11 Best Drawing Apps to Make Digital Art On Android and iOS

Get your canvas in your pockets with the drawing apps for Android and iOS users.

In today’s digital world, artists of all ability levels have many possibilities for creating and sharing their work. There is a drawing app for everyone, whether you are a professional illustrator or a hobbyist.

This article will examine some of the best and most popular sketching applications for iOS, Android, and desktop PCs. We’ll look at each app’s features and tools to help you select the best app for your needs. So, let’s get started!

What are Drawing Apps?

Drawing apps are software and apps that allow you to sketch and paint on your computer or mobile device digitally.

Brushes, pencils, pens, and other drawing tools are commonly included in these apps for producing and altering digital artwork. They can be used for many things, including digital painting, graphic design, illustration, and animation.

Advantages and Reasons to use Drawing Apps

There are endless benefits to using drawing apps, even if you are a beginner; some of these reasons why someone might choose to use a drawing app over traditional pen and paper methods:

Convenience

You can use drawing applications on various platforms, including desktops and mobile devices, and it is possible to create and modify artwork from anywhere.

Easy to erase

You can simply undo and redo mistakes with drawing applications, which is difficult with traditional drawing methods, which can sometimes destroy paper or leave marks.

Simple sharing

Many drawing apps allow you to store and share your artwork online with your team or friends. You can also export it to various file formats, making sharing simple.

Fast design

you can create digital artwork in no time with the help of tools and brushes. Because digital drawing is faster than traditional drawing methods, you can accomplish projects more quickly.

Cost-effective

Some drawing apps are free or low-cost, requiring no additional equipment such as pencils, paper, paint, brushes, etc.

Maintain professional workflow

Many graphic designers, illustrators, and animators utilize drawing apps as part of their professional workflow because they allow them to create, modify, and manipulate vector drawings.

Eye-catchy designs

Digital drawing apps have features like shadows, glow, hues, tints, etc., which give any artwork a deep finish.

Now, we can explore some best drawing apps for android.

Adobe Illustrator Draw

Adobe Illustrator Draw is one of the most popular drawing tools and a top choice for graphic designers. It’s vector graphics editing software that lets you make and create illustrations, logos, graphs, charts, and other visuals.

The best part about adobe illustrator draw is that adobe update the illustrator features from time to time and makes it more user-friendly. Many people use it as a desktop app, but it can also be used on iOS.

Features

• Layers: Illustrator allows users to organize and edit distinct aspects of a design on separate layers, allowing changes to be made without affecting other portions of the design.
• Pen tool: it allows users to create accurate vector forms and paths.
• Appearance Panel: lets you apply many fills, strokes, and effects to a single object.
• Live Trace: The Live Trace tool in Illustrator allows users to turn raster pictures into vector artwork.
• Symbols: Illustrator’s symbols feature allows you to reuse graphic elements across multiple artboards or documents.
• Live Paint: Illustrator’s Live Paint feature allows you to color and edit complex shapes easily.
• Adobe Creative Cloud Integration: Illustrator is part of Adobe Creative Cloud, which allows you to access and share files across multiple devices and collaborate with others in real-time.
• Real-time Color and Opacity Preview: You can live preview color, opacity changes, and any new color swatches while designing.

Adobe Illustrator Draw gives you a free trial for seven days. After that, you can buy it for $ 30.98/month and $ 20.64/month yearly.

ArtFlow

ArtFlow is an Android software that allows users to paint, draw, and sketch with many tools and functions.

In addition, The following are some of the app’s primary features:

• A vast range of brushes and pencils with adjustable size, opacity, and pressure sensitivity.
• Layers and blending modes are used to create complicated compositions.
• There are numerous paper textures and backdrops to select from.
• Image file import and export in various formats, including PNG, JPG, and PSD.
• You can even use your fingers to draw realistic drawings with the help of Wacom tablets and other stylus input devices.

With the help of this app, you can create digital art, concept art, sketching, and digital painting.

Ibis Paint x

Ibis Paint x is an iOS and Android application that allows users to create digital art such as painting, drawing, and sketching. Because it comes with preset brushes, this drawing tool is ideal for beginners. It also offers a simple and user-friendly UI.

Features

• An extensive range of brushes and tools, including size, opacity, and pressure sensitivity options.
• Layers and blending modes are used to create complicated compositions.
• There are numerous paper textures and backdrops to select from.
• Image file import and export in various formats, including PNG, JPG, and PSD.
• Stylus input devices such as the Apple Pencil and Wacom tablets are supported.
• A variety of filters and effects are available to enhance the artwork Animation

Ibis Paint x costs you $ 2.96/ month and 28.02/ year. Also, You can try it for free for one month before making your first purchase.

Adobe Fresco

Adobe presents Fresco, one of the most wonderful apps for digital drawing. It has been designed especially for the latest touch and stylus devices. It comes with a vast collection of raster and vector brushes that help you deliver natural drawing with ease. Whether you are a sketcher, animator, illustrator, or more with digital drawing needs, it is ideal for you.

Let’s explore the major features of Adobe Fresco:

• Liquify tool: It offers a liquify tool that lets you give distortion effects to your art. This tool lets you pull, push, exaggerate, or inflate various areas of your drawing.
• Magic wand color tool: This tool eliminates the need to trace the outline to change the color. It automatically highlights the color matching your selection.
• Multicolor swatches: It has in-built multi-color swatches that let you create your own swatches and thus create 3D strokes easily.
• Motion path effects: It comes with new shrink/grow controls that let you change your artwork size.

It lets you work with oils, watercolors, blends, etc., and create amazing masterpieces conveniently.

Sketchbook

Sketchbook is a free drawing app. It is just like an actual Sketchbook but with digital touch. You can create cartoon characters, carry creatures, etc. In addition, if you are a person who likes to draw random cartoons, then this tool will be the best drawing tool for you.

Features

• Image file import and export in various formats, including PNG, JPG, and PSD.
• Shortcut keys for quick navigation
• To make animation, use the time-lapse recording tool.
• It includes a variety of brush techniques, such as pencils, pens, spray paint, watercolors, acrylic, inks, and crayons.

Sketchbook and a large assortment of brushes and pens allow users to construct architectural perspective views using built-in perspective grids and customized vanishing points. It is available on Android and iOS.

MediBang Paint

MediBang Paint is a free drawing tool for professionals. This application uses cloud storage, allowing you to move work between platforms quickly. You can sketch and create images anywhere with all of the capabilities of the iOS and Android versions.

Features

• It has a cloud service that allows users to access and save their work from any device.
• It offers a variety of pre-designed backgrounds, characters, and comic book panel layouts.
• This tool has a beginner-friendly interface and also provides built-in tutorials for beginners.
• It has a variety of filters and effects to enhance the artwork.
• It provides a wide library of free-to-use backgrounds.

MediBang Paint offers various brushes and tools, including pencils, markers, and airbrushes, with customizable options for size, opacity, and pressure sensitivity.

ArtRage

With this drawing tool, you can create realistic paintings and drawings. This tool is for all, from beginners to professionals. In addition, the ArtRage tool gives you a feel like you are drawing on paper.

Features

• You can use it as a mobile app or desktop app. Here are its key features
• A vast range of adjustable options, including canvas texture, lighting, and brush settings
• You can record and replay the painting process as a time-lapse video, show your work to your clients and friends, or even post it on Instagram.
• Import and export in different file formats

This drawing app costs you $2.99 for both Android and iOS.

Concepts

The Concepts drawing app is intended to help people see and communicate ideas through sketches and images. These apps often provide various tools for sketching and editing, such as pencils, pens, brushes, and shapes.

Features

• The Concepts has a next-generation hybrid vector-raster Fluid Engine.
• It has 64-bit precision with multi-threaded rendering, which can be a lifesaver for you when you have a lot of artwork to complete at once.
• An unlimited canvas with precise strokes at every zoom level is built for mobile also.
• Concepts respond faster than any other drawing tool.

Concepts are free and support both Android and iOS.

Dotpict

All-in-all, dotpict is a free drawing app for anyone interested in creating pixel art. It is intended to be simple to use, with a basic interface and various tools and capabilities.

Features

• The software offers a simple and intuitive interface that allows users to explore and discover the required tools quickly.
• It provides various pixel art tools, such as pencils, erasers, and a large selection of colors.
• You can export pixel art in various file types, such as PNG, JPG, and GIF, and post it on social media.
• It has a grid tool allows users to make precise and symmetrical pixel art.

It’s simple to use and provides many tools and capabilities, making it perfect for novice and experienced pixel artists. It is available on iOS and Android.

Infinite Painter

Infinite Painter is a painting and sketching app for mobile devices that includes various tools and functions for producing digital art. Infinite Painter features a superb color wheel and color options such as gradient, color picker, and color history.

Feature

• Over 160 brushes are included in the program, including pencils, pens, markers, and airbrushes.
• Infinite Painter supports several layers, allowing users to separate different areas of their artwork and make changes without affecting the rest of the image.
• The software provides several textures, such as paper and canvas, that may be put to the canvas to give it a more natural appearance.
• Tools for generating symmetrical artwork, such as mirror painting and kaleidoscope, are included in Infinite Painter.
• You can import pictures and export artwork in various file formats, including JPG, PNG, and PSD.

Infinite painter offers a one-time payment of $9.99. It is available on Android and iOS.

Tayasui Sketches

Tayasui Sketches is a popular iOS and iPad drawing app. It includes pencils, markers, paintbrushes, and other tools and features for making digital art. The software also features layers, a color picker, and a range of adjustable parameters for each tool’s behavior.

Features

• Various drawing instruments include pencils, markers, paintbrushes, and more.
• Customizable options for each tool’s behavior include size, opacity, and pressure sensitivity.
• Layers allow you to work on various portions of your drawing and mix them later.
• A color picker lets you effortlessly select and alter colors in your drawing.
• You can export your drawings in several formats, such as PNG, JPEG, and PSD.
• Easily share your drawings on social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter.
• A basic and intuitive user interface that is simple to utilize.
• Tutorials are in-app to assist you in learning how to use the app.
• You can import Custom brushes.

This drawing app is free, but if you go for Tayasui Sketches pro, it will cost you $ 14.89. It is also available on Android.

Features to Consider When Choosing a Drawing App

There are various elements to consider when selecting a drawing app. Some of the most crucial factors to consider are as follows:

Layers

The ability to create and edit layers is critical for generating more complicated artwork and modifying certain drawing portions without impacting the remainder.

Options for import and export

Look for an app that lets you import and export files in several formats, such as PNG, JPG, and PSD, so you can quickly share your work with others.

User interface

The app’s user interface should be simple to navigate and understand.

Color options

Look for an app that includes a color wheel, color picker, color palettes, and the ability to generate custom swatches.

Pressure sensitivity

Some apps are designed to be used with a stylus and enable pressure sensitivity, allowing for more natural and realistic drawings.

Animation features

If you want to make animations, seek an app with animation capabilities like onion skinning and keyframe animation.

Consider cloud syncing, which allows you to access and share your work from numerous devices.

Consider the app’s price and whether it gives good value for money. Free or low-cost apps may have restricted features, whereas more costly apps may have more comprehensive tools and features.

Bottom line

Today, if you are an artist who loves to draw illustrations or a business owner who needs to create graphics for your company. In both situations, you need a versatile and user-friendly drawing tool.

For Professionals, we suggest using Adobe Illustrator because it has advanced features and many easy-to-use tools. Also, if you are a beginner, you can take tutorials from youtube and read forums. And you can use Tayasui Sketches as well.

But if you are a beginner, love drawing, and want a free tool, Concept and Sketchbook drawing tools will be best for you. If you are an iPad user, then use Concept drawing app.

You may also explore some best drawing apps for iPad.