If you’re trying to get into digital art, you want to make sure you have the right tools. That’s why we’ve scoured every corner of the internet to bring you the best apps out there for digital art creation.
Whether you’re new to digital art or a pro, we’ve likely got something on this list that can help your creations look better and enable new levels of expression. All of the apps below are available on both PC and Mac computers, though some are also available on Android or iOS mobile devices.
Table of Contents
Best Apps For Digital Art
best apps for digital artists
Choosing Drawing Software and Applications
Key criteria to consider when looking for drawing software:
What device you’re using
Why you’re drawing
● Software By Device
Different software and apps are available depending on the device you’ll use to draw.
Although the same software or app may be available on multiple systems, the features may vary. Be sure to check that your device supports the app and its current version before use.
For Desktop (Windows/macOS)
The following is a list of desktop drawing software. Some offer dedicated specialties such as comic creation.
Photoshop CC (Windows/macOS)
Clip Studio Paint (Windows/macOS)
Paint Tool SAI (Windows)
Paintstorm Studio (Windows/macOS)
MediBang Paint Pro (Windows/macOS)
Corel Painter 2021 (Windows/macOS)
Krita (Windows/macOS)
GIMP2 (Windows/macOS)
For Tablets
The following is a list of drawing applications, some geared towards creating comics and manga and available on the iPad, Android tablets, or both. The iPad supports pen pressure when you draw when using an Apple Pencil or a BambooSketch.
ibisPaint (iPad)
Clip Studio Paint (iPad/Android)
Adobe Fresco (iPad/Windows)
Procreate (iPad)
MediBang Paint (iPad/Android)
Paintstorm Studio (iPad)
For Smartphones
The following is a list of drawing applications for iPhones or Android smartphones.
ibisPaint (iPhone)
Clip Studio Paint (iPhone/Android)
MediBang Paint (iPhone/Android)
● Software by Purpose
First, think about your drawing goals, what you want to draw, and whether your art will stay digital or go to print. This will help you find the drawing tools and software that are right for you, which is especially important if you want to draw comics.
Drawing Professional Illustration, Comics, and Design
Professional creators use tools that support advanced drawing. Many universities and schools also use these same tools to prepare their students to become professional creators. If your goal is to print your work, use software or apps that support high-resolution data. If you choose an app that suits the majority of your workflow, you can avoid switching between different apps and software as you draw. If you wish to draw comics, you should choose a designated app or software that comes with features for creating comics and manga.
Photoshop CC (Windows/macOS)
Clip Studio Paint (Windows/macOS/iPad/iPhone/Android)
Paint Tool SAI (Windows)
Procreate (iPad)
Corel Painter 2021 (Windows/macOS)
Adobe Fresco (iPad/Windows)
Creating Illustrations and Comics for Fun
Choose a drawing tool that allows you to post your picture to social media. Posting to social media helps make drawing more fun while you get used to drawing digitally. Software and apps for drawing simple illustrations are cheap and free. A helpful strategy is to draw rough sketches in your spare time and then use professional drawing software to finish up your work.
ibisPaint (iPad/iPhone/Android)
Clip Studio Paint (Windows/macOS/iPad/iPhone/Android)
Paintstorm Studio (Windows/macOS/iPad)
GIMP2 (Windows/macOS)
Krita (Windows/macOS)
MediBangPaint Pro (Windows/macOS/iPad/iPhone/Android)
This article introduces the best tablets for beginners to digital art!
Top 11 Drawing Tablets of 2021!
Drawing Software and Applications
From here, we will introduce the features of each drawing software/app as well as information about price, support, and trial versions. For first-time users, it’s wise to choose a drawing software or app with reliable support from the company that produces it. Furthermore, trial versions allow users to try something out before investing in them so you can make a more informed choice about which one suits you best.
Photoshop CC (Windows/macOS)
Clip Studio Paint (Windows/macOS/iPad/iPhone/Android)
Paint Tool SAI (Windows)
ibisPaint (iPad/iPhone/Android)
Procreate (iPad)
Adobe Fresco (iPad/Windows)
MediBang Paint Pro (Windows/macOS/iPad/iPhone/Android)
Corel Painter 2021 (Windows/macOS)
Krita (Windows/macOS)
Paintstorm Studio (Windows/macOS/iPad)
GIMP2 (Windows/macOS)
● Photoshop CC (Windows/macOS)
A professional graphics software that’s popular with professional designers, photographers, and editors. Abundant in features, it is also useful for drawing illustrations. Photoshop CC requires some customization, so it is suitable for intermediate artists.
Photoshop CC is prominent in the design and photo processing industry, and many design schools use Photoshop to teach students. This versatile software can export multi-page data for use online, in print, and for videos.
You can draw in Photoshop, but it wasn’t created with illustration or comics in mind. It takes time and effort to customize the pen and brush tools, and features like pen pressure are turned off by default. However, if you are looking for a highly-customizable program, Photoshop CC will work well for you. An update in 2017 added a stabilization function to the pen and brush settings.
Since it was initially software for photo processing, it is quite good at adjusting colors. It also supports CMYK, the go-to format used for printed works. Since Paint Tool SAI does not support CMYK
Photoshop CC is suited for intermediate users, so we recommend it if you know what you want to create and are happy to customize your software. Another similar software, Photoshop Elements, has limited functions but can draw digital illustrations without any problems and costs less than US$100.
Developer: Adobe Systems Co., Ltd.
Support: For some issues, the Adobe support team can be contacted via their official contact form or a chat feature. Although the official website has a community forum for asking and answering questions, these topics are mainly related to design and photo processing. There is not much information on illustration and comics.
There are also many books and online websites that introduce Adobe Photoshop, but again, there is little information specializing in illustration and comics.
Trial version:
Download the full-feature seven-day trial version from the Free Trial Download page.
Note: To use all the features, you must obtain an Adobe ID and register for the trial version
How to purchase:
You can buy Photoshop CC from the official website and other digital software purchasing sites.
Price:
Creative Cloud Photography Plan: $9.99/month
Photoshop CC is a monthly subscription service.
When purchasing from the official website, Adobe accepts payments through credit card, PayPal, and wire transfer. You can pay with cash if you load it onto a prepaid debit card, available separately from many retailers.
● Clip Studio Paint (Windows/macOS/iPad/iPhone/Android)
Clip Studio Paint is a versatile software that supports a wide range of specialties, including illustration, comics, and animation. It comes with a plethora of digital art tools, so you can start drawing with it right out of the box. Clip Studio Paint is suited for those who want to create various kinds of works, including illustration. There is also a version available on the iPad/iPhone/Galaxy/Android/Chromebook.
Professional creators use Clip Studio Paint in the illustration, manga, and animation industries. Schools use Clip Studio Paint to teach comic, illustration, or animation courses. This software has an outstanding reputation for how it feels as you draw. Clip Studio Paint supports multi-page data export for digital, printed work, and movies. With features for arranging images and text, it’s suitable for simple design work as well.
Furthermore, it is useful for specialty comic production, such as for webtoons. It comes with webtoon canvas settings and the ability to split vertical works into multiple smaller works. Last but not least, artwork production can be recorded with its canvas timelapse feature and then shared to social media in video format.
It takes some time to learn how to use all of the software. However, some features such as the editable 3D drawing figures are great for beginners. You can change their pose and angles to help create base sketches.
In addition to pens and brushes, it also has many other digital art tools such as color and monochrome screen tones. You can download and add pens, brushes, tones, etc., from Clip Studio ASSETS, our official material service, and you can import Photoshop brushes (extension: .abr). Pens and brushes have a high degree of freedom, and once you get used to them, you can customize them to suit your style.
There are two versions, PRO and EX. Multi-page comics and full-fledged animations can be created with the higher grade EX version. Clip Studio Paint is a powerful software that allows you to create various genres of illustrations, comics, webtoons, and animation. The tablet and smartphone versions for iPads and Samsung Galaxy devices have the exact same features as the desktop version. When using it on multiple devices, you can use a cloud service to migrate your works and settings. Another advantage of this software is that you can create the same pens and brushes regardless of OS.
Developer: CELSYS, Inc.
Support:
You can contact support via the website’s official contact form. There is also a Frequently Asked Questions section, a wealth of detailed explanations, tutorials, and videos by professional creators. Not only that, but there is also a Q&A service, Clip Studio ASK, that allows users to ask and answer each other’s questions. Many users also use social media to exchange information.
You can also find books about this software. However, because it is continuously releasing new updates, the information may not match the latest software specifications.
Trial version:
For Windows and macOS, you can use all the features (*1) for 30 days after downloading from the free trial version page on the official site. If you apply for a monthly usage plan, you can use it for up to 3 months free of charge (*2).
Clip Studio Paint for Galaxy is now available in the Galaxy Store worldwide.
Clip Studio Paint for Android/Chromebook is available for download from the Play Store.
The iPad version can be used for free for up to three months (*2) if you download it from the App Store and apply for a monthly usage plan.
The iPhone version is free to use for one hour every day after downloading it from the App Store. It can be used for an unlimited amount of time with an in-app purchase.
Note 1: In order to use all the features, you must obtain a Clip Studio account and register for the trial version.
Note 2: This is only for the first time you apply for a monthly use plan. You also need to apply via the app.
Please refer to the help section on the official website for more information.
How to purchase:
Clip Studio Paint can be purchased and downloaded from the official website via Paypal, credit cards, bank/wire transfer, WebMoney, and check.
In addition to the official website, you can purchase the packaged version at online stores and events.
Both iPad and iPhone versions can be downloaded from the AppStore.
Price:
Windows/macOS
One-time payment (download version)
Conclusion
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