Comparison

Creature Art Teacher vs Drawing from References

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Creature Art Teacher

Access over 800 hours of art and animation training from industry professionals. Learn animation, character design, digital illustration, and more. Download lessons for offline viewing on your devices.

Highlights
  • Over 800 hours of art and animation lessons
  • Offline viewing and downloads
  • Resume playback
  • Picture-in-Picture mode
  • Dark Mode support
  • Live stream support
Read full description

=== VOTED THE #1 Online Animation Course by ImagineFX Magazine and CreativeBloq.com === Over 800 Hours of Art & Animation Lessons. Including Many Free Lessons Now Supports: • RESUME PLAY: Continue watching where you left off! • Picture in Picture! • Dark Mode • Improved Interface • Free videos included with Sign Up! • FaceID/Touch ID Login • Login with Apple or Facebook • Live Stream Support This version of the app allows Existing & New customers of Creature Art Teacher to login and quickly view all their lessons.  SUPPORTS OFFLINE VIEWING - That's right this app is the easiest way to get your lessons saved to your device to watch whenever & wherever you want. Even monthly streaming members can download for offline watching! OVER 800+ HOURS OF LESSONS - Learn From Aaron Blaise and other industry pro as they teach: - Animation - Character Design - Creature Design - Digital Illustration & Painting - Storytelling - Storyboarding - Animal Drawing - Traditional Art Mediums - Cartooning - Over a DOZEN New Lessons Added for Purchase in the App. - & Much More!! Works on iPhone, iPad & AppleTV ------------------- About Aaron Blaise:  Aaron has over 35 years of professional art experience. He was hired by Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1989 and spent 21+ years helping create films such as: "Beauty & The Beast", "Pocahontas", "Mulan" and more. During his time at Disney, Aaron designed and animated numerous animal and human characters.  In 2003 he was nominated for an Academy Award for co-directing the film "Brother Bear" You can follow Aaron and see more of his art on Instagram. You can also see videos of his work on YouTube or follow him on Facebook. ===== Support Options ===== Questions or Concerns? Please email us at support@creatureartteacher.com or visit: https://creatureartteacher.com/support/ Terms Of Service URL: https://creatureartteacher.com/terms-conditions/ Privacy Policy URL: https://creatureartteacher.com/privacy-policy/ Apple EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Drawing from References

This app provides a vast library of curated portraits and poses for artists to practice and learn realistic drawing. It offers AI-powered portrait generation, customizable drawing aids like grids and filters, and access to additional reference collections.

Highlights
  • Vast library of portraits and poses
  • AI-powered custom portrait generation
  • Customizable grid overlay
  • Blur and grayscale filters
  • Searchable Unsplash database
  • Additional reference collections (hands, feet)
Features
Read full description

* No more "I don't know what to draw" Blank page anxiety is real. "Drawing from References" fixes it with thousands of curated portraits and poses you can actually use — no endless scrolling, no copyright headaches, just reference photos picked for artists who want to get better. * The tools that actually help - A huge library that keeps growing. Portraits, full-body poses, hands, feet, even still life setups. - AI portraits on demand (Premium) Need a specific look that doesn't exist yet? Generate one. Pick the gender, age, expression, hair, vibe — get a custom reference built for exactly what you're practicing. * Built-in drawing aids that don't get in your way - Grid overlay Nail your proportions without guessing. Adjustable, so it fits your style. - Blur filter See the big shapes first. Details can wait. - Grayscale filter Kill the color noise and train your eye on values — the thing that actually makes shading look right. * More than portraits Hands, feet, still life, and a direct line into Unsplash's massive photo library when you want something specific. * Practice with a plan, not just vibes Likeness, proportion, values — the stuff that trips everyone up. Drawing References gives you the reference and the tools to actually fix it, session after session. Download it. Open the app. Start drawing. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.drawingreferencesapp.com/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

Creature Art Teacher4 screens
Drawing from References4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Creature Art Teacher at 81% against Drawing from References's 25%. Creature Art Teacher also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.5) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Creature Art Teacher sells 36 one-off in-app purchases and Drawing from References sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Creature Art Teacher holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Creature Art Teacher has 54 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Creature Art Teacher's written reviews are positive against 25% of Drawing from References's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Creature Art Teacher ships an update every 6 weeks, Drawing from References every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and August 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Creature Art Teacher versus Drawing from References: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCreature Art TeacherDrawing from References
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (54 ratings) — better3.5 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews80.6% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings54 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.615.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB73 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperNicholas Burchfnx.io

Customer experience

Creature Art Teacher

All ratings54 ratings
Positive92.6%
Neutral1.9%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral3.2%
Negative16.1%

Drawing from References

All ratings10 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative30.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

In-app purchases

36 purchases

Creature Art Teacher

One-time36
  • How to Draw Bears$1.00
  • Gesture Drawing Course$1.00
  • Perspective Drawing Course$1.00
Show 33 more
  • Charcoal Drawing Course$1.00
  • Dynamic Lighting & The Figure$1.00
  • Digital Painting in Photoshop$5.00
  • Advanced Animation Course$5.00
  • Pen & Ink Drawing Tutorial$5.00
  • How to Pitch Your Ideas!$5.00
  • Let's Draw: Drawing Basics$5.00
  • Creature Design Course$5.00
  • How to Animate a 4 Leg Walk$10.00
  • Complete Animation Course$10.00
  • Watercolor Painting Course$10.00
  • 4 Leg Animation Bundle$10.00
  • How to Paint Light$10.00
  • Storyboarding Course$10.00
  • Sculpting in ZBrush$10.00
  • How to Draw Horses Course$15.00
  • Animation on Paper Course$15.00
  • Animate in Procreate Dreams$18.00
  • Drawing Clear Expressions$20.00
  • Creating in Procreate$24.00
  • 1 Page Screenplay Brad Raymond$24.00
  • 2DFX Animation Course$25.00
  • The Art of the Storyboard$25.00
  • Taking Control of Color!$25.00
  • Animal Character Design Course$28.00
  • How to Draw Human Anatomy$30.00
  • Character Design Course$35.00
  • How to Draw Birds of Prey$35.00
  • Draw Wolves, Coyotes & Foxes$39.00
  • Fundamentals of Animation$39.00
  • How to Draw Big Cats$45.00
  • Acting for Animation Course$55.00
  • Animal Drawing Bundle$75.00
2 purchases

Drawing from References

Subscriptions2
  • Upgrade to PRO7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Upgrade to PRO7 Days trial$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Creature Art Teacher free?
Creature Art Teacher is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drawing from References free?
Drawing from References is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Creature Art Teacher or Drawing from References?
Creature Art Teacher is rated higher. Creature Art Teacher averages 4.7 out of 5 from 54 ratings, while Drawing from References averages 3.5 from 10 ratings.
Do Creature Art Teacher or Drawing from References have ads?
Drawing from References shows ads; Creature Art Teacher does not.
Which is updated more often, Creature Art Teacher or Drawing from References?
Creature Art Teacher ships an update every 6 weeks, and Drawing from References every 2 months. Most recently, Creature Art Teacher was updated on September 22, 2026 and Drawing from References on August 18, 2026.

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