Flow: Note Taking & Sketchbook

I’ve been searching for a drawing program EXACTLY like this for years now. Everything is exactly how I’ve wished drawing programs would be and feels completely natural. I got an iPad hoping to reignite my passion for art but didn’t have much luck because the programs I was using didn’t flow (no pun intended) or feel natural. I felt held back. Switching to Flow has brought everything I loved about art back full-force. It’s easy to use and just feels “right.” For the first time in years I’ve been looking forward to drawing every second of my day- during work all I can think about is how excited I am to draw during break, and after my break, I can hardly wait to get home to keep drawing. Art was such an important thing to me growing up and losing it hit me hard. Flow bringing my enthusiasm back means more to me than I could put into words. **Edit: I originally wrote this saying that I wished layers would be added, but after a few days of usage, I take that back. I’ve quickly adjusted to not using layers (though I will say, I’m used to using 2-3 layers at most, so there wasn’t a huge readjustment I had to go through) and I prefer the program without them. I never noticed before how much layers stall and complicate the process. So, I truly and honestly wouldn’t change anything about Flow. I honestly think it’s the perfect art program.

I have hastily tried around 20 different apps in search of a suitable application to perform remote teaching once Covid had forced me out of the classroom. I’m a math professor and needed an application that allowed an unlimited page length. I attempted to get by with others that had other helpful drawing tools, but having to open a new page every couple minutes ultimately made those apps a deal breaker. Now, apples notes was working well, but the inability to save in a format other than its own proprietary file system left me in search of a solution. At this point I discovered Flow which had almost everything that I needed. There is always room for improvement, but the developers seem to be on top of all that while making continual updates as well as creating new features (rulers as of late). I would like to see the ability to draw a strait line without having to open the ruler for that, but this is something users can ask for and the developers appear to listen. That one aspect alone is a huge game changer for me. I’m just not used to using software where the devs listen to the customer/users. All in all, flow and it’s other apps have proved to be absolutely essential for teaching remotely. I could go on and on about how I use the features to create a learning environment that makes the remote learning process much less painless for both me and my students, but I’d suggest give it a try.

Learn from 53, Flow team. Once upon a time there was an app called Paper, by 53. It failed to improve and progress the way it’s users needed it to and now it’s a piece of crap. You guys are riding a very thin line with having minimal tools and options while still remaining relevant and having a very elegant app that’s a joy to use. As long as apps like Procreate exist, where you only pay once and can be as “pro” or as basic as you want with it, Flow is going to be a challenging sell. You’re riding on brand and aesthetics and that may not carry you forever. But I get the vision of Flow and I personally love it. I’m a graphic designer, so it’s nice having a digital space to draw and think while not worrying about layers or being too granular with my sketches. Flow gives me permission to be messy, and I like that. The paper formats are nice, I’ve found myself using the ruled format from time to time to take notes since Flow has my favorite interface (and sounds!) of any drawing app...so why not? Tools are great, I love the color picker and lack of total freedom while still having a TON of options. I don’t feel restricted with color. I’d be wary with adding much in the way of functionality, but new tools from time to time would be fun. I’m looking forward to the app getting better at what it already does as opposed to becoming more feature-heavy.