How to Use
Welcome to Blockin, your digital toolkit for figure drawing and life drawing practice. This guide explains how to use all the features available in the Model and Drawing views, and discusses a few other important subjects.
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App views
Blockin has two views, designed for the different parts of the figure-drawing process. These views basically let you apply several visual effects to the live camera feed that will help you in your drawing, as follows:
Model View - Used for detailed observation of the features of your model or reference object.
Drawing View - Helps you validate the resemblance of your drawing to the model.
You can switch between the views at any time using the app’s footer. Each view has its own effects, which can be applied independently of the other view.
Use of Camera
Blockin is designed for artists drawing from life, using direct observation, not from photos. It does not allow you to upload any sort of reference picture. It relies exclusively on working with your device's camera. Keep in mind that, due to ethical considerations, it will not record any footage or capture any images.
Blockin will use the back camera of your device by default. If your device has no back camera, then Blockin will switch to your device’s front camera. This configuration, however, is probably not very useful. Therefore, I recommend using Blockin on devices equipped with back cameras.
Available Effects
Blockin effects can be considered as digital equivalents of traditional figure drawing techniques wooden skewers, plumb lines, mirrors, or even squinting your eyes. These are the effects available on each view:
Model View
Grid — Overlays a configurable square grid on the view.
Sketch — Allows freehand sketching over the live camera feed.
Simplify — Converts the camera feed to black and white and reduces its visual detail.
Additionally, you have items in this view’s header to reset all active effects and access to the App Menu.
Drawing View
Grid — Overlays a configurable square grid on the view.
Compare — Overlays the sketches made in the Model View over your drawing to ease comparison.
Mirror — Flips the camera feed horizontally.
Additionally, you have items in this view’s header to reset all active effects and access to the App Menu.
Grid Effect
Model and Drawing viewsIt overlays a grid over the view. This is a useful visual tool to understand the proportions and shape of your model and drawings.
Pinch on the screen to control the grid size.
You can also choose from 6 different colors.
Optionally add diagonal lines to the grid.
You can apply a different grid to each view.
Sketch Effect
Model viewAllows freehand sketching over the live camera feed. You can use this tool to highlight specific aspects of your model and later compare them with your work using the Compare effect on the Drawing view. The combined use of the Sketch and Compare effects helps you validate specific aspects of your drawing.
Select the stroke color and size, and just draw with your finger tip.
Toggle to Eraser mode, select eraser size, and remove unnecessary pixels from the screen.
Use the Undo button to remove your strokes one by one.
Simplify Effect
Model viewConverts the camera feed to black & white and reduces its visual details. This tool simplifies the values of the model, revealing its basic light and dark areas to ease your work.
Use the slider to set the effect's intensity.
On its minimum setting, the effect is limited to showing the view in grayscale.
From there, you will apply on the camera view a combination of image blurring with increased exposure and contrast.
Compare Effect
Drawing viewOverlays your Model View sketches onto the Drawing View. Use the Compare tool to see how the sketches you made on the model view fit on your drawing. The combined use of the Sketch and Compare effects helps you validate specific aspects of your drawing.
The Compare effect is only available if you previously made some sketches in the Model View.
Pinch on the screen to resize and rotate the sketch overlay.
Use your finger to move the sketch over the screen.
Mirror Effect
Drawing viewFlips the camera feed horizontally. Looking at your drawing inverted provides you fresh pair of eyes that lets you recover your objectivity and spot flaws in proportion, symmetry, and composition that you might otherwise miss.
Reset All Effects
Model and Drawing viewsRemoves all effects that are applied on the view.
App Menu
Model and Drawing viewsFound on the right side of the header. Gives you access to:
Help and user guide
Contact us
Install the app on your device (if the app is not already installed).
Make a donation
Installing the app
Blockin is a web app that runs in your browser. But if you install it on your device, you will enjoy a full-screen experience, and you will be able to access it like any other app installed on your device.
Web apps are easy to install. But for your convenience, Blockin has an option in the app menu to help you install the app on your device.
You will also be reminded to install the app the first three times the Blockin is used.
Donations
Blockin is free to use. However, creating and maintaining the app involves certain expenses. Therefore, if you enjoy BlockIn, please help me keep it free (and ad-free) by making a small contribution.
You can also access the donation feature through the app menu. You will also be reminded every 6 months of this possibility.
User Data
Blocking does not capture or store any private user data. The only data stored relates to the donation process, and it is exclusively stored locally on the device and never sent to Blockin's servers.
Need more help?
Want to report any bug? Have any improvement suggestions? Reach me using the contact form or email me at contact@blockin.app
Ethical Considerations
Blockin is designed to help you practice figure drawing by enhancing your observation process. However, traditionally, figure-drawing sessions take place in environments that involve nude models.
In these settings, privacy and trust are foremost. Therefore, out of respect for models and studio policies, Blockin should not be used during life-drawing sessions with nude models.
You must take into consideration that even though the app does not record any footage or capture images, other people cannot know this, and the presence of a device with an active camera may cause discomfort or violate studio rules.
Please use Blockin only in situations where:
You have explicit permission to use a device with an active camera, and
Your use of the app will not create uncertainty about whether anyone is being recorded.
We encourage all artists to maintain the highest standards of respect, transparency, and professionalism in any shared drawing environment.
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