Autodesk’s SketchBook apps go free for the first time in Apple’s Free App of the Week promo

SketchBook Pro for iPad 2.9.1 (screenshot 001)

For the first time ever since debuting on the App Store back in the summer of 2013, a pair of excellent drawing and painting apps for the iPhone and iPad by Autodesk have gone free.

Both SketchBook Mobile — a professional-grade painting and drawing application designed for the iPhone and iPod touch — and SketchBook Pro for iPad— an authentic, natural drawing experience based on the same paint engine as its desktop counterpart — are available free of charge, for a limited time, courtesy of Apple’s weekly Free App of the Week promo on the App Store.

That’s a cool $7 saving right off the bat as SketchBook Pro normally sells for $4.99 and SketchBook Mobile is regularly $1.99…

“We’re pleased to announce that SketchBook Pro for iPad and SketchBook Mobile are free apps of the week,” release notes read. “Download them today while they’re free and get started drawing”.

Pictured top of post and below, SketchBook Pro for iPad isn’t your father’s drawing app. Featuring a powerful desktop-class engine, the app simulates natural drawing tools like a pencil, pen, marker or brush on paper.

SketchBook Pro for iPad 2.9.1 (screenshot 002)

Features include:

  • The entire screen is your canvas with full screen work space and an unobtrusive user interface
  • Control the finest details of your art with up to a 2500% zoom
  • Choose from over 100 preset brushes, including flood fill, pencils, pens, and markers that deliver a natural drawing experience on a tablet
  • Customize brushes exactly how you want them – adjust brush radius, opacity, rotation, and more
  • Steady Stroke for greater predictability and control of brush strokes
  • Create perfect shapes in half the time with Dynamic Symmetry
  • Save speed drawing sessions to your Photo Library with Time-lapse Record
  • Custom canvas sizes
  • Easily transform layers with gestures
  • Save work-in-progress and export to Photo Library or e-mail images
  • Store canvases on iCloud

As for SketchBook Mobile for the iPhone and iPod touch, it’s being advertised as a pro-grade painting and drawing mobile software. Like SketchBook Pro for iPad, this app also taps the paint engine of the SketchBook Pro desktop software to deliver fluid pencils and sophisticated brushes in a simple user interface.

SketchBook Mobile 2.9.1 (iPhone screenshot 001)SketchBook Mobile 2.9.1 (iPhone screenshot 002)

“Capture everything from your smallest doodles to your biggest ideas all in one place with SketchBook Mobile, no matter where you are,” teases Autodesk.

Key highlights include:

  • The entire screen is your canvas with full screen work space and an unobtrusive user interface
  • Control the finest details of your art with up to a 2500% zoom
  • Choose from over 65 preset brushes, including flood fill, pencils, pens, and markers that deliver a natural drawing experience on an iPhone or iPod Touch
  • Customize brushes exactly how you want them – adjust brush radius, opacity, rotation, and more
  • Steady Stroke for greater predictability and control of brush strokes
  • Create perfect shapes in half the time with Dynamic Symmetry
  • Custom canvas sizes
  • Easily transform layers with gestures
  • Synthetic pressure sensitivity
  • Save work-in-progress and export to Photo Library or e-mail images
  • Store canvases on iCloud

To learn more about the entire SketchBook family of apps, go here.

SketchBook Mobile 2.9.1 (iPhone screenshot 003)SketchBook Mobile 2.9.1 (iPhone screenshot 004)

What are you waiting for?

Download SketchBook Pro for iPad and SketchBook Mobile for the iPhone and iPod touch free of charge in the App Store now!

Both apps require iOS 6.0 or later and neither bothers you with In-App Purchases because there are none.