If da Vinci Had a Tablet

Leonardo da Vinci was a cutting-edge artist and inventor during his time, so imagine what he could do with access to modern technology like tablets, styluses and all the creative art and drawing apps to go with them. Here are some apps that would make even the original Renaissance Man himself grin.

To create Louvre-worthy works in different mediums, Sketchbook from Autodesk works on multiple platforms in free and paid versions with a wide variety of tools. Sketchbook’s multi-touch interface and a stylus can access numerous layers, brushes, pens and other drawing tools. Finished with a scribble or masterstroke? Users can save their work to an in-tablet gallery and share it with their social media contacts and critics.

Sometimes, however, nothing compares to the art of drawing. Paper by Fifty Three was named by Apple as 2102 iPad App of the Year for its “simply beautiful” approach to drawing. Sketching, outlining, coloring, mixing and more can be done elegantly with Paper. The app and essential tools are free, with additional brushes, pens and other items available to purchase in the iTunes store.

For the doodling-inclined, Bamboo Paper is designed to replicate the experience of a paper notebook with fun and simple sketch functions. It works best with a Bamboo Stylus, which allows for a realistic note-taking and sketching experience that combines the best of old-fashioned doodling with modern technology.

Artists who are Adobe users, on the other hand, can work with Adobe Ideas to create and save vector images from a tablet onto the Creative Cloud for access on the go. The app also features multiple layers, customizable brushes and shortcuts for undoing and redoing changes.

With these tools, a wireless tablet and creative brilliance, any artist can be a digital da Vinci.