So, you've taken the plunge and are ready to start drawing on your new tablet. But what's next?
Your drawing tablet is just the beginning; you'll need the right software to bring your creations to life.
There are loads of different apps out there—some free, some costing hundreds of pounds. Depending on your expertise, you'll want an app that fits your needs.
We've rounded up the best options available, scouring the web and reading user reviews to find the top choices for all skill levels and budgets. Keep reading to find out more!
Krita
"I really liked the simple interface and found most of the basic tools quite intuitive. I also liked that there seemed to be a lot of excellent tutorials and online community forums to help me get started quickly."
Krita user
Key features
- Over 100 professionally made brushes with a variety of effects
- Brush stabilisers with 3 different ways to smooth strokes
- Built-in vector tools for creating comic panels
- Customisable layout with dark and light themes
- Multiple layer types (vector, filter, group, and file) for organised artwork
Krita is a powerful and versatile open-source drawing application designed for digital artists.
It offers a comprehensive set of tools for painting, drawing, and animation, making it a popular choice for both amateur and professional artists.
Pros: Extensive brush selection with professional quality, customisable interface and layout, brush stabilisation, vector tools for comics and illustrations.
Cons: May have a steeper learning curve for beginners.
- Buy now from Microsoft Store (£12.49 | $14.99)
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is geared towards graphic designers, with tools for branding and illustration.
Key features
- Text to Vector Graphic tool.
- Use the Pen tool, Curvature tool, and Pencil tool for detailed drawings.
- Type tool, ideal for creating posters, logos, and more.
- Scale tool to resize designs.
- Shape Builder tool to create intricate geometric designs.
Adobe Illustrator is a graphic design tool that lets you design anything you can imagine - from logos and icons to graphics and illustrations - with professional-level precision and time-saving features like Repeat for Patterns and Global Edits.
You can use the graphics you create with Illustrator in any size, digital or print format, and be confident they'll look exactly the way you designed them.
Pros: Scalable vector graphics without loss of quality, time-saving features like Repeat for Patterns and Global Edits, seamless integration with other Adobe Creative Cloud apps.
Cons: Steeper learning curve for beginners, subscription-based model may be costly for some users.
- Buy now from Apple (£21.98 | $22.99)
Corel Painter
Corel Painter is designed to mimic traditional painting techniques while providing the flexibility and power of digital tools, making it a comprehensive choice for serious artists looking to enhance their digital artwork.
Key features
- Brush control panels to modify size, shape, angle, flow, and more
- Colour tools including Colour Wheel, Mixer, Colour Sets, and Harmonies
- Composition tools such as Divine Proportion, Layout Grid, Perspective Guides, and Mirror Painting
- Variety of enhancements like Papers, Flow Maps, Patterns, Textures, Gradients, and more
- Auto-painting and cloning tools with AI-driven styles for transforming photos into paintings
Corel Painter is a professional digital painting software that offers a wide array of tools and features tailored for artists.
It combines the look and feel of traditional media with the advantages of digital technology, making it a favourite among illustrators, designers, and digital artists.
Pros: Extensive brush library with customisable options, realistic dry and wet media simulation, AI tools for photo transformation, customisable workspace.
Cons: Can be resource-intensive, requiring a powerful computer, more expensive than some.
- Buy now from Corel (
£359.99£196.99 | $229)
Procreate
"I love Procreate so much, having a iPad Pro with a Apple Pencil works so well with this app, the price is worth buying it."
Procreate user
Key features
- Hundreds of customisable brushes
- Advanced layer system
- QuickShape feature for creating perfect shapes instantly
- Valkyrie 64-bit graphics engine
- Paint and export 3D models with Lighting Studio
Procreate is the leading creative app for iPad, loved by professionals and budding artists alike.
It offers an all-in-one digital art studio with everything you need to create stunning sketches, paintings, illustrations, and animations on the go.
Pros: Extensive array of brushes, Valkyrie engine ensures smooth operation, portable and easy to use on the go with iPad
Cons: Only available to iPad users
- Buy now from Apple ($12.99)
Latest deals on iPads:
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Sketchbook Pro
"This app has everything, it takes a while to get used to the layout and how to find everything, but once you've got it... you've got it. You can make anything from simple doodles to super sophisticated, detailed designs and images with a huge variety of textures and sub-textures to choose from."
Sketchbook user
Key features
- Intuitive and streamlined UI that enhances the drawing process
- Hundreds of customisable brushes including pencils, markers, and airbrushes
- Colour fill tools with dynamic linear and radial gradients
- Tools for smooth lines, such as traditional rulers, ellipse, and Predictive Stroke tool
- Dynamic symmetry tools for vertical, horizontal, and radial mirroring
Sketchbook is a purpose-built sketching application designed for artists and that's easy to use for beginners.
It provides essential features for professional artists, such as layers and blend modes, while maintaining a user interface that stays out of the way of the drawing process.
Pros: User-friendly interface, extensive and customisable brush library including scales and stamps, tools for precise and smooth lines, symmetry tools for intricate designs.
Cons: Some reviewers report glitching in larger projects with many layers
- Buy now from Microsoft Store (£20.99 | $24.99), Apple ($24.99)
Rebelle 7
"The software has brushes that mimic physical mediums like oils, gouache, water colour, pastels, etc. It also has a great system that mimics the spread of water. The ability to layer at different opacities like watercolour is amazing."
Rebelle 7 user
Key features
- Hyper-realistic media simulation
- Phenomenal oils, acrylics, watercolours, and dry media with natural interactions
- Pigment colour mixing and NanoPixel technology
- Impasto effects, watercolour granulation, and mixed media interactions
- Layer management with clipping masks and filter layers
- Over 250 brush pre-sets
Rebelle 7 is an award-winning, hyper-realistic painting software that excels in mimicking traditional painting techniques.
It features advanced tools for creating realistic oils, acrylics, watercolours, and other media, making it suitable for artists of all proficiency levels.
Pros: Extremely realistic painting experience, high-resolution detail and colour-management, customisable brushes and extensive pre-set options.
Cons: Can be resource-intensive, higher learning curve due to the extensive and advanced features, more expensive.
- Buy now from Escape Motions (£93.59 | $89.99)
Learn to draw with Gathered
We have loads of drawing lessons on our website, from how to draw a tree, to how to draw a tiger! Why not test out your new drawing app with a tutorial from our platform?
Read our drawing tablet reviews!
Looking for something to draw on? We've reviewed several of the best drawing tablets on the market so you don't have to! Check out the best drawing tablets for beginners and the best cheap drawing tablets to find your perfect match.
