Kami Grid

The 500-year-old technique, finally done right Dürer used a grid. So did Alberti, Vermeer, and every atelier student who ever squinted through a cardboard viewfinder taped with thread. Kami Grid puts that tool on your phone, and then pushes it far past what a piece of plastic could ever do. One app replaces the whole kit: camera, composition control, image correction, and a fully adjustable grid overlay. Built for atelier students, BFA and MFA candidates, portfolio builders, commission painters, illustrators, and anyone who wants their proportions right before they commit charcoal to paper. The interface was designed like an art tool, not a utility app. Everything is one gesture away. Nothing gets between you and the subject. Free Precise image control. Zoom, rotate, and nudge your reference pixel by pixel. Fine-tune the angle until the composition sits exactly where you want it. Brightness and contrast. Crush the midtones to reveal the shadow shapes underneath. See value structure instead of detail. Import your own photos. Bring in DSLR shots, phone photos, or reference images and drop a grid straight over them. Export. Save with or without borders. Print it, share it, send it to your tablet. Full-screen mode. Double-tap. Every control disappears and it's just you and the subject. Pro Plan — $0.99/month Complete grid customization. Set position and density freely. A single center cross for gesture work, a fine mesh for a detailed cast drawing, anything in between. Professional color control. Beyond brightness: saturation, highlights, and color temperature. Dial in a reference you can actually paint from. Every format you work at. Standard US pad and paper sizes (9×12, 11×14, 16×20, 18×24, 22×30, 24×36), standard canvas ratios, A-series, square, and custom dimensions. Your grid always matches your surface. Unlimited saved images. Less than a dollar a month. Cheaper than one stick of vine charcoal, and it lasts considerably longer. How artists use it Charcoal and graphite drawing Fold your paper in half, then in half again, and mark the creases lightly. Connect them to lay in a grid that matches the app. Shoot the setup in Kami Grid. Adjust the framing and push the contrast until the value structure reads clearly. Pick your paper format and drop the matching grid over the photo with one tap. Turn off auto-lock, go full screen, and draw with the finished composition sitting right next to you. Gesture and life drawing Set the grid to a simple center cross. Rule the same cross in your sketchbook and use it as your plumb line. The time you normally burn on blocking in disappears, and you spend it on the drawing instead. Still life and color studies Switch to color, raise the contrast, and the color planes separate visually. Combine with saturation and temperature adjustments and you have a working reference for painting, not just a photo. Oil painting from reference Import the photo you want to work from. Choose your canvas ratio and grid spacing, then correct the color and contrast to the key you're painting in. Export and print it as large as you need. Work with it beside the easel. Murals and large-format work Grid the reference, grid the wall, scale up with confidence. The math is already done. Get your proportions right the first time Download Kami Grid and stop redrawing the same head three times.