Charcoal
Visualize Your Ideas
Free · Designed for iPad
Charcoal allows you to visualize ideas. It’s simple and focuses on what matters: your idea.
• Charcoal is incredibly easy to use: Just create or open a sketch and start sketching. There are no layers or confusing settings. Instead, Charcoal features rich tools and beautiful color palettes.
• Charcoal allows you to export a sketch to use it in your favorite graphics program.
• Charcoal supports modern iOS and iPadOS features like multiple windows and dark mode: use it at night or open multiple sketches, even side by side.
more • It’s now easier to create a new sketch
• This update adds support for iPhone Duo and iOS & iPadOS 27
• Support links have been updated
1.7 13 Oct
• Charcoal now uses the Liquid Glass design system on iOS & iPadOS 26
• The app icon has been refreshed
• Support links have been updated
• Several bugs have been fixed
Thanks for using Charcoal!
1.6 13 Apr
• This update adds support for the LAMY Safari Note+ digital stylus
• You can now switch between erasers in the Settings → Accessories
1.5.1 01/08/2024
• This update adds several new tools: Crayon, Fountain Pen & Watercolor
• You can now customize Charcoal’s interface
• The settings have been redesigned
• Sketches can be exported at a higher quality
• Charcoal now fully supports the latest iPadOS and iOS versions
• Several bugs have been fixed
Thanks for using Charcoal!
1.5 11/04/2024
This update fixes an issue which resulted in the app becoming unresponsive after changing certain settings. It also includes support for iOS & iPadOS 16, as well as iPhone 14.
1.4.1 05/11/2022
• You can now choose a background color for your sketch
• The color palettes have been updated
• To switch to the new palettes, tap the refresh button in the settings under “Color Palettes”
• A Home Screen action for quick sketches has been added
• The design of the app has been tweaked
• This update adds support for iOS 15, iPhone 13, and iPad mini
1.4 12/12/2021
• This update adds support for iPhone 12 and iPad Air
• You can now also zoom in further into a sketch
• Saving has been improved
• Sketches should now sync faster
• An iOS 13 animation glitch was fixed
• An issue has been resolved that slowed down scrolling on the canvas in certain cases
• A bug has been fixed that resulted in the app crashing in the background
1.3.1 15/11/2020
• You can now create your own color palettes
• The palettes can be created and edited in the settings
• You can also change the order of the predefined color palettes
• Color palettes sync using iCloud
• You can share any color palette as an image
• When using the share sheet, the hex representations will also be shared
• Alternatively, you can drag and drop a color palette into another app that supports images
• Tools in the sidebar now support multiple sizes
• You can change the size by tapping on the tool you have selected
• Currently supported tools: Pen, Pencil, Marker, Big Pen
• You can choose between small, medium, and big
• The size you selected for each tool will be saved between sessions
• Keyboard shortcuts for changing the size of the current tool have also been added
• In the “My Sketches” view, a waterfall layout is now used for a better browsing experience
• This allows you to view entire sketches before opening them
• The new layout also works better on iPhone
• URL scheme
• The Charcoal URL scheme currently supports creating new sketches
• It can be used with charcoal://new
• I hope to be able to expand the number of supported urls in future updates
• The settings sheet can now be dismissed by tapping outside of the sheet on iPadOS
• This change was made to better fit in with other apps under iOS and iPadOS 14
• The app icon has been tweaked
• A new welcome message was added
• A bug has been fixed that resulted in the colors of sketches being darkened when exporting in dark mode
• When sharing a sketch from the canvas, the sketch no longer gets closed after the image finishes saving
• Tapping the current tool no longer results in extra haptics on iPhone
• Syncing has been improved
• The help screen has been improved
• An iOS 14 animation glitch was fixed
• The responsiveness of the app has been improved
1.3 21/09/2020
This update adds haptic feedback (iPhone).
1.2.3 16/06/2020
This another update fixes an issue that resulted in the app crashing on launch.
1.2.2 15/06/2020
This update fixes an issue that resulted in the app crashing on launch.
1.2.1 14/06/2020
This update includes many fixes and improvements:
• You can now use grids on the canvas
• The visibility of grids can be toggled in the settings or by holding two fingers on the canvas
• A different grid type can be chosen in the settings
• Available grid types: dotted, square, line, isometric
• On an iPhone or when using split view, a new tool palette is used
• Charcoal will automatically use this new option when the screen isn't wide enough for the traditional palettes
• Erasing entire strokes is now supported
• You can switch to the vector eraser in the settings
• The visual appearance of various popovers has been improved
• You can finally use the double-tap gesture on Apple Pencil 2
• Supported modes: switch to eraser, switch to previous tool
• Sketches can now be duplicated
• A sketch can now be shared from the ”Your Sketches” screen
• Deletion confirmation was added
• More keyboard shortcuts were added
• Sharing sketches should now be faster
• Syncing should now be slightly quicker
Thanks for using Charcoal!
1.2 14/06/2020
This update includes a couple of fixes and improvements.
1.1.2 30/05/2020
This update includes a fix for a bug that resulted in older drawings having the wrong thumbnail.
1.1.1 28/04/2020
This update includes a couple of fixes and improvements:
• Support for the double-tap gesture on Apple Pencil 2 was added
• The new pointer in iPadOS 13.4 is fully supported in this version
• A drawing can now be navigated with the keyboard
Other small fixes and improvements are also included in this update.
1.1 23/04/2020
• A new red and purple color palette was added
This version also fixes a couple of bugs:
• Saving and opening a sketch while using dark mode should no longer result in a black square
• Exporting a sketch while using dark mode should no longer result in dark colors
• Opening a sketch should no longer select the wrong pen
1.0.1 07/02/2020
• It’s now easier to create a new sketch
• This update adds support for iPhone Duo and iOS & iPadOS 27
• Support links have been updated
more Version 1.7 13 Oct
Data Not Collected The developer does not collect any data from this app.