Art of Glow and Glow Spin Art are two similar entertainment and art apps by the same developer. Both apps are free and ad-supported, simple, beautiful and fun for both kids and adults.
Overview
Luminescent shapes of all sizes and colors can be directed to create pictures, abstract artwork and whatever your imagination commands you. You are given a black canvas, several customization options and a demo introduction to what you can do with this app.
It is not entirely a drawing board, since there is neither a save option, nor a way to video capture your artwork unless you have KitKat and savvy enough to know how to video-capture your Android apps and games. So, basically, until the developer adds those features, the app is great for kids, and grown-ups looking to reset their mind for a short while, and since it’s free, it’s worth having as a go-to art app.
Features
The settings menu allows you to choose from a variety of shapes – dots, circles, stars, hearts, snowflakes and things I don’t know the name of, so the choice is nice on that part. Additionally, you have a selection of colors, but they are quite basic, although glowing, which makes the greatest fun part of this app. However, I would strongly suggest the developers add more color options.
Next, you can choose the shape’s size, and several more effects, like speed of glowing, amount of shapes in a touch, their life time, blinking frequency, and rebirth. Hence, you can have a fine line, or gigantic glowing shapes vibrating on screen.
Also, you can randomize shapes and colors, and mix different effects in the same canvas. The simple Clear button is accessible from Settings, and erases all the previous artwork.
The is no sound score to this app, which is a significant omission, even though there are a couple of sound effects when you click on the options in the settings. Other than that, the app is silent.
Glow Spin Art does the same, but it spins whatever you draw, so the resulting art is a colorful kaleidoscope of spinning shapes, and since you can control the rotation speed, you can draw shapes or simply put your finger on the screen and wait till the canvas makes a full perfectly even circle for you.
Pros
- Simple, fun, good-looking app, or game, you name it.
- Can work as a drawing board, but you can only save screenshots of your artwork. In case you don’t know how to, here is a brief guide.
- It’s free.
- It supports multitasking.
Cons
- Ads sometimes get in the way, but it’s not a con per se since the app is initially free and has no in-app purchases.
- No option to record a video of your artwork.
- No option to save a project.
- Limited stock of colors.
- No music, although the app supports multitasking.
- No immediate option to change the background color, although you can choose the largest size of a circle, choose the color and paint all the screen to sort of change the background color.
Conclusion
Art of Glow is a beautifully rendered art tool – ample for preschoolers, but too basic for adults to get hooked for a long time. It lacks some color choices and saving options, while a few sound tracks for various paces would benefit the app, giving it the atmosphere it currently lacks. Even with the mentioned missing parts, the app is engaging, fun and addictive, especially for kids, and if you are looking at a day-long road trip, Art of Glow will definitely benefit your collection of free and fun mobile games that will keep your kids quiet and focused on art.
