Founder Aleksandr Ulitin's earliest spark for what would become one of the best drawing apps for iPad came not from a business plan but from an engineering challenge. "I used to draw before, and at some point an algorithm came to my mind that would allow determining drawing accuracy," he recalls. "And that was enough of a challenge for me to try it out."
As the project took shape, that single algorithm evolved into ArtWorkout, a learn to draw app designed to make drawing accessible to absolute beginners. The platform teaches kids and adults through step-by-step lessons, real-time stroke evaluation, short daily exercises that remove pressure from the learning process, and a multiplayer mode that lets people from all over the world create one image together in real-time.
Today, ArtWorkout's got an extensive presence across platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube where user-generated content and the app's own pipeline create viral videos accumulating billions of viewers. According to internal company data, the app has supported more than 75 million people in engaging with drawing lessons, reflecting how approachable creative learning can grow when built around a simple and playful premise.
What Makes ArtWorkout One of the Best Drawing Apps?
Companies in the "educational tech" space need to remove some of the early hesitations that come during the first steps of any learning process. Products that offer small, structured tasks often create a natural path into daily practice because they make sure people can track the rewards of their efforts from the start.
ArtWorkout is built around this idea, aiming to make drawing feel like something anyone could do.
The app includes more than 2,500 step-by-step tutorials, most of which can be completed in 10 to 30 short actions that aim to keep the drawing process light and digestible. Its Lesson of the Day feature gives users a new highlighted lesson daily to keep them invested, and its accuracy scoring system tracks how closely users' drawing sticks to the intended form, which helps them notice and reinforce small improvements without demanding formal study. Crucially, the app supports natural input tools like the Apple Pencil and other styluses, allowing tablet users to practice with precise, responsive strokes.
ArtWorkout's Multiplayer Mode adds a social layer to this structure by letting users draw a shared image in real-time, either live, meaning multiple users feed off each other's work at the same time, or asynchronously, where each participant contributes to the same picture on their own schedule and sees the others' progress when they return.
These elements are a reflection of founder Aleksandr Ulitin's own view of what meaningful creative learning should be. "ArtWorkout isn't meant to be like a school or a drawing textbook," he reflects. "It's what gives a person their first thousand hours with a brush in their hand."
How ArtWorkout Built A Mass Audience On Social Media
As Ulitin explained, the app didn't begin with a polished market thesis or a clear product positioning plan. He describes himself as "one of those entrepreneurs who don't study the market," noting that he approached the idea from "a very engineering point of view" and built it simply because the algorithm felt worth attempting.
That instinct-driven beginning shaped the company's entire approach to growth. Working with a small budget, progress depended on what users actually did inside the app, which pushed the team to closely follow how people practiced, shared, and reacted to the lessons. This created a product culture that put a greater emphasis on the actual experience, where how users interacted with the app would inform its development.
One of the results of that user-driven approach was ArtWorkout's sudden presence in social media. Users began sharing short videos of their lessons on TikTok, particularly Multiplayer Mode sessions where the dynamic itself became part of the entertainment. Viewers reacted to moments like one user drawing unusually fast or two people illustrating opposite characters (one creating a sun, the other the moon), turning a simple lesson into a small performance.
This social feedback loop helped the app grow far beyond traditional discovery channels, and it's exemplary of the platform's appeal as one of the best drawing apps. Users may arrive wanting to learn more about drawing, but they stay for other reasons: a need for a relaxing routine, a way to interact with others, and an outlet that lets them exercise their creativity in a judgment-free space. "People come to learn to draw," Ulitin explains, "but our goal is that they end up feeling less lonely and more accompanied."
ArtWorkout's Current And Future Roadmap
Ulitin runs ArtWorkout with a philosophy that takes personal accountability as a major cornerstone. He describes the team as a collective of individual contributors who "manage themselves" and take full ownership of their tasks, people who aren't expected to rely on managers to coordinate work.
The result is a culture guided by the belief that people and interactions matter more than formal structures.
His views on technologies like AI reflect that balanced mix of practicality and caution. Ulitin believes AI is an "amazing tool" and notes that the company's own engineers use AI-driven tools in areas like software development. But at the same time, he's clear about what AI can't replace, noting "AI does not solve loneliness, nor does it have acceptance or empathy, and it can't capture what human love or friendship can." These limits inform how ArtWorkout integrates technology without allowing it to overshadow human connection.
Looking ahead, Ulitin intends for ArtWorkout to become a platform that makes room for more meaningful and lasting interpersonal bonds while supporting creative practice. He envisions the app as a place that brings "humanity back into people's lives," particularly as digital spaces grow more isolating.
A New Way Of Creative Learning
ArtWorkout's traction now shows up clearly in public metrics, with a 4.6 rating on the App Store and more than 327,000 combined ratings across iOS and Google Play. Its popularity reflects how approachable picking up a hobby like drawing can be when lessons are short, structured, and easy to return to. Many users spend just 10 to 15 minutes a day drawing, tracing, or in multiplayer sessions, making it just enough to feel the benefits of a small creative break without feeling like they're signing up for formal instructions.
And with someone like Aleksandr Ulitin shaping the product's direction, the platform is positioned to keep expanding what creative learning can look like.
