Imagine you discovered a beautiful view while strolling down the lakeside. Now, the artist in you wants to preserve the scenery in your sketchbook, but unfortunately, you forgot to carry one with you. Ouch, that hurts. This is why you need to have one of the best drawing apps for your Android smartphone.
Gone are the days when drawing was limited to iPads and tablets. Now, the Google Play Store offers plenty of handy Android drawing apps with a simple interface, smart features, and pocket-friendly plans. In this list, I have covered the top drawing apps for Android. You can analyze each app, match them with your requirements, and choose the right one. Let’s start:
1. Sketchbook – Editor’s Choice
Created by Autodesk, Sketchbook is a fascinating tool for people who love sketching, drawing, and painting. The first thing that attracted me to Sketchbook was its big stack of professional-grade features that synced well with my desired artistic skills. Moreover, its intuitive interface helped me make the perfect strokes, like that with a pen and paper.
Love using different brush types like me? Congrats, because Sketchbook has plenty of them. You can use simple pencils, bold markers, and fancy airbrushes. I liked how Sketchbook allowed me to fine-tune the brush settings per my taste. Plus, I found some quintessential features like multi-layers, zoom, blending modes, ruler guides, etc.
In addition, Sketchbook has specialized drawing tools to bring perfection to your strokes. The collection includes symmetry and perspective tools, time-lapse capture, etc. Personally, I don’t like when app features cover half of my screen, restricting my creativity. However, Sketchbook didn’t disappoint me as it offered me an in-built feature to hide the tools per your preference.
Pros
- Simple to use interface
- Multiple brushes
- Ideal for beginners and experienced users
- Distinct color palette
Cons
- Frequent bugs
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $1.99)
2. Infinite Painter – Wide range of tools
Let the inner artist in you wander in beautiful horizons with Infinite Painter. Recognized for its robust graphic design software, this app serves you well whether you are a casual or professional artist. On landing at its home page, I met a fully customizable interface that was clean, organized, and accessible for spontaneous creators like me.
With Infinite Painter’s diverse range of nearly 200 unique brushes, you can easily draw even the most complex designs with ease. For instance, I choose watercolor brushes for soft edges, shapes, lines, and blending and go for charcoal for making sketches. Following this, I could even design custom brushes with 100+ settings!
Infinite Painter hoards plenty of tools to serve mine every possible drawing and painting whim. The app never disappointed me whether I was looking to add shapes, live effects, or real-time color changes. Moreover, it helped me organize my favorite stuff to my taste. With all this, the app offered me the Timelapse function to capture and share my step-by-step drawing stages with friends.
Pros
- Rich brush collection
- Handy editing tools
- Easy navigation
- Customizable brush editor
Cons
- Messy working
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $1.99)
3. Ibis Paint X – Dedicated to anime lovers
I discovered Ibis Paint X through my close friend, who has been using the app for months. Featuring an exclusive gallery of 15K+ brushes, the app didn’t take long to pique my interest. The portal blessed me with a vivid collection of digital pens, airbrushes, pencils, charcoal brushes, crayons, stamps, fan brushes, etc. Choices are always welcomed!
One exciting thing about Ibis Paint X is that it lets you add unlimited layers to your creations. Each layer is fully customizable, allowing you to duplicate, invert, move, rotate, and zoom in/out at your convenience. Plus, I was able to distinguish my favorite layers from others by saving them with unique names.
Thankfully, the customized support extended to brushes as well. For every design, you can easily change the opacity and thickness of brushes using the built-in slider. Furthermore, the app offers 27 blending modes, 46 screen tones, 21000K+ materials, 2100+ fonts, and 84 filters. I tried the 30-day free trial to check if it’s fulfilling my requirements. Smart move!
Pros
- Various brush types
- Simple interface
- Customizable layers
- Free trial period
Cons
- Crashes in long animations
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $2.99)
4. PaperColor – Automatic tools for beginners
Just like its name, PaperColor is all about real-life sketching experiences. This versatile Android drawing app strives to blend reality into your digital artwork, unleashing instant creativity boosters. Like other apps, I found several paintbrushes and color palettes to play with, a ruler, and an eraser for flawless creations. Simply put, it had everything to work as a starter app for me.
While testing the app, PaperColor’s tracing feature stood out to me. Why? It helped me sketch a painting that was way beyond the caliber of my mediocre artistic self. To start, I only imported the photo and placed it in translucent mode. In no time, I could mimic the original design with perfection.
I liked how PaperColor paid special attention to a small thing- adding signatures. Yes, you can add signatures with a pen/stylus on the digital canvas and make it yours forever. This can also be done by adding a specific mark or drawing on your pictures. Once satisfied, PaperColor’s efficient interface helps you share your creations on social media with a few taps. Tried and tested!
Pros
- Real-like drawing tools
- Efficient tracing feature
- Allows adding signature, marks, etc.
- Ideal for beginners
Cons
- Layers are limited to the paid version
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $0.99)
5. MediBang Paint – A treat for comic creators
MediBang Paint brought me closer to the inner comic enthusiast in me. How? This app bombarded me with all the necessary tools to draw, sketch, and paint my favorite characters on my Android phone. There are 180 different brushes for free, a combination of extra 800 brushes, and 300GB of cloud storage in premium plans.
As I mentioned earlier, MediBang is a dedicated Android drawing app for comic lovers. It helps you make professional-looking comic panels using 1000 screen tones and 60 distinct font styles. Too much? Not yet! In addition, I was able to amplify the look of my comic characters with intuitive filters and resources.
Working in a group is a necessity, especially if you are a professional team of comic creators. With MediBang Paint, you can gather your friends, brainstorm ideas, and draw your best designs on the same canvas. Lastly, the Timelapse feature lets you record the screen in your entire work span.
Pros
- Perfect for comic creations
- Supports multiple-user mode
- Unlimited device usage
Cons
- Backup can be an issue
- Frequent ads
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $2.49)
6. FlipaClip – Create professional animations on Android
FlipaClip is designed to channel your unique animation ideas into eye-catching art pieces. The app boasts many tools and features to bring your ideas alive, create fascinating characters, and add thrilling visual effects. With its seamless interface, FlipaClip quickly became popular among creators, animation brands, etc.
Regarding drawing, FlipaClip hoards an extensive collection of realistic tools like brushes, Lasso, Fill, Eraser, Ruler Shapes, and Mirror. And the best part is that you can customize canvas sizes, insert text in multiple font styles, and try different brushes. I liked how the portal offers free access to essential features such as blending mode, glow effect, and multi-layering.
The platform provides an efficient frame-by-frame workflow, making animations easy and convenient. Plus, I tried adding music and sound effects to my photos and videos while testing the app. This instantly added significant value to my creations. Further, seamless sharing made it a must-try drawing app for Android.
Pros
- Intuitive drawing tools
- Custom canvases
- Several free features
- Facilitates music and audio
Cons
- A bit expensive
- Bugs and crashes
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $5.99)
7. PENUP – Best drawing app on Android for free
Flex your creative wonders with this free Android drawing app. Equipped with an intuitive interface, PENUP houses several features to flaunt your creativity within your social community. The built-in live drawing tool allowed amateur artists like me to learn drawing step-by-step. Plus, its friendly tutorials work as my personal art guide.
One thing I like about PENUP is that I can rely on it to seek inspiration. For this, I only need to import a reference image to the app and use it as a background for reference. Once you have a vision, use different colors and brushes to create beautiful sketches.
Feel free to participate in the fun in-app challenges and satiate your artistic quench when you feel an adrenaline rush. However, PENUP is not limited to drawing only. The app boasts a thriving community where you get instant access to famous artworks and even share your beautiful creations with others. Don’t you think it’s a perfect destination for art lovers?
Pros
- Simple interface
- Easy coloring tools
- Regular challenges to participate in
- Thriving social community
Cons
- Limited customizations
Price: Free
8. Concepts – Fun with stunning color palettes
Say hello to Concepts- your friendly vector-based drawing app for Android. What made Concepts special to me was its infinite canvas where I could turn all my wild imagination into authentic real-life artwork. I started by filling the tool wheel with my favorite colors, tools, and presets, making me realize that it is perfect for my on-the-go expeditions.
The app spoils you for choice with a plethora of fancy pencils, pens, and brushes in its kitty. Following this, Concepts has multiple paper types, custom grids, and an infinite layering system. You can enjoy automatic sorting and adjustments of opacity, thickness, etc.
Other exciting features include shape guides, live snap, and a measurement tool for precise designs. Besides drawing, you can drag and drop images on the canvas for inspiration or tracing. Lastly, you can export your images and vectors for printing or brainstorming ideas with friends.
Pros
- Flexible vector-based drawing
- Easy exports
- Customizable tools and features
- Free premium access for 7 days
Cons
- Some features get difficult to work on the phone
- Lacks basic features
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $1.99)
9. dotpict – Attend and hold social events
dotpict is quite popular in the Android drawing apps space. Its simple navigation, smart interface, and efficient tools- are probably everything you want in a mobile-friendly drawing app. Moreover, the multiple layering lets you add a unique layer for every item, including the sketch, colors, lineart, etc.
FYI, dotpict is a pixel-based drawing portal that gives you a grid to spill your creativity. Add or remove pixels, play with colors, and make the necessary adjustments to create something magical. In addition, the app has several handy features like zoom, animation tools, auto-saving mode, custom color palettes, and many more.
One of my favorite features of dotpict is its active community, where you can find tons of creators to connect with and get inspired by their images. Plus, you can explore and host pixel art events using the platform. The app is pretty good, but its scope is limited to pixel art drawings; you won’t find a full-fledged Android drawing ecosystem.
Pros
- Multiple drawing tools
- Clean and easy interface
- Built-in social community
- Supports social events
Cons
- Limited usage
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $3.99)
10. Bamboo Paper – Simple and efficient
Scribble, doodle, or sketch with Bamboo Paper’s user-friendly drawing canvas. This amazing app transforms your mobile screen into a sketchbook, promising a hassle-free experience. However, you can draw and erase your rough designs on the Bamboo Paper canvas without worrying about paper waste.
Your designs are incomplete without a pop of colors. With Bamboo Paper, you can set a color theme and create a custom palette with 36 unique color options. In addition, the portal lets you annotate with your favorite images. This is one of my favorite features because it instantly elevates the look of my notes, journals, etc.
Next, you can enable the free Inkspace Plus features to auto-sync and access your sketches across all devices. You can easily hop onto your saved drawings or create something new while exploring new places. Plus, digital scribbling lets you share your creations with friends or clients.
Pros
- Real-like experience
- Custom color palette
- Photo annotations
Cons
- Syncing issues
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $0.99)
Let your creativity run wild!
Whether you are a kid who wants to scribble or a professional who loves expressing emotions through drawings- drawing apps are perfect. The list here provides detailed descriptions of cool Android phone drawing apps that you can try.
Fortunately, all these apps offer a free version to download, so you can experiment with them before choosing a paid plan. If you liked my drawing app collection, let me know in the comments section.
Read more:
- Best photo editing apps for Android
- Best file managers for Android
- Best free video editing apps for Android without watermark
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