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Parents' Guide to

Autodesk Sketchbook

By Amanda Bindel, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Impressive creation tool for teens serious about art.

App iPad , Android , Kindle Fire , Windows app Free to try Productivity
Autodesk Sketchbook Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Autodesk Sketchbook App: Screenshot #1
  • Autodesk Sketchbook App: Screenshot #2
  • Autodesk Sketchbook App: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 7+

Based on 3 parent reviews

ellamanz
ellamanz Adult
October 11, 2020
age 6+

An app that promotes creativity!

In May, my son (age 12) was doing a virtual art show using Autodesk Sketchbook! I was very impressed by his creations. I think this is an app that tweens, teens, and even younger kids should absolutely have!
Michael69
Michael69 Adult
June 11, 2020
age 7+

Alright for drawing, but

I Downloaded Autodesk Sketchbook a little while ago, and it is fine for drawing, but when installed it on my new PC, it deleted all my files from my hard drive and the files can not be recovered. 7/10 drawing, 0/10 installation.
See all 3 parent reviews

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
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What’s It About?

SKETCHBOOK PRO is a fully featured app with an arsenal of tools for creating digital art. Kids can choose brushes and colors, draw using mirror image, move and rotate and arrange objects, and work with layers. They can choose the resolution size to save creations. Teens can store works-in-progress and complete them later as well export their works (including PSD export) or share them over email or social media. There are some differences in features across platforms; for example, the iOS version of the app has a smudge tool while the Android version does not at the time of the review.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (6 ):

Sketchbook Pro is a serious digital art tool not to be mistaken for the many simple drawing apps available. It is an excellent, professional-caliber tool designed by Autodesk, developers with a history of well-regarded apps for designers, engineers, and architects. The app offers tools available in the desktop version with the ease of a sketchbook on the tablet.

Teens familiar with the desktop version of Sketchbook Pro will pick up the tablet version with no problems, but others will require some instruction and exploration to get comfortable. The controls are exhaustive and intuitive, and maneuvering with both fingers and a stylus offers some ease in creation. The app does offer an option for pen only, which lets artists use the stylus without hand pressure registering on the screen, so teens can draw with precision. The options for tools, pens, and stamps are outstanding. Teens can pin their most-used tools to their canvas and reset them easily in the settings, making pinning tools for specific projects easy. It would be nice to see a few improvements (such as a select tool, and for the Android version, a smudge tool), but all in all, it's an excellent tool. Sketchbook Pro includes more tools than Procreate, another professional-level creation app, though not as many options for canvas-size and resolution.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Start younger kids on more basic drawing apps like Bord, Nick Jr Draw & Play, or Drawing Pad.

  • Encourage tweens and teens to look at and appreciate a variety of art styles.

  • Allow teens to view Sketchbook Pro tutorials on YouTube.

App Details

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