Filip Brož The popularity of graphic tools and editors is constantly growing, and new applications are being added to the App Store, which mostly control basic editing and drawing tools. For this week, Apple has included one of the better and more advanced graphics editors from developers from Autodesk, called SketchBook, in its App of the Week selection.
You can download SketchBook in two versions – Mobile for iPhone and Pro for iPad – and both apps are now completely free. I have been interested in these graphics applications for some time now and I have to say that in my opinion SketchBook offers very advanced features along with an intuitive interface compared to other competing applications such as ArtRage, Brushes and others. Of course, it always depends on what graphic level I am working on, what tools I need for my work and what I actually want to achieve. I firmly believe that there will be big differences between a professional graphic artist, illustrator or hobby painter. And what can SketchBook actually do?
The application offers not only all the basic graphics tools, such as all hardnesses of an ordinary pencil, different types of brushes, markers, pens, pentiles, erasers, but also different styles of layers, shading and color fills. In short, in the application you will find everything you will need for your work, whether you are a professional or a novice enthusiast. Of course, the application offers the possibility to mix colors according to your choice and shade, different styles and formats of basic lines and brushstrokes or the popular work with layers. I would really like to highlight the possibility of working with individual layers, because you can very easily import an image from your image library and easily supplement it with various texts, labels or complete graphic images.
All tools are located in a very clear menu, which is always at hand. Just click on the small ball symbol at the bottom of the screen on your device. After that, a complete menu of all the mentioned tools and functions will pop up on the sides of your device (on iPad) or in the middle (iPhone). When working with layers and images, you will certainly appreciate the possibility to always go back or forward one step using the navigation arrows if you are not satisfied with your work. You can export all finished images to the Pictures application or send them to e-mail, etc. Of course, SketchBook also supports the zoom function, so you can very easily zoom in on your creation and edit it in detail, shade it or just improve it in various ways.
If you browse the Internet, you can find very nice and successful images that can be created in the application. When you compare it to expensive graphic editors, tools or professional drawing tablets, it's hard for a layman to tell the difference. Again, your creation will look based on what level you are at. I would definitely like to support users who have a rather negative attitude towards drawing, either because they think they can't draw, or because they are worried about subsequent criticism. At this point I have to say that drawing can always be learned and it's the same as riding a bike, the more you draw the faster you'll improve. It follows that it is never too late to try and start creating something. For inspiration, you can start with some simple tracing according to the finished subject and gradually add to your own imagination. Drawing according to the old artistic masters is also a very good educational form of painting. So fire up Google, type in a keyword like "impressionists" and pick a piece of art and try to redraw it in SketchBook.
That being said, SketchBook is completely free on the App Store, so it certainly deserves your attention, regardless of your experience with graphics, because you never know when it might come in handy.
[app url=https://itunes.apple.com/cz/app/sketchbook-mobile/id327375467?mt=8]
[app url=https://itunes.apple.com/cz/app/sketchbook-pro-for-ipad/id364253478?mt=8]
Sketchbook would be nice if it had a connection via iCloud on the Sketchbook 6 Pro desktop. Version 7 fell out of the international appstore.
What stylus do you use for this? Does it make sense to invest in something like the Wacom Intuos Creative Stylus, or can you get by with a cheaper option (ideally with pressure pads)?