Draw anything by hand

Anything worth drawing.

Papen puts any sketch on your paper — through the camera or straight from the screen. Follow the lines, lift the phone, and the drawing is yours.

4.8 · 62,000+ people drawing with Papen
Pick your setup

Three ways to draw

Same sketch, three ways to get it onto paper. Use whichever fits your desk, your paper, and your mood tonight.

Phone held above a sheet of paper, showing a glowing sketch locked to the page in augmented reality

Draw with AR

Point the phone at your sheet, drop the sketch onto it, and it locks to the paper. Move around, tilt, or lift the phone and the lines stay exactly where you put them.

Locks to the paper
Thin paper taped over a phone screen with a lit outline showing through as a hand traces it

Trace on the screen

Lay a thin sheet over the phone, turn the brightness up, and the lines shine straight through. Follow them with a pencil. No stand, no setup, done in minutes.

No stand needed
Phone propped beside a sheet of paper, showing a line drawing over the live camera view while a hand draws

Draw with camera

Prop the phone above the sheet and the sketch sits over the live camera view. Line it up once, keep the phone still, and draw what you see on screen.

Best with a phone stand
Four weeks in

The same hand, four weeks apart

One flower, drawn on day one and again a month later. Nothing changed except the practice.

  • Steadier outlines from day one
  • Shading and depth by week three
  • Ten minutes a day, no classes
Start your first drawing
Before Papen
A rough pencil sketch of a flower with wobbly outlines
After Papen
A confident pencil drawing of the same flower with shading and detail
Selfie of a woman with long dark hair
The same selfie as a pencil portrait Sketch
Photo to sketch

Draw someone you love.

Turn their photo into a sketch and make it yours. A partner, a kid, the dog — any picture from your camera roll becomes a traceable portrait in about six seconds.

  • Keeps the likeness, drops the noise
  • Fine, medium or bold pencil lines
  • Trace it, frame it, give it away
Turn a photo into a sketch
AI sketch

Can't find it? Describe it and Papen draws it.

Type what you want to draw, pick a line style, and get a clean, traceable sketch in about six seconds. If it isn't in the library, it is now.

  • Any subject, cartoon to realistic to tattoo flash
  • Fine, medium or bold pencil lines
  • Straight into AR, screen or camera mode
Describe your first sketch
AI sketch
Hand-drawn sketch of a fox astronaut planting a flag on the moon, with Earth in the sky
Made in 6 seconds
Reviews

People who never drew before

4.8 62,000+ people drawing with Papen
I put my sketchbook on the screen and traced a portrait on the first try. My sister thought I had taken classes.
MR Marta R.41 drawings · Screen mode Marta's portrait drawing
The camera mode is the one that sold me. Phone on a stand, paper underneath, and the lines just sit there while I draw.
DK Dan K.118 drawings · Camera mode Dan's flower drawing
Turning my dog's photo into an outline took seconds, and the finished drawing is on the fridge.
PS Priya S.27 drawings · Photo to sketch Priya's dog drawing

Questions before you start

Do I need to know how to draw?

No. You follow a guide that is already on the paper — the hand movement is the only part you supply, and it gets steadier fast.

Does tracing on the screen scratch it?

The paper sits between your pencil and the glass, so nothing touches the display. Press lightly and use a soft pencil.

What do I need for camera mode?

Any stand or clamp that holds the phone above your desk. The sketch locks to the sheet once you place it.

Is there a free version?

Yes. A set of templates and both drawing modes are free. Pro adds the full library, AI generation, photo to sketch and no watermark.

Can I use my own photos?

Any photo from your camera roll becomes a line drawing in about six seconds, with fine, medium or bold lines.

Papen Pro

Your first drawing is ten minutes away

Download Papen, pick a sketch, and put a pencil on paper tonight.