Draw amazing art on paper

Learn drawing with real-time AR tracing — even if you’ve never drawn before.

Choose Camera or Canvas mode, follow the lines with a pencil, and turn templates or your own photos into sketches you can be proud of. Built for beginners, kids, and anyone who wants to draw more often.

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Free to download on iOS & Android · 500+ templates · AI Generate included

Sketch.ly app with AI generate, templates, and creative drawing tools

Drawing modes

Camera or Canvas — your way

Two ways to trace. Pick the setup that fits your desk, then draw with confidence — Sketch.ly guides every line so starting feels easy, not intimidating.

Phone on a desk mount above a sketchbook while tracing an anime character with a pencil

Draw from Camera

Prop your phone with a cup, tripod, or books. Sketch.ly projects the reference through the camera so you can follow lines directly on real paper — like a lightbox, but anywhere you sit.

Keep both hands free while you sketch. Nudge opacity when lines get hard to see, zoom into details, lock the frame so nothing drifts, and flip the image when you need a mirrored pose.

Quick tip: A stable mount and soft desk lighting make Camera mode feel effortless from the first stroke.

Hands-free tracing on real paper or a wall
Opacity, zoom, lock & flip controls
Record your drawing process as you go
Ideal for larger sketches and longer sessions

Tracing a teddy bear on translucent paper placed over a phone screen in Canvas mode

Draw on Canvas

Place translucent paper over your phone screen and follow the lines. Perfect when you want a simple, portable setup — no tripod, no mounting, just paper and pencil.

Canvas mode is great on the couch, at a café table, or traveling light. Use the same templates, photo sketches, and AI references you love, then trace at a comfortable scale on the display.

Quick tip: Use thin tracing paper or baking parchment so the outline stays crisp without scratching the screen.

Trace directly on the display
Great for travel and small spaces
Same templates & photo sketches
Fastest way to start a quick doodle session

Simple flow

How to draw with Sketch.ly

From template to finished sketch in four steps — no art school required, just follow the flow.

Browse & select

Pick from 500+ templates across 30+ categories, or turn your own photo into a clean sketch outline ready to trace.

Choose your mode

Set up Camera for paper under a propped phone, or Canvas to place paper on the screen — whichever fits your space.

Trace & draw

Adjust opacity and zoom until the lines feel comfortable, then follow them with pencil or pen at your own pace.

Capture & share

Snap a photo or record a timelapse of your process, save it to your device, and share your finished piece with friends.

AI Generate

Describe it. Create it. Sketch it.

Turn text prompts or photos into art-ready references, then start sketching with your favorite style. AI Generate helps you invent something new when templates aren’t enough — then Sketch.ly helps you draw it on paper.

Text to Photo — describe a scene, character, or mood and generate a reference
Photo to Photo — restyle your own pictures into sketch-friendly looks
Style presets like Pencil, Anime, and Charcoal for instant direction

Text to Photo Photo to Photo Pencil Anime Charcoal

Start Creating

Sketch.ly AI mascot creating sketches, photos, and text art

Inspiration

What you can draw

Explore 30+ categories — from anime and animals to anatomy and text art. Whether you’re practicing portraits, warming up with doodles, or tracing something you love, there’s a place to start.

Animals

Realistic and cartoon animals with guided outlines — pets, wildlife, and fun characters.

Anime

Favorite characters and manga-style outlines that are satisfying to follow line by line.

Food

Playful food art that’s fun for quick sessions and colorful sketchbook pages.

Anatomy

Portraits and figure studies that help you build confidence with faces and form.

Birds

Feathers, wings, and wildlife sketches with clear shapes for clean tracing.

Vehicles

Cars, bikes, and detailed machine forms when you want sharper geometric practice.

Text Art

Stylized lettering from a library of fonts — great for names, titles, and posters.

Your Photos

Convert any photo into a traceable sketch and draw people, places, and memories you care about.

Realistic pencil sketch portrait of a young woman resting her head on her hand

Split portrait showing photo on the left and matching pencil sketch on the right

Finished pencil portrait of a man with sunglasses on a desk with pencils and leaves

Ready to draw your next masterpiece?

Download Sketch.ly free on iOS and Android. Start with AR Camera or Canvas tracing, explore 500+ templates, convert photos to sketches, and create fresh references with AI Generate — then put pencil to paper.

Download on App Store Get it on Google Play

150K+ Downloads

500+ Templates

4.8★ App Store rating

30+ Categories