Hand Drawing Meets Digital Speed

Bring the warmth and intuition of sketching into a modern iPad workflow that’s fast enough for today’s deadlines, but still rooted in timeless design instincts.

Why iPad for Architects?

Even in the digital age, sketching remains one of the most direct and creative ways to design. Hand-drawn lines carry warmth, ambiguity, and possibility — the very qualities that keep ideas alive instead of shutting them down. Clients respond to this instinctively because sketching communicates with both reason and emotion.

Traditional CAD tools often push ideas into boxes too early. The iPad bridges the gap, giving you speed, precision, and flexibility without losing clarity or the joy of drawing.

That balance — freedom and precision — defines iPad for Architects.

For over 25 years, I worked as an architectural renderer and design consultant for top NYC firms, creating hand-drawn presentations that helped win clients and clarify ideas. You can still explore that body of work in the Renderings and Architecture sections of this site. What I teach now grows directly out of that tradition, reimagined for the iPad.

Choose Your Path

iPad for Architects gives you three ways to learn:

• Autonomous Courses — Learn specific tools like Procreate, SketchUp for iPad, Morpholio Trace, and Rendering at your own pace.

• The Concept Design Workshop — A full workflow that takes you from first sketch to final hand rendering.

• The Live Draw-Along Workshop — A live cohort program where feedback, accountability, and practice turn skills into habits.

See How It All Fits Together

Before you scroll to the individual courses, watch this short video. It explains the philosophy behind iPad for Architects — why drawing on the iPad unlocks new creative freedom — and how the Live Draw-Along Workshop ties the whole system together.

About James

I’m James Akers — a registered architect, renderer, and educator. For over 25 years I built my career on hand drawings in pencil and watercolor, until I realized those tools couldn’t keep pace with modern practice. When the iPad and Apple Pencil arrived, I discovered a way to bring back the warmth, ambiguity, and clarity of hand drawing — while moving fluidly into today’s workflows.

That discovery became iPad for Architects: a system to help others sketch, design, and present more confidently, without losing the soul of drawing.

Curious about my earlier work?
Before building iPad for Architects, I spent decades as a renderer and consultant helping architects and firms win clients through hand-drawn presentations. You can browse that portfolio in the Renderings and Architecture sections of this site.

This site is dedicated to Spencer James Akers, who would have loved the fact that his dad is still using both the website and the tools he once helped set up. I love you, Spence.