SketchBook

Although drawing tools seem to be a-dime-a-dozen, SketchBook brings many new elements to the table, which make it stand out in a crowd. A sleek and modern design, comfortable controls and a set of useful tools, which can help you draw easier are a few advantages which you can definitely expect from SketchBook. The software can serve anyone's needs, from amateurs with a passion for drawing, to professional artists.

SketchBook is free, but it comes in a Pro version as well, which you can try out for free. The software comes in a small package and it can be installed quickly and effortlessly. It doesn't have any kind of special requirements and it doesn't use a significant amount of resources. Furthermore, the software is available for Windows, Mac OS X and for iOS and Android mobile devices.

The user interface consists of a blank canvas and various tools around it. Obviously, you only need to select the tool you need, pick a color and start drawing on the canvas by clicking and dragging or by using a stylo. Just like in other drawing applications, you can hide or reveal individual tool panes, bring up new ones and drag them anywhere on the screen.

The tool selection method is particularly comfortable. The tool panes, on which you can select tools normally, can be hidden, after which you may select the tools you need by holding down the left mouse button on a series of icons, in the lower left corner of the window and dragging the cursor towards other icons that will immediately pop up. Also, commonly used tools can be selected in a similar manner, but by holding down the right button, anywhere over the canvas. Although it doesn't seem like much in theory, this tool selection method makes the software very comfortable and it enables you to select the tools you need most of the time on the fly.

The available drawing tools behave quite realistically. For example, if you draw a straight line with a pencil and look closely, you will notice that the line is thinner at its ends and thicker at the middle. You will have different results in this regard, depending on how you click and drag or, of course, depending on the pressure you apply on the stylus, if you have one.

Another aspect that makes SketchBook shine is the presence of a few special aid tools. You can use a ruler or an ellipse tool, to draw straight lines, circles or ellipses, without any effort. You can place and orient these tools on the canvas however you want, by dragging key points, after which you can draw your shape however you want. The best part is that it doesn't matter how you click and drag with the drawing tool, while one of these aids is placed on the canvas. Another useful feature is the symmetry tool, which enables you to draw mirrored elements down a vertical axis.

You won't know the true meaning of drawing comfortably and elegantly until you try out SketchBook.