8 best drawing apps for Windows
- If you are into digital art, you will need a professional painting software you can rely on
- Our top list will help you find the best option available right now
- XP-Pen is gaining a lot of popularity in the circle of digital art creators due to ease of use and canvas like feel
- Check our Graphic Design Hub for more top lists
Since the early days of Windows, the OS shipped with a pre-installed drawing app called Paint, which became very popular and was used by everyone to make simple doodles or complex drawings.
Now that Windows allows third party applications to be downloaded, many developers created an alternative to the pre-installed drawing software, and so, many Windows drawing apps have populated the Store.
Best drawing software for Windows tablet
While PC users have lots of professional drawing software at their disposal, the introduction of the new Windows allows anyone to download a decent Windows drawing app on their tablets and create simple projects on the fly.
Of course, there are other, more specialized apps, which provide tools for complex drawings.
Everybody likes to draw, some do it because they are bored and some do it as a profession, either way, drawing is a great way to escape boredom and challenge your imagination.
Some of the apps out there are really good even if you are looking for some extra features or functionality there are Windows drawing apps that are definitely worth checking out.
Adobe Photoshop (editor’s choice)
Adobe Photoshop is one of the best known photo editing software worldwide, but it is also one of the best when it comes to painting. Is is widely used by photographers, designers and painters.
The latest 2019 update came with couple of features that made Photoshop the best painting app available right now. The Content Aware Fill Tool which uses AI to recognize objects along with Paint Symmetry are the latest additions to the suite.
There are also hundreds of customization options for brushes, pencils and pens that can be enabled by a single switch to the painting mode.
Other features to consider Adobe Photoshop:
- Live blend mode preview
- Custom preset brushes
- Enhanced transform wrap
- Multiple device connections
- Compatible with XP-Pen
- Curvature pen tool
- Comes with 7-day trial
Fresh Paint
If you are someone looking for complexity in your Windows drawing apps, your search ends here. Nothing you will see out there will match the possibilities you have while using this app.
After playing around with it for only a couple of minutes you will notice how everything falls in the right place and how beautifully designed the interface is. You can choose between oil, pencil or watercolors to create anything from doodles to art.
Particle Art
Really nice app if you enjoy the abstract drawings and physics. This is a great way to challenge your imagination and create great images.
The app is based on particle trajectories that are represented by lines. You are in control of every aspect of the beams by using forces and creating shapes out of the particle lines.
Didlr
Didlr is a fun app to try if you like to keep things simple being an easy way to draw whenever you like. Draw, share and see what other people are drawing is the main purpose of this app and it does that beautifully.
If you don’t have a lot of free time on your hands this is the drawing app for you. The app itself has a simple and intuitive user interface, allowing users to set it up and start drawing on their Windows devices fairly quickly.
InspirARTion
This is one of the better Windows drawing apps you can find. Really nice set of brushes and symmetry effects allow you to create beautiful works of art.
If you are looking to create something more than just a drawing this app does just that. You can use any photo or image as a template and you have the option to share your creations with the world. The interface is simple and it allows you to enjoy the app as soon as you install it.
Sketchbook Express
This is one of the technical Windows drawing apps, being developed by Autodesk, the creators of AutoCAD and other software used by engineers all over the world. Seeing what can be achieved with this app is going to amaze you.
The quality of the end results look like they were created using pen and paper. This app is for those who really know their way around sketching and need a portable way to do that, or just use it on their Windows PC at home.
Interference
If you are looking to draw something and have fun at the same time you should take a look at this app. Centrifuge developed this Windows drawing app to make an easy to play and fun game and the result is great.
People take turns drawing something that matches the description set by another player. As you can imagine the end result is hilarious and a great way to blow off some steam using their passion for drawing.
Some more drawing apps for Windows tablets
Still haven’t found what you are looking for ? Here are other Windows drawing apps you might like:
Drawing related software
In case you want to level-up your creation, you can always choose to upgrade from drawing software to some specialized software. Here is a list that can help you choose a new drawing domain:
You must know that you can search for other, more specialized tools on our site by using the search feature on the top-right corner of every page.
FAQ regarding drawing software
Unfortunately, there are not a lot available newbie-friendly options available on the market, we recommend Adobe Photoshop as the tool to go due to the high number of tutorials as well as features available that will pay off long-term.
- How do I start doing digital art?
You start doing digital art by being committed to your call and actually spending a lot of time in researching and investing in your skills either via free content or paid. Additionally, you should consider a good drawing app to start working in.
- Can you do digital art on a laptop?
Yes, you can, but the results will be less satisfactory if you won’t consider investing in a professional drawing tablet.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in December 2013 and has been since revamped and updated in April 2020 for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.
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Best Free Drawing Software: 7 Strong Candidates
Best Free Drawing Software: 7 Strong Candidates
Paid tools for digital painting have set the industry standard for what is possible with these programs, right? Not necessary. There is so much great free drawing software available today. Tired of subscription slavery and the epidemic of bloatware, professional artists are even switching from the paid apps they’ve been using for years.
The question is – where can we find these tools? Travel no further. We have handpicked the best free drawing programs that you can use to create compelling artworks without paying a single penny.
Krita
Platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS
Download link: krita.org
Krita is an open source painting program made by artists for artists. The tool is completely free and the only way you can support its creator is by donating. Its main focus is on the artistic painting for cartoons, anime or canvas art, meaning that some features that you may need for photo editing or image manipulation were not prioritized in development.
One of the main strengths of Krita is its brush engine. You can tweak and create brushes for ages, and Krita comes with more than nine brush engines. The customization process is versatile and one can create an almost infinite amount of brushes specific to the task. However, the default set of brushes is more than enough to start creating art – and you can always find more packs on the internet, free of charge.
Another advantage that Krita offers is its layers mechanics. The layering system resembles that of Photoshop and allows all standard operations: merging, blending, grouping etc. There is a variety of layer types that you can create: paint layers, vector layers, fill & file layers.
Krita supports layered PSD files, so you can open Photoshop files or export your work using that format.
Artwork made with Krita by David Revoy
Pros:
- Profound brush engine
- Strong focus on digital painting
- PSD export
- Open-source community with constant updates and new features
Cons:
- Users (rarely) report performance issues on some platforms
- Some photo-editing tools are lacking
- Working with text (exported as bitmap)
- Not all features are extensively documented
Platform: Linux, macOS, Windows
Download link: gimp.org
Gimp is one of the oldest raster graphic editors that’s free to use since it’s early release in 1996. It has a wide and devoted user base with many tutorials and documentation available online.
Up until the last year many new users were skeptical towards adopting the program, since for years it has had issues such as outdated UI, jagged brush work and poor performance on new PC’s. However, the recent big April update addressed all of these, being the result of six years of work (the previous version of Gimp was released in 2012).
Gimp was always more of an image editing program than a drawing one. With all the latest updates, its functionality is almost on par with Photoshop’s. Gimp has filters, adjustments modes, color management, and all the tools professional photo editors (photographers, designers etc.) might use in their daily work. Developers also polished PSD import, and added new image formats (OpenEXR, RGBE, WebP, HGT).
However, Gimp has a lot to offer digital painters as well. The newest version includes long-awaited updates for the brush work (symmetry painting, hardware pixel processing) and canvas management (rotating, flipping, previewing).
One particular advantage of Gimp is the highly customizable UI. With all the features it offers, Gimp is the closest alternative to Photoshop in terms of the number of things you are able to do with it, and the latest update brought it even closer.
Pros:
- Multi-functional image editing
- Highly customizable (You can even make it look and work like Photoshop)
- Offers extended functionality with custom plugins
Cons:
- Linux’s first development may rarely cause some performance issues on Windows
- UI can be a bit overwhelming when first starting
- Pen pressure might need to be reconfigured, especially on Windows
Autodesk’s SketchBook Pro
Platform: macOS, Windows, Android, iOS
Download link: sketchbook.com
In April 2018, Autodesk made the SketchBook Pro drawing program absolutely free. No hidden costs, no subscription fees — all you have to do in order to use this drawing software with all its premium features is simply create an Autodesk account. But even then, you don’t have to do it for the first seven days.
This has completely changed the dynamic of the free drawing software market, because the number of features this program offers for free is simply amazing.
Here’s a video with commentary and some valuable SketchBook Pro tips for artists:
Sketchbook is a part of the Autodesk software suite, a heavily engineering-oriented company. Engineers and industrial designers have been using Sketchbook for years in order to create accurate, yet simple and visually appealing sketches.
That’s why sketchbook offers wonderful perspective features: grids, dynamic vanishing point alignment, vanishing point managements, etc. It allows you to quickly build perspective grids for your art, which is valuable for concept artists, industrial designers, and architects.
French curves is another feature you won’t find in many painting programs. They allow you to trace smooth curves, a feature that is also widely used in industrial design.
The UI is simple, yet very effective. You can easily turn on only those sections of UI that you’re currently using, so that your work area is not swamped by a large amount of tools.
You can download additional brushes without having to browse the Internet — whole packs can be downloaded from the main menu of the program. This drawing program supports PSD files and all the common graphic formats you might need.
SketchBook also has a mobile version available on Android and iOS. So you can, for example, take a photo of something and then instantly start drawing over it.
-
- Elegant, simple UI
- Advanced perspective tools
- Desktop and Mobile versions
- No filters
- No advanced editing options
MyPaint
Platform: Linux, Windows
Download link: mypaint.org
MyPaint has been around since 2008 and it’s development model is contribution based, with the latest stable version released in 2016. The app is open-source, simple and stable.
It’s well optimized for working with tablets, so the brush flow is smooth and glitch-free, which is great given that the program is not developed by a corporation, but by a number of volunteer developers.
Unlike trying to install heavier drawing solutions, MyPaint is easy on computer resources, so using it on old laptops and PC’s is a great option.
The UI is pretty up-to-date and feels more modern than, for example, Paint.net.
MyPaint supports layers and basic color adjustments. It also has cool features, like symmetry mode, connected lines, and curves. It comes with a set of brushes that have this almost organic feel to them. However, some advanced features are not there, e.g it has no animation tools.
Overall, MyPaint is a perfect choice for light sketching work, if you don’t need advanced features and want to rationally use system resources.
- Actively updated by a community
- Modern, minimalistic UI
- Simple and resource-efficient
- No animation tools
- No desktop version
FireAlpaca
Platforms: macOS, Windows
Download link: firealpaca.com
Despite the simple looking interface, FireAlpaca is a surprisingly workable free tool beloved by many artists. It supports all the core features digital artists need: brushes, layers, multiple image tabs and editing tools.
A simple UI allows you to focus on the primary goal: painting, and it makes this program very intuitive from the start. The brush control is no worse than paid software analogues; FireAlpaca supports multiple pressure levels and has an adjustable smoothing feature that aids the line work.
Unexpectedly elaborated are FireAlpaca’s perspective tools. Snap feature allows you to easily create perspective grids with multiple vanishing points, both linear and radial. This is especially useful for creating comics and storyboards with often uncommon perspective angles.
Artwork made in FireAlpaca by Manga-omega. Watch Speedpaint video here.
It’s also worth mentioning that FireAlpaca has a built-in basic animation toolset (though you might want to find a tutorial for that) and supports PSD file format.
Pros:
- Simple & intuitive UI
- Smooth brush flow
- Excellent comic perspective features
- Basic animation tools
Cons:
- Overly simplistic, not suitable for complex editing tasks
MediBang Paint Pro
Platforms: Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone, Android
Download link: medibangpaint.com
The key advantage of MediBang Paint Pro is its ubiquity – the program has a counterpart for almost every device you might have. With cloud storage you can effortlessly transfer your art between different devices. For example, you might start drawing something on your Kindle, and then later finish the drawing on your Mac.
MediBang Paint’s UI
The trick is, MediBang Paint and FireAlpaca are made by the same company. That explains why many features between these programs are quite similar, and why the brush workflow is great in both of them. It’s hard to point out differences between them, except for Medi’s cross-platformity and cloud tools. This, in turn, leads to MediBang Pro being compatible with a larger number of tablets, while FireAlpaca is mostly optimized for brand names like Wacom.
Artwork made with MediBang Paint by たく
Some specific features (e.g. materials) that are available in desktop versions may not be available on mobile versions, but then again, cloud sharing addresses that.
Overall, MediBang Paint Pro is one of these good free drawing programs that are surprisingly resourceful.
Pros:
- Supports multiple platforms and tablets
- Amazing brush presets
Cons:
- Requires a MediBang account
- A large number of tutorials are in the Japanese language (however, there are English articles)
Paint.Net
Platform: Windows
Download link: getpaint.net
Paint.Net is a simple alternative to GIMP. It is a perfect match for those looking for quick photo and image editing, without skimming through pages of tutorials and additional menus.
But don’t let its simplicity fool you – the tool supports all the features one may need for all-around editing of images: layers, adjustment modes, and special effects. You can get rid of red eyes, blend images or adjust color as effectively as with any other feature-loaded analogue. Paint.NET also supports extensions, if you want to expand its capabilities.
The user interface resembles that of a Photoshop, so if you have had any experience with the program, using Paint.NET will feel even more intuitive. The app also features automatic updates, including bug fixes and new features.
Pros:
- Easy to use, working image-editing solution
- Simple and neat UI
- Extensions & updates
Cons:
- Simplicity is a double-edged sword – advanced features may be missing
- No macOS version
Afterword
Just a decade ago we didn’t really have a choice: There was one paid program and one free. Nowadays there are so many great apps, it’s hard to pick one even among the free ones available.