Why I love Autodesk Sketchbook for iPad!!

Just want to give a little love to a painting app that you don't hear about very often. It's more simple compared to some, but it's extremely powerful as this video explains. Excuse the poor sound quality, I just picked up my phone and started recording on a whim. I am just so impressed with how well this app is handling the huge file sizes I like to work in. The painting size is 5400 x 7200 px with at its highest count had 25 layers. That is the equivalent of a photoshop document that is 18x24 inches at 300 dpi. There are a few features this app doesn't have, which could make it even better, but if you come from traditional paint, then you won't have any problems adjusting. If you want me to talk more about actual features or make a little tutorial, let me know in the comments!

[@larrydanielson6459]

100% truth, In the early 90s my HS Teacher said Digital art will never be a thing! Now I’m in my 40s teaching myself on my IPad and love it. The feel and sound is different, but the possibilities is mind blowing!

[@philipsmith3154]

Thank you so much for your Insight on autodesk ! Please keep making great videos.

[@TheyWantMeDead2005]

Amazing drawing. I'm in awe of all those details and shades and glows. I just started drawing about 6 months ago with sketchbook. I love sketchbook.

[@jsimenstad]

I am absolutely amazed with your talent. The tools are cool, but wow, the skills are the key. Great job.

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

jsimenstad Thank you!

[@JL-gn9sx]

OMG, your work is amazing. Blowed my mind!

[@jwigleholland]

I’m 54 and have drawn and painted all my life-the messy way with lots of supplies. I’m also self taught and love your videos as I had no idea how to begin! Thanks.

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Thank you Jennifer, I’m so glad I could help. ☺️

[@richardrivera4662]

As someone completely new to art, the tool set, layout, and ease of use of Sketchbook is pretty impressive. I picked it up and was easily able to find tools that allowed me to do the things I needed, without having any idea of where they would be found. Thanks so much for the great summary video!

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Richard Rivera Thank you for the comment! I’m glad my little impromptu video has helped you. Welcome to the world of digital art! I hope you fall in love with it as much as I have.

[@akarevenge8586]

This is absolutely amazing.

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

AKA Revenge Thank you! ☺️

[@akarevenge8586]

Melissa Berg You’re very welcome! I mean that entire piece is stunning. From the animals, characters, and the colors you chose. It really is beautiful. I look forward to seeing more! In the mean time, I have something to strive towards. :)

[@airheadz6143]

I have a Samsung tablet S8 It is awesome to create on... But Photoshop got too expensive...Krita was okay but a little clunky to use.... I didn't give much thought to SKETCH BOOK... But I'm in love 💕 Thank you for working me through the awkward phase

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

I’m glad my videos are still able to help, even since the app has changed a little ☺️

[@RichardHuanteDesign]

Amazing detail and I love your painting style.

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Richard Huante Thank you ☺️

[@fo1711]

Amazing drawing/painting! I just got a wacom 16hd today to replace my Huion gt-220 wich never really work right in the last 5 years....+ i disconver autodesk and your channel, best day in a long time! First day in 5 years that i draw more than getting pissed off by settings and stuff not working as they supposed to. Feels finally great! I didn't really get how you got a resolution higher than HD, ill try it out tomorrow for sure.

[@carloscovarrubias]

Thank you for that amazing ,detailed and down to earth descriptive review of what this free app can do. I’ll my life I have done traditional drawing and painting on physical surfaces and I was a graphic design major many moons ago. So I have enough experience with some of the digital software you mention to understand what you were mentioning . I am humble quite rusty with a paint brush or digital paint brush haha! I am looking to get back into painting and 1- 2 frame cartoons with silly fun sarcasm ( influenced by Far Side ) like I did in college. So in the beginning I just need it to help me quickly layout, draft and refine cartoons. I am definitely open to learning how to do illustrations and paintings with it. I just wanted to reach out and let you know what you posted was helpful. Your work is amazing.

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Carlos Covarrubias Thank you so much. I’m glad this helped you. The urge to record this and post it was just a spontaneous moment. I’m working on another piece right now and trying to decide if I should commentate about my process. If it’s helpful to explain what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, I might do that 😉 Thank you for sharing your thoughts

[@jamiemorgan3649]

Your work is incredible

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Jamie Morgan Thank you ☺️

[@dreamingofvenus]

You have a super amazing talent!! 💖

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

TaylorStrongWolf Thank you ☺️

[@ladocudad]

Great work. I can’t wait to see it printed as a poster.

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

ladocudad Thank you ☺️

[@Christines_Place]

Hey, I hear you...I am in my 50's and a paint artist, now being faced with digital art for various reasons. Because of formatting, removing backgrounds, dpi, size requirements, etc, you almost have to incorporate some sort of digital software to complete all tasks necc for your print On Demand specs.

[@guarddog318]

Melissa, I just started working with Sketchbook on a Chromebook, and concur with everything you've said. I come from a traditional art background, with a lot of years as a technical artist/illustrator. Unfortunately, I started off going at things as I would with a pencil and paper, and am discovering I've not made near enough use of layers. Btw, I'm in my 50s, and have drawn and painted all my life, as well as going back to school in the mid 80s for a degree in industrial arts. ( That included learning to draft on a computer. CADD. ) Anyway, it's nice to see another "not youngster" going at this stuff. It makes me think I'm not quite as old as I usually feel. lol

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Guard Dog There are definitely the little things-like layers- that make some things with digital a lot easier... and Undo 😉 But there are some things that can feel intimidating at first, like exactly how to use the different Blend Layer options. I treat digital painting like a different medium, just like watercolor is different from oils, the techniques are different.

[@californiamusicplug9537]

Amazing work 🔥💯🙏

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

California Music Plug Thank you ☺️

[@4bbi3]

Wow. You deserve more recognition.

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Thank you so much!

[@4bbi3]

@@MelissaBergIllustration No, thank you. You are really talented.

[@RafaelVila]

Thanks for the video, I did buy an iPad to test its capabilities and this video give me some hope. I’m an illustrator as well and is hard to find something that feels natural, at least visually.

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Rafael Vila Thank you for your comment. For a free program it has some really nice features and so easy to use. I hope you grow to love it like I did 😊

[@Alvinladen]

Amazing! Your skill doesn't need photoshop!

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Jack AIO Thank you! ☺️

[@spiritedSpore]

Woooow! You drawing so fantastic amazing!😍😱😯

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Pirat elsker fra Danmark Thank you! ☺️

[@Ahsankhan-vk9yn]

OMG 😍

[@ajdg2694]

Yea how you do that😂🔥🔥

[@gasairocks]

You have such an amazing work! Congratulations! I just downloaded autodesk sketchbook for Ipad, but I've noticed that when I zoom in, to draw details, the lines get blurred and with a lot of pixels. What can I do to fix this?

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Milena Góes Yes, this was the first problem I ran into. What you need to do is use custom resolution sizes instead of the presets when setting up a new document. For example, let’s say I want an 18 inches x 24 inches (45.72 cm x 60.96 cm) poster size at 300 dpi (pixels/dots per inch), since Sketchbook uses only pixels for its dimensions I used photoshop on my desktop to find out what that size would be in pixels. It ended up being 5400 x 7200 (portrait orientation). These are the numbers I input for a new document. Now you should be able to zoom in pretty close and have nice fine lines even with the pencil tool. Another simpler way is to just double the preset sizes and even double it again. 1200 would be 2400, the next would be 4800 and so on. Just make sure you have enough space on your iPad, and not lots and lots of separate projects in Sketchbook. The bigger your aspect ratio the less layers you can use as well, but you can have a fairly good amount before it starts to cause lag. I hope this helps. Good luck and have fun 😉

[@Lovefromaaron369]

Amazing!, !...I’ve been trying to find the film for years too remember it when I was very young but not the name??

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Aaron Kelley I’m not sure if I mention the name of the movie in this video. The movie is called Legend. I loved this movie when I was a kid ☺️

[@loran1531]

Beautiful Melissa! Would you have any advice for iPad apps to learn to draw? Thanks

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Laurent Boinot Thank you ☺️ In doing a quick search for apps I noticed there were a lot that offer step by step guides. They are free to start with some basic tools and images, but then they start asking for money. In my opinion, I would suggest using KZbin, there are several great channels here with a large range of skill level tutorials. One that has been around for a long time is a channel called Proko. They have some really good beginner videos. Maybe I’m old school, but listening to an instructor explain what they are doing and why before implementing the techniques yourself is extremely helpful. I still hear the advice from my life drawing instructor from art college in my head when I draw. 80% of learning to draw is about learning to see, breaking a subject down into smaller sections, and seeing the basic shapes and the negative space between them. Instructors are good at reminding us of that. Have fun!

[@kitse_xiii8334]

What's a good brush to color in flat colors? So many of the brushes are textured or transparent. The ones that aren't are really fuzzy too...

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

kitse_xiii Hi, I found the best way to color in a flat area is to use the selection tool and get the shape close to what you want, then fill it using the paint bucket. After, you can go back and refine the shape by erasing wherever you don’t want the color to be. If that makes sense... 😉

[@kitse_xiii8334]

@@MelissaBergIllustration that makes sense! I wish the fill tool by itself was useful however. It always fills the whole canvas regardless of whether I set it to detect single or multiple layers and changing its sensitivity

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

kitse_xiii Interesting... I’ve never encountered that. I’ll have to play around with it next time I’m using it to see if there is a step you’re missing or if it’s a bug you running into. Tho I’m not an expert by any means 😎

[@shirleysstudio]

Hi love your Art! I love this app only downside is I need it to sace on .jpeg and not .png so I use a second app to change it. I had been looking at display tablets that connect to your pc and you can use the full version of this program. In that case I would be able to save in .jpeg Thank you for your video I just like looking at people create on this app 😊

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Hooper Creations Thank you ☺️ That’s true. There are little things like the file format options that the app is lacking. I wonder what file format Apple Photos defaults to. I’ve noticed that I can’t save an image with transparent or alpha channel backgrounds. Photos adds a background, which is what .jpeg format does. I wonder if sharing to photos would automatically change from png to jpg. I’ll have to check that out. I’ve never thought about that before 😉

[@NatureZone101]

Thanks again for all the videos. Did you ever get a chance to see how it prints at 18 x 24?

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

flashzonephoto I haven’t yet... lol I really need to order something. I’m pretty sure it will work, tho since the numbers check out when I open them in photoshop. They are the correct size and resolution 😉 I want to get a poster of the painting of my son I did a while back. Would make a good gift for grandparents.

[@premiumaccount4166]

i love sketchbook and that its free. but id buy it if i had to. i like sketchbook more than procreate, paid for that one but never use it. i used to do traditional art but now i only do digital art

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

imnot surewhat Hi, Same here. I would pay for sketchbook too just to have all the features the desktop version has. Tho if they made it subscription based, no way. Procreate is actually a really good price. But the ease of use and specifically certain brushes bring me back to Sketchbook 😉

[@lorenapacora1526]

Hey ive got a question can you change the SIZE of the canvas on the ipad pro? I want to buy an ipad pro. I had an ipad and i drew on sketchbook a lot but i couldnt change the size of the canvass AT ALL. Like it was always the same size no matter the settings i gave it! It couldnt become more square or more rectangular. Something i can do now on an android tablet So, on the ipad pro you can change the size or not? Thanks!

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Lorena Pacora Hi, You should be able to on both. When you start a new document you don’t have to use the presets, you can put any numbers in there. I suggest going bigger than the pixel ratios of your iPad (shown as one of the presets) You’ll have a better responsiveness to stylus pressure and small brush sizes. For a better explanation in my most recent video on Tips for using Sketchbook the first tip is about document/canvas size. One more thing, when you set your size there is a little chain link icon, make sure that is set to unlinked so you can change width separate from height. Hopefully that explains what you’re looking for. 😉

[@sdach3sach167]

U draw very good amazing 😉

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

BlackDemon Thank you! ☺️

[@strategicsaga]

Hey, is there a way to make folder in autodesk app or to transform more than one layer ?

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Hi, Yes, to make a folder: When you are in the gallery and it is showing a thumbnail of your current project. At the top of the screen there is a small down arrow. Tap that and you will see the area that allows you to create project folders. As for selecting more than one layer to transform, unfortunately this is not possible. I have run into the same problem of wanting to keep more than one layer aligned together but move slightly. I wish they would add this feature. It seems like a small but extremely helpful little feature.

[@mcart6019]

I really love this app on my android . but im not good to drawing . 😂😂 , and im using my finger 😁

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

MC ART Oh yeah I forgot they make it for Android 😉 Nothing wrong with finger painting, at least you can zoom in 👍🏻

[@mcart6019]

Yeah . its not effective i think . my fingers too big . 😁😁 but i can handle that 😁😁

[@crisvis8905]

​@@MelissaBergIllustration ​ Some android tablets have pressure sensitive stylus like my Samsung Galaxy with S Pen. Tho I like my Ipad a bit more for art because it has a better selection of drawing/painting apps, crisper screen and less lag.

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

artifex_X The iPad is definitely optimized for creatives. I will admit I’m a little biased tho, my husband worked for Apple for almost 15 years. He usually had an insider look at the hardware out there and how other companies performed in comparison 😜

[@LORDSofCHAOS333]

Yeah I love the brushess a lot . On the clipping mask . We did ask scene 2013 and they still didn't add it yet . Not only the iPad version but on the windows version to . They should add some smart objects to like Photoshop it will save a lot of data . Or a double view . God batter of with sai , clip studio paint and krita . Granted krita is free and it has tuns of stuff that sketch book lag's on . And when it comes dawn to update . What update they didn't add new stuff scene 2013 .

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Deber chaos theory I do wish they had a better customer service attitude for the fans of this program. Autodesk is a really big company that sells super high end software to the big industries with matching price tags. This app on iPad and desktop feels like they treat it like the CEO’s nephew’s pet project lol

[@LORDSofCHAOS333]

@@MelissaBergIllustration can't agree more . I min holy shit i like the brushess and the stabilizer . But when it comes dawn to clipping mask you need to make a work around i think I did figure a way to make something like a clipping mask . By just dublicating the leayer and we'll just use the mast on the leyer you don't want to go out site of it . But then we ask our self why didn't Autodesk just add this future anyway consider the Photoshop , krita , sai , clip studio paint , i think that even art rage and freaking affinity , coreal painter have those basic future . It's like i can work my art peace to some levels but then I am batter off savings as a PSD and work in some of the other programs . Or i need to make an option A and figure out an work around . List of things that can make sketch book a better program . Double view , smart objects , clipping mask Yes only those three . Is it really so much to ask for . How come that krita add most of the stuff but Autodesk didn't in years .

[@alejandrovilla3975]

I have a question for anyone. im trying to draw a logo on ipad6 my canvas is 2880x2880 , everything is good on the screen but when I print al the edges look very rough , even the fonts I used. More than pixelated its looks that all the edges are "selected" to being cut or something , help!

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Alejandro Villa Hi, sorry to hear you are having a problem. I just did a quick test using the basic Font typing features of Sketchbook and the same resolution. I didn’t have any issues. I know some printers let you turn anti aliasing off. Maybe this is what’s happening? There could be other factors that might cause this. Like if you exported the logo from a smaller file size, or if you resized something during a step in the process. I’m not really an expert in this app, I’m still learning myself. Autodesk Sketchbook has pretty good support. I would go to their website and describe your problem. I had to do this once, and they answered me right away, they were very helpful. I hope you are able to get your logo fixed. Good luck 😉

[@alejandrovilla3975]

It was the printer , phew. Thank you for answering, everything is good now.

[@rabbsneitor]

Hi, question; can you upload brushes to the app?

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Angel MalVida Hi. Unfortunately right now the answer is no. The desktop version of the app does have this feature, so maybe they will add this some day to the iPad version. So far I have been able to make the included brushes work for me. But it depends on your style and how you like to work I suppose.

[@TheHuggableEmpire]

Hii what do you think of Infinite Painter? Seems to be a really powerful contender as well

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Dban1 I haven’t heard of it, so I just looked it up. I wants it 😉 I’ll give it a try. Always looking for new inexpensive art programs. Thanks for mentioning it ☺️

[@nadyacthianty8230]

My time lapse feature doesn’t work

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Fairy Lucy Oh no, that’s too bad... What device are you using? Also, make sure you have a lot of space. I’ve noticed that if I don’t transfer my videos out of my photo app, and I’m getting low on room, it will act like it’s working, until I go to save the time lapse, then it just freezes for a second and then nothing... I wish it would warn me when it’s running out of room, or hold it in some kind of cache in the app so I can quick make space and then save. So if there seems to be gaps in any of my time lapse vids, that’s usually why. Can sometimes be a pain after 2 hours worth of work. At least it doesn’t lose the painting itself, just the time lapse footage. Regardless, keep having fun with it. 😉

[@jared5583]

Isnt bad for you device use it while is charging?

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

No, it’s not. I checked that with a Mac tech who used to work for Apple. I can also verify that he knows his stuff because he’s my husband 😉 lol As for non Apple devices he says he’s never heard of this being an issue. It will get warmer if it’s charging but it should be fine. My iPad is probably 4 yrs old. And it still works great.

[@jared5583]

@@MelissaBergIllustration thats awesome!

[@Faisal-vd7xp]

That’s wired but it’s good

[@RonaldMoD]

Funny that you need Photoshop to tell you what 18x24 inches at 300 dpi is in pixels. Have you tried a calculator? 18 * 300 is....?

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

That wasn’t the point of using photoshop, it was to make sure this clunky program was using the same aspect ratio system. I’ve had issues in the past where an old program was locked at less ppi and didn’t change. This was just to compare and confirm with a real program. They made a few changes to this program about 2 years ago, but haven’t done anything since, so I don’t use it anymore. My videos were made with the old version. They aren’t completely accurate anymore. But thanks for checking it out.

[@videokedisi1389]

I don't really love Autodesk. Its really hard to use and its annoying. it asks to log in EVERY.SINGLE.TIME I OPEN UP. It dosen't lets you make your own brushes. Procreate is better

[@MelissaBergIllustration]

Video Kedisi Yes, I’ve noticed the log in thing. Seems it’s been like that since the last 2 updates. I just hit the ‘x’ instead of signing in again and it lets me continue. It’s probably a bug. Procreate is super nice and they add new features all the time. They both have pros and cons however, but those depend on what you want to be able to do, and your preferred way of working. Sketchbook is a really good beginner app for those just getting into digital painting for the first time. Procreate may be a good next step.