Teenage artist: iPad App Recommendation

[GrayFlannel]

A friend’s daughter is a high school student in the United States. She has an iPad with a 2nd gen Apple Pencil. I only know she likes to draw, color, and animate. She is also quite clever and technically savvy.

I’m looking for recommendations for outstanding art related iPad apps to give as a gift. The price isn’t a concern but would probably set a $500 cap, unless there’s an extraordinary product. I’m interested in beginner, intermediate, and professional levels with more emphasis on high-beginner and intermediate.

Thanks much in advance.

 

[heretiq]

There are literally hundreds of iPad apps out there, but I suggest the following two because they are user-friendly, inexpensive ($13) , and capable of producing extraordinary results:

1. Procreate - the gold standard for digital artists. Supports sketching, illustration, animation. Has a great ecosystem of tutorials and extensions. This is one app that spans the range from beginner to professional without compromise.

2. Exsto - therapeutic art creation. Exsto is the most creative drawing app I’ve encountered. It is super simple, has no eraser and brush settings are limited to color, opacity, symmetry and noise level. The drawing process is indirect as brush strokes do not create lines, they instead create abstract shapes and drawings consist of layers of these shapes. The result is a meditative experience with every drawing. Here is something I produced with Exsto within my first 30 minutes of using it.

 

[GrayFlannel]

There are literally hundreds of iPad apps out there, but I suggest the following two because they are user-friendly, inexpensive ($13) , and capable of producing extraordinary results:

1. Procreate - the gold standard for digital artists. Supports sketching, illustration, animation. Has a great ecosystem of tutorials and extensions. This is one app that spans the range from beginner to professional without compromise.

2. Exsto - therapeutic art creation. Exsto is the most creative drawing app I’ve encountered. It is super simple, has no eraser and brush settings are limited to color, opacity, symmetry and noise level. The drawing process is indirect as brush strokes do not create lines, they instead create abstract shapes and drawings consist of layers of these shapes. The result is a meditative experience with every drawing. Here is something I produced with Exsto within my first 30 minutes of using it.

I will pass those along. Thank you for taking the time to do a nice write up for a complete stranger.

Wow, the drawing is very nice…and peaceful as you said! Thanks.

 

[Flowstates]

To add to the previous post proposing Procreate (arguably one of the best apps). One should consider one fact, In essence, computer aided design software work within two frameworks; either Vector based or Raster based.

As understood that input will be translated stored and displayed within either grid shapes with discrete values for each pixel or vector based primitives in two/three dimensions.

Procreate being Raster based, one can encounter limitations when displaying content at different scales. I'll add Concepts to the list of software to consider for it's support of Vector based data.

 

[GrayFlannel]

To add to the previous post proposing Procreate (arguably one of the best apps). One should consider one fact, In essence, computer aided design software work within two frameworks; either Vector based or Raster based.

As understood that input will be translated stored and displayed within either grid shapes with discrete values for each pixel or vector based primitives in two/three dimensions.

Procreate being Raster based, one can encounter limitations when displaying content at different scales. I'll add Concepts to the list of software to consider for it's support of Vector based data.

Thank you for the extra details, but the young women is a sophomore in high school and only looking to draw, color, and animate. I’ll pass along Concepts. Thank you!

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Procreate is what my daughter (who is going to major in art in college) uses. She also uses Dreams (which she says lacks collection tools) and edits with Capcut and Cutecut. She mostly uses Procreate for everything though.

Edited to add, she mostly animates with Procreate as well.

 

[GrayFlannel]

Edited to add, she mostly animates with Procreate as well.

Excellent! Thanks for confirming that!

 

[guzhogi]

I don't use it myself, but would something from Affinity work? Since Affinity makes iPad, Mac and Windows versions, she should be able to transfer projects between platforms.

 

[andyw715]

At the beginning of the pandemic my youngest daughter (6th grader at that time) decided to learn to draw. She's always been artistic so she picked it up quickly.

She started with pencil/paper by following how to videos on youtube. She then got Procreate for her iPad and tried a few styluses but they weren't all that great.

So I gave her my iPad Pro 13.9" and second gen Pencil (she gave her big sis her iPad, an upgrade; and I got my self a Mini).

She loves using the Pro/Pencil for artwork.

Here are a few of the early ones (Summer 2020)

 

[GrayFlannel]

At the beginning of the pandemic my youngest daughter (6th grader at that time) decided to learn to draw. She's always been artistic so she picked it up quickly.

She started with pencil/paper by following how to videos on youtube. She then got Procreate for her iPad and tried a few styluses but they weren't all that great.

So I gave her my iPad Pro 13.9" and second gen Pencil (she gave her big sis her iPad, an upgrade; and I got my self a Mini).

She loves using the Pro/Pencil for artwork.

Here are a few of the early ones (Summer 2020)

View attachment 2355805 View attachment 2355806

Wow!!! She is talented! Humans amaze me. I have no talent whatsoever.

 

[GrayFlannel]

I don't use it myself, but would something from Affinity work? Since Affinity makes iPad, Mac and Windows versions, she should be able to transfer projects between platforms.

Thank you. I will pass along the recommendation. Transferability is a plus!

 

[Flynnsworth]

A friend’s daughter is a high school student in the United States. She has an iPad with a 2nd gen Apple Pencil. I only know she likes to draw, color, and animate. She is also quite clever and technically savvy.

I’m looking for recommendations for outstanding art related iPad apps to give as a gift. The price isn’t a concern but would probably set a $500 cap, unless there’s an extraordinary product. I’m interested in beginner, intermediate, and professional levels with more emphasis on high-beginner and intermediate.

Thanks much in advance.

Drawing / Art / Graphics:

• Procreate - the revolutionary leading digital illustration app for iPad. (One time payment)
• Adobe Fresco - Adobe’s answer to Procreate. Great features, powerful brush tools and a cheap entry point into the ‘industry standard’ design tools ecosystem. (Free or approx £8.99 a year for extra features)
• Affinity Designer - the most fully featured vector based design app on iPad. (One time fee)
• Clip Studio Paint - Japanese illustration app that is very popular with manga and comic artists. (Expensive subscription for iPad version)
• Notable mentions: Concepts, Art Studio Pro

Animation:

• Procreate Dreams - the new Animation app for hand drawn animations and motion graphics. (One time payment)
• ToonSquid - a traditional fully featured animation studio for iPad. (One time payment)
• Callipeg - Similar to ToonSquid but not as good (Sub / One time payment)

Overall, Procreate is the best way to start drawing on the iPad. It’s often best to learn 1 app in the beginning rather than becoming overwhelmed with several.

You can find some great free tutorials and courses on YouTube, as well as cheap courses on the likes of Udemy (they regularly go on offer for £10).

 

[GrayFlannel]

Drawing / Art / Graphics:

• Procreate - the revolutionary leading digital illustration app for iPad. (One time payment)
• Adobe Fresco - Adobe’s answer to Procreate. Great features, powerful brush tools and a cheap entry point into the ‘industry standard’ design tools ecosystem. (Free or approx £8.99 a year for extra features)
• Affinity Designer - the most fully featured vector based design app on iPad. (One time fee)
• Clip Studio Paint - Japanese illustration app that is very popular with manga and comic artists. (Expensive subscription for iPad version)
• Notable mentions: Concepts, Art Studio Pro

Animation:

• Procreate Dreams - the new Animation app for hand drawn animations and motion graphics. (One time payment)
• ToonSquid - a traditional fully featured animation studio for iPad. (One time payment)
• Callipeg - Similar to ToonSquid but not as good (Sub / One time payment)

Overall, Procreate is the best way to start drawing on the iPad. It’s often best to learn 1 app in the beginning rather than becoming overwhelmed with several.

You can find some great free tutorials and courses on YouTube, as well as cheap courses on the likes of Udemy (they regularly go on offer for £10).

I just pass your entire post along. Thank you very much!

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Drawing / Art / Graphics:

• Procreate - the revolutionary leading digital illustration app for iPad. (One time payment)
• Adobe Fresco - Adobe’s answer to Procreate. Great features, powerful brush tools and a cheap entry point into the ‘industry standard’ design tools ecosystem. (Free or approx £8.99 a year for extra features)
• Affinity Designer - the most fully featured vector based design app on iPad. (One time fee)
• Clip Studio Paint - Japanese illustration app that is very popular with manga and comic artists. (Expensive subscription for iPad version)
• Notable mentions: Concepts, Art Studio Pro

Animation:

• Procreate Dreams - the new Animation app for hand drawn animations and motion graphics. (One time payment)
• ToonSquid - a traditional fully featured animation studio for iPad. (One time payment)
• Callipeg - Similar to ToonSquid but not as good (Sub / One time payment)

Overall, Procreate is the best way to start drawing on the iPad. It’s often best to learn 1 app in the beginning rather than becoming overwhelmed with several.

You can find some great free tutorials and courses on YouTube, as well as cheap courses on the likes of Udemy (they regularly go on offer for £10).

Agree with this, Procreate is still the main program my daughter uses even years later. Lots of tutorials and custom brushes for free.

 

[cardfan]

Kinda starts with procreate like the others have said. See where it goes from there. I got my daughter this stuff her freshman year. Also Covid year. And even a surface studio to draw on as well.

The surface studio 2 or whatever is basically collecting dust. But she still takes her iPad everywhere and uses mainly procreate as a senior. Governors scholarship for art.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Kinda starts with procreate like the others have said. See where it goes from there. I got my daughter this stuff her freshman year. Also Covid year. And even a surface studio to draw on as well.

The surface studio 2 or whatever is basically collecting dust. But she still takes her iPad everywhere and uses mainly procreate as a senior. Governors scholarship for art.

That makes me want to cry! That Surface Studio is a sweet machine! But my daughter would be the same LOL.

 

[cardfan]

That makes me want to cry! That Surface Studio is a sweet machine! But my daughter would be the same LOL.

Trust me I was. lol. But I don’t want to use it. I need to sell it or something but just don’t get around to doing it.