Top 10 Drawing Apps for iOS and Android

Default avatar.
June 07, 2019
Top 10 Drawing Apps for iOS and Android.
Drawing is one of the most common and fun past times. Nowadays, with the release of new and powerful Android tablets and iPads, you don’t even have to break out your drawing pad and favorite drawing utensils. There are dozens of drawing apps that allow you to draw digitally and hone your artistic skills. The only problem is, which drawing app to pick? To help you answer that question, we’ve rounded up the best drawing apps for Android and iPad.

Procreate

Procreate is an exclusive iPad app that was built with professionals in mind and works flawlessly with the Apple Pencil. It has an unobtrusive UI and and easy-to-use color picker as well as over 136 brushes. A few exclusive tools include dual-texture brushes and incredibly responsive smudging tools. You can export your finished masterpiece as PSD, native .procreate, TIFF, transparent PNG, multi-page PDF, and JPEG file formats. Procreate

Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer is another well-known app for all of you who want to use iPad and Apple Pencil to create works of art and digital drawings. Affinity Designer supports both CMYK and RGB color formats and comes with a full-blown Pantone library in the swatch panel. The finished drawing can be exported to a wide variety of formats such as JPG, PNG, PDF and SVG. You will also find more than a 100 brushes, in a variety of styles including paints, pencils, inks, pastels, and gouaches. Affinity Designer

Adobe Illustrator Draw

Be sure to check out Adobe Illustrator Draw if you use an Android tablet. Adobe Illustrator Draw has full layer support, much like its desktop counterpart. It also supports zoom up to x64 so you can easily see all the fine details. The app comes with 5 different pen tips, all of which have various customization features. You can export your work to other devices and open it later in the desktop version of Illustrator or Photoshop. Adobe Illustrator Draw is free and it’s also available as an iPad app. Adobe Illustrator Draw

ArtRage

ArtRage is a full-fledged painting and drawing software that can be used not only on your Windows or Mac computer but also on your Android tablets and iOS devices. The app features a range of tools that will help you create a digital drawing or painting. You will find various canvas presets, brushes, paper options, pencils, crayons, rollers, and pastels. ArtRage also comes with the ability to create custom brushes and powerful perspective layout tools. ArtRage

ArtFlow

Voted as one of the Editor’s Choice apps on the Google Play Store, ArtFlow is a powerful drawing app for Android devices. ArtFlow comes with more than 80 brushes, layer features, and layer blending. Once you’re done with your drawing, you can easily export it to a variety of formats, including JPEG, PNG, and PSD. What’s more if you have an Nvidia device, you’ll have access to Nvidia's DirectStylus support. ArtFlow

Ibis Paint

If you’re looking for an app that’s easy and fun to use for both kids and adults, look no further than Ibis Paint. With more than 140 brushes, numerous filters, various blending modes, clipping mask features, and the ability to record your drawing process, this app is definitely worth checking out. On top of the above features, Ibis Paint offers stroke stabilization feature and various ruler features. Ibis Paint

LayerPaint HD

LayerPaint HD is another Android app that has plenty of features to create beautiful digital drawings. The app has a ton of features, however, the most notables ones are pen pressure support, layer features, and the ability to export your work as PSD so you can finish it off in Photoshop if you so desire. In addition to that, LayerPaint HD comes with full support for keyboard shortcuts which makes your digital drawing process even easier. LayerPaint HD

Linea Sketch

Linea Sketch is an easy to use iPad drawing app that allows you to draw as well as take handwritten notes. The app is optimized for Apple pencil. What makes it standout from the others, is the ability to help you create the perfect circle and other shapes and automatically recommends matching colors for the shades you’re already using. Other features include layer support, split screen, and exporting your projects as PSD, JPG, or PNG files. Linea Sketch

MediBang Paint

MediBang Paint is a free drawing app available for Android, iOS, and PC/Mac computers. The app makes it easy to create drawings and comic books and is packed with features such as brushes, fonts, premade backgrounds, and other resources. What’s more, the app has a vibrant community so there are plenty of resources and tutorials online that will help you learn the ropes quickly. MediBang Paint

Autodesk SketchBook

Autodesk SketchBook used to be a paid app but is now completely free to download and use on both Android and iOS devices. The app has a simple user interface and comes with dozens of various brushes, intuitive gestures, and includes the exclusive Copic® Color Library. The app also lets you export your work as JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, and PSD. Lastly, Autodesk SketchBook has full support for layer features. SketchBook Featured image via Unsplash.

Brenda Stokes Barron

Brenda Barron is a writer from southern California specializing in business and technology. Read more about what she’s up to on her site Digital Inkwell.

Read Next

3 Essential Design Trends, December 2023

While we love the holidays, too much of a seasonal theme can get overwhelming. Thankfully, these design trends strike a…

10 Easy Ways to Make Money as a Web Designer

When you’re a web designer, the logical way to make money is designing websites; you can apply for a job at an agency,…

The 10 Most Hated Fonts of All Time

Remember when Comic Sans wasn’t the butt of the jokes? Long for the days when we actually enjoyed using the Impact…

15 Best New Fonts, November 2023

2023 is almost over, and the new fonts are still coming thick and fast. This month, we’ve found some awesome variable…

Old School Web Techniques Best Forgotten

When the web first entered the public consciousness back in the 90s, it was primarily text-based with minimal design…

20 Best New Websites, November 2023

As the nights draw in for the Northern hemisphere, what better way to brighten your day than by soaking up some design…

30 Amazing Chrome Extensions for Designers and Developers

Searching for a tool to make cross-platform design a breeze? Desperate for an extension that helps you figure out the…

Exciting New Tools for Designers, November 2023

We’ve got a mix of handy image helpers, useful design assets, and clever productivity tools, amongst other treats. Some…

The Dangers of Doomscrolling for Designers and How to Break Free

As a creative professional, navigating the digital realm is second nature to you. It’s normal to follow an endless…

From Image Adjustments to AI: Photoshop Through the Years

Remember when Merriam-Webster added Photoshop to the dictionary back in 2008? Want to learn how AI is changing design…

3 Essential Design Trends, November 2023

In the season of giving thanks, we often think of comfort and tradition. These are common themes with each of our three…

30 Obsolete Technologies that will Perplex Post-2000s Kids

Remember the screech of dial-up internet? Hold fond memories of arcade machines? In this list, we’re condensing down 30…