Simply Draw: Learn to Draw

Analysis by Mobxio

I like Simply Draw: Learn to Draw most as a calm, guided way to get past the blank page. It is an education app from Simply Ltd, built around lessons that break drawing into steps rather than asking you to invent a finished picture from scratch. That makes it approachable if you are curious about drawing but unsure where to begin. It is less compelling if you already have a preferred subject, technique, or structured art curriculum in mind.

The distinction that matters is what kind of help you want when you sit down to draw. This app offers a route through a lesson, not a blank digital canvas or a teacher looking over your shoulder. I find that focus useful for getting started, provided you see each finished sketch as one practice session rather than proof that you have mastered a skill.

Why the step-by-step approach works

The useful idea here is not that every lesson will turn a beginner into an artist; it is that a sequence of manageable actions can make starting feel less intimidating. When you are learning, deciding what to draw and how to begin can be harder than putting pencil to paper. A guided lesson narrows that decision down and gives you a clear next move.

I would treat each exercise as practice in looking as much as practice in drawing. Instead of worrying about whether the result resembles a polished illustration, pay attention to how each step changes the shapes on the page. That small shift makes the app more valuable: it can help you build patience and observation, not just produce a drawing to show someone.

There is a practical way to use lessons without turning them into passive screen time. Keep paper and a pencil nearby, pause whenever you need to catch up, and draw each stage yourself before moving on. If a particular step feels awkward, spend another minute on it instead of racing to the end. This gives the lesson room to become an exercise rather than a sequence you merely watch or copy at speed.

That approach also helps with a common beginner frustration: a drawing that looks wrong halfway through. Early shapes may seem crude or out of proportion before later details bring them together. I would resist erasing everything at the first imperfect line. Let the next step clarify the form, then compare the overall result with the parts you found difficult. The process can teach you what to notice next time.

A useful routine for short practice sessions

One realistic use is a brief evening drawing break after work or school. Choose a lesson, set aside a few quiet minutes, and aim to complete one careful attempt rather than several rushed ones. If you have only a small amount of time, stop at a natural pause and return later instead of squeezing in the whole exercise. That makes the app easier to fit into an ordinary day and keeps practice from feeling like another obligation.

More Stories to Explore

Uber Eats After the OS Update: Better Tracking, More Permission Friction

Google Chrome Wins App of the Week for Making Everyday Browsing Easier

Wordscapes Makes the Five-Minute Break Feel Complete

Switching to Audible Means Building a Listening Habit

Moovit Review: A Better Transit Guide When Your City Has the Data

Brave’s Privacy Has Limits Set by Android and iOS

A second, less obvious use is to repeat a lesson after a gap. On the first attempt, focus on following the sequence. When you return, try to anticipate the next shape before checking the guidance. You can then see whether you have started to understand the construction or are still relying on each instruction. That simple comparison makes repetition more informative than drawing the same image twice without a goal.

For families, the stepwise format can also give an adult and child a shared activity without requiring the adult to teach drawing. The age rating is Everyone, so the app is broadly suitable from a content standpoint. Still, I would sit with younger children at first: keeping track of a lesson and translating it to paper can take more concentration than the finished picture suggests.

If you are setting it up for a child, I would also make the purchase decision a separate conversation from the drawing activity. The app is free to install, while optional in-app purchases range from $14.99 to $89.99 per item. Before approving anything, check the purchase details together and decide whether the lesson approach is genuinely holding their interest. That is a more useful test than treating a completed drawing as a reason to buy.

Where it sits among drawing options

Compared with a blank sketchbook, Simply Draw offers more direction at the moment you might otherwise give up. Compared with a general drawing or painting tool, its appeal is learning through lessons rather than experimenting with a large set of creative controls. That is a meaningful distinction. If you want to understand how to build a drawing one step at a time, guided instruction is a sensible starting point; if you want to freely doodle, edit images, or explore digital brushes, a creative canvas may suit you better.

It is also different from a formal art course. A course can give you a broader sequence of concepts and a more systematic way to study fundamentals. This app’s step-based format is easier to approach casually, but it should not be mistaken for a complete substitute for learning proportion, perspective, light, or anatomy in depth. I would use it to build a regular habit and confidence, then add books, classes, or independent studies if your ambitions grow.

The app is free to install, with in-app purchases ranging from $14.99 to $89.99 per item. That makes it sensible to try the free experience before deciding whether any paid option is worthwhile for you. I would base that decision on whether the lesson style keeps you drawing over time, not on the promise of a quick result. The price range also makes it worth checking the purchase details in the app before committing, especially if you are setting it up for a child.

One practical question is whether this is best used with a phone or a larger screen. I would choose whichever lets you see the lesson comfortably while keeping your paper in reach; the point is to transfer each stage onto your own page, not to turn the device into the drawing surface. If your screen feels cramped or you keep losing your place while looking back and forth, try setting the device upright beside your sketchbook and pausing at each step. A little setup can make following along less fiddly.

Limits worth knowing before you start

Step-by-step guidance can make starting easier, but it can also encourage copying without much independent decision-making. If you always wait for the next instruction, you may finish individual pictures without learning how to plan your own. To avoid that, after completing a lesson, try drawing the subject again from memory or changing one small feature. The point is not to make a better version immediately; it is to test what you understood.

The format may also feel restrictive to someone who prefers to choose a subject and work at their own pace. A lesson sequence gives you a path, but that is precisely why it will not satisfy every kind of learner. If your main goal is expressive sketching, developing a personal style, or working on a specific reference, your own sketchbook or a more open-ended drawing app gives you more control.

Another trade-off is that guided exercises can make progress feel tied to finishing lessons. Drawing skill rarely grows in a perfectly tidy line, and a completed picture is not a reliable measure of what you learned. I suggest keeping a few attempts, including the messy ones, and looking back after a while. Changes in steadiness, shape recognition, and willingness to try can matter more than whether one result looks impressive.

For that reason, I would not use lesson completion as the only measure of whether the app is working for you. After a session, note one thing that felt easier and one thing that still needs practice, such as keeping a curve consistent or judging the space between shapes. That small reflection turns a guided activity into a more deliberate routine, and it can help you decide whether to repeat a lesson, try a different subject, or move on to another learning resource.

Device compatibility is worth checking before installing: the current version is 1.14.1 and requires Android 11 or later. The app has a 4.7 average from around 319,000 ratings, with about 4,200 written reviews, and has been installed over 10 million times. Those figures indicate broad interest, but they do not tell you whether its teaching rhythm will match your own; a short trial is still the best way to judge that.

Who is likely to get the most from it?

I would recommend the app to someone who says, “I want to draw, but I never know what to put on the page.” It is particularly well suited to beginners who appreciate clear prompts, people restarting a hobby after a long break, and anyone looking for a low-pressure activity they can pick up in spare moments. Its education focus is most useful when you approach lessons with a pencil in hand and treat them as practice, not simply entertainment.

I would be more cautious about recommending it to an experienced artist seeking technical critique or a deep, carefully sequenced course. It may also be the wrong fit for a learner who dislikes imitation and wants to invent every image independently. In those cases, a live class, a subject-specific tutorial, or an open drawing tool may provide the challenge or freedom that guided lessons cannot.

If you are unsure whether the format will suit you, try one lesson with a specific question in mind: can you follow the steps at a comfortable pace, and do you understand more about the shapes by the end? If the answer is yes, another session is likely worthwhile. If you mainly feel impatient to draw your own subject, that is useful information too; an open sketchbook or a more flexible creative app may be a better match.

My verdict: this is a welcoming starting point, not a shortcut to mastery. Its strongest quality is that it turns the vague intention to learn drawing into an action you can take right away. Its main limitation is the same quality viewed from another angle: a guided path can narrow the kind of practice you do. If you want a gentle nudge to draw regularly, Simply Draw: Learn to Draw is an easy app to try. If you want advanced instruction or unrestricted creative control, choose a more specialized route and use this one only as a supplement.

Get Simply Draw: Learn to Draw in Another Language