SKETCH PAD

Paper

Free for iPad; approximately Rs 390 to buy a complete set of brushes and tools.

This iOS-only app by FiftyThree is minimalistic and clutter-free. In the free version,you get a fluid fountain pen that makes you forget that the iPad’s capacitive screen is not pressure sensitive. You can email your creations too.

Adobe Ideas

Approximately Rs 558 for iPad,Rs 568 for Android

The pricey sketchbook app by the big daddy of design software allows you to create vector drawings that can be stretched to any size. Zoom in or pan,work with multiple layers and opacities,undo up to 50 times and summon the creative powers that be with an intuitive toolbar that vanishes when you don’t need it. Save pictures to camera roll and export them to Illustrator or Photoshop as pdfs. For high-fidelity illustrations,use a stylus.

Autodesk Sketchbook

Express version free for iPad and Android,Pro; costs approximately Rs 112 for iPad and Rs 284 for Android

If Mad Men’s Don Draper lived among us,he’d give up his cocktail napkin sketches for the powerful tools on this app. Sketchbook tames the tablet with its intelligent UI and offers 75 preset brushes including pens,markers and photo brushes,besides several draw styles and brush sensitivities. A decent canvas size and the ability to import layers are among the nice-to-haves. Gripes include problems with the hand-rest function and clumsy dialogue boxes a la Windows.

Procreate

Approximately Rs 112 for iPad

Procreate has a simple and super responsive interface and the ability to import and create custom brushes. Its auto save and some serious colour blending power give it an edge over other similarly priced apps for artists. The app has what is arguably the best smudging tool for drawing on the iPad. However,a low-resolution canvas is a downer.

LiveSketch HD

Approximately Rs 112 for iPad

A YouTube video featuring Yoshitoshi Abe’s manga art,drawn using LiveSketch HD,drew over 4,00,000 views. Some viewers were smitten; others doubted its veracity — no drawing app could possibly be so smooth,they said. LiveSketch HD shades as you draw,adding realistic pencil streaks to digital drawings. A beauty if whimsical sketches are your thing; not for precision art,though.

Brushes

Approximately Rs 445 for iPad

That four New Yorker covers were made using Brushes should be its claim to fame,but this paint app does not rest on its laurels. Adjust brush spacing,size and opacity,preview settings,work with six layers and at the end,export it all as a movie. The app features extreme zoom and an advanced colour picker that will have you falling in love at first brush.

Infinite Design

For Android,Free try; Rs 279 to buy

A vector drawing tool for Android that delves deep into the technicalities of graphic design,this is one app every iPad artist envies. A limitless canvas and an abundance of layers,special effects and various symmetries make Infinite Design a very desirable app. The ability to save files for editing in other graphics editors is a welcome feature in a dog-eat-dog world. Minor quibbles include slow responses and complicated menus.

Charadium II HD

Free for iPad; ad-free version costs approximately Rs 112 and comes with a set of brushes and colours.

So you are not the next Monet. In fact,the last time you doodled,it was only because you were bored in class. But chances are,Charadium II will change you. A frantic draw-and-guess game inspired by Pictionary and played online at virtual rooms,this app puts the fun back in social doodling. Seasoned players compete to climb the leaderboards,but no matter what your level of skill,there is a room for you where your art will be recognised,literally.