Top 10 Drawing Apps For Mac

Jul 19, 2018  After switching to Mac the one thing I missed the most is the Paint tool. Yes, the Paint tool is not only useful for sketching but also for basic editing. In this segment let us take a look at some of the best Basic/Simple drawing tools for Mac OS.

The Surface series from Microsoft changed the game completely, bringing new and much-needed features with extreme portability to the market. Similarly, Windows 10 brought with it a slew of new and improved tools with it. What do you get when you combine the two? A productivity and creativity powerhouse. Needless to say, sketch artists, painters, and those who like to draw are happy. There are plenty of drawing apps for Windows 10 available online, both free and paid.

Let’s take a look at some drawing and sketching apps. See which one fits your requirements and offer additional features that you may need.

Also Read:Duet Display vs. EasyCanvas: Which Is Betters for Using iPad Pro as Drawing Tablet for PC

Drawing Apps for Windows 10

1. Paint 3D

One of the first and most popular drawing apps was MS Paint. Simple, light, and easy to use. Paint 3D takes things to the next level. Released with the launch of Windows 10, Paint 3D comes with a slew of new tools and brushes to play around with. Yes, 3D too.

Pre-installed with Windows 10 and free, Paint 3D comes with a number of new brushes, effects, and tools. Draw or sketch any shape using a brush or finger/pencil and it will automatically be converted into a 3D model. Any shape that comes to your mind, like a cloud in my case. It comes with a built-in library to tap into, but you can always download more from the web. You can also cut out shapes from existing pictures and draw over it.

Pros:

  • Brushes, text, stickers,
  • 2D, automatic 3D shapes
  • 3D library
  • Mixed reality
  • Pre-installed and free

Cons:

  • None

Download Paint 3D: Windows (Free)

Also Read:14 Best Drawing Games for Android

2. GIMP

GIMP is a very popular open-source image editor not just for the Linux platform but is also available on both Windows and macOS computers. GIMP is often recommended as an alternative to the industry leader Photoshop. Yup, it’s that good and can be used for drawing and sketching just as easily.

GIMP is not the most user-friendly sketching and drawing app for Windows 10, but it has plenty of firepowers inside. There are many tools like brushes, colors, shapes, and objects to play around with. It can work really well with layers as well. There are pressure dynamic settings in case you are working with a drawing tablet with physical pencils or a Surface Pro. GIMP is too powerful and has a number of tools that are beyond the scope of this post.

Pros:

  • Brushes, text, stickers,
  • 2D, masks
  • Layers, perspective, pressure dynamic,

Cons:

  • None

Download GIMP: Windows (Free, Open-source)

Also Read:There Is No Microsoft Paint App for Android, Try These 6 Alternatives

3. Sketchable

Top 10 Drawing Apps For Computer

If you want a professional sketching and drawing apps for Windows 10 that was purpose-built for sketching in mind, you will have to move to paid alternatives like Sketchable. It acts as a digital notebook cum canvas complete with page flips, and powerful tools that are easily accessible in menus. A joy to use on Surface Pro laptops and computers (using drawing tablets) alike.

Some important drawing tools including stencils, layers, color picker, masks, and symmetry. These tools open up new possibilities that were previously not possible with apps like GIMP and Paint 3D. Sketchable has a free version but that is very limited. Most tools are locked for the pro version which is available for just $24.99. A small price even if you are a hobbyist.

Sketchable still misses some tools that you will find in Photoshop but is also a lot easier to learn and use, is less resource-intensive, and a lot cheaper.

Pros:

  • Brushes, text
  • 2D, masks
  • Layers, perspective, pressure dynamic,
  • Stencil, symmetry
  • Customize UI
  • Sketchbooks

Cons:

  • Not Photoshop replacement

Download Sketchable: Windows (Freemium)

Also Read:Get Microsoft Paint for Mac With These 5 Apps

4. SketchBook (Autodesk)

Top

SketchBook comes from the house of Autodesk, creators of some really cool products and creative tools. Available on all platforms including smartphones, SketchBook allows you to start drawing the moment you are hit with inspiration, irrespective of where you are or what device you are using.

SketchBook comes with so many tools that you will be spoilt for choice. There are over a 140 types of brushes alone to choose from, color gamut, layers, masks, and stencils. Can’t draw straight or curved lines? Use predictive stroke to turn it into perfection. Even when working with layers and blending, there are close to 15 tools I could count. That’s a lot of options, maybe too much.

SketchBook is more suitable for pros who do this for a living. Too many choices can confuse beginners and hobbyists. Plus, it comes with a subscription plan that begins $4.99 per month.

Pros:

  • 140+ Brushes
  • 2D, masks
  • Layers, perspective, pressure dynamic,
  • Stencil, symmetry
  • Customize UI
  • Sketchbooks
  • Cross-platform

Cons:

  • Subscription

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Download SketchBook: Windows (Paid)

Also Read:6 Best Thumbnail Maker Apps for Android Smartphones

5. MediBang Paint

Are you into drawing cartoons and manga characters? Maybe anime? MediBang is a popular and free tool that’s available on all popular platforms for desktop and smartphones. This drawing app for Windows 10 comes with over 50 brushes, layers, pressure-sensitive input, and an extensive resource library.

It’s an amazing tool for manga artists and is very popular among them too. Not only that, but there is also a very active community who have developed their own brushes that you can import into the app. There is a dedicated comic panel that you can use to create comic art and write text on your art. Makes writing comic books that much easier.

Pros:

  • 50+ Brushes
  • 2D, masks
  • Layers, perspective, pressure dynamic,
  • Resource library
  • Stencil, symmetry
  • Comic art, fonts, panels,
  • Cross-platform

Cons:

  • Suitable for comic makers only

Download MediBang: Windows (Free)

6. Krita

Krita is an open-source desktop painting application available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. Although the Windows Store application is paid at around $10, you can download the nightly build for free from this link. Apart from drawing toons and sketches, there’s a wrap-around mode that lets you form seamless textures. Additionally, Krita supports PSD files which means you can import your photoshop brushes. This is a lot helpful when you want to download brushes from the Internet because most of them are available only from Photoshop.

Krita is a part of the KDE open-source project which is a huge community. Hence, you’ll find a lot of tutorials and documentation on the official site and over the Internet.

Pros:

  • Customizable brush engines
  • Organize brushes
  • Support for PSD files and option to import Photoshop brushes
  • Support for pen shortcuts and pen-pressure sensitivity
  • Stabilizer for free-hand inking

Cons:

  • Problems while saving the file

Download Krita: Windows (Free | Paid)

Drawing Apps for Windows 10

Where you are a hobbyist or a pro, looking to draw regular objects or create new manga and anime characters, there is a drawing app you can use on your Windows 10 computer. You just have to choose the right tool for the job. That’s why I have reviewed a range of drawing tools focused on different types of artists. Some of them are free and even open-source while others are paid. Choose your tool and get creative.

Also Read: Best Sketch Apps for iOS & Android

The Surface Pen and Surface Slim Pen are mighty tools that let you get more done on your Surface PC. To maximize the Surface Pen's ability, there are some essential apps you should check out. From note-taking to form-filling to coloring, here are the best apps to grab.

True Paper Feel: Bamboo Paper

Editor's pick

The first time you touch your Pen to the screen with Bamboo Paper open, you'll wonder just how they made it seem so much like real paper. Take notes using the six writing tools, add pictures to your pages, and write over them. And share your ideas with others using Bamboo Paper on other platforms.

Free at Microsoft

Infinite Canvas: Leonardo

Staff favorite

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Leonardo is still in its beta stage. But it has a full set of tools for amateurs and pros alike, including infinite canvas, tons of brushes, grids and perspective lines, and a user interface that's easy to navigate. Whether you're sketching, drawing, or painting, this app will accommodate your needs. While it remains in beta, the price is knocked down to $40, 50% off the full price, at least for now.

$40 at Microsoft

Pro Drawing Tools: Autodesk SketchBook

If you were holding out on Autodesk SketchBook because of the price, you can now get the full version — including some Pro tools — for free. This is one of the best drawing and sketching apps for pretty much anyone, with a wide selection of brushes, surfaces, tools, and features to choose from.

Free at Microsoft

Take Control of PDFs: Drawboard PDF

Drawboard PDF is regarded as one of the best PDF apps available, thanks to an enormous selection of tools. It's a document builder that lets you merge multiple PDFs, has annotations that can be calibrated for scale, and a large number of grid and line templates. If you're often working with PDF files in a professional environment, Drawboard PDF should be near the top of your list.

$24 at Microsoft

Write Music With Ease: StaffPad

Musicians out there, take notice: StaffPad is an app designed for Surface that makes it incredibly easy to annotate music. As you handwrite your music, it's automatically and precisely converted into an engraved score. Once you finish writing, let StaffPad playback your creation with its full orchestra of instruments.

$90 at Microsoft

Multipurpose Inking: Sketchable

Sketchable is a free (with paid upgrades) drawing, sketching, and painting app that has been designed with the Surface Pen in mind. Not only can you use Sketchable for notes or to work on existing images and artwork, use it to create an entirely new work of art thanks to its wide array of tools. If you have even a bit of creativity in you, this app will be hard to put down.

Free at Microsoft

Get Organized: Index Cards

There's just something about a stack of index cards that makes you feel like you've got your life in order. Both sides of cards can be marked up with your pen, and a zoom function lets you jam quite a bit of information onto each card. Cards and stacks of cards can be shared with others, and there's no limit to the number of cards you can create.

From $14 at Microsoft

Digital Whiteboard: CollaBoard

For those of you commonly involved in team projects, CollaBoard is an app that works with your Surface device and the Microsoft Hub. It's best described as a digital whiteboard that multiple users can contribute to, all in real-time. With Skype for Business integration and compatibility with PDF, images, videos, and more, the whiteboard can become the central pivot point of your larger project.

Free at Microsoft

Digital Notebook: OneNote

Microsoft's own free note-taking app syncs across all your devices, but it shines when you add the Surface Pen. Take notes on blank or grid backgrounds, highlight text, or draw pictures using various tools, then easily sync with OneDrive to keep your notes with you wherever you go.

Free at Microsoft

Read and Edit PDFs: Xodo

This fantastic PDF reader and editor is completely free, which is frankly surprising considering what you're getting here. Just open a PDF file, and you're given free rein over what you can do. Write all over it, highlight the significant bits, and save it as a new file. This is especially useful for quickly filling out those annoying forms that you usually have to type information into.

Free at Microsoft

If we're making some suggestions

Thanks to most of the above apps having at least some sort of free version, you can give them a try with your pen essentially risk-free to see if they'll come in handy. Wondering exactly where to start? Bamboo Paper is a lightweight app that delivers a true paper feel while writing. Not only is it great for notetaking and journaling — you can add your own photos to a page — it can also be used to sketch or draw thanks to a custom color palette and a collection of tools beyond just a pen.

Need something more suited for artistic ambition? I've been using Leonardo, which is now available straight from the Microsoft Store, for some time and I appreciate the simple UI that scales to any size display and the overall collection of tools. Whether you want to sketch something rough or go for a full work of art, you shouldn't have any problems. The infinite canvas is ideal for letting your artwork flow, and while it's still in its beta stage you can save $40 off off the full price.

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