Artists around the globe are embracing the digital style of drawing; using the digital canvas which enhances their skill set and helps them meet up with the timeline set out by their client. Consider the time you might need to sacrifice to get the tools required to pull off a masterpiece on a traditional canvas. You will need paper, water paint, paintbrushes, tissues, and so on. Having all of these doesn’t guaranty that you might come up with an impeccable design. A fascinating aspect of digital art is the ability to work with several brush tools, which spices up your sense of styling. What you can achieve as an artist on a digital canvas is endless. Like a famous Picasso quote, says “Everything you can imagine is real.” It would be slightly unfair to yourself when you allow a conventional style of drawing hold you back from showing how much of a great artist you are to the world.
Since the advent of the iPad pro and apple pencil, drawing on a digital canvas has been a fantastic task, even if you’re a newbie in the industry these tools can make you a pro when you regularly practice with them. Since digital art is quite forgiven, a simple undo will help you practice periodically. You have the freedom to pick up something from the ground and transform it into an amazing work of art, right on your digital canvas. The app store houses a large number of apps that can enhance your drawing skills with various easy to use toolset. If you’re looking at going the digital way with your iPad pro, here are 24 drawing apps that can help you achieve that seamlessly.
•Procreate
Price of Procreate: $10
Procreate took it up a notch with it current version offering a fantastic UI experience with it slider option that can be used to control the opacity level or the size of the brush. It has an incredible toolset that can bring that feel of reality into your art. It offers a reasonable amount of flexibility, by the way, you apply your stroke which is equal to your experience working on a paper. The shading effect with the Apple Pen is very realistic.
Pros
• A handful of file extensions such as png, PSD, jpg, and procreate files
• Fast and responsive zoom option
• Add several layers, and you have the right to determine the resolution
• Help build up your portfolio and share it if you want.
Cons
• No free version to test out
• You might need the help of a handbook to utilize the app fully
• Artrage
Price of ArtRage: $5
The concept behind ArtRage is to make a digital painting come out as real as possible. Creating a realistic impression in the mind of people who come across the art. If you’re are adept or used to the Photoshop environment, ArtRage will be easier to use since they use a similar mechanism. You have the option of either painting directly on your screen or applying the paint and mesh it with another. As a digital artist, you have limitless possibilities to create a mouthwatering result that will wow people who come across your work.
Pros
• It can blend different image or design.
• You can also work with other pencil types apart from the standard apple pencil.
• Easy to use interface, once you’re familiar with its environment.
Cons
• There is a lag in the app responsiveness when scaling the artwork
• You might not get a complete feel of its features with a touchscreen.
• Sketchbook by Autodesk
Price of Sketchbook: Free
Sketchbook by Autodesk has become a household name due to its popularity among people that are not professional digital artists. Its ease of use is phenomenal, probably why it has won the hearts of many. You can easily pin toolbars on the screen and easily spot them when needed. The environment of the app is endearing when compared to other design apps on the market. Autodesk has once again proved their worth in the design market with an app that encompasses advanced features for a pro-grade artist and easy to use features for a newbie artist.
Pros
• Ability to import and export files from Photoshop
• Integrated with Dropbox for proper cloud storage.
Cons
• To master this app, you will need to spend ample time on the software.
• Medibang Paint
Price of Medibang paint: Free
To create a realistic design, despite being on a low budget, your go-to app is Medibang Paint. It is similar to Photoshop in its features and mode of operation. Features such as handy brush editor, work with layers and offers you the opportunity to get creative while at it. It works perfectly on all iPads, but you can get a better result on iPad pros.
Pros
• Save your work on local file storage or the cloud
• It is necessary and straightforward, no complexity.
Cons
• The brush settings are limited
• Affinity Photo For iPad
Price of Affinity photo: $20
It is created based on the model of the award-winning desktop version. It is fully functional on the iOS 11. If you're the type that synergizes Photoshop with other drawing apps, then you need to lay your hands on affinity photo. You can easily import and export PSD files, and it works fine with PNG, jpg, tiff, SVG, and PDF.
Pros
• It comes with over 120 digital brushes which include dry media, inks, markers, and so on
• You can make your brush to meet your artistic needs.
• Adobe Illustrator
Price of Adobe illustrator: Free
What better platform do you need to sketch out those concepts in a vector format if not on the fantastic Adobe illustrator. Just as the illustrator cc offers a crispy design with the aid of its vector features, the same mechanism operates in the Adobe Illustrator, but it's easier to pull off because of its simplistic interface. A very powerful app for vector art for your iPad Pro and for free.
Pros
• Draw perfect geometric shapes
• Vector-based app with a separate photo editing layer
• You can sync to the Adobe creative cloud.
Cons
• Limited support for raster files
• Might appear overwhelming for newbies
• Astropad
Price for Astropad: $30
This app is primarily meant for professional digital artists who use Photoshop and illustrator. The app works perfectly on the iPad Pro with the custom pressure curve that you can pull off with the apple pencil. It comes with an advanced option where you can fine-tune your strokes, which implies that you only see what you intend drawing.
Pros
• Gives a quick display on your monitor
• Integrates well with most indigenous Mac apps
Cons
• Cost of purchase might be expensive for non-professional users
• Paintstorm
Price for Paintstorm: $13
It is a complicated software for iPad pro, the developer whats trying to bring most of its desktop features on the iPad Pro. Certainly for those of you, who are used to using your iPad for making sketches you might find paintstorm quite overwhelming.
Pros
• iCloud and Dropbox can be used for file import and export
• Most of the interface is customizable
• You can open multiple tabs at a time
Cons
• Overwhelming to learn and practice
• Spend so much time in adjusting settings
• It doesn't get regular update
• Pigment
Price for Pigment: free
This is an excellent coloring app for adults and kids who enjoy painting. It creates that warm feeling of coloring on a coloring book with the aid of the coloring pencil. It supports the apple pencil which makes it easier to paint in-between lines and come out with an exemplary result.
Pros
• With over 200 professional illustrations to paint on
• It contains paid add-on for those looking for more painting features
• Instant share or printout features of paintings
Cons
• Full access to its features requires subscribing.
• You can't find recently used colors, and it's more painful when it's custom created.
• Animation Desk
Price for Animation Desk: Free
Desk cloud is a household name and has been around for quite some time. What might seem new? Will be the use of the apple pencil on the app. Animation Desk is specially created for people with a niche for animation, and it's a no for a sketch artist. So if you're considering following the animation path, then animation Desk is your one true partner.
Pros
• It comes at no charges
• It is a good app for learning especially for starters
• You need no unique skill set to do an animation, and the app does the bulk of work.
Cons
• The app is complicated and intimidating for new users
• Concepts
Price for Concept: Free
Concepts was designed mainly for home and industrial design. Whatever design you will like to do, concept helps you actualize them seamlessly. It uses a whole lot of layers in its operation, so it depends on the number of layers your iPad can accommodate. Be assured that you're getting all the design features a design app can offer.
Pros
• You can export both SVG and cad files.
• Most of its best features are free
Cons
• You will be spending more to enjoy it's powerful features, if necessary.
• Inspire Pro
Price for Inspire pro: $8
Inspire pro have won the hearts of many of its users over the years due to it automatic mechanism. It offers the main essence of drawing on a tablet which is to perfectly mimic real-life images and come out with an exemplary result. With the aid of your iPads OpenGL and multicore function, you will get a well drawn and nicely rendered image.
Pros
• Saves your used colors for ease of access.
• It works well with the apple pencil
Cons
• Inspire Pro has no layer features which might be somewhat difficult for people who are used to Photoshop.
• Zen Brush 2
Price for Zen Brush 2: $3
This app gives you a feel of an East Asia brush, helping you to achieve a beautifully drawn image with its toolset. You have varieties of options to choose from its background, and this spurns your degree of creativity when you're using this app. You have the liberty of dropping your project on your social media page on the go. Whether it's on Facebook or Twitter, you can sporadically let the world see what you were able to a achieve with east Asia toolset.
Pros
• It has good export options
• The dry brush option is quite effective
• Fantastic pressure sensitivity with the use of your finger
Cons
• The features are limited and don't inspire creativity.
• You might experience a slight lag in-between strokes
• Pixelmator Pro
Price of Pixelmator Pro: $5
If you've been searching for that replacement for Photoshop on your iPad Pro, you just found the perfect match. Pixelmator helps you to achieve a good picture edit and an incredible retouching with its down to earth skillset that will help you make complete build-up of a design from scratch. It just doesn't stop at its tools but with fantastic brushes and effects. All these tools don't negate the use of the apple pencil, in fact, most of the tools on the app ate integrated with the apple pencil.
Pros
• Easy to use raw editing features
• Amazing quick selection and editing tools
Cons
• Some features lack versatility in operation
• There are few export options on the app
• Assembly
Price for Assembly: free
When you need to create cute stickers, icons and other graphics elements assembly is just the right app for you. You have already made symbols and labels that you can easily manipulate or edit to suit and accurately place them in layers. You won't lose the resolution qualify of a job after its done you can save it as jpg or PNG, but for vector based you can use SVG or PDF file format.
Pros
• It offers different export options
• Easy to understand and use
• Amazing working environment
Cons
• Best app objects are hidden unless you pay for it.
• Photoshop sketch
Price for Photoshop sketch: free
Instead of integrating the whole of Photoshop on the iPad Pro, which mainly might cause a whole lot of complexity in the operation of the app. They have keenly studied the app and paid attention to the most robust suite of the platform which is painting and sketching. It features several tools such as watercolor brushes, ink pen, opacity, adjustable size, color, blend modes, and graphite pencil. All those techniques will work perfectly with your Apple Pen.
Pros
• You can export to Photoshop or illustrator and scale 4x the original size of the image.
Cons
• Brush editing tools are not as intuitive as one might have anticipated.
• A limited number of layers
• Clip Studio
Price for Clip studio: free
Clip studio brings the traditional style of painting right into your digital canvas which makes creative studio the goto app for creating spotless illustration and sketches. It works well with making amazing comics and manga, but the functionality surpasses that, it covers every form of digital art. One might stop to wonder why something of this much value is going for free. Since the app works well with the apple pencil, you will get a perfect sensitive line of work.
Pros
• It houses plenty of illustration tools which includes a paint bucket and vector tools.
Cons
• It doesn't provide a guide on how to create multiple pages in one file as EX version does.
• Paper By Fifty-Three
Price of paper by Fifty-Three: free
One major thing that has helped fifty-three remains on the top spot of the most fantastic app on the iOS store is its cool features. Take, for example, the amazing diagramming and note-taking feature. These are one of the rare gem features that have made many falls in love with the design apps. You will have access to the following toolset watercolor brush, calligraphy pen, ballpoint pen, marker, eraser, paint roller, scissors, and ruler. You can take pictures or import pictures on the goal and Identify them with a text or mark them with a drawing.
With all of these at your disposal, you're steadily on the verge of pulling some Michael Angelo stunt.
Pros
• It's a fantastic teaching aid, especially for schools
Cons
• It is restricted to only apple users.
• Art Set
Price for Art Set: $2
Art set contains all the tools that an artist would want. This must have been the reason why it has the highest number of paid apps in well over 30 countries. It contains useful painting tools such as charcoal, chalk, oil pastels, graphite pencils, oil crayons, makers pen, and colored pencils. Any artist with this app at their disposal is having a virtual art tool set sitting right on their iPad. Apps such as art sets have been able to redefine what digital art represent by fully integrating the indigenous form of art into the digital space.
Pros
• Varieties of paper color to work with
• Multi-touch features allow you to add subtle details to your art
Cons
• Limited color choices
• Inkist
Price for Inkist: Free
One of the most appealing parts of Inkist is its interface. Being highly responsive and user-friendly puts make most traditional artists fall in love with. This app will help you stay organized with the ability to flattening a layer instead of getting swamped on multiple layers. You can get amazing brushes or choose to customize them to suit your desire. The sensitive stylus feature will allow you to get a crisp stroke and locate them quickly at the tool palette of the app.
Pros
• Availability of shortcuts to make your work easier
• Ability to work in layers
Cons
• The app is generally slow, and in some cases, it crashes
• The zooming features are inconsistent
• It is somewhat tricky to use, which appears inconsequential
• Brushes Redux
Price for Brushes Redux: Free
Talk of an evergreen app, that's has maintained its consistency, that is Brushes Redux. Since the inception of the iPad in 2010, brushes redux has been a significant drawing tool on the iPad Pro. With the aid of a simple toolbar right at the bottom of the screen, you can control the color wheel, switch between layers and brushes. With an app such as this, your power of autonomy is limitless.
Pros
• iPad users can easily find their way on the app.
Cons
• You're limited to a total of 10 layers
• Umake
Price for Umake: free
This app is specifically meant for people who models and designs in the 3d objects. Users can model in the two-dimensional space and get it transformed into a fantastic 3d concept right on the iPad Pro. Once you have the 2d in place, you can now make your 3d into whatever specifications you want. You can export your file in three different extension PNG, IGES, and OBJ file formats.
Pros
• It is effortless to use
• Allows for import of 2d images to be transformed into 3d objects.
Cons
• It is not a solid modeling tool, though you can make 3d shapes which primarily compose of 2d panels
• Tayasui Sketches
Price for Tayasui Sketches: free
It is purely for making plans and illustration. You have clutter-free workspace to draw, and you have tools such as watercolor brushes, pencil, Rotring, felt pen and eraser all at your disposal. Sharing your sketches on your social media platform is very easy to do, and the same apply sending images to your email. You can get extra when you pay extra on this app. Features such as types of paper, layer, more brushes, customizable brush, layers and so much more await you on the pro features.
Pros
• You can easily organize and keep track of your designs with the use of a notebook on the app
• It comes with a backup feature that will always put you in a safe zone.
• Sketch Club
Price for Sketch Club: $3
A dignifying feature of this app is the ability to set your workspace according to your preference, through which you can keep your digital canvas uncluttered. In a way, you will become more prolific by fine-tuning your workspace to suite why you need. Another appealing feature is the ability to share your work with others in the sketch community, through this you can get reviews, comments, and ratings from users in the community. If you encounter any technical setback, they can quickly come to your rescue.
Pros
Work with over 44 fantastic set of brushes, and you can customize yours
Some of the controls can be quite difficult to understand.
Conclusion
Most of the applications are pretty intuitive and are gradually changing the face of digital art by integrating much of the indigenous style of painting, sketch, illustration into the digital space.
