Artmate: Drawing Together

Artmate: Drawing Together analysis by Appwee

I judge a drawing app less by how impressive its finished pictures look than by how easily it gets people to start making them. Artmate: Drawing Together has an appealing premise: it brings shared drawing and guided lessons into an art-focused app, so the point is not just to create a polished image but to enjoy the process with someone else. That makes it a different fit from a traditional sketchbook app, where you are usually working alone and expected to supply the ideas as well as the technique.

My overall impression is that Artmate is best considered a casual creative activity rather than a full digital-art studio. Its appeal is the low-pressure combination of drawing with friends and learning through lessons. Braly JSC has made an app that should suit people who want a reason to pick up a stylus or finger and begin, even if they do not think of themselves as artists. The trade-off is that anyone looking for deep illustration tools, precise project control, or professional output may be happier elsewhere.

How Artmate feels in everyday use

A quick start matters more than a fast brush

Artmate’s design idea suggests a useful kind of speed: reducing the time between “we should draw something” and actually having a shared activity to do. Easy lessons can help when a blank canvas feels intimidating, while the multiplayer angle gives friends a common focus instead of leaving everyone to invent a subject. That combination is especially handy for a short creative break, a relaxed call, or a family activity where participants have different levels of confidence.

There is an important distinction between an app feeling quick to start and a drawing engine feeling technically fast. The confirmed details establish the app’s collaborative and lesson-based purpose, but do not establish how brush strokes respond on every device or connection. I would therefore approach it as a casual activity first, rather than assume it will behave like a specialized art program with fine-tuned tools. If you are testing it with a friend, begin with a simple subject and a short session; that gives you a fair feel for the shared workflow before you commit to a more ambitious drawing.

One practical tip is to agree on a subject before opening the canvas. In a shared creative session, choosing what to draw can take longer than drawing itself, particularly if one person wants a lesson and another wants to improvise. A small prompt such as a pet, a snack, or a made-up character keeps the activity moving and makes the lessons easier to use as a starting point rather than a rigid assignment.

When several people are drawing at once

The app’s most distinctive promise is that drawing can be social. That changes the way I would use it: instead of treating a lesson as homework, I would use it as a shared warm-up, then let each person interpret the subject in their own way. It is also a natural option for someone who wants to make art with a child or a less experienced friend without turning the session into a critique. The activity itself supplies a reason to participate, even when nobody is aiming for a gallery-ready result.

Busy sessions can expose the limits of any collaborative drawing setup. People may work at different speeds, have different ideas about what the picture should become, or simply need time to get comfortable with the controls. A helpful approach is to keep the first drawing uncomplicated and take turns suggesting the next detail. That reduces the chance that a group session becomes a tug-of-war over the canvas, and gives beginners room to contribute without needing to match someone else’s skill.

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I would not treat Artmate as a replacement for a focused solo workflow when a project needs careful layers, exact line work, or a predictable production process. Those are the kinds of needs that usually favor a dedicated illustration app. Artmate’s strength is the activity around drawing: lessons offer direction, and the social premise makes it easier to start together. If the goal is simply to relax and make something with another person, those priorities matter more than an extensive professional toolset.

Reliability is also about the people in the session

For this kind of app, a reliable experience is not only about whether the screen stays responsive. The session also depends on everyone being ready to participate, having a suitable device, and sharing expectations about how structured the drawing should be. I would plan a first session as a brief experiment rather than a long event: choose an easy lesson, see how the group likes the pace, and decide whether to continue. That is a low-risk way to learn whether the app fits your particular mix of artists and non-artists.

I cannot responsibly promise identical performance across phones or network conditions. Collaborative use can be more sensitive to connection and device differences than drawing by yourself, so if a session feels uneven, simplify the activity before concluding that the app is unsuitable. Try a less detailed drawing and avoid asking beginners to keep up with someone making rapid changes. This is a practical way to separate a difficult group workflow from a genuine device or responsiveness problem.

The app is currently at version 1.1.38, and its average rating is 4.8 from around eleven thousand ratings. That gives a prospective user a useful sense of its broad reception, but it does not guarantee that every lesson, device, or group setup will feel equally smooth. I see the rating as encouragement to try it, not a substitute for checking whether its collaborative style matches how you and your friends actually like to draw.

Choosing a device and setting expectations

Artmate is a free art-and-design app for Android, with optional in-app purchases priced from $0.99 to $14.99 per item. It is rated for Everyone, and the stated minimum operating-system requirement is version 7.0. That makes it a plausible choice for a broad household, including younger users, though an adult may still want to guide a child through the device and purchase settings. The free entry point is useful for trying the basic idea before deciding whether any optional purchase is worthwhile.

Screen size can affect how comfortable a drawing activity feels, even when the same app is available. On a compact phone, a simple lesson or a quick shared sketch is likely to be more comfortable than intricate work that calls for fine control. A larger screen may make it easier to see details and draw with more space, but I would not assume that a larger device automatically turns the app into a professional canvas. Match the ambition of the drawing to the screen in front of you.

Resource demands deserve the same cautious approach. The app’s purpose is clear, but there is no basis here for promising a particular battery life, memory footprint, or performance on older hardware. If you are using an older device, start with a short session and pay attention to how it feels during ordinary drawing. For a group activity, it is sensible to charge devices beforehand and keep expectations modest; a casual shared sketch does not need to become a stress test.

Who will enjoy it, and who may prefer another app

Artmate is a strong candidate for friends who want a shared creative pastime, beginners who benefit from guided prompts, and families looking for an easy activity that does not depend on winning or competing. It can also help someone who wants to draw more often but struggles to come up with a subject. A lesson gives the session a starting point, while the multiplayer concept turns practice into something social rather than solitary.

On the other hand, I would steer serious digital illustrators toward a dedicated drawing program when precision and control are the priority. If you prefer working alone, need an elaborate tool workflow, or want to export a carefully refined piece as the main objective, the social lesson format may feel like an unnecessary layer. Likewise, someone who dislikes learning through guided exercises may get more out of a blank-canvas sketching app. Artmate is most compelling when you actually want the company and structure, not merely a place to draw.

Its reach is substantial: the app has more than ten million installs, and Braly JSC developed it for people who want drawing to feel approachable. That scale suggests it has found an audience, but the more useful question is whether you have a friend or family member who would join you. Without another person, its collaborative premise becomes less central; with the right partner, it can turn a small pocket of free time into an activity you might otherwise never start.

Making a shared session work for different skill levels

A useful way to keep the experience welcoming is to agree on what “finished” means before anyone starts. For one person, that might be completing the lesson; for another, it may simply be adding a few details and having a laugh. Setting that expectation prevents the more confident drawer from unintentionally turning a casual exercise into a demonstration the beginner feels obliged to copy. In a family setting, letting each person choose one detail to add can give quieter participants a clear way into the activity.

For a short evening session, I would treat the lesson as a launchpad rather than a test. Start by following its direction long enough for everyone to understand the subject, then pause and let the group decide whether to keep following along or make variations. This small change gives the activity structure without making it feel like a class. It also gives you a simple answer if someone asks whether the app is only for people who already know how to draw: the shared prompt can provide a starting point, while the group decides how seriously to take it.

There is also a practical trade-off between drawing together and drawing side by side. A collaborative activity can make it easier to stay motivated, but it asks the group to compromise on pace and ideas. If your friend mainly wants quiet practice, a solo sketching app may be a better fit; if you both like reacting to one another’s choices, the social format is the reason to choose Artmate over a basic blank canvas.

What to expect before committing time or money

The free download lowers the barrier to trying the central idea, while optional purchases mean I would check what an item offers before buying rather than assume it is necessary. If you are introducing the app to a child, it is sensible to review purchase controls on the device first and agree that the first session is about trying the drawing experience. That keeps the decision simple: see whether lessons and shared creativity are enjoyable before spending anything.

Another reasonable question is whether a person can enjoy it without being especially artistic. I think that is exactly where guided drawing and a shared prompt can help, because the session has a focus beyond producing a perfect image. It is less suited to someone who finds any guided exercise restrictive or who wants complete control over a complex illustration. In that case, a dedicated drawing tool will feel more direct and offer a better match for the intended work.

My performance verdict

I would recommend giving Artmate a try if your idea of a good drawing app includes encouragement, company, and a clear way to begin. Its best performance is not a benchmark number but how well its lessons and shared-drawing concept can lower the barrier to making something together. For an everyday use case, I can see it fitting into a quiet evening: one person picks a simple lesson, another joins, and the goal is to enjoy the attempt rather than judge the result.

Keep the first session short, choose an uncomplicated subject, and let each participant work at a comfortable pace. Those small choices are likely to matter more than demanding a flawless technical experience from the outset. If you find that you want more intricate tools or a private, highly controlled workspace, switch to a dedicated art app for that work; you can still use Artmate for the social side of drawing.

My recommendation is therefore specific, not universal: Artmate is worth trying when drawing together is the point. It is free to start, aimed at all ages, and built around a welcoming mix of lessons and collaboration. Just do not mistake that approachable focus for a promise of professional-grade performance or detailed studio controls. For casual creative time with another person, that distinction is exactly what makes the app appealing.

Artmate: Drawing Together Pros and Cons