A new app from the people who make BubSync
BubSync is made by Alt Dev Apps, our independent app studio in Brisbane. Today we are sharing the newest app to come out of it: PencilDrop, adult colouring with a daily art contest.
It is a different kind of app from a baby tracker, and it is for a different part of your day. BubSync is for the logging, the handovers and the 3 am check-ins. PencilDrop is for the quiet half hour after everyone is finally asleep, when you want to make something with your hands that is not another scroll.
What is PencilDrop?
PencilDrop gives everyone the same new line-art page each day. You colour it your way, enter it for free, and other people judge the entries side by side, two at a time, with the names hidden. When the drop closes, and once you have judged ten pairs yourself, you see where you placed.
- A new page every day. There is also a bigger scene every week and a showpiece every month, and everyone gets the same one.
- Your colour stays inside the lines. Every shape on a contest page is mapped before it goes out, so a stroke never spills over an edge. Reach for pencil, marker, crayon or airbrush, or tap a shape to fill it.
- Judged by people, in pairs. Every vote is about the colouring itself, so a first-timer's page can beat a regular's.
- Leaderboards and streaks. Each drop has a global board and one for your country, plus season standings and a daily streak worth keeping.
- A time-lapse of your page. A finished page turns into a vertical video that fills with colour from the first stroke, ready to share anywhere.
Four minutes, or a whole evening
Parents of babies tend to measure their free time in naps. PencilDrop was built with a short path and a long one on the same page.
Tap each shape and you have a finished page in a few minutes. Add some shading to the main shapes and it fills a relaxed evening. Plan a palette and a light source, build the colour up in layers, and it becomes a showpiece you will want to frame. All three can enter the same contest.
Your work saves as you go, offline included, so you can put it down mid-page when someone wakes and pick it up where you left off.
Made for grown-ups
PencilDrop is made for adults. You must be 16 or over to use it, and it is not designed for children, so this one is for you rather than the kids.
It is also deliberately quiet. There are no comments and no direct messages, so the art does the talking. If something is wrong, you can report an entry or block a colourist in two taps.
It is made for Apple Pencil, with pressure, tilt and hover, but a finger works well too. It is on Google Play now for Android tablets and phones.
What does it cost?
PencilDrop is free to download, and every competition is free to enter. An optional PencilDrop Plus subscription removes ads and adds brushes, palettes and more room for finished art. It never changes how an entry is judged or what it can win. Prizes are digital and have no cash value. Current prices are shown in the app and on its store listings.
What this means for BubSync
Nothing changes for BubSync. The same team keeps building it, and the two apps are separate, with separate accounts: signing up for one does not sign you up for the other. Everything BubSync does today is on the features page, and the free plan and Premium are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
What is PencilDrop?
PencilDrop is an adult colouring app with a daily art contest, made by Alt Dev Apps in Brisbane, Australia. Everyone gets the same new line-art page each day, colours it on a tablet or phone, and can enter it for free. Other people judge the entries in pairs without seeing names.
Is PencilDrop free?
Yes. It is free to download and every competition is free to enter. PencilDrop Plus is an optional subscription that removes ads and adds creative tools. It does not change how you are judged.
Who makes PencilDrop?
The same studio that makes BubSync: Alt Dev Apps, an independent app studio in Brisbane.
Can my kids use PencilDrop?
Not if they are under 16. PencilDrop is made for adults, and you must be 16 or over to use it.
Where can I get it?
PencilDrop is free on Google Play for Android tablets and phones. pencildrop.altdevapps.com has today's page, the latest winners and past pages to print and colour.
Pick up a pencil tonight
If you have ten minutes after bedtime, today's page is waiting. See today's page on PencilDrop, colour it your way, and see where you land.
