App Review: Paper 53

Since having an iPad, I've found that I am regularly on the App Store looking for new and useful apps to use. One app that I've found particularly useful, especially during Sixth Form is an app called Paper 53.

The app itself is focused on allowing you to draw and sketch, using the tools available inside the app. You can then use these drawings and send them by email, share them to a range of social media sites such as twitter, facebook and tumblr, as well as sharing them to your camera roll which you can then print off as well.  

When you first open the app, you are greeted with a screen showing you all of the notebooks which you have. This is really useful because you can organise all of your drawings so that they are easy to find. For example, I kept all of my Product Design sketches in one notepad so that I knew where everything was and I could find it easily.

   You can also customise the way that the notebooks look, by selecting your own photos to use as covers by pressing the little 'i' button in the top right corner of the notebook. 

Then inside each notebook you can look through all of the pages, as if you are reading a book. If you find a drawing you want to add to or edit, you simply click on the page and the app opens up your drawing. There is hardly any delay between clicking and being taken to your drawing either, so you don't have to wait ages for it to load. You can also add new pages to any notebook using the '+' button and you can also do the same on the main menu to add new notebooks. 

Once you have opened the page, or made a new one, you are either shown your drawing or given a blank canvas to work on. Here all of the tools available are shown and you can make these disappear by swiping the tool kit down and then make it reappear by swiping upwards.
  You can also turn the pages of the notebook by swiping from the top corners as if you are turning the page of a book, which makes moving between pages extremely easy and practical.
  To return to the main menu or the notebook you simply pinch the screen in the middle of the page and it will take you back. 

The app Paper 53 itself is free. With this you get an unlimited amount of notebooks and pages, and you also get the eraser tool and the fountain pen tool free, along with a range of standard colours.
  However, there are a whole range of tools available within the app, which you can purchase for an additional price. When I downloaded this app, they had an offer on the additional tools, allowing you to purchase the pencil, highlighter, pen and colour brush for a combined price of £4.99, when individually they cost £1.49. I'm not sure if they still have this deal on, but I would recommend buying this if you can. Otherwise, you have to pay £1.49 for each tool individually, which makes the purchase more expensive.
   Then for an additional £1.49 you can buy the mixer palette, which allows you to make your own colours and save them to the palette on the right, so you will always have it. The picture above shows all of the brushes which are available and what each one looks like. 

These are just some of the drawings which I have been able to create from using the app. Although you can use your finger to create these drawings, I usually use a stylus to make my drawings more precise. 

Overview of Paper 53

Positives

• The app itself is free and includes unlimited notebooks, pages and two tools
• You have the ability to organise all of your drawings
• You can zoom in on parts of your drawings and add to them
• You can share your drawings a number of ways such as through email or twitter
• Response time is good and there is hardly any lag between drawing and the drawing appearing
• The app doesn't take long to load
• You can buy additional tools for a set price
• You can mix your own colours and save them to use at a later time (purchase of mixer required)
• Brilliant quality of tools
• No internet connection required
• Regular updates and improvements available.

Negatives

• Currently unable to alter the thickness of the tools 
• You have to purchase the additional tools
• You cannot import existing drawings or pictures and add/edit them. 

Cost

App: Free

Additional brushes and mixer: £1.49 each or £4.99 for the 'essential package' which includes all tools but not mixer

Rating (Out of 5)

4.5

Bathroom Makeover

I've been living in my house for over 12 years now. In the time that we've been here I've grown up and started to influence the way in which the house is decorated. I live with my dad and sister, with all 3 of us being extremely busy people and so our house has been rather neglected in terms of its appearance. 

  A few years ago I redecorated my own bedroom with the help of my friends and I have also helped decorate my sister's as well. The next room I felt needed to be changed was our downstairs bathroom. It is quite a small room, with only a toilet and sink in it because we have the main bathroom upstairs. 

  So at the end of last year, one day I decided that it was time to remove all of the purple striped wallpaper that filled the room and make the place look a bit more natural and welcoming. I also wanted to incorporate a beach styled theme into the bathroom, but not make it too overpowering. 

Once I had removed all of the wallpaper from the room, which took a rather long time as it was so difficult trying to get it out from behind the toilet, life sort of took over. No matter how often I tried, I just didn't have the time to finish off the half started job. Fast forward 12 months and I've found some time to get the job done. 

Unlike when I removed the wall paper and just left the job, this time I wanted to finish the bathroom completely as soon as I started it. I didn't want this to be a start-stop project and really didn't want to be spending a long period of time doing it either. This meant that I had to be efficient and effective. As the wall paper had already been stripped off it was just the case of repainting the bathroom and then adding the finishing touches before cleaning the entire place from top to bottom. 

At the end of the day the project was finished. I started around 11am and finished around 4pm. In this time I had painted all of the walls in a lovely creamy colour which was not matt white yet not too yellow. Each wall needed around 2 coats and this made sure that the paint was applied evenly and covered each wall so the original paint could not be seen. 

  As the sink was still in good condition, I just rehung the mirror onto the wall and then cleaned the sink out. The small window also allows some natural light in and the colour of the walls make it look much brighter and bigger than before.

To make the bathroom a bit more personalised and welcoming, my sister decided to paint a canvas to be hung on the wall. We found the quote together online and loved it so she painted a beautiful background and then added the quote. It fits in well with the blue beached theme of the bathroom as well and it adds a bit of character to the room. 

Above is a picture showing the bathroom and the wall canvas in its place on the wall. I think it breaks up the wall really well, but doesn't make it look overpowering as it is essentially quite simple, yet effective. Again the features are the same, such as the sink, radiator and toilet roll holder, but they look much better with the new paint. 

This is another view of the bathroom, which just basically shows the furnishings and the paint, as well as the floor which had already been laid a few years ago. It has made the whole room look much brighter and fresher, which was the main aim for this redecoration. 

To add a bit of detail to the wall above the toilet, I added these photo frames which contain inside them photos of dolphins. Not only do they tie in with the theme, but they are also quite personal because we brought them whilst we were on holiday in Tenerife one year so we know that they cannot be brought in the UK. These black frames match the black frame of the mirror as well, so there is consistency throughout the room. 

Finally, on the window sill, to add to the theme of the room I added this small beach hut which brings some character and interest to the room. Again it adds a bit of colour to the room and it matches well with the rest of the features. 

I've really enjoyed decorating my bathroom and I'm really looking forward to my next decorating project, as I know that we want to decorate other rooms in our house.