Best drawing app for iPad – Procreate
Just lately I have been doing some drawing on the iPad while trying out a couple of different iPad drawing apps. So have been wondering what is the best drawing out for iPad. This came about following hearing people on Mac podcasts to him about drawing on iPad with an called Paper by 53. I downloaded it and compared it to an app I already had called Art Studio. In my reviews of these two drawing apps for the iPad I found that art studio was significantly better. I had to wonder why so many people were making a fuss about the app called Paper. I have to conclude that it was all coming from non-artists who were easily pleased.
iPad drawing app Procreate
Perhaps because drawing applications and drawing on iPad has been on my radar, I noticed another recommendation for a drawing application called Procreate. With a name like that you would think that it was all about sex and making babies, but it is actually a contender for the best drawing app for iPad. The artist that mentioned Procreate had been using it to design drawings which were being turned into a full body vinyl wrap for a fast Mercedes sports car. The design looks more like it was a vector style of drawing, so I was surprised to find that the Procreate drawing app iPad was such a painterly style of application.
Is Procreate the best drawing app for iPad
I have to say, that I am incredibly impressed after doing some drawing on the iPad using Procreate. You get a good clear space for drawing and the tools don’t get in the way. The application uses gestures you make with your fingers extensively for you to better control how you interact with the drawing application. When you do need to delve into the drawing tools, procreate seems surprisingly full featured. It is all very well for tools to be hidden, but they also need to be easily accessible. If you can’t get to the tools for drawing on the iPad quickly, then you are likely to get frustrated and annoyed. It is important to be able to change colour, change brush shape or style and also to be able to change tool as fast as possible.
Creative Drawing on iPad 2 and the new iPad
I’m still using the original iPad and I’m finding that this Procreate drawing application is still working very well. To be the best iPad drawing app, you need it to work quickly and efficiently. I certainly don’t feel that I am being held back creatively using this drawing app for iPad.
Procreate iPad drawing up of tools
When you tap on the Brush icon which is in the top right section of the screen you get to choose from a number of brush tools. You have sketching, inking, painting, airbrushing, textures and abstract, it is even possible to create your own customisable set of brushes. When you are creating yourself a new brush you can load a new shape from photos or from pro-library and you also choose a grain. With the grain you can choose textures which also have the brush works. You give your new brush a name and you can set size limits for the brush. Then you can set whether you want to see it in stamp view or brush view. It is all totally configurable and your brush you have created will be available in the brush tool, smudge tool and also the eraser tool. With all the changes that you can make to your brushes you have an infinite number of brushes available to paint with.
Working with layers in Procreate iPad drawing app
When you tap on the layers icon and select a layer you can immediately choose the opacity of that layer with a slider at the bottom. Then using the icons on the left side of the layers area you get the option to choose from six type of layer filters. You have normal, multiply, screen, add, lighten and exclusion. This will set out how that layer interacts with the layers below it. It is also very easy to change the order of the layers, by dragging and moving.
A drawing I did using ProCreate
Working with your images when you are drawing on the iPad
You can choose to rotate your image at the same time as you are zooming in or out. You can set the eyedropper delay. The eyedropper is a great way to change colour by tapping and holding on screen and then you can move your finger or stylus around until you see the colour that you want for your brush. You can insert a photo, flip your image horizontally or vertically. Then from the actions menu you can share the photo to Twitter sent to iTunes or sent to photos. I really like having the controls for the brush size and the opacity as sliders on the right of the screen.
Buy extra bits to enhance the iPad drawing up
If you go to the Procreate Artery section of the application you can choose extra stuff to use, such as charcoal’s, spray paints, pro-touchups and they are a very reasonable $.79 per extra tool. Even if you do decide to buy the extras, which you would probably only need for specialist circumstances, the application is still good value for the price of it. This is my verdict because of the fact that I have enjoyed using Procreate. It seems really easy to get caught quality work using the painting tools and drawing tools that the application offers. If you are looking for drawing apps for iPad, then you might find that for you personally, Procreate is the best drawing app for iPad. Have a look at the best photo editing applications too.
