Writing and Drawing Apps for Ipad
The best drawing apps for iPad
Drawing apps for iPad can enhance your digital art experience and take your projects to a whole new level. We've gathered up all of the best free and inexpensive drawing apps and popped them into this nifty list for you, so you can choose the app that best suits your art style.
If you've you already got an iPad then you probably already take advantage of its brilliant portability when you pair it with the Apple Pencil. However, if you haven't yet, then check out our guides on all the iPad generations and the Apple Pencil vs Apple Pencil 2 to find out which set-up will best suit you and your artistic needs.
All of the apps we've rounded up for this list have been tested by us. We have apps to suit everyone from newbies to pros, so we're bound to have an app that'll suit you. Then once you're fully equipped with your app of choice, we recommend checking out our guide on how to draw, to make the most of your tablet.
If you're struggling to find exactly what you're looking for below, then perhaps you'd rather scroll through our roundup of the best iPad Pro apps. Or if you'd rather do your digital art on a desktop, then you'll probably find our list of the best digital art software helpful.
The best drawing apps for iPad
01. Procreate
- Download Procreate from the App Store for $9.99/£8.99 (opens in new tab)
The likelihood is that you've already heard about Procreate. The app has taken the digital art world by storm with its many different functions, versatile interface and 3D painting abilities (it's actually compatible with Zbrush, Blendr and others). However, if you're wanting to know more about this brilliant app then have a read through our Procreate 5.2 review.
One of Procreate's biggest selling points is its incredibly flexible and customisable interface. From the colour picker to the brush size, there are so many options to help improve your workflow on the Procreate app. Plus, Procreate's colour library is like no other with its ability to create your own palettes, colour options and even colour recommendations. The app as a whole is unbelievably sleek and smooth sailing, plus it's only a one-time purchase of £8.99/$9.99 in the Apple App Store meaning that it's kind on the bank.
02. Illustrator
- Download Illustrator for iPad, free, with in-app purchases (opens in new tab)
Just like Procreate, Adobe Illustrator is incredibly popular in the digital art community. While the app is free, it does require some in-app purchases, but with features like radial, grid and mirror repeat, its worth the money. The app takes the best features from the desktop app and pops it into this handy portable version of the app. And if you're still not convinced, then why not read more about it over on our Illustrator for iPad review?
We've found that when you combine the Illustrator app with the new iPad Pro (M1, 2021) and the Apple Pencil 2, then you get a sleak, controlled and enhanced digital art experience (make sure you check out the iPad Pro deals and the Apple Pencil deals if you haven't got the devices already). And the fun doesn't stop there. You can seamlessly transfer your work to and from your desktop app to your iPad app.
03. Photoshop for iPad
- Download Photoshop for iPad, free with in-app purchases (opens in new tab)
I'd be pretty surprised if you hadn't heard of Photoshop by now (Creative Bloq is packed to the brim with Photoshop content). Now you can equip you iPad with a slimmed-down version of the desktop software. And while there are a couple of missing tools, it's still a great app that allows you to seamlessly transfer files between the app and the desktop. If you're still not convinced then have a look at our Photoshop for iPad review. Or scroll down to check out some of the latest Adobe Creative Cloud deals.
04. Inspire Pro
- Download Inspire Pro for $9.99/£9.99 (opens in new tab)
Inspire Pro has one of the speediest and most realistic rendering engines on the App store (yep, high praise indeed). This means that creatives get an incredibly fluid and natural drawing experience right there on their iPad.
From oil to spray paint, the app boasts a large library of brushes and high-quality tools that are customisable to suit your exact needs. If you have an Apple Pencil and an iPad Pro, then you'll find that Inspire Pro's ability to react to pressure, tilt and orientation is an incredibly useful tool when working on a project and gives you loads of creative control.
05. Adobe Fresco
- Download Adobe Fresco for free (in-app purchases) (opens in new tab)
Fresco is another iPad app from Adobe's roster. Fresco supposedly is the digital equivalent of the traditional analogue drawing materials. When we tested it (see our Adobe Fresco review), we felt it's like Adobe's answer to Procreate (see above), but it's part of the Adobe Creative Cloud (opens in new tab) subscription.
With the likes of the highly-anticipated Live Brushes that adapt to a variety of drawing styles (though we did feel they were a touch limited), Fresco gives users a sleek and smooth drawing experience. Fresco may not have text or animation options, but it is still one of the best digital art apps available. We especially liked its fantastic selection of pixel brushes, its smooth running and ability to blend brushes.
06. Affinity Designer for iPad
- Download Affinity Designer for $9.99/£9.99 (opens in new tab)
Built from the same back end as its award-winning desktop version, Affinity Designer for iPad is a vector drawing program that's fully optimised for iOS, including Touch controls and Apple Pencil support. Our testing appreciated the fact it can support huge multi-artboard canvases with as many layers as you could possibly want, and you can zoom to over one million per cent. We also loved the UI – find out more in our Affinity Designer for iPad review.
Affinity Designer supports both CMYK and RGB, and has a full Pantone library in the colour swatch panel, meaning it's ideal for creating both digital and printed art. You can export to a range of formats, including JPG, PNG, PDF and SVG, and there are over 100 brushes available, in styles including paints, pencils, inks, pastels and gouaches. In short, this is one of the few drawing apps for iPad that's squarely targeted at the professional market.
07. ArtRage Vitae
- Download ArtRage Vitae for $2.99/£2.99 (opens in new tab)
ArtRage Vitae is the newest edition of one of iPad first and longest-running digital painting apps. This app replicates the feel, flow and texture of real oils and watercolours. You can load your brush with paint and spread it about with joy, you can mix colours on the canvas and overall ArtRage Vitae does a great job of simulating lifelike paints.
A variety of canvas styles add texture beneath your paintings, with options to adjust paper settings and customise brushes easily using a set of sliders. There's a variety of canvas presets and paper options, plus a wide array of brushes, pencils, crayons, rollers, and pastels.
In our Artrage Vitae review we loved the easy to navigate UI that hides many of the deeper functions behind easy sliders and selections, the unique layout ensures the screen is never cluttered and the canvas remains visible. This is an excellent app for those wanting to get a realistic painting experience.
08. iPastels
- Download iPastels for free (in-app purchases) (opens in new tab)
No digital application and tablet screen will give you the real feel of working with pastels and charcoal, but drawing apps for iPad are not looking to replace feel – they are designed to mimic the effect, and that is what iPastels does so well. Plus, you don't get messy fingers.
It is impressive how well the app replicates some aspects of pastel drawing, including soft pastels, oil pastels, pastel pencils, and realistic colour blending using your finger on the screen just like you would on paper. One downside is that you have to stop drawing when you want to adjust the size and pressure of your tool, but there are plus sides – including the ability to correct mistakes quickly and simply.
For that reason and more, iPastels is a great app to use if you want to try out compositions before beginning a real painting – or just for a bit of fun. It has Apple Pencil support, and the upgrade to Pro features costs $4.99/£4.99.
09. MediBang Paint for iPad
- Download MediBang for free (in-app purchases) (opens in new tab)
If you're new to digital art and so after a brilliant-but-basic drawing app for your iPad, look no further than MediBang Paint for iPad. When we reviewed it, we found Medibang to be an easy-to-use program with similar features to Photoshop, including layers, with the ability to add styles and a handy brush editor. In fact, MediBang is full of brilliant drawing and painting tools – so much so that it's hard to believe it's free. See our Medibang review here.
Compatible with iOS 11 and above, if you want to create professional-looking artwork but you are on a budget, this is the iPad drawing app for you.
10. Zen Brush 2
- Download Zen Brush 2 for $2.99/£2.99 (opens in new tab)
Zen Brush 2 is one of the drawing apps for iPad that emulates the feel of drawing with traditional Japanese calligraphy brushes. Our testing found it has a smooth and fluent drawing engine, and although our Zen Brush review describes its limited features, we also know it is par for the course with such a narrow usage and that's okay.
Zen Brush 2 has a gallery feature that enables you to save your work in progress, as well as a lovely ink dispersion effect to give your drawings an added feeling of depth. There's support for pressure-sensitive styluses, including Apple Pencil, and best of all you're no longer restricted to black ink – you can use red ink too.
11. Concepts
- Download Concepts for free (in-app purchases) (opens in new tab)
Created specifically for professionals, Concepts is an advanced sketching and design app. It features infinite canvas and organic brushes, a fluid and responsive vector drawing engine, and intuitive precision tools, all tailored for a natural-feeling drawing experience. Whether you're an architect, product designer, illustrator or visual thinker, you can explore, iterate and share your designs anywhere you go.
Concepts is compatible with iOS 12.4 and later, and supports the iPad Pro (2018) and second-generation Apple Pencil. Double-tap tool switching is supported, plus you can customise how the double-tap manifests itself.
12. Artstudio Pro
- Download Artstudio Pro for $14.99/£14.99 (opens in new tab)
Artstudio Pro for iPad is the successor to ArtStudio – a legacy version of which is still available for $4.99 (opens in new tab)/£4.99 (opens in new tab). The new version has been optimised for Apple Pencil, and claims to be 5-10 times faster than ArtStudio.
There are new and improved tools, which include 27 blending modes, over 100 built-in brushes and the ability to import all types of formats, including ABL brushes. There are also various different canvas sizes and options that include layers, layer masks, filters and effects. With an active community and plenty of features to play around with, we think this is a great choice for artists.
13. Comic Draw
- Download Comic Draw for free (in-app purchases) (opens in new tab)
While some painting and drawing apps cover a broad range of abilities and creative disciplines, Comic Draw is single-minded in its purpose. Comic artists are its target, and in those terms it is a highly effective tool. The app features a tool that enables you to lay out the panels on your page, guides to help you keep a perfect perspective and layers to enable you to build your drawings.
You'll also find a digital sketchpad for experimenting with your concepts, and an inking and colouring interface to help you finish your design with various brushes. Comic Draw provides a lettering suite made up of different typefaces, balloons and design tools to add the all-important words, and you can add as many pages as you want to make everything from a comic strip to a full-length book. There's a free trial available before you buy (for $9.99/£9.99).
14. Assembly
- Download Assembly for free (in-app purchases) (opens in new tab)
Assembly is a great way to create detailed vector drawings, icons, logos, scenes and characters without all that fiddly mucking about with vectors and Bézier curves. Rather than painstakingly drawing everything out yourself, you can choose from an enormous selection of ready-made shapes and stick them together to create your vector masterpiece.
You can layer, stack and position shapes however you want with this entry on our drawing apps for iPad list, and even create your own building blocks by cutting out, combining and intersecting existing shapes. If you need to prototype in a hurry, it's an ideal tool for getting professional results fast.
15. Clip Studio Paint Ex
- Download Clip Studio Paint Ex for free (in-app purchases) (opens in new tab)
Another full-featured desktop paint app that's now on the iPad, Clip Studio Paint Ex is great for drawing comics and manga, and it can also be used to create any kind of digital art. It's also one of the few drawing apps for iPad that brings the feel of traditional drawing to the digital space, making this the perfect app for creating your illustrations and sketches while on the go.
This app comes packed with drawing tools such as pencils, markers, calligraphy pens and air brushes. And because the drawing engine works so well with the Apple Pencil, you'll have a full range of pressure-sensitive dynamics to get your linework perfect. Another bonus is when you sign up for Clip Studio Paint EX subscription, you get three months free. Check out our list of the best Clip Studio Paint tutorials here.
16. Graphic
- Download Graphic for $8.99/£8.99 (opens in new tab)
Offering a desktop-class standard of vector drawing, Graphic boasts variable-width brush strokes and pressure-sensitive support for the Apple Pencil. This easy-to-use addition to our drawing apps for iPad guide is compatible with both the Mac and iPhone versions via iCloud and Dropbox, enabling you to save your masterpieces on the go for straightforward editing across devices later down the line.
17. Autodesk Sketchbook
- Download SketchBook for free (opens in new tab)
SketchBook by Autodesk is one of the most popular drawing apps for iPad among digital artists. As you'd expect from Autodesk, SketchBook has all the swagger of a pro-grade painting program, but with an experience designed for those looking to create art on the iPad (see our Sketchbook 4.0 for Android review if you have an Android device).
There's a wide range of digital pencils, pens, markers, and airbrushes to choose from, all accessed via a simple but intuitive UI that enables you to pin your favourite toolbars to the screen. It's flexible and fast, too, enabling you to work with layers, transparency options, annotations and advanced blend modes. With Dropbox integration plus the ability to import and export Photoshop-friendly files, it's an ideal iPad art app for working on the move.
18. Art Set 4
- Download Art Set 4 for free (with in-app purchases) (opens in new tab)
Art Set 4 has an easy to use interface and hyper-real tools for drawing and painting, so for example you can actually see your watercolour paint flow and run as you use it. Oil paint, watercolours, oil pastel, pencil, biro pen, marker, wax crayon and a few others are included for free, while an in-app purchase unlocks more than 150 brushes and further features.
20. Brushes Redux
- Download Brushes Redux for free (opens in new tab)
Legendary artist David Hockney has been spotted using the Brushes app when creating art on the iPad. It's an oldie but a goodie, designed specifically for Apple's tablet and now with the 'Redux' suffix – and it's free and open-source.
Using a basic toolbar at the bottom of the screen, you can bring up a colour wheel/picker, work with layers and switch between various brushes. Best of all, perhaps, Brushes is fast and responsive to the touch so it's easy to work quickly. A useful feature is the ability to record each brush stroke, enabling you to play back exactly how you created each piece of iPad art via the Brushes viewer.
21. SketchClub
- Download Sketch Club for $3.99/£3.49 (opens in new tab)
Sketch Club has a great set of tools for creating beautiful digital art, which is why it's a valuable addition to our drawing apps for iPad list. The app has a unique set of flexible digital brushes (and more can be made), pens, vector tools, old school pixel art, and fun procedural tools.
Sketch Club has an uncluttered user interface, with lots of settings to customise the app to your own unique preferences. A particularly great feature of this app is the integrated online community. Here you can upload your sketches to let others rate and comment on your work, as well as enter daily challenges and fun weekly competitions.
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- iPad generations: the complete iPad model list
- Best iPad Pro apps: Make your Apple Pencil shine
- Apple Pencil alternatives: The best styluses from a range of top companies
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Source: https://www.creativebloq.com/digital-art/art-on-the-ipad-1232669
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