Top arts & crafts apps: DIY, creativity, for beginners, kids
Have you always wanted to learn a new skill, or maybe revisit a hobby you used to love when you were younger, but never seem to know where to start? We've come up with a list of crafty apps to help you rekindle an old passion or perhaps discover a new one, whether it be drawing, music, or baking, we've got something for everyone.
Sketch a Day
Learn how to draw
Get your creativity flowing on a daily basis with Sketch a Day. The idea behind this app is to get users drawing and creating as regularly as possible. Therefore, every day a new subject is chosen and users submit their drawings, paintings, photos, ideas, or sketches of said subject. There is a great Learn section that includes tutorials from tips on drawing hands, to what materials are best to use and everything in between! This app is a super way to start a positive, new habit and to develop or hone a new skill set. There are numerous scientifically proven health benefits to drawing and creating art, so let your inner artist out and try Sketch a Day.
Sketch a day is free to download on Android and iOS.
Ukulele Tabs & Chords
Play your favorite songs
Ukulele Tabs & Chords is the perfect app to accompany your musical learning. Created by ukulelists for ukulelists, it has everything you need to learn the ukulele from scratch or to develop your technique. It contains a huge library containing thousands of songs, each with corresponding chords and tabs so that you can take it apart and learn step-by-step. Not only that, but you can search for any song or artist you like and the app can transpose chords into different keys to suit your needs. If you want an app to learn music but prefer a different instrument, check out this article.
Download Ukulele Tabs & Chords for Android here.
Tasty
Become a master chef!
Maybe you’re more of a culinary creative and so would enjoy the Tasty app. Packed full of inspiration with over 3000 recipes, video tutorials and step-by-step instructions, Tasty app will keep you busy for hours. You can search for recipes (both baking and cooking) via dietary requirements, difficulty, speed, ingredients and more. You can also save your favourite recipes in the ‘My Recipes’ section and add your own.
Tasty is available to download for free on iOS and Android here.
Duolingo
Learn a new language
Perhaps the king of free language apps, Duolingo comes with a stellar reputation. You can start as a complete beginner and advance using bite-sized lessons whilst having fun at all times. 34 hours of Duolingo use, is the equivalent to a semester of university-level coursework. It doesn't feel like work whilst learning and many tout Duolingo as being the future of education. The app offers courses in 22 different languages and you practice speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills whilst using it. Track your improvement on the app and see how far you advance whilst in quarantine.
Duolingo is free to download for both Android and iOS here.
Amigurumi
Crochet the days away
Amigurumi is a simple and comprehensive application that teaches you to crochet but also provides ample creative ideas and patterns for more advanced practitioners. With Amigurumi, you get access to not only a huge variety of templates and patterns, but also to detailed crochet tutorials catered to all levels, from novice to advanced. This app provides activities and helps beginners and seasoned knitters alike and new patterns are added on a weekly basis.
Amigurumi is free to download for both Android and iOS here.
Get inspired
Maybe you’re looking for DIY crafts you can do at home with the kids, or perhaps you want advice on repainting your shed, or maybe you’re going to redesign your home and need ideas and inspiration. The one app for all of these needs and so many more is Pinterest. This social platform is packed full of content, where users come with a question and leave finding hundreds of solutions in the form of ‘pins’. Packed full of ideas, inspiration, creativity, and tips for everything from cooking to weddings to kids' birthday parties, Pinterest is an app everyone should have whilst staying at home, to get creative, have fun, and do their part to flatten the curve.
Download it for free for both Android and iOS here.