Learn To Paint On Your iPad

Unleash your inner Matisse with these pro tips for any budding artist.

- Rob Redman

A lot has been said about the combination of iPad Pro and Apple Pencil and its place in an artist’s workflow, but  those tools aren’t the only way to make great digital paintings on an iPad. Drawing and painting are all perfectly possible with any iPad, not least when you add one of the huge array of stylus options that are available. What’s more, the quality of results you can get is just as high. Remember, first and foremost, it’s your ability to imagine the result that has the greatest impact on your work. The rest is just a selection of tools to aid you.

A quick look through the App Store will reveal so many options of tools that daunting having to choose one. That said, there are a few out there whose names probably sound familiar. The biggest of name when it comes to digital imaging is, of course, Photoshop but it’s an inadvisable choice in any of its flavours when it comes to paintings, as its tools for that task aren’t much to write home about, even if its other editing tools are excellent.

Procreate is a favourite among many artists for it’s clean interface, excellent tools and lovely results. However, we’re going to use Autodesk’s SketchBook Express, which also has a very clean interface that gets out of the way of the creative process, as well as the app’s excellent brushes.

Which tool to use?

First off, let’s consider the fact that with the iPad you always have an input device with you. Seeing as the iPad is designed for use with nothing more than a fingertip, you’ll never be without the ability to sketch a quick thought if your muse presents itself on the go.