My Top 3 Apps for Sketch Notes, Drawing and Untethered Board Work — Digital Debris

Digital Toolbox

Since I bought an iPad Pro I’ve been revisiting some of the drawing and note taking apps that I’ve used in the classroom. The larger screen of the Pro makes it a lot easier to scribble, scrawl and sketch on the move. At my school we use Apple TVs to connect our iPads to the screen wirelessly, so this means I can carry the device around with me as I sit with different groups of students and support them with what they are doing. Whatever I draw/write on the iPad screen gets projected onto the main whiteboard via AirPlay.

Before I get stuck in, I should be clear that I’ve been using these apps on the new iPad Pro in conjunction with the Apple Pencil. While all the apps can be used on any iPad and without the uber-expensive Apple stylus, my views in this post are based on my experience of this particular setup.

Newfangled Graphite

The Apple Pencil is quite a remarkable piece of tech. I’ve used many capacitive styluses (styli?) before but always found their chubby rounded tips to be quite primitive tools. The Pencil has a fine point for precision work and is sensitive to pressure and tilt, so it feels very natural. With compatible apps, drawing with the Pencil in an upright position will give you a fine line, while more acute angles allow you to shade and add tone. Increasing the pressure also influences the thickness of the line or adds pigment with paints and softer materials. It’s also very nicely weighted and quick to charge.