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Tayasui Sketches

An app that feels like a real paper sketchbook with lifelike paints.

Photo & videoSketching and paintingDrawing for beginners and kidsFree plan+1 more
Get Tayasui SketchesBuild your own drawing appFree plan

What Tayasui Sketches does

Tayasui Sketches is a calm, minimal drawing app that feels like a paper sketchbook. It has 20+ realistic tools, including a wet watercolor brush, and works on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android. You can start free and upgrade to Pro for layers and extra tools.

20+ realistic pens, pencils and paints
Wet watercolor brush that blends on the page
Clean screen that stays out of your way
Apple Pencil and pressure stylus support
Folders and cloud sync
Layers and PSD files with Pro

Tayasui Sketches is for people who find big painting apps overwhelming. The screen is clean, the tools look like real pens and paints, and you can be sketching within seconds.

There are more than 20 tools, including pencil, felt pen, oil pastel, acrylic, airbrush, and dry and wet watercolor that spreads and blends. It supports Apple Pencil and pressure styluses, imports photos, and keeps drawings in folders with cloud sync.

Pro adds layers (with PSD import and export), tool variants, a brush editor, patterns and more. The App Store lists both a one-time Pro Version and weekly or yearly plans at different prices, so look at what the app offers you before paying.

Made by a small studio, it has been around since 2013 and is still updated. It rates a little lower on Google Play than on the App Store.

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Who it's for

Beginners who want a simple, pretty sketchbook
Casual sketchers and watercolor fans

Skip it if: Illustrators who need many free layers and pro tools.

Pricing

Free plan
Free, with paid extras

Tayasui Sketches is free to download. Pro is sold as weekly or yearly plans and as a one-time Pro Version. The US App Store lists prices from $2.99 to $69.99, including $7.99 for the Pro Version, so check what the app shows you.

Prices can vary by country. Checked 19 Oct 2026.

What people like

  • Very easy to start
  • Lovely, realistic watercolor
  • On iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android
  • Small independent studio

Watch out for

  • Layers need Pro
  • Many different Pro prices and plan lengths
  • Lower rating on Google Play than on the App Store

Want a sketchbook that feels like yours? Build your own.

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Try this idea: “a calm sketchbook app with a few realistic pens and a watercolor brush, where each drawing is saved as a page I can flip through”

Questions people ask

Is Tayasui Sketches free?

Yes, you can download it and sketch for free. Pro adds layers, extra tools and a brush editor.

Does Tayasui Sketches work on Android?

Yes. It is on Google Play as well as the App Store.

Is Tayasui Sketches good for beginners?

Yes. It is one of the simplest drawing apps to start with, with realistic tools and a clean screen.