# Interactive Sketchbook — Realistic Pencil illustration > Digital sketchbook for learning illustration techniques and creating digital art. (iPhone/iPad app by Digital Wave Creative.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/interactive-sketchbook/id418846451 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Digital Wave Creative](https://appshunter.io/developer/418846454) - Category: Entertainment, Education - Price: $4.99 with in-app purchases - Rating: 5.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 77 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.6 · 345 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2011-02-28 - Data updated: 2026-08-01 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/interactive-sketchbook/id418846451/reviews.md ## What is Interactive Sketchbook? Draw beautifully organic pencil illustrations using professional tutorials, or from photo reference! Practice advance techniques by drawing alongside portrait tutorials from acclaimed illustrator Matt Busch. Or sketch on your own with the option to import your own photo reference. •INNOVATIVE APPROACH• THE RIGHT TOOLS Three custom layers allow you to efficiently switch between the types of tools that are most useful. Draw loosely and plan your work in the "Sketch Layer". Enjoy precise control of line and value in the "Detail Layer" to make highlights and intricate details shine. Enjoy a unique "Tone Layer" that makes smooth shading easy and fun! Each layer's visibility can be toggled on and off. SIDE BY SIDE Whether using your own photo or a tutorial, split view allows you to use reference in a unique way, side by side. Pinch to zoom in on detail and both the drawing and reference stay perfectly in sync! Awesome for artists who want to draw from reference without being forced to trace. INTUITIVE FULL-PAGE MODE But when you do want to trace. . . -swipe the binder over to utilize the full page where you can use your reference as a guide to get proportions picture perfect. Or enjoy full-screen mode with the reference layer toggled off to focus on detail, and maximize the iPad’s work surface. ENDLESS REAL-ESTATE With Interactive Sketchbook, you’ll never run out of pages. And with an undo and redo function you can explore being more creative without ruining your drawing or wasting paper. Like a tangible paper sketchbook Interactive Sketchbook is portable and always ready when inspiration strikes. •MATT BUSCH TUTORIALS• LEARN FROM A PRO Have a professional illustrator as your personal tour guide! Matt Busch has been illustrating some of the hottest properties in movies, books, and comics for over 30 years! And now he’s your interactive instructor, sharing his secrets and teaching you the basics of sketching portraits. LOTS OF OPTIONS The application has 4 different interactive tutorials that guide you through the steps of creating great portraits. Follow along with Busch at your own pace across 11 visual steps and see every pencil stroke he makes. For more specific guidance, touch an area within a step to reveal Busch’s detailed tips. (Over 3 dozen detailed tips per tutorial!) •PORTFOLIO AND BEYOND• Store, view, edit and resume your drawings in the portfolio. A clean layout and professional presentation allows you to view all your sketches at a glance. Tap a thumbnail to view your latest creations up close. And now, with the new "Animate Sketch" feature, you can watch your drawings redraw themselves step by step! All your sketches are automatically saved and stored in the portfolio. And you can always continue any sketch from where you last left off! •APPLE PENCIL SUPPORT• Take your sketching even further by connecting an Apple Pencil or Logitech Crayon. All styluses support palm rejection to prevent stray marks while resting a hand on the screen during drawing. Also enjoy pressure sensitive strokes for better control of your line work and shading with supporting styluses. Treat yourself to Interactive Sketchbook now, or surprise a friend and “Gift this App”. Whether you are an occasional doodler or a professional illustrator, Interactive Sketchbook is a must-have tool for your iPad and iPhone! ## Key features - Interactive tutorials from professional illustrator - Import photo references for drawing - Three custom layers for sketching and detailing - Split view for side-by-side drawing and reference - Full-page tracing and full-screen drawing modes - Unlimited pages and undo/redo functionality - Portfolio to store and manage digital art ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: $4.99. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Paper Pack Pro | $3.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 77) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/interactive-sketchbook/id418846451/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Great for illustrating from reference! *2026-07-28* Fantastic update with the addition of toned papers and reference grids! 😃 Interactive Sketchbook is my go-to app for drawing pencil portraits from reference, and this update makes it so much nicer! ### 5/5 — Wow! Awesome update! *2026-07-28* I got Interactive Sketchbook for my iPad a couple years ago- and use it all the time. There really isn't anything like it out there, and it's the greatest place to keep all my visual ideas and sharpen my drawing skills. I saw there was a new update and- Holy cow! It is so much more user friendly, and the responsiveness is crazy! The new tone paper is so awesome to work with, and I especially like the flexibility of grids and being about to easily rotate your art and reference from either side! Fantastic! The Matt Busch tutorials are pretty rad. Works perfect on the iPad, updating on my iPhone as well! Thanks, Digital Wave! ### 5/5 — My favorite sketching app *2025-12-23, version 3.3.1* It is my favorite sketching app by far and it has been for many years. The app is simple but delivers second to none drawing experience. The closest experience you can get when drawing with a pencil. ### 5/5 — I love it. *2021-02-21, version 3.3* It feels exactly like how I draw on my 3DS XL except I can get in with more detail. Works way better with a stylus. I think it would thrive if you guys added in colored pencils. Other than that, 20/10 would highly and definitely recommend if you’re more of a traditional artist like me. ### 3/5 — Eraser dont wok *2020-06-25, version 3.3* Please fix eraser and then it will be a great app otherwise useless ### 1/5 — Crashes constantly *2019-10-12, version 3.1* Needed a sketchbook on my iPad and loved the features this has listed. So paid the $4.99 for it and EVERY time I try to change the pencil or look for eraser, the app crashes on me!! They need to get this fixed ASAP . ### 5/5 — Great for practice *2019-06-04, version 3.1* The side-by-side view makes this app great for practicing portraits or doing figure drawing from reference. I’ve never seen another app like it. It was good when I got it, and each update since has polished the drawing experience even more. ### 3/5 — Eraser doesn’t work! *2019-04-04, version 3.0* It has been interesting following the tutorials but the app has a major flaw in that the erase function doesn’t work at all. Please Fix this! ### 1/5 — Waste of money *2019-02-12, version 3.0* Doesn’t work. I paid $5 for the cover of a sketch book. The app doesn’t move beyond the cover ### 3/5 — Eraser doesn’t work *2019-01-16, version 3.0* This is a great app, and it helps me draw and expand my capabilities, the only drawback being I can’t erase any mistakes I made which is really annoying. Would’ve given it 5 stars without this mistake. Hopefully they fix this error ## Frequently asked questions about Interactive Sketchbook ### What can I do with this app? This app allows you to learn professional illustration techniques through interactive tutorials led by a professional artist. You can also sketch your own ideas, import photo references, and organize your digital art in a portfolio. It offers a digital alternative to traditional sketchbooks with advanced drawing tools. ### What are the key features for drawing? The app features three custom layers (Sketch, Detail, Tone) for efficient workflow, a split view for drawing alongside references, and intuitive full-page and full-screen modes. It supports pressure-sensitive drawing strokes with Apple Pencil and compatible styluses, offering an endless digital canvas with undo/redo functionality. ### Is this app free to use? Based on the provided information, the app is available for free. There are no mentions of in-app purchases or subscription models, indicating it is a free application. ### What devices is this app compatible with? This app is optimized as a universal app and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPad Pro. It supports pressure variable drawing strokes via 3D Touch, Apple Pencil, and Adonit styluses for a high-quality digital drawing experience on these devices. ### Who are the tutorials for? The interactive tutorials are designed to teach you the basics of sketching portraits from a professional illustrator. They guide you through steps with detailed tips, making them suitable for artists who want to learn specific techniques and improve their portrait drawing skills. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 4.0 — 2026-07-28 Toned Paper Sketching: Switch your paper to a richly textured toned paper for Monotone Sketching. Selecting a toned paper adds a white highlight pencil to your tools. Focus on rendering highlights and shadows with the paper handling your illustrations mid tones. Adjustable Reference Grids: Side by side mode now has adjustable reference grids that you can turn on to help you get your drawings proportions just right. Improved Canvas Gestures: You now have more freedom to position your art on screen, with rotation, zoom and offset. Sketch Stats in Portfolio: Want to know how long you worked on a drawing? How many strokes you used to make your masterpiece? You can now see stats of your sketch in the portfolio. ### 3.3.1 — 2025-07-23 New Features: • Improved Size and Orientation selection when starting a new sketch. • Improved settings view in the info Pane. Check out our new app: Focus Dial! Improve your ability to focus on the tasks and hobbies you care about! Thank you for supporting us at Digital Wave Creative, happy sketching! ### 3.3 — 2020-05-19 NEW FEATURES: • Support for cursor using magic keyboard case, mice, and track pads. • Support for new iPad Pros and the new iPhone SE. • Expanded support for dark mode. BUG FIXES: • Fixed an issue where switching layers could prevent undo and redo from functioning correctly. Tag your sketches with #InteractiveSketchbook on social media. If you enjoy Interactive Sketchbook, please consider giving us a quick review. It helps up spread the word! Thank you for supporting us at Digital Wave Creative, happy sketching! ### 3.2 — 2019-10-16 NEW FEATURES: • Support for iOS 13 and Dark Mode. • Support for new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. • Support for new 7th Generation iPad. • Newest version of Adonit SDK. BUG FIXES: • Fixed a bug causing a crash when selecting the tool palette. Tag your sketches with #InteractiveSketchbook on social media. If you enjoy Interactive Sketchbook, please consider giving us a quick review. It helps up spread the word! Thank you for supporting us at Digital Wave Creative, happy sketching! ### 3.1 — 2019-05-05 New in Version 3.1 NEW FEATURES: • Eraser completely rebuilt to enable faster and fuller erasing. • Added support for Logitech Crayon. • Improved Support for iPad Mini 5 and iPad Air 3. BUG FIXES: • Minor bug fixes and stability updates. Tag your sketches with #InteractiveSketchbook on social media. If you enjoy Interactive Sketchbook, please consider giving us a quick review. It helps up spread the word! 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User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-01.*