Autodesk Sketchbook Tips

[Klaudia Aricas]

Kidscan learn to create digital art using this professional-grade app. With some instruction and exploration, tweens and teens will learn through experience and develop their unique artist's style as they experiment with the different tools, colors, brushes, and strokes. The Sketchbook.com site, accessible via the app, includes tips and tutorials to extend learning. Sketchbook Pro gives kids easy access to professional tools for creating digital art.

Kids familiar with the desktop version of Sketchbook Pro will pick up the tablet version with no problems. Others will need direct instruction or careful review of the tutorial instructions to fully utilize all of the tools Sketchbook Pro offers.

Parents need to know that Sketchbook Pro is a professional-level digital sketching tool for serious digital artists. Parents may want to start tweens and teens with Sketchbook Express, the free version of the app, to get a feel for some of the features, then upgrade to the pro version for more layers, brushes, and canvas sizes. The free version will suffice for many, but for teens who are serious about art, it's worth the upgrade. Tweens will need instruction to fully utilize the app. It's possible that some younger kids will enjoy the app, but there are many choices that are more targeted at their age and skill level. Teens can share their creations over email or social media. For kids using phones instead of tablets, there's a version of the app called Sketchbook Mobile.

SKETCHBOOK PRO is a fully featured app with an arsenal of tools for creating digital art. Kids can choose brushes and colors, draw using mirror image, move and rotate and arrange objects, and work with layers. They can choose the resolution size to save creations. Teens can store works-in-progress and complete them later as well export their works (including PSD export) or share them over email or social media. There are some differences in features across platforms; for example, the iOS version of the app has a smudge tool while the Android version does not at the time of the review.

Sketchbook Pro is a serious digital art tool not to be mistaken for the many simple drawing apps available. It is an excellent, professional-caliber tool designed by Autodesk, developers with a history of well-regarded apps for designers, engineers, and architects. The app offers tools available in the desktop version with the ease of a sketchbook on the tablet.

Teens familiar with the desktop version of Sketchbook Pro will pick up the tablet version with no problems, but others will require some instruction and exploration to get comfortable. The controls are exhaustive and intuitive, and maneuvering with both fingers and a stylus offers some ease in creation. The app does offer an option for pen only, which lets artists use the stylus without hand pressure registering on the screen, so teens can draw with precision. The options for tools, pens, and stamps are outstanding. Teens can pin their most-used tools to their canvas and reset them easily in the settings, making pinning tools for specific projects easy. It would be nice to see a few improvements (such as a select tool, and for the Android version, a smudge tool), but all in all, it's an excellent tool. Sketchbook Pro includes more tools than Procreate, another professional-level creation app, though not as many options for canvas-size and resolution.

There are lots of ways to add this quality drawing app into your curriculum of choice. It may make the most sense for art teachers, giving kids a head start as many college art programs feature digital creation -- but anywhere there's an opportunity to insert some creativity into an otherwise dry subject, Autodesk Sketchbook could be a fun option. Since teens can save their works-in-progress to the gallery, multiple students in different classes can use the same device if necessary.

Autodesk Sketchbook is a full-featured design and creation app with an arsenal of tools for creating digital art, offering tools available in the desktop version with the ease of a sketchbook on an iPad or other tablet. Teens can choose brushes and colors, draw using mirror image, move and rotate and arrange objects, and work with layers. They can choose the resolution size to save creations. It's possible to store works-in-progress and complete them later, as well as export works (including PSD export) or share them over email or social media. There are some differences in features across platforms; for example, the iOS version of the app has a smudge tool, while the Android version does not (at the time of this review).

The app does offer an option for pen only, which lets artists use the stylus without hand pressure registering on the screen, so they can draw with precision. Additionally, students can pin their most-used tools to their canvas and reset them easily in the settings.

Students familiar with the desktop version of Autodesk Sketchbook will pick up the tablet version with no problems, but others will require some instruction and exploration to get comfortable. The controls are exhaustive and intuitive, and the ability to maneuver with both fingers and a stylus offers some ease in creation.

The options for tools, pens, and stamps are outstanding. It would be nice to see a few improvements (such as a select tool and, for the Android version, a smudge tool), but all in all, it's excellent. It includes more tools than Procreate, another professional-level creation tool, though not as many options for canvas-size and resolution. Autodesk Sketchbook is a serious digital art tool not to be mistaken for the many simple drawing apps available for kids. It's a professional-caliber tool designed by Autodesk, developers with a history of well-regarded apps for designers, engineers, and architects.

A basic written tutorial introduces teens to the tools available. The Sketchbook.com site includes a great blog with news and tips about the app, as well as topics like storyboarding and drawing tutorials.

I have to say that SketchBook Pro would be my digital sketchbook app of choice for my classes. The user experience is awesome, and with little time dedicated to app demonstration and overview, students are drawing in no time.

The only downfall, for ANY digital drawing program that is, that can the absence of a phyiscal writing tool can somewhat alter the drawing experience. While there is no substitution for the "old school" methods, a stylus can only improve the users experience with this app.

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