(Note: Also see my list of notetaking apps and other useful iPad apps for writers.)
I'm a big fan of notetaking and writing apps, so as soon as I got my iPad I immediately started trolling the iTunes store. One of the first apps I bought was SketchPad HD (99 cents). With SketchPad HD, you can type text AND draw on a virtual notepad.
What I liked:
You have a choice of paper textures:
What I didn't like:
To place text around the page with your artwork, you have to use the return key and the spacebar; you can't just click anywhere on the page. If you wanted your text to be at the very bottom of a page for example, you'd have to repeatedly hit the RETURN key until the cursor got to the right place.
The paper textures choice button disappears in landscape mode.
Scrolling doesn't work in landscape mode. This means that after type about a dozen lines, you can't see what you type anymore because it's covered up by the iPad keyboard:
When you e-mail yourself the document, you only get an image file. It would be nice if there was an option where you could get just the text sent, for use in word processing documents or To Do apps. Or the text-only file AND the image file -- that way you'd have the text info but also image to remind you of the layout.
I had hoped to use this app to work on my illustrated middle grade novel (story text illustrated with comics) but have had to look elsewhere.
Other wish list features:
In addition to the wish list features I mention above, here are some others:
- Be able to import an image from my Photo Library and be able to add text.
- Be able to Undo when drawing.
- Be able to change the thickness of the drawing line.
- Be able to change the colour of the text. Right now, the colour options only apply to the drawing line.
Summary:
For the low price tag (99 cents), this is a decent app for fun scribblings and casual notes, but it's not an app I'd be able to use for my writing/illustration project planning and brainstorming.
Link to the iTunes store: SketchPad HD.
