What Is JustSketchMe?

Updated

JustSketchMe is a web-based character posing and pose reference tool for artists. It lets you arrange characters, props, lighting, and camera perspective to create reference images for drawing, illustration, or animation. It is available as a web app and on iOS, Mac, Windows, and Android, so you can pose on a desktop and pick up the same kind of work on a tablet or phone.

What you can do with it

The site describes the tool around a few core capabilities:

  • Pose characters — build a pose from scratch rather than only copying a static reference.
  • Create dynamic scenes — combine more than one figure and arrange them in relation to each other.
  • Use a pose library — start from existing poses instead of posing every joint manually.
  • Pose hands in detail — hand posing is called out separately, which matters because hands are a common weak point in figure drawing.
  • Add props — the site advertises dozens of characters and hundreds of props.
  • Control lighting — dynamic lights let you change how form reads, which affects shadow shapes and value studies.
  • Push perspective — extreme perspective options help when you need foreshortening or a dramatic camera angle.

The practical value is that you control the variables: pose, camera, light, and props. A static photo reference locks all of those at once; a posing tool lets you change one at a time.

Who it is for

It fits artists who need reference for:

  • Character design and illustration
  • Comic and storyboard panels where a specific camera angle matters
  • Anatomy and gesture practice
  • Hand and foreshortening studies

If you only need finished photos of real people, a photo reference library may be enough. JustSketchMe is more useful when you need a pose or angle that is hard to photograph or find.

How to get started

  1. Open the web app, or install the iOS, Mac, Windows, or Android version.
  2. Load a character and either pick a pose from the library or pose it manually.
  3. Adjust the camera and perspective to match the shot you want.
  4. Add props and lighting to shape the scene.
  5. Use the result as reference while you draw.

The expected result is a custom reference image rather than a fixed one, so you can iterate on the angle until it reads clearly.

Pricing and access

The site links to a pricing page at justsketch.me/pricing/, which indicates there is a paid tier structure. The available page evidence does not list specific prices, plan limits, or whether a free tier exists, so check that page directly before committing. Do not assume the tool is free or that no account is required.

A quick example

Suppose you are drawing a character reaching toward the viewer. A photo reference rarely gives you that exact hand angle with the lighting you want. In JustSketchMe you would pose the arm and hand, set an extreme perspective camera, then add a light from one side to define the forearm and fingers. That combination — pose, camera, light — is the part a static reference cannot give you.