Good Free Apps For Drawing Mac

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.

Free Diagram and Flowchart Software: There are many cloud based diagramming software for Mac and PC that allow a certain amount of free use and in some cases unlimited free use. However the catch is often that your diagrams and flowcharts are made public – you have to subscribe or buy the app to make it. Inkist is a super basic drawing app that is available for Mac computer and iOS devices. The mobile app is currently free. It’s not flashy, but it has all the right feature to make your artwork pop.

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.

Good

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

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)

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

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:

Good Free Apps For Drawing Mac And Cheese

  • 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)

Free

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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.

Top Free Drawing Apps For Mac

Also Read: Best Sketch Apps for iOS & Android