Screen shot from Draw & Tell app
This week I’m reviewing Draw & Tell. Draw & Tell is an art and story telling app developed by Duck Duck Moose, a design team that now collaborates with the nonprofit educational organization Khan Academy. The app allows the user to draw or color an image then narrate and animate their work to make a story.
Intended Use: The app is intended for making art.
Target Audience: The app is listed as being appropriate for ages four and up and the creators recommend it for ages three to nine. The bright colors and simple interface make it appropriate for young children (under ten) to use by themselves. Care givers can also support even younger children by working together.
Usability: The interface is easy to navigate with a touch screen and does not rely heavily on text. The app allows users to draw and paint with a wide range of colors on a blank canvas, a patterned background, or a photograph from the camera roll. There are also premade stickers which can be placed on top of the drawing and moved around while recording a story.
Cost: The app is free to download and there are no ads.
Technical Requirements: Available for iOS.
Pro’s: The app is easy to use and engaging for younger children. There are sound effects and music which help keep the user engaged in their art making (these can be turned off from the home screen). After making a piece of art, the user can record their voice to tell a story. During the recording process, they can move stickers around on the page to create an animation. Saved pictures can be organized into groups which allow the user to tell a story with multiple scenes. Completed works can be saved to the camera roll then easily shared through email or text.
Con’s: The user has limited ability to customize the drawing tools in the app. The main difference between each of the tools (paint, colored pencil, and crayon) is the width of rather than the texture of the tool. It is helpful to have a fine, medium, and thick brush, however, they are all solid colors. There are many bright colors available but the user cannot blend or mix their colors within the app.
Is it worth it? This app is worth your time if you have or work with young children. It may be a natural fit for art therapy as the app can support both art making and age-appropriate processing whether that is labeling, telling a story, or making an artist statement. It has features which support the creation of both simple and complex narratives. I imagine that expressive arts therapists can incorporate music (played during the recording phase). The app may also be a beneficial tool if you work with families (e.g. parent/caregiver and child can use the app together to facilitate art and story telling to improve their relationship, send greetings to family members who may live far away, etc.).
The app is not appropriate for older children or most adults as the interface is purposefully juvenile. Older children may reject it as “babyish” and adults may feel infantilized. Krita, ArtRage, Procreate, and Art Set are affordable alternatives for more sophisticated drawings. Visionn, Just a Line, or Stop Motion Studio are more age-appropriate video apps for adolescents and adults.