Atelier vs Proref

Draw With Accuracy. Learn With Structure. Atelier: Art Grid is a professional reference and construction tool for artists who want to draw or paint with accuracy and confidence. Designed for traditional and digital artists alike, Atelier helps you analyze proportions, understand head structure, and transfer reference images to paper or canvas using proven academic methods. The app focuses on clarity, precision, and minimal distraction, giving you exactly what you need while you draw, and nothing you don’t. CORE WORKFLOWS Loomis Head Construction * Overlay a structured Loomis head directly onto your reference * Adjust orientation, scale, and alignment to match the subject * Ideal for learning head rotation, proportion, and placement Measurement & Proportion Tools * Place multiple measurement lines on your reference * Check distances, angles, and relative proportions * Toggle measurements on and off as you work Color & Value Analysis * Sample colors directly from your reference * Analyze value relationships to support accurate rendering * Useful for painters and realistic drawing workflows * Color mixing guide. STUDIO FEATURES * Grid System: Precise grid overlays for scaling and transfer * Canvas Presets: Match common paper and canvas formats * Layer Visibility Control: Show only the tools you need * High-Resolution Zoom: Maintain position while inspecting detail * Clean Drawing Mode: Designed for long, focused sessions BUILT FOR ARTISTS * No ads * No social features * No clutter Atelier is intentionally narrow in scope, built for artists who care about fundamentals, structure, and craft. Whether you are studying portrait drawing, refining your proportions, or preparing a reference for a finished work, Atelier supports the way artists actually work.

Proref is where your references live while you draw — and where the finished piece goes afterwards. GATHER YOUR REFERENCES Drop everything you're looking at onto one huge canvas and arrange it into a board. Import from Photos, your camera, Files, a web link, the share sheet, or by dragging straight in from Safari. Zoom from 2% to 25,600%, so the board grows with the project. WORK BESIDE THEM Proref is built for Split View: your references on one side, your drawing app on the other. Sketch and annotate over them with Apple Pencil, with pressure. Tune brightness, contrast and saturation, or crop non-destructively — the original is always recoverable. A minimap shows where you are, and saved views jump you back to any spot in one tap. KEEP THE PIECE, AND THE LESSON When something's finished, keep it. Attach a piece to the board it came from, open it full screen, and see everything you've made on a dated timeline — as a gallery to swipe or a list to scan. Note what worked and what didn't while it's fresh, star the things to carry forward, and those notes sit in a pane on the board while you draw the next one. If you'd rather Proref stayed purely a reference app, turn the art journey off in Settings and it does. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT No accounts. No sign-in. No server. No tracking, no analytics, no ads. Your boards, your artworks and your critique notes stay on your device. FREE, WITH A ONE-TIME UNLOCK Proref is free to use with 2 boards, 10 images per board, 3 saved views, 5 finished artworks, and 3 focused critique notes per piece. Proref Pro removes those limits and unlocks every feature — a single one-time purchase, not a subscription. Buy it once and restore it on your other devices.