In 2020, the company finally brought out a version for the iPad. Originally launched in 1985, Adobe Illustrator is a vector drawing tool that's long been used by artists and designers on desktop computers. Multiple layers are supported, and you can even get a time-lapse replay of your work, which is handy for posting to social media.

There are many brushes to choose from, or you can create your own. Drawing with the app, which you can do with both your finger and a stylus, feels super-smooth and intuitive. There's also a version for the iPhone called Procreate Pocket. Procreate is one of the most popular drawing apps for iPad available and has won an Apple Design Award twice in a row. There's a huge variation across the board, especially when you consider in-app purchases. In general, the more sophisticated tools such as Illustrator and Affinity Designer cost the most, but that's not a hard and fast rule. If you just want to do basic sketching, you may prefer one of the simpler tools on our list, such as Procreate, which has a clean and simple interface you can just pick up and start using with minimal fuss.įinally, there's how much you wish to spend. On our list below, Illustrator and Affinity Designer are the most feature-rich but most complicated in terms of interfaces. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you'll be spoiled for choice, but if you have an Android tablet, your options are more limited: skip to 4, 6 and 7 on our list for the best current options.Īnother consideration will be how sophisticated you want your drawing app to be. So you've got your tablet and your stylus: how do you choose the best drawing app? Well, for a start, you'll need to check the tool is compatible with your operating system. It opens up immense possibilities for tweaking, editing and remixing your work, and you don't have to abandon physical processes altogether: nowadays, many illustrators combine the two with impressive results. After all, the technology has improved so much in recent years, with more sensitive touchscreens and advanced stylii such as the Apple Pencil, that digital drawing has become surprisingly close to the feel of a real pen on paper. But if you've never even tried it, it's still worth giving a go. Ever tried drawing or painting on your phone, tablet or Chromebook? The idea may repel you if you're strictly into physical media only.

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