Inspiration on the Go
When you’ve hit a creative block, take a moment to relax and recharge. Finger paint your creativity back by doodling in unique media, or lose yourself in paintings by the masters.
Draw with Type
Available for:
• iPhone, $2.99
• iPad, $2.99
TypeDrawing by Hansol Huh is an exceptionally creative drawing medium. Rather than painting with lines or shapes, this app lets you paint in words. Enter a phrase, pick a font, choose a color, and swipe your finger as you would a paintbrush. Type will flow along the path you’ve drawn. The thickness of the “stroke” is determined by the speed with which you draw. So popular is TypeDrawing on both iPhone and iPad that it has spawned drawing contests and a thriving Flickr gallery with nearly 500 members. Not only is TypeDrawing an excellent means of doodling your way out of a creative funk but you may even want to use the results in your design work. You can email completed images from within the app or find them saved among your device’s photos.
Regrettably, there is no Android or BlackBerry equivalent at press time.
Doodle in Steam or Fog
Available for:
• iPhone, $0.99
• Android, Free
Steamy Window for Android phones fogs up your display with simulated condensation. Swipe your finger across the steamy face of your phone to clear a path–complete with accumulated and running drips of water that obey the laws of gravity, even as you rotate the phone. Draw anything you like in the steam, then blow gently into your phone’s microphone to frost over the display again. Upgrade to the Pro version of Steamy for $1.36 to set your own background image and draw in sand and frost as well as steam.
iFog Delux, the iPhone equivalent of Steamy Window, doesn’t have a free version. What it does have, however, are background images that can be used in place of your own photos, five different steam colors, and the ability to write secret messages in the steam.
Masterpiece Paintings
Available for:
• iPhone, $0.99
• iPad, $9.99
• Android, $0.99
Nothing soothes jangled nerves or replenishes empty creative reservoirs like browsing classic and contemporary paintings by the masters. Whether the original hangs in the Louvre or the Met, the artworks are in your pocket, but a swipe and pinch away. The Android and iPhone apps include dozens of masterpieces for less than the price of a cup of coffee. If, however, you have an iPad, the higher price–three cups of chain barista coffee–is more than justified for Art Authority. It’s a complete virtual art museum with more than 50,000 paintings and sculptures, browsable by style, period, or artist.
Koi Pond
Available for:
• iPhone, $0.99
• iPad, $1.99
• Android, $1.19
Virtual koi ponds may be more popular than the real thing. You can passively observe the fish, or you can touch the iOS and Android device screens and interact with your piscine pals. You can even build your own pond, choosing fish, flora, and fluids.
Stay tuned for Apps for the Mobile Creative: Part 2, coming in February!
This article was last modified on August 12, 2021
This article was first published on January 5, 2011
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