More than likely, you will have to invest in some outrageously priced software and a contraption to actually draw it on, totally ruining the artful inspiration. That is unless you have an Android and want to get a free app to let you make some great art. Let’s take a look at ArtFlow and see if you can draw a better stick figure with hair than I can. Think I’m joking? Scroll down and see my skills.
Starting out
What you will see when you are starting out with ArtFlow, is a bit of a tutorial. Take some time and read through what you can do and how to go about it. The better grasp you have on the app, even though it is pretty user-friendly, the more you can let your artistic vision flow into the pixels on the screen.
Pressing the arrow on the left side of the screen, you can adjust settings, import images, add a layer and so on.
Pressing the arrow on the right side will show your brushes, adjustment for your brushes and more.
I think most people prefer to use a stylus for drawing. If you have a stylus like the S-Pen, you can add less pressure to make a lighter line or add more pressure to have a darker line.
Creating your art
Initially, you may want to play around with the different brushes and see how they display on the screen. There are plenty of options that you can use to achieve the look you’d like to see. Normally, you have to try and get the look you want by adjusting the opacity of the line or brush stroke. ArtFlow adds another option called Flow. The Flow looks more like adding less pressure than simply having a line that is more see-through. This a great way for you to get the look you’d like without having a pressure sensitive stylus.
Aside from the adjustments, you can create your art in layers much like you would in Photoshop. The free version only lets you have a few layers though.
When you are all done with your masterpiece, you can easily share it with other apps and/or people. The share option exports the image as a PNG.
Conclusion
ArtFlow is one of the few artistic apps out there that allows you to draw without having a doctoral degree in Photoshop. With the option to use a pressure sensitive pen, you can really have a similar feel to your digital drawing as you would on a paper medium. What are your favorite apps for creating artwork or turning your tablet into a sketchbook?
