# Handy Art Reference Tool

> 3D Lit Reference for Artists!

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/id478643661](https://chrome-stats.com/d/id478643661)

## Overview

- **ID:** `id478643661`
- **Platform:** Apple
- **Type:** Apple app
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** Belief Engine
- **Category:** Education
- **Rating:** 4.80 / 5 (1,241 ratings)
- **Version:** 5.2
- **Last updated:** 2026-08-24
- **First published:** 2011-11-11
- **Size:** 361 MB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-24
- **Store listing:** [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/handy-art-reference-tool/id478643661)
- **Website:** [http://www.handyarttool.com](http://www.handyarttool.com/)
- **Privacy policy:** [http://handyarttool.com/PrivacyPolicy.html](http://handyarttool.com/PrivacyPolicy.html)

## Description

HANDY is a Chrome extension and artist’s reference tool featuring rotatable 3D limbs—hands, feet, and animal skulls—with a library of poses for fast drawing references. Create quick, accurate references without posing in front of a mirror, and customize or edit your own poses for hands, feet, and skulls. The tool also includes fully adjustable 3-point lighting and 10+ head busts to study shadows from different angles.

An Animal Skulls pack expands anatomy references for creature design (additional purchase). HANDY v5 adds material editing: toggle textures, adjust specularity, or tint colors for more realistic results. Ideal for comic artists, painters, and casual sketchers. Featured in ImagineFX's Top 10 Must-Have Apps with a video demo, newsletter, and social presence on Bluesky.

## Rankings

- #49,464 — Overall
- #22 — reference

## Review summary

Handy Art Reference Tool is a highly valued reference for artists, especially hands, with strong lighting controls and deep customization. It’s portable and convenient for sketching anywhere. Recurring issues include startup crashes and long loading times, the perception that base price plus packs is expensive, and limited model diversity and pose options (full-body models, head rotation, demographic variety). Occasional content-pack bugs can occur. Overall, it remains a widely used reference tool when the app runs smoothly.

### Pros

- Extremely useful reference tool for drawing, especially hands and feet.
- Excellent adjustable lighting and material settings for realistic references.
- Highly customizable with diverse models and flexible posing options.
- Portable and convenient to use anywhere.

### Cons

- Frequent instability: crashes on launch or endless loading after updates.
- App price plus separate packs; in-app purchases feel overpriced.
- Limited model diversity and pose options: not enough full-body models, limited head rotation, and demographic variety.
- Occasional content-pack loading bugs, e.g., 'talking to the internet' screens.

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Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/id478643661)