SketchBook by Autodesk* is one of the most resourceful, useful, easy-to-use drawing and design app. It's also free, too. Will Sketchbook eventually dethrone Illustrator as the go-to tool for the graphic design industry? See, back when I was a college student, I had to learn the Big Three for my degree in graphic design. During my time in college, I had to learn Adobe Illustrator (which, in another post, had some resentment for). But while I was still in college, I discovered SketchBook, the drawing app released by Autodesk. Illustrator has a wide array of tools, yet is not very user-friendly -- at least, to a new user.

That's not to say that I don't know how to use Illustrator, but I do think that Adobe's interface is difficult to grasp for beginners, especially with Adobe deciding to overload their software with tools. SketchBook, on the other hand, is very simple to understand. Critics and longtime Adobe fanatics will even have to concede and agree. The layout, the moveable (as I like to call them) trays, and the simplicity of SketchBook is what makes this program worth getting. The library of 190+ brushes, the compatibility with PSD's, the ability to layer and add layer effects, and the ability to export artwork into JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, and PSD formats are additional features that make SketchBook worth trying out. Still not convinced? Well, I can't necessarily convince you to try out SketchBook. But, it is worth a try. You can download SketchBook for desktop from their website, as well as download the app from Google Play/App Store/Windows Store.

*Update: Sketchbook is no longer owned by Autodesk and is its own company.