations and comments or to draw attention to a
specific part of the photo, such as adding a label or pointy arrows. The
app’s intuitive brush and color selector has won fans. Another perk the
app offers is easy uploading to Facebook or Twitter for sharing with
your friends.
>250,000 downloads, 32272 ratings (4.4 avg)
Finally, a drawing app that’s perfect for your little one’s hands.
Kids Paint Free
is your ally in bringing out your child’s artistic side. Gather round
the table and have some fun! Kids and parents alike are going to love
the app’s simple, interesting, and interactive interface.
The
controls are child-friendly. A shake or tap on the call button easily
clears the screen. Pressing the back button undoes your last step, while
the search button can be used to import photos for editing or tracing.
The trackball can be used to toggle between different gradient
background colors to go with your mood or artistic style.
The Kids
Paint Free app can be downloaded for free on the Google Play Store. You
can also upgrade to the full version at a minimal cost so you can get
rid of those ads. Upgrading will also afford you a bigger drawing
canvass, multitouch support, tablet support, and picture sharing.
>250,000 downloads, 8212 ratings (3.9 avg)
If you’ve always wanted to learn how to draw but just never got around to it, you’ll find that the
How to Draw – Easy Art Lessons
app is the answer out of your drawing rut. What could be easier than an
app showing you each step of an intricate drawing for you to replicate
on your own? Don’t let anything stop you–not even the lack of pen and
paper–with the How to Draw app.
Choose from a selection of 70
images that will fit a wide variety of artist preferences–whether you’re
a child who’s just beginning to learn or an adult who’s quite seasoned.
The drawings are organized under 4 broad categories for convenience:
Animals, Fairy Tale Characters, Cartoon Characters, Cars, and many more.
The
drawing guides are laid out on a graph paper-looking screen, making it
easy to check drawing proportions and proving to be really handy for
tracing. You can start off with easier drawings, such as a starfish, and
then progress to more complicated designs.
>250,000 downloads, 19727 ratings (4.4 avg)
If you’re looking for something a little different from the usual
method of drawing figures and then filling them with color, the
Scratch Draw Art Game app is a must-try.
You
start off with a black background, all with varying thickness and
different colors. Then you work your way through your artwork by
scratching lines, shapes, forms, and figures onto the background—pretty
much similar to etching words in stone or on a tree bark.
Kids are
sure to love the vibrant colored backgrounds and the ease of use of
this app. You can choose from different brush sizes to suit your
palette. What makes this app even more enjoyable is that it lets users
share their art via email, text, Twitter, and Facebook, among other
sharing and networking services. That’s two times the fun!
Let your imagination run wild with the Scratch Draw Art Game app. The free ad-supported version is available.
>250,000 downloads, 1280 ratings (4.0 avg)
Kids will gobble up just about anything that will capture their
attention or pique their interest. But, it’s another thing to hold that
attention and keep your child interested in an activity long enough for
him or her to accomplish something. If you’ve got a hyperactive kid on
the loose, you will find rescue in the
Color & Draw for kids phone ed app. It’s actually 3 apps for the price of one: a drawing and sketching app, a coloring book app, and a photo decorator app.
The
drawing app is perfect for helping your child unleash his inner artist,
allowing him to doodle as he pleases. The coloring book app allows your
child to practice those brushstrokes and develop those fine motor
skills, as the drawings as colored the same way you would an old-school
coloring book.
The photo decorator feature affords children the
ability to draw over existing images in your gallery or camera app.
Another unique feature is the app’s voice prompt, which offers
instructions to kids on how to add to the artwork.
50,000 downloads, 505 ratings (4.1 avg)
Ever wanted to test out a specific brush or eraser size before you use it on your canvass?
Picasso – Draw, Paint, Doodle! is the only Android painting app that lets you do that and more.
A
simple tap on the preview panel in the middle lets you test out your
brush or eraser before you select it for use. In addition, if you’re a
nitpicky artist and just want to get everything right, Picasso allows
you up to 5 undos so you can quickly redo your work if you’re not happy
with your last stroke. The app also allows you to paint on any photo you
have stored on your device.
Changing the background will clear
your current drawings but a simple undo will restore it. So, you can
have fun with the various background choices available for your use.
Picasso
also features nifty Super Fun Random Mode and Glow Mode for when you’re
in the mood to experiment. Use these with a black background for best
results.
>250,000 downloads, 2420 ratings (4.2 avg)
If you’re my age, you’ve probably reveled in the simple joys of
kaleidoscopes back when you were a kid. Now that the years have come and
gone, the
Kaleidoscope Drawing Pad
app provides you with an avenue to get all nostalgic and relive those
fun moments and allows younger kids to share in those joys, as well.
Boasting
more than 10 brushes to help let your imagination run wild, the app
comes with 6 types of kaleidoscope canvass for more variety. Sketch your
favorite patterns or discover new ones with this neat app. Save your
paintings to your SD card or share via Facebook, Message, Picasa, and
other networking services.
What is undoubtedly the app’s best
feature is that it has a built-in gallery that records the steps you
took in drawing your kaleidoscope pattern. A “Movie” mode lets you
replay those steps and watch as your kaleidoscope pattern unfolds like a
movie right in front of your eyes.
>250,000 downloads, 9294 ratings (4.5 avg)
Here’s a procedural drawing tool that’s sure to please your inner artist. The
Sketcher Lite
app features 11 choice brushes and 1 eraser for a cool drawing
experience, helping you come up with a masterpiece through using various
brush strokes of different thicknesses and styles.
The color
picker lets you select the hue of your choice, making sure you have just
the color you need on your palette. You can then easily share your
artwork for the world to see through channels such as email, multimedia
messaging, and social networking sites. Right now the app does not
support importing images for editing and brush sizes are not easily
modifiable.
The app developer has made user satisfaction a
priority by including a report tool which sends crash reports so that
software fixes may be performed. The Sketch Lite app is also available
in the pro version which is ads-free and has more features.
>250,000 downloads, 5380 ratings (4.4 avg)
So, you’ve got a funny story. Or a killer joke. And, you’d love it if
you could draw characters that would go with it. Problem is you’re no
artist. Or you just don’t want to waste the time crafting the characters
when it’s all about the story. Well then, the
Create a Comic app will give you some easy solutions.
Select
from a collection of different pre-drawn characters or create a custom
character based on your preferences. Assemble a character by choosing a
body type, hair color, facial features, and outfit, among others.
Whether you’d like a wacky character or a more formal-looking one, this
app has it. Figures come with actions, poses, and gestures which should
all go well with whatever storyline you have in mind.
Once you’ve
decided on your characters, select a background for your comic and
position your elements and objects (props for your characters, if you
may). Tap on the speech balloon to input text for quotes and narratives.
And when you’re ready, move between strips of your comic to view the
finished output and save it or share your creations with your friends on
Facebook and Twitter.
10,000 downloads, 141 ratings (3.7 avg)
A tiny app that packs a lot in its punch–that’s what the
Draw!
app is all about. Don’t let the app’s simplicity fool you–many users
find themselves going back to this app even after they’ve tried more
elaborate drawing apps.
Utility is what makes this app memorable.
With the Draw! app, users can draw and flash on the go. Camera draw,
which means drawing while you walk, is also supported. Other modes
available include Full Screen Mode and Flip n Shake.
Insert text
with ease and pick specific colors accurately using this app. It’s
perfect for when you want to write quick notes or flash handmade signs.
Gallery storage is enabled and image importing is an option users will
certainly enjoy.
The duo pens is a feature users just love! Who
wouldn’t when you can switch between two pens for added drawing
flexibility? Get more options with customizing your art with the Draw!
app.
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