Notes Sketch

The Great Orb

| Patricia

“As the great orb hovered above the land, it felt sadness. It was time to depart this place, this existence. To move on where others need its presence. “Peace be to all living beings who inhabit this space. May your way forward be a gentle journey.” ~ Patricia White

I often write a paragraph or two as a story idea reflecting my Daily Notes app sketch.

Above is an excerpt from the The Great Orb work-in-progress:

This Daily Drawing is part of a recent series of posts showing work that was created in the Apple Notes App (essentially a writing app) using just the basic drawing tools within the text-based app. The basic art is sometimes resized and enhanced in Procreate 5  on my 12.9” iPad Pro. Over the past year or so I have experimented with simple drawings made with these rudimentary drawing tools iPad Pro using a second-generation Apple Pencil as my sketching pencil, ink pen and paint brush. 

This drawing exercise has been an effort to show that all the bells and whistles contained in dedicated paint applications are not always needed to create interesting art. If you try the experiment of sketching in the Notes app with its in-app drawing tools, please post a link to your work in the comment section.

All artwork and creative writing is Copyright ©️ of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

Somewhere There IS A Light: Apple NOTES APP Drawing

| Patricia

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” ~ Desmond Tutu

Some followers may know that I have been battling with debilitating osteo Arthritis for several years which has thrown a spanner into my art practice. On those days when I cannot work with analogue materials, I often draw on my iPad. This Daily Drawing is part of a recent series of posts showing work that was created in the Apple Notes App (essentially a writing app) using just the basic drawing tools offered within the text-based app. The basic art is sometimes imported into Procreate 5 on my 12.9” iPad Pro and enhanced. 

Over the past year or so I have experimented with simple drawings made with these rudimentary drawing tools iPad Pro using a second-generation Apple Pencil as my sketching pencil, ink pen and paint brush. This exercise has been an effort to show that all the bells and whistles contained in dedicated paint applications are not always needed to create something interesting where there was nothing before. This piece is one of a number of works created for use as a greeting card series (paired up with some of my poetry verse as the inside message.)

If you try this experiment, sketching in the Notes app with its in-app tools, please post a link to your work in the comment section.

All artwork and creative writing is Copyright ©️ of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

Watery Orb – Notes App Drawing

| Patricia

“We forget that water and life cycles are one.” Jacques Cousteau. Oceanographer

Daily drawing created in the Apple Notes App using just the basic drawing tools offered within the text-based app. The basic art was then imported into Procreate 5 on a 12.9” iPad Pro and enhanced. I find this method fabulous for brainstorming and coming up with concepts for future analogue or digital works. Many make it into the manuscripts of stories that I write. Some of the imagery inspires a written piece—a story, a poem or a concept.

Watery Orb Notes Drawing July 20, 2024 Copyright©️Patricia White
Watery Orb Notes Drawing July 20, 2024 Copyright©️Patricia White


In this art I see breaking waves with white splashy foam rising up with the surf. As I continued to look at this piece, a sense of magnetospheric catastrophe emerged, perhaps with a geomagnetic shifting of the north and south poles, essentially wiping out much of earth’s living organisms, including humans. It‘s interesting how art can elicit a wide range of thoughts, reactions and conjectures, which are, after all, fodder for creative artists and writers.


All artwork and creative writing is Copyright ©️ of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

notes app drawing: SightLines

| Patricia

“Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.” ~ Jonathan Swift

Another of my daily scribbles using the simple drawing tools offered in the Apple Notes app. Edited in Procreate on my 12.9” iPad Pro. I dubbed this drawing “Sightlines“ to represent the volumes of information that we are taking in and processing every day. This is a particularly virulent time history, politically, environmentally and technologically. Trying to keep up with the latest news while dealing with the vagaries of life can be overwhelming. We artists and writers generally internalize the environment around us and these events can appear in our work—often unconsciously. How do current events affect your work?

The chronic arthritis in my shoulders complicates the making of traditional analog art. On days when it is particularly problematic, I often draw on my iPad Pro in apps such as Procreate, Adobe Fresco and other dedicated painting apps. Lately, however, I have been enjoying the simplicity of the Apple Notes app drawing tools as a vehicle for creativity. I generally use the Apple Pencil for navigating around the tablet to cause less stress on my hands. In this drawing I primarily used the Notes app pencil and crayon tools. If you are dealing with arthritis or another challenge, what are some ways that you continue to be able do your creative work? Would love to hear from you in the comments.

All artwork and creative writing is copyright ©️ of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

Ink and wash Apple

| Patricia

“There never was an apple, in Adam’s opinion, that wasn’t worth the trouble you got into for eating it.” ~ Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Sometimes I sketch concepts on my iPad when an idea occurs and I want to get it down quickly or don’t feel like dealing with the mess of using analogue materials. I often tap the tablet’s screen when holding my Apple Pencil and it opens an Apple Notes page with the drawing tools panel open. Most times I take this as an unplanned opportunity to relax for a few moments and jot down some concept, scribble down an idea or draw a random object. I’ve drawn and painted a ton of apples these past months and this time I tried out Note’s new watercolour tool. I chose red, created a curving swath of ‘paint’ as the background, completing the object with an ink pen line drawing. I then enhanced the watercolour, added some splashes and the cast shadow.

Artwork Copyright Patricia White 2023.