We’ve come a long way since Paintbrush (aka Microsoft Paint), which is so far from the best drawing software of today. Some of the younger artists never have to experience the painstaking activity of drawing or painting with a mouse. There are art tablets for digital art now.
With new improvements and developments between art and technology, a multitude of options arise. There are dozens of art apps and software that you can choose from. If you don’t know where to start, check out some of the best options below:
Best Free Drawing Software: Krita
There’s a reason why the starving artist came about. With high-end software costing an arm and a leg, especially with monthly subscription schemes. Good thing there is actually software that won’t break the bank, in fact, it’s free!
Krita is a godsend to artists, it’s an open-source painting program that is made by artists for fellow artists. it can be used for anything from concept art to painting and even comics and illustrations.
What’s more, it’s available for Windows, Mac, and Linux users. If you wish to give back to Krita, you can donate or become a monthly subscriber.
Best Drawing Software for Windows: Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop has been a favorite in the art industry for decades. Digital Art may be a fairly new concept when compare it to the decades-old Adobe Photoshop. It may be more known for editing images and photos but it has also become the best drawing software for PC.
At first, Photoshop can be overwhelming with all of its tools and features. But mastering the software and taking advantage of its enhancements make it an excellent option for digital art. It’s about blending, using effects, toggling tools, and more.
Best Digital Drawing Software: Adobe Illustrator
Some might be wondering what’s the difference between Photoshop and Illustrator. One of the key distinctions between the two, it’s vector vs raster with Adobe Illustrator using the former.
Raster images use pixels whereas vectors use paths. Both have their own pros and cons. Adobe Illustrator is one of the best 2D drawing software options as it uses vector graphics. It can offer advantages such as occupying less space in your memory or quick scaling for drawings.
Best Drawing Software for Mac: Inkscape
Another vector graphics editor, Inkscape is an excellent option for Mac users. It’s free to use and offers flexible drawing tools plus spiro and Bezier curves. You can scale your drawings without having to worry about the details getting blurred whether you size it up or down.
Inkscape can also be used for creating logos. This way when you need to make the logo smaller for shirts, keychains, or other small merch it will match perfectly with banners or signages.
Best Drawing Software for Beginners: Corel Painter
If you are just starting out exploring the world of digital art, Corel Painter is a good place to begin. It may not have the manipulation tools other editing software have but that’s a good thing. This way, you can really try out digital art and what it has to offer.
Corel Painter has a focus on painting and has a good brush engine. You can play around with a wide range of brushes and textures—think watercolor to airbrush. Blend colors, create palettes and patterns as close to real-life as you can get with digital art using Corel Painter.
Best Tablet Drawing Software: Clip Studio Paint
If you are using a drawing tablet, then most likely, you are also using an accompanying digital pen. Clip Studio Paint allows support for using tablets and pens through features like pen pressure adjustments. This way, the line quality you produce from your chosen tool meets your vision.
Clip Studio Paint is designed specifically for painting and drawing. Artists love that there are thousands of brushes to choose from. Each tool can have its own setting as opposed to doing an overall line correction. You can enjoy lag-free drawings and paintings with the Clp Studio Paint.
Best Manga and Comics Drawing Software: Comic Life
Square boxes, black and white, speech bubbles—these might be some of the things that pop into your head when comics or manga are involved. There are many similarities between comics and manga, and their differences usually boil down to the drawing style. Either way, you can use Comic Life to create both of them.
The tricky thing about comics or manga is, you will need to have tools for both drawing and texts. It’s a good thing Comic Life is able to offer both in one neat and user-friendly app. You’ll also have access to panels and templates plus captions and balloons.
Now, if you need the best anime drawing software, you can also use Comic Life. However, once movement comes into play, you need to check out animation software for that.
Best 3D Drawing Software: SketchUp
SketchUp may be more popular in the world of architecture and interior design but it proves to be excellent for creating 3D art too. At first glance, SketchUp can be very confusing, especially for beginners. But once you get the basic uses of the tools, you can start creating art out of thin air (or rather a blank space).
You don’t have to limit yourself with squares, cubes, boxes, and rectangles. Although, at first, it’s something you need to master. SketchUp can open up a world of design and creativity for 3D art.
Best Drawing Software for iPad: Procreate
The iPad may not officially be a drawing tablet but it has given a world of opportunities for artists. Procreate was created specifically for the iPad, it was launched just a few months after the Apple tablet was released.
Artists using Procreate have access to hundreds of brushes and complete control over colors plus effects and filters. It works exceptionally well with the Apple Pencil and also offers multi-touch.
You don’t have to worry about lagging as Procreate will keep up with your brushes and pen strokes. It can also boost productivity with features like QuickMenu shortcuts and Page Assist.
Choosing the Right Software
If you are having a hard time picking out the right app or software for you, here are some things to consider to help you out:
Skill
Which skill would you like to focus on for your digital art? Is it specifically painting or maybe you would like to dabble in manga art? By figuring out what you need, you’ll be able to narrow down your choices.
Time
How much time do you have to learn? Because even if you aren’t a techie, there is always an opportunity to learn as long as you have the time (and patience) for it. Software like Illustrator or SketchUp requires mastery to be able to use them properly, so do take that into account.
Technical skills are a must for digital art. It’s not like picking up a piece of pen and drawing on paper. There is a technique for images to look more lifelike, for water to seem fluid, etc.
Usage
What will you be using the software for? Is it simply a hobby or do you actually work as a freelance artist? Maybe you need it for work? You need to get into the technical aspects of the capabilities of the software, including file type support or conversions.
Drawing Tool
What do you use for digital art? You need to base the software you choose based on your computer or tablet. There are, of course, software options that can work on all types of platforms too.
Budget
Finally, there’s the matter of the budget. It’s no secret that drawings apps and software can get pretty pricey. However, they usually offer free trials. If it really is out of your price range, you can always choose alternatives that are more suited for your budget or are free!
Did you enjoy our tips on the best drawing software? Then be sure to check out our other buying guides, such as the best drawing pencils for new artists and the best paper for colored pencils! Thanks for reading!