The number one thing this website offers is free, printable iPhone sketch paper. We live in a world with an iPad that’s a sketchbook, where Wacom tablets are the number one choice for designers, where the Surface Studio just came out, and yet there are still thousands of people that come to this website just to download printable, normal paper.
There’s something undeniable about the physical feedback of putting a real pencil down on real paper. You can’t tab over to distracting websites, and your eyes aren’t held open by the bright blue light of an LCD screen. Even those of us who don’t usually use paper in our workflows love the way paper and pencil feels in our hand. That’s why today’s article is dedicated to what you can do to get the most out of sketching your app on paper and pencil.
Love Your App
There’s nothing in the world that can make up for not loving your app. If you don’t love the app you’re sketching, your work will never be impressive and your work will never make it to the front page of Dribbble. If you don’t love the app, mix it up, look for inspiration, try different things until you do. Your app will be great, and (more to the point), you’ll enjoy the work.
The Art is in the Artist (Not the Tools)
Artists and designers can get wound up about the types of paper they’re using, or the types of pencils, or the weights, or the marks they make, or the brands, or - you see where this is going. Turns out that the art is in the artist, not the pencil he uses. Forget about what type of materials you’re using, and focus on sketching the best app possible. The best app looks impressive, even if it’s drawn on a napkin with a restaurant pen.
Keep Everything You Need Handy
Nothing puts a damper on creativity like having to get up and search around for something that you need. Keeping an organized workspace (or backpack or messenger bag) that has all your tools by you is something you should do to make sure nothing interrupts you. Along with this you can work in a room with a closed door, with headphones, or in a situation where people won’t come in and interrupt you.
Start with Simple Shapes
Well designed apps can look impressive because of their animations, gradients, or subtle designs like shadows, but all of those build on the basic menu structures. Spend time with basic shapes drawing black and white menus to get a feel for your app’s interface. When you’ve got the interface figured out, then you can take out your colored pens and start with the art.