A little help, please!

As artists, we all need a little help now and then. Perhaps it’s to do with your composition or maybe you need advice on what colour to use. Thankfully help is here in the form of technology that is accessible, affordable and easy to use. We’ve ranked our top five favourite digital tools to help you get past that artist’s block and create your best art.

Tool #1: Procreate: Not sure if you want to remove an object from your painting, reglaze your pottery piece or add a new colour to a weaving? Procreate is the tool for you. Simply take a photo of your work, load it into Procreate and manipulate away to your heart’s content. You can scrub, swipe, draw, smudge, paint, erase and recolour - just to name a few. All without touching your original work. It’s that easy. Of course, if you’re a digital artist then Procreate is the place you can both create your masterpieces and amend them. Don’t have a computer? Then Procreate Pocket brings the app straight to your phone.

Tool #2: Light Room: This affordable version of PhotoShop has all the tools you need to create those high res images to send to that gallery or to change the temperature of a piece if it’s looking a little flat. Perhaps you want to add a vignette or ramp up the contrast? Lightroom’s new clarity tool is also a fantastic way to sharpen landscapes and portraits alike. As a photographer it has all the basic tools you need. As an artist, it can help you present your art beautifully or decide what part of your work you need to work on further.

Tool #3: Just a Line - Draw in AR: Do you often get inspired on the go? Are you forever looking for paper and a pen to quickly sketch out an idea? Then Just a Line is the app you are looking for. Just open the app and then use your finger to sketch your ideas down. You can record and share a video of your sketch. It also has a handy collaboration feature enabling you and a friend use the app together. A versatile app that ensures that even the most disorganised artist can sketch out their ideas anywhere, anytime.

Tool #4: Let’s Create: This one is primarily for our potters but if you love making 3D images, it could also be the app for you. It allows you to virtually throw your own pot on a wheel. You can turn some simple pots, photographing them as a screenshot to use as prototypes. A simple but effective tool for working on clay forms and designs before you get to the hands-on messy part! And an added bonus: it is also a stress relief tool!

Tool #5: Smartist: We all want our wall art to look it’s best. Smartist enables us to display our wall art in beautiful rooms. Much like other handy apps available such as Art My Wall and Art Stage, but we love the gorgeous interiors and versatile layouts on Smartist. So when it’s time to show off your wall art, this is the go to app for you!

Let technology be your friend and start to use it today to streamline your art practices - or simply to have fun!