Da Vinci Eye

Make real art on real paper

10 followers

Make real art on real paper

10 followers

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Da Vinci Eye uses basic AR to virtually overlay an image on a real surface for you to trace. It is the ultimate tool for any artist, graphic designer, art students, sign makers, and even bakers! You can learn how to draw with step by step lessons, trace your own photos, or break images down into layers for a paint by numbers type of project.

The Best Da Vinci Eye Alternatives

The best Da Vinci Eye alternatives are SketchAR, Procreate, Value Study, Tayasui Sketches, and HueBuddy.

SketchAR

Choose SketchAR if...

✓you want AR tracing plus guided lessons
✓you want AI portraits for quick references
✓you want to share work as AR masks

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Procreate

5.0 ·

Choose Procreate if...

✓you want a complete iPad art studio
✓you need layers, brushes, and fast workflows
✓you rely on autosave for peace of mind

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Value Study

5.0 ·

Choose Value Study if...

✓you want fast value grouping from references
✓you’re learning light and shadow fundamentals
✓you need iOS, Android, and macOS support

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Tayasui Sketches

Choose Tayasui Sketches if...

✓you want a simple digital sketchbook feel
✓you prefer realistic brushes for sketching
✓you’re drawing digitally, not tracing on paper

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HueBuddy

Choose HueBuddy if...

✓you mix real paints from photo references
✓you want pigment recipes, not RGB colors
✓you need exportable palettes for studio mixing

See details ↓

What to Consider

Da Vinci Eye is best known for turning your phone or tablet into a camera-lucida-style overlay, helping artists trace and transfer references onto real paper or canvas. The alternatives landscape splits into a few distinct camps: apps like SketchAR stay close to AR tracing but broaden into an “AR + learning + sharing” ecosystem, while tools like Procreate and Tayasui Sketches move the workflow fully digital for artists who want a complete sketching and painting studio instead of an overlay. Others are purpose-built utilities that complement traditional practice—Value Study focuses on simplifying tonal analysis from references, and HueBuddy targets the very different challenge of mixing real-world paint colors from a photo.

In evaluating options, we looked at whether the tool is meant for AR transfer vs a full digital art workflow, how much structure it provides for learning, and how well it supports real-world studio needs (like value planning or pigment mixing). We also considered platform availability, reliability and ease of use reported in reviews, and any standout workflow features like autosave, exporting/share hooks, and practical constraints noted by users.

SketchAR

Augmented reality + art

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SketchAR takes the core idea of AR-assisted drawing and expands it into a broader “learn, create, and share” ecosystem, making it a more all-in-one alternative to Da Vinci Eye’s primarily camera-lucida style overlay. It’s a strong fit when tracing is only part of the goal and the rest of the journey includes practice structure, idea generation, and distribution.

Beyond AR tracing, SketchAR layers in guided lessons and a large learning library, which can make progress feel more intentional than a pure overlay tool. It also supports AI-driven portrait generation, helping users produce fresh reference material quickly when they don’t already have the perfect photo.

Where it really diverges is in social output: the ability to export work as AR lenses or masks gives creators a built-in way to share outcomes in a format that feels native to social platforms. If the priority is not just transferring an image onto paper, but building skills and publishing creative results, SketchAR offers a wider creative loop than Da Vinci Eye.

Best for

Best for learners who want AR tracing plus structured lessons and social sharing.

Standout features

✓AR tracing for guided drawing practice
✓Large library of guided lessons
✓AI portrait generation for references
✓Export creations as AR lenses
✓Built-in sharing and community prompts

Procreate

Instinctive and powerful illustration tool on the iPad

5.0 · 11 reviews

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Procreate is the better alternative when the goal is finished digital artwork rather than projecting a reference onto physical paper. Instead of helping you trace, it gives you a complete illustration and painting studio on iPad, making it a practical replacement for artists who want to stay entirely in a digital workflow.

It stands out with a deep brush ecosystem, layer-based composition, and flexible canvas setup, so sketches can evolve into polished pieces without switching tools. The experience is designed to feel approachable at first, while still offering plenty of depth once technique and ambition grow.

Reliability is a major advantage for everyday creation: autosave and smooth performance reduce the “lost work” anxiety that can come with longer sessions. If Da Vinci Eye is about transferring an image, Procreate is about producing the final art—fast, flexible, and ready to export and share.

Best for

Ideal for iPad artists who want a full-featured digital studio instead of AR tracing.

Standout features

✓Professional brushes and layer-based workflow
✓Customizable canvases and high-res exports
✓Autosave for reliable long sessions
✓Intuitive UI with depth for advanced work
✓Streamlined end-to-end digital illustration

Value Study

See light. See shadow. See clearly. App for Artists

5.0 · 2 reviews

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Value Study is a smart alternative when accuracy comes from understanding light and shadow, not tracing outlines. Instead of projecting a reference onto a surface like Da Vinci Eye, it helps break images into value groupings so artists can plan compositions and lighting with clarity.

The core benefit is speed and focus: turning references into readable value maps reduces prep work and makes it easier to spot the big tonal shapes that drive realism. That’s especially useful for painting and drawing practice where the “why” behind the reference matters more than copying edges.

It also fits neatly into both traditional and digital workflows, acting as a utility you can use before a sketch, underpainting, or finished render. With broad platform support across common devices, it’s an easy companion tool for students and self-taught artists who want stronger fundamentals than an overlay-based approach provides.

Best for

Best for students and painters who want faster tonal planning from references.

Standout features

✓Reference-to-value grouping conversion
✓Fast tonal studies for lighting practice
✓Useful for planning paintings and drawings
✓Cross-platform support across devices
✓Simplifies comparing reference and work-in-progress

Tayasui Sketches

Beautiful tools make Beautiful drawings

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Tayasui Sketches is a compelling alternative when the priority is a lightweight, natural-feeling digital sketchbook rather than an AR tracing overlay. Da Vinci Eye is built around drawing on real paper with a projected guide; Tayasui Sketches shifts the entire experience onto a digital canvas for quick ideation and everyday sketching.

Its appeal is in the simplicity of opening the app and drawing immediately, without the setup friction of aligning a camera view or stabilizing a device for projection. For artists who want a casual, portable practice space, that “always ready” digital workflow can be more useful than an overlay tool.

Tayasui Sketches also suits creators who value brush realism and a traditional-media feel while staying fully digital. If the aim is to sketch, paint, and iterate on-screen—especially on the go—this app offers a cleaner path than a tool designed primarily for tracing onto physical surfaces.

Best for

Ideal for artists who want a simple, realistic-feeling digital sketchbook.

Standout features

✓Digital sketchbook for quick daily drawing
✓Realistic-feeling brush tools
✓Fast, low-friction sketch workflow
✓On-screen painting and iteration
✓Designed for casual and portable creation

HueBuddy

AI-Powered Paint Mixing Tool for Artists & Art Students

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HueBuddy solves a different but highly practical problem: mixing real paint to match a reference. Where Da Vinci Eye helps transfer shapes and proportions, HueBuddy focuses on color accuracy in the physical studio by turning photos into pigment-based mixing guidance.

That distinction matters for traditional painters working in oils or acrylics who struggle to consistently recreate a color they see in a photo. Instead of giving digital color codes that don’t translate to paint, HueBuddy is built around real-world palettes and repeatable ratios.

The ability to export palettes supports an offline workflow at the easel, making it useful during longer painting sessions when speed and consistency matter. If drawing accuracy isn’t the bottleneck but color matching is, HueBuddy can be a more meaningful companion than an AR tracing tool.