Ctrl+Paint vs Sketch a Day
Ctrl+Paint
ctrlpaint.comSketch a Day
sketchaday.appSide by side
| Figure | Ctrl+Paint | Sketch a Day |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 2 |
| Spec score · Art Learning Apps | 8.1 (#6) | 7.2 (#23) |
| Purpose | Ctrl+Paint is a free learning resource dedicated to the basics of digital painting, taught through bite-sized videos. | Sketch a Day describes itself as an art community for beginners and professional artists, young and old. |
| Support | The creator says he reads support emails personally and asks users to check the FAQ and keep messages concise. | The support page says the team aims to respond to support emails within 24–48 hours. |
Plans
Ctrl+Paint
- Free video libraryFree
- Premium series$10, paid once
- Digital Painting Starter Kit$55, paid once
In their own words
Ctrl+Paint
Ctrl+Paint is a web-based learning resource for digital painting basics, taught through short videos. Its free library contains hundreds of videos described as five minutes long, arranged from introductory topics toward more advanced ones. Lessons cover drawing, composition, reference, Photoshop tools, painting techniques, color, masking, and vector tools. The library page says new free videos are released every Tuesday and Thursday. For practice, the Concept Art Playbook offers visual problem-solving challenges modeled on game-industry work, which learners can follow at their own pace. The free library has no ads or subscription fees. Individual premium series cost $10.00 per once and cover beginner-to-intermediate topics. The Digital Painting Starter Kit costs $55.00 per once and includes six video series, 362 minutes of video, worksheets, line art, and PSD files. Premium purchases are followed by an automated email with download instructions and a link. A stylus is needed because pressure sensitivity is essential to the taught techniques; Wacom tablets are recommended. The creator says the site does not offer personal tutoring or portfolio reviews.
Sketch a Day
Sketch a Day is a drawing app and art community for beginners and professional artists, with versions for iOS and Android. It supplies hand-picked daily prompts that users can draw from, then compare, like, favourite and share their work. Free tutorials from professional artists help users build skills, while community members contribute tutorials and exchange tips, hints and feedback in the app. Guided projects and progress tracking are also available. Milestones and streaks let users add famous artworks to a collection and learn about the artists behind them. The free plan costs nothing. Gold membership adds an automatically updated portfolio website, a profile with a header image, bio and website link, private artist chat and an ad-free experience; artists can opt in to being contacted. The privacy policy identifies Firebase Analytics as a third-party service and says absolute security cannot be guaranteed. Users can request data deletion in Settings, and the support team aims to respond to emails within 24–48 hours.