# ShadowDraw: Learn How to Draw — user reviews > 478 indexed App Store user reviews of ShadowDraw by Shadow Draw, rated 4.15/5 from 1,670 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowdraw-learn-how-to-draw/id1223507083/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowdraw-learn-how-to-draw/id1223507083.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 1,074 · 4★ 175 · 3★ 103 · 2★ 69 · 1★ 201 ## What do users think of ShadowDraw? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Helpful for beginners - 🎨 Variety of drawing topics - 👍 Intuitive step-by-step guidance - 💡 Relaxing and therapeutic experience - 🤖 Responsive customer support **Cons** - 💰 Many features locked behind paywall - 🐛 Buggy and glitchy at times - 🤔 Tracing-focused approach may not teach drawing fundamentals - 🔍 Difficulty finding purchased content - 🔀 Jumping between steps too quickly **Commonly reported bugs** - Drawings disappearing after completion - App crashing on launch for some users - Eraser tool not working properly with coloring feature **Most requested features** - More free drawing content - Canvas rotation and reference image positioning - Ability to save progress on drawings - Clearer visual indicators for brush/pen changes - Side-by-side drawing mode to practice without tracing ## Newest reviews (18 of 478) ### 2/5 — Ridiculous *2026-08-29, version 2026.4* In this app you have to buy almost everything which in this case is just heartbreaking, I asked my dad to allow me to get the app and he let me, I was just trying to work on my artwork, and if you look at the pictures when you look at the app in the App Store it shows a Persian cat, it looks exactly like my cat and when I got the app it tried to make me subscribe and pay & all that dumb stuff. Plus when ur drawing a bird they, make the lines so small and the brush size so big so your bird looks like a blob at the end I hate this app, Two Stars ⭐️⭐️ ### 4/5 — Cool but… *2026-08-23, version 2026.4* I really like this app, it has improved my drawing but my biggest concern is wanting to draw something else, but I have to pay for every single lesson. I get you guys worked hard on this app, but seriously, I just wanted to improve my artwork on here without paying for every single thing. If you don’t want to pay, I suggest you not download this. ### 4/5 — Awesome *2026-08-23, version 2026.4* I really like this app, it really helps you and it’s super cool, although I would like to draw more of the anime poses of female and male or the cats and dogs, it gets pretty boring when you are only able to draw a couple things and that you have to wait for the daily drawings, also for the kids out there who’s mom or dad probably won’t get the subscription but other than that it’s still fun when you start!😃 ### 4/5 — It’s really really good but *2026-08-09, version 2026.4* I really wish it could be all free. I really want to do some of the other lessons but they cost money! But there is a free lesson everyday and it is so fun and good! ### 3/5 — Well I’m still waiting *2026-07-28, version 2026.4* It’s been ages for it to load. Perhaps 30 minutes since it said 10 minutes. Now it says 10 hours. Help, but the reviews say it’s good so I’m exited. ### 4/5 — Please read *2026-07-21, version 2026.4* This app is amazing if you want to draw at a slow and easy pace, if you are a beginner. The only complaint I have about this app is that you have to buy a subscription for mostly all of the drawings. But overall this app is super fun and easy if you are a beginner that wants your drawings to look professional ### 4/5 — Ruined *2026-07-18, version 2026.4* In the middle of the drawing It diseper I try finding my drawing I could not find it I don’t like it ### 4/5 — It’s alright *2026-07-16, version 2026.4* If you don’t have an apple pen it will be hard because you’re finger is blocking the lines when your tracing and it goes all “scribbly”. Then I tried it with apple pen and it was much clearer hope this helps ### 2/5 — Not for me *2026-06-25, version 2026.4* Dude It keeps deleting my lines and you have to pay for a bunch of the stuff. ### 4/5 — Good app for learning and experienced artists *2026-06-15, version 2026.4* I have loved this app for learning to draw and improve my artistic skills. One feature that I would love ti see back that was removed in a recent update, is the progress circle at the top of the screen during lessons,showing your progress during the lesson. Please bring back this feature or make it optional through the setting in the app. Keep up the good work! ### 4/5 — No hate *2026-05-20, version 2026.4* Why did it wipe all my progress!? First of all, how come when I left my first drawing it saved but for the daily one, it doesn’t!? Btw the app is good anyway ### 3/5 — Good but have to pay *2026-05-17, version 2026.4* It’s a good app overall the tutorials are easy to follow and I had fun doing it and there’s no ads either but I was disappointed that it is 50 dollars a year and you only get 1 free drawing a day but other then that I recommend it ### 3/5 — Should be called learn how to trace *2026-05-10, version 2026.4* This is not a drawing tutorial, it is a tracing tutorial. If you want something for therapy or just spending time putting pen to paper this is for you, but there is no instruction in this, it is literally just a tracing app ### 2/5 — Boring *2026-05-06, version 2026.4* It doesn’t really tell you where to put the shapes so I’m just doing anything ### 3/5 — 𝘐𝘥𝘬 *2026-04-24, version 2026.4* 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 3 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵? ### 2/5 — Just tracing, no teaching *2026-04-05, version 2026.3* With any drawing program suc as Procreate I can trace anything. The ghost layout lines aren’t explained at all, which is where the learning should occur. All this is seems to be is a tracing program that doesn’t seem to give any lasting benefit. Am I missing something? ### 2/5 — This is not for learning to draw :( *2026-03-26, version 2026.2* It really sucks bc it feels like you should be using this to learn to sketch but the order of operations is weird. Automatically switches between “pencils” doesn’t tell you which ones they are so if you want to touch up your sketch, you really can’t. You also can’t easily erase your first lines. It’d be better to watch a YouTube video and use any other app. (The order of operations makes me question if ai has a part in this but I didn’t see anything stating as such when quickly glancing over) ### 4/5 — Awesome *2026-02-22, version 2026.1* This was the first drawing app I got. It makes you feel like a pro and gets you used to drawing and shading. Unfortunately most drawings are under a subscription but overall a really good app. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Do not get this game *2026-08-30, version 2026.4* It made me buy everything I hate it so much ### 1/5 — Not free *2026-07-09, version 2026.4* This app was horrible and I couldn’t even choose what I wanted to do and we had to draw the lines again on top of each other and there were like tiny dots that got their very own little step making it take to long ### 1/5 — I *2026-06-09, version 2026.4* It’s bad why do you have to spend money just to get a sketch ### 1/5 — Buggy garbage *2026-04-23, version 2026.3* Don’t waste your money on this half finished app. Yes it has lots of content but there are better apps that don’t hate their customers. This app will quit out of a drawing while trying to pan without warning forcing you to start over. Sometimes you have to draw a line several times to get it to advance to the next stroke other times it jumps way ahead forcing you to rewind and pause the system. Never bothered to clean up the stroke recordings so a sizable chunk of strokes are pointless stray marks. It never tells you when to switch from stoke to shading or from sketching to inking. It’s like they just barely got it working and shipped it with 0 polish. If you want to enjoy their daily free drawing go for it. Personally I’m contacting support for my money back after not even getting through one drawing. What a joke. ### 1/5 — Apple Pencil Pro Does Not Work *2026-02-20, version 2026.1* Enabled the setting to draw with Apple Pencil, but it seems that the Apple Pencil Pro is unsupported. ### 1/5 — I mean.. Nah *2026-02-15, version 2026.1* You have to pay for everything and i don't have enough money to pay for art bro ### 1/5 — Regularly ignores inputs *2026-02-14, version 2026.1* great starter app and was surprised tracing paid off when i took it to just being creative. only real complaint is it regularly (dozens times on a big sketch) ignores inputs but other apps are drawing what the apple pencil is doing. seems the issue is with the line you're supposed to be following itself, other parts of the screen are responsive but the animation negates inputs then the negate space volume is still sctive when i should be drawing ### 1/5 — Had to pay for courses *2026-01-31, version 2025.6* I was really happy to download this app but every course in this app requires a subscription. Very disappointed. ### 1/5 — Argument *2026-01-07, version 2025.6* No beginners all sessions to hard ### 1/5 — Am sorry but *2025-12-28, version 2025.6* It’s kinda pay to win because WHY AM I PAYING TO DRAW A FREAKING BUNNY/RABBIT and I barely can do the lines pls make the line’s like ____________ ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Am-MEOW-zing *2026-08-16, version 2026.4* Love it ### 5/5 — I love it so much free kid a proved *2026-08-01, version 2026.4* All the other art apps are pay pay 💰 pay but this app is free and is so good I recommend this app it is better if you have an apple pensil but anything is okay ### 5/5 — Amazing app, but needs a custom photo import feature! *2026-06-15, version 2026.4* I absolutely love the blue-line tracing system in this app! It is the best drawing guide available. However, I really wish we could import our own photos to turn them into these interactive blue guides. I want to draw Christian and faith-based art, but the library doesn’t offer any. Letting us convert our own photos would bring so many new users to the app. Please add this features! ### 5/5 — Absolutely the best drawing app in the store. *2026-06-08, version 2026.4* There are over 2,000 drawing lessons you can do on your iPad. (Perhaps on your phone, I don’t know about that.) I LOVE THIS APP! When I started, I couldn’t even draw a straight line. There’s a game called Pictionary (sp?) that my husband and I used to play with friends. My poor husband…all he could come up with when I tried to draw anything, was “An ant?” Now I am confident that I can draw a recognisable sketch of pretty much anything. I do a lesson or two every day. I’ve tried every app that has to do with learning how to draw, and in my opinion, there’s nothing that can top this app. Besides enjoying drawing so much—I think it’s a lot like my meditations—the customer service is awesome. I highly recommend it. A lot of people have written not-so-great reviews, because they have to buy a subscription to get more than the daily drawing. I think that’s idiotic. Would they go to work everyday if they didn’t get a paycheque? I think not. ### 5/5 — I lava it!!” *2026-04-23, version 2026.3* Sooo good end of storyyyyy! ### 5/5 — Wowww - *2026-04-20, version 2026.3* Wow ### 5/5 — really fun and useful *2026-04-01, version 2026.3* i really enjoy the app it’s fun and very useful to exercise with I would really recommend to. anyone wanting to practice strokes and shapes. ### 5/5 — Good app, but I wish you didn’t have to pay… 😭 *2026-01-18, version 2025.6* So I got this app and started the Manga lesson, but that was basically all I could do. I wish that it was free and I could just learn how top draw. 😭😭 I would like this 1000% more if it was free. Please make it free so I can draw…. Btw only 5 stars so you actually see it maybe 3 stars irl. 😭😭😭😡🥺 ### 5/5 — Amazing. Really relaxing. *2026-01-14, version 2025.6* Had this app for about a week and really enjoying it. Not sure if I will learn to draw from it, but following the shadow lines is close enough for me. I find it very therapeutic and calming, I always draw before bed which helps me unwind. I have paid for the premium and really worth it. So many drawings, will keep me busy for a while. Overall, what a great app and well worth it. ### 5/5 — How do I change brush/ pen size??? *2026-01-12, version 2025.6* Good app but I want to know how can I change pen size please??? --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-31.*