Ever since OMGPOP launched Draw Something, there has been a brand new group of artists showing off their touch-screen authored doodles. I’ve seen some seriously amazing art come out of Draw Something, but it’s not really set up for sharing what you’ve draw as of yet.
When I saw the site Doodle.ly, I immediately knew that this would be a welcome home to those who can’t get enough of sketching fun little pieces of artwork using their iPad. While the site has an iPad app for drawing, it’s not required.
The site, which describes itself as “a social sketchpad for self-expression, creativity and inspiration” lets you create and share your wonderful pieces of art on Twitter and Facebook, as well as on the Doodle.ly site. The cool part about Draw Something is that you can run into some amazing artists randomly, so this site is set up just for that.
The team behind the site consists of co-founders Evan Vogel and Darren Paul, and is located in NYC.
Get your draw on
When you visit the Doodle.ly homepage, you’re greeted with some of the latest doodles. I was blown away at the artistic nature of the doodles, with an amazing attention to detail:
If you find a piece of art that you like, you can share it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, or pin it on Pinterest. The thing that’s missing for me is the ability to comment on someone’s doodle, as I found myself wanting to ask people questions about their work. This is something that can easily be added, along with the ability to follow people, and I think we might have ourselves the beginning of a really awesome social network.
iPad (only) app
The Doodle.ly iPad app brings a much better drawing experience, and has the pencil, ballpoint pen, highlighter, marker, and eraser that the site lets you use. You’ll also be able to browse work done by others, which will surely help the network grow once it gets more social features.
Sadly, Doodle.ly is missing an iPhone and iPod touch app, which I think would get a ton of usage, especially since people are already used to doodling on a smaller screen with Draw Something. I’d hate to see the experience remain an iPad one, as it’ll stunt the growth potential of the network.
The start of a community
When you visit the Doodle.ly blog, you can see that the team is already building itself an awesome community of doodlers. The company has set up contests with themes, asking its users to participate with its best work. The community has responded in a big way, just check out this winner from the “best show ever” contest:
If you’re a fan of sketching on your iPad or the web, then you should definitely give Doodle.ly a try. With a few extra social features and perhaps an iPhone and Android app, this site could explode by capturing the generation of sketchers brought to us by OMGPOP’s Draw Something.
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