Let’s get you drawing.

Grab your sketchbook or open your drawing app. Tokiyo keeps the references on screen and takes care of the timer. It’s free, with no account needed.

1. Choose something to draw

On the home page, pick a collection. Gesture basics is a good place to start, or try standing poses, seated poses, or movement and balance.

The collection picker with Gesture basics selected and three other pose collections beside it. — Pick a collection to use its references. Tap any screenshot to see it at full size.

Want something else? Discover channels to find references on Are.na. You can also choose Import collection and paste a public Are.na channel or Cosmos collection link.

For images on your device, open Import collection, select Local images, then Choose images. These stay in this browser and aren’t uploaded. Keep the originals, since clearing browser storage can remove them.

2. Set your pace

Fixed pace gives every reference the same amount of time. Try 30 seconds or a minute for quick gestures, or a longer interval for details. Custom pose lengths run from 5 seconds to 4 hours.

Session setup in Fixed pace mode, with a two-minute pose length selected. Class mode and a custom interval are also available. — Use Fixed pace for one interval, or Class for a preset with varied pose lengths and breaks.

If you’re starting out, choose a pace that feels comfortable. You can pause whenever you need more time.

3. Start drawing

Press Start drawing. Each reference advances when its timer ends. Draw on paper, on a tablet, or in a separate app.

A timed drawing session with a pose photograph, a timer at the bottom right, and playback and study controls below the image. — Your reference, timer, and controls in one place. Photographer credits link to the source.

Press Space to pause or resume. Use Prev to revisit a reference, Skip to move on, or End to finish. Fullscreen gives you more room to look.

Try Gray to study values or Flip H to see the pose from a fresh angle. Sound turns the transition cues on or off.

A few things to know

Tokiyo doesn’t have a drawing canvas and doesn’t store your drawings.
Your settings and recent collections stay in this browser. They don’t sync between devices.
Practice links share a collection and session setup, but collections made from your own image files only work in the browser where you added them.
Imports need a public collection with supported images. Private collections won’t load.

For more detail, see image credits and usage or the privacy page.

Start a drawing session. If you get stuck, send me a message.