How to Use the Camera Lucida App to Create Fantastic Drawings in No Time
Do you want to improve your drawing skills? The Camera Lucida app uses your phone or tablet to overlay an image onto your drawing surface so you can easily draw what you see.
It is a helpful tool for artists who work with pencil, ink, paint or even icing for cake decorating. Use filters to adjust the reference image, mirror your display to create larger works of art, and easily film videos of your creative work in progress.
Here you will learn how to make the most of the many features of the Camera Lucida app and discover new ways to experiment with a variety of visual media.
Getting started with the Camera Lucida app
Before diving in, download the Camera Lucida app on your iOS device.
Downloads: Camera Lucida ($9.99)
To start with the basic settings of the Camera Lucida app, you need a reference image. To select an image, either click on it camera icon to take a photo instantly, or use that Book or Cloud Icon to find a photo from your library.
That bar The icon at the bottom right of the screen opens a menu that allows you to adjust the brightness, contrast, saturation and gamma of your photo. That circling arrow Icon rotates your image.
To use the Camera Lucida app effectively, set up your drawing area. Elevate your phone or tablet onto some books, blocks, or other stable surface. You can also use one of the best phone tripods for a longer-term solution. To make sure everything stays in place, mask off your artboard or work with a sturdy notebook.
Customize your image for Camera Lucida
Once your space is set up, adjust the image to fit your artboard. Use the circling arrow icon to rotate your image as needed. When you’re ready to draw, tap the center icon of a Hand holding a pencilit locks your image in place.
From here you can customize the slider to fade between your reference image and your artboard. Find a transparency level that works for your project and start drawing.
Alternatively, tap up arrow Icon in the lower-right corner of the screen to set up the flicker setting, which increases and decreases the transparency of your image at set intervals. This is a good option if you find yourself playing around with the fade function too much while drawing.
In addition, you can work with the original image or use a preset image selection to emphasize different aspects of your subject. For example, selecting a grayscale or posterized image can make tracing easier. For example, if you are creating an ink drawing, consider the black and white cartoon filter for a cool effect.
Play around with these settings until you find one that works for your project. You can still adjust the transparency of your image with a filter.
How to draw lucida with camera
When working with the Camera Lucida app, look at the screen, not your paper, to draw your picture. The process differs from using a projector or tracing from a separate piece of paper and requires some adjustment time.
One of the coolest aspects of using this app is the ability to zoom in and work on details. As long as you have the drawing mode activated, you can move around the image and zoom in without losing your place. This makes working on intricate parts of your image much easier.
Plus, with nothing blocking your artboard, it’s easy to use rulers, stencils, or other tools while creating your sketch.
Plus, working with the Camera Lucida app gives you a lot of creative control as you decide what goes on paper or canvas. Consider the reference image as a starting point for your own creations. As the art gallery Camera Lucida shows, artists use the app for sketches, paintings, cookie decorations and many other mediums.
You don’t have to be a trained artist to use this app, but learning some drawing skills wouldn’t hurt.
Record a video of your Lucida Drawing camera
To create a time-lapse video of your drawing progress in the app, tap the red circle RECORD button in the upper right side of the drawing screen. The video will be automatically recorded and uploaded to your photo collection when finished.
It only records your progress on the drawing interface and the app itself is not tracked. You can adjust playback quality and timescale by tapping Arrow icon before recording.
How to create larger works of art with the Camera Lucida app
With the usual settings, the app can generally be used to draw surfaces around 12-14 inches in size. In addition, you need to make some adjustments to create large-scale drawings. Here’s how to mirror the app to another device to work on a larger surface, in this case 16″ x 20″ watercolor paper.
First, set up your drawing area for Camera Lucida as usual. From the main screen, click on the top left hamburger Settings quick drop-down menu icon. Choose Maximize drawing size Possibility.
Next, you need to use a screen mirroring option to view the app on a separate device. If you work in the Apple ecosystem, you can use reflector. You can also use LonelyScreen to mirror an iPhone or iPad screen to a Windows PC or other device. With a little trial and error, you can probably mirror your tablet or phone to a laptop or an additional tablet to use as a second screen.
Now for the fun part: set up your canvas to work from the mirrored device. In this case, an iPhone with the Camera Lucida app is placed on a table 22 inches above the large watercolor paper, which is mirrored at eye level onto a laptop via the AirDroid app.
Working directly from the mirrored laptop screen introduced some lag, which at times made the tracing process a bit disorienting and more difficult than drawing while looking directly at the app on a phone. With a little practice, however, it is also possible to create a sketch using this method.
Create lifelike drawings in minutes with the Camera Lucida app
If you want to improve your drawing, painting or decorating skills then Camera Lucida app is what you need. It’s an incredible tool for visual artists, and even without formal training, you can create lifelike, impactful art in just minutes.
Setting up your space to use the app, especially larger artworks, can take a little time and creative thinking, but it’s also part of the fun. It’s worth a try for hobbyists and established artists alike.