How to Create Art Apps How to Create Apps

The best cartoon apps for iPad

A young person sat drawing on an iPad
(Paradigm credit: Kilito Chan via Getty Images)

Getting one of the best drawing apps for iPad can take your digital art to a whole new level. We've tried out and rounded up some of the all-time free or inexpensive drawing apps out there, jam-packed full of tools and features that help you to get artistic.

The vivid thing about the iPad is that you tin can create wherever you lot get, and when you partner the iPad with some of these amazing drawing apps and the Apple tree Pencil, the creative possibilities are countless. If yous're non sure which iPad to get, our iPad generations guide explains the different types available, while our Apple Pencil vs Apple Pencil 2 feature explains which stylus to use with which model.

We've tested and gathered drawing apps suited to everyone, from beginners to pros, then we're bound to have exactly what you're looking for to boot off your adjacent project. And once you've called your app of option, why non check out our how to describe tutorials?

If you can't find what you're looking for in this roundup below, so why non accept a expect at our list of the best iPad Pro apps? Or if you'd rather work on your digital fine art on a desktop, then make sure yous check out the best digital fine art software.

The all-time drawing apps for iPad

01. Procreate

Procreate 5.2 drawing app for iPad

Procreate is great for drawing, and has new 3D tools (Image credit: Roughshod)
  • Download Procreate from the App Store for $9.99/£eight.99

If you lot're a digital artist, and so y'all've probably already heard of Procreate – and for a practiced reason. Nosotros've always been fans of Procreate's speed and ability only when we tested Procreate 5.2, nosotros were especially impressed by its new 3D painting capabilities (including compatibility with Zbrush, Blendr and the like, and a dedicated lighting tab). Observe out more than about the latest features (similar increased layers, stroke stabilisation and Page Help) in our Procreate five.2 review.

More than generally, 1 of Procreates biggest selling points is its versatile and intuitive colour picker. It's easy-to-use and allows yous to create your ain color libraries, so you never take to lose an exact shade once again. The app as a whole is incredibly sleek with its fast and responsive zoom, blending options, swift undo functionality and the ability to add text to your projects. There are likewise like shooting fish in a barrel access sliders that aid you to adjust the size of your brush and opacity every bit you work.

02. Illustrator

hand drawing with stylus using illustrator for iPad drawing app

Illustrator on the iPad has enough to offer artists (Image credit: Ben Brady)
  • Download Illustrator for iPad, free, with in-app purchases

Illustrator for the iPad is incredibly popular among the digital fine art community. The app takes the best of the Adobe Illustrator software and reimagines it for iPad users and, although it doesn't have all the features of the desktop version, our Illustrator for iPad review plant it works incredibly well as a standalone piece of kit (we tested a full version of Illustrator for iPad on the 11-inch iPad Pro (M1, 2021), using an Apple Pencil two).

The app is free with in-app purchases, merely it still has features like radial, filigree and mirror repeat. In terms of iPad-specific features, we peculiarly loved the optimisation for Apple tree Pencil and the ability to use the iPad'south camera to create instant palettes.

One of the other brilliant things about the Illustrator app is that you tin can seamlessly send files to and from the Illustrator software on your desktop (check out the best Adobe deals if you don't have it).

03. Photoshop for iPad

Image of Photoshop for iPad drawing app in front of buildings

If you similar cartoon in Photoshop, yous can now have the aforementioned (well, most) experience on iPad (Image credit: Matt Smith)
  • Download Photoshop for iPad, free with in-app purchases

If you're a creative, then you'll definitely accept heard of Photoshop, and y'all may well exist using the app, too. We definitely had some reservations almost the slimmed down app in our Photoshop for iPad review equally there are quite a few features missing. Don't worry though, we're sure they'll be added eventually – we've already seen the improver of the Curves and the Subject Select tools.

Despite a few missing tools, for nearly cartoon purposes information technology'south very like. And much like the Illustrator app, you lot can seamlessly transfer files between the software and the app. The app is gratuitous as office of your Creative Cloud subscription, so it'southward definitely worth the download. (If you oasis't subscribed to Adobe Creative Cloud, then check out some of the latest deals below).

04. Inspire Pro

Digital painting of a girl and her dragon on drawing app for iPad Inspire Pro

1 of the best drawing apps for iPad, Inspire Pro offers a fluid and natural drawing experience (Image credit: Inspire Pro)
  • Download Inspire Pro for $9.99/£9.99

Inspire Pro sports one of the fastest and nigh realistic rendering engines on the App Store. What does that mean for creatives, you ask? Well, you get a fluid and natural drawing feel on the iPad.

The app has a vast library of brushes, including oil paint, airbrushes, spray paint, pencils, crayons, markers, chalk, charcoal, pastels and paint splatters, likewise as a variety of high-quality tools that you lot can customise equally y'all wish. Got an Apple tree Pencil and an iPad Pro? Well, yous'll love Inspire Pro's power to react instantly to practical force per unit area, tilt angle and orientation that gives users another level of creative control.

05. Adobe Fresco

Adobe Fresco drawing app for iPad image of woman

A leader among drawing apps for iPad, the new Adobe Fresco offers a buttery smooth user feel (Paradigm credit: Phil Galloway)
  • Download Adobe Fresco for free (in-app purchases)

Fresco is another iPad app from Adobe'south roster. Fresco supposedly is the digital equivalent of the traditional analogue drawing materials. When nosotros tested it (run into our Adobe Fresco review), we felt it's like Adobe's answer to Procreate (see above), but information technology's function of the Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.

With the likes of the highly-anticipated Alive Brushes that adapt to a diversity of drawing styles (though nosotros did feel they were a touch on limited), Fresco gives users a sleek and smooth drawing feel. Fresco may not accept text or blitheness options, just it is still one of the best digital fine art apps bachelor. We peculiarly liked its fantastic option of pixel brushes, its smooth running and ability to blend brushes.

06. Analogousness Designer for iPad

Affinity Designer for iPad drawing app for iPad

Analogousness Designer is a powerful app for creating a range of fine art (Image credit: Hereafter)
  • Download Affinity Designer for $9.99/£9.99

Congenital from the same dorsum end as its honor-winning desktop version, Affinity Designer for iPad is a vector drawing plan that'south fully optimised for iOS, including Touch controls and Apple Pencil support. Our testing appreciated the fact information technology tin can support huge multi-artboard canvases with as many layers equally y'all could peradventure want, and you lot can zoom to over one meg per cent.  We also loved the UI – find out more than in our Affinity Designer for iPad review.

Analogousness Designer supports both CMYK and RGB, and has a full Pantone library in the colour swatch panel, meaning it's ideal for creating both digital and printed fine art. You can export to a range of formats, including JPG, PNG, PDF and SVG, and at that place are over 100 brushes bachelor, in styles including paints, pencils, inks, pastels and gouaches. In short, this is ane of the few drawing apps for iPad that's squarely targeted at the professional marketplace.

07. ArtRage

Bumblebee on Artrage 5 drawing app for iPad

ArtRage is an incredibly flexible painting programme (Image credit: David Cousens)
  • Download ArtRage for $2.99/£2.99

Artrage is all almost allowing artists to create art on the iPad in a hands-on, realistic way. You can paint directly onto the screen or apply a glob of pigment with one tool and smear it effectually with another. There's a variety of sheet presets and newspaper options, plus a wide assortment of brushes, pencils, crayons, rollers, and pastels.

When we tested Artrage (come across our Artrage 5 review here), we loved the dedicated watercolour brush pick, and its easy-to-navigate UI. We found information technology mega-easy to change castor sizes, bring up the colour picker, work with layers and alloy/smudge different elements together, and we love the elementary-to-navigate UI.

Artrage Vitae has since been released so there is fifty-fifty more than to love, including larger tools and canvases, a cloner tool, and existent colour blending.

08. iPastels

picture of a bridge made using iPastels drawing app for iPad

iPastels lets you create some realistic pastel artwork (Image credit: iPastels)
  • Download iPastels for gratis (in-app purchases)

No digital application and tablet screen will give yous the real feel of working with pastels and charcoal, but drawing apps for iPad are not looking to replace feel – they are designed to mimic the effect, and that is what iPastels does so well. Plus, you don't go messy fingers.

It is impressive how well the app replicates some aspects of pastel drawing, including soft pastels, oil pastels, pastel pencils, and realistic colour blending using your finger on the screen just like you would on paper. One downside is that you have to stop cartoon when you want to adjust the size and pressure of your tool, but there are plus sides – including the ability to correct mistakes quickly and only.

For that reason and more, iPastels is a corking app to use if you want to endeavour out compositions before beginning a real painting – or only for a bit of fun. It has Apple tree Pencil support, and the upgrade to Pro features costs $4.99/£iv.99.

09. MediBang Paint for iPad

Black and white city image on Medibang Paint drawing app for iPad

MediBang Paint for iPad is jam-packed full of handy cartoon tools (Image credit: Future)
  • Download MediBang for free (in-app purchases)

If you're new to digital art and and then after a brilliant-but-basic drawing app for your iPad, look no further than MediBang Pigment for iPad. When we reviewed it, we institute Medibang to be an piece of cake-to-utilise program with similar features to Photoshop, including layers, with the ability to add together styles and a handy castor editor. In fact, MediBang is full of brilliant drawing and painting tools – so much and so that it's hard to believe it's complimentary. Run across our Medibang review here.

Compatible with iOS xi and to a higher place, if y'all want to create professional-looking artwork but you are on a budget, this is the iPad drawing app for you.

10. Zen Castor 2

Drawing apps for iPad Zen Brush 2 screenshot

Zen Brush ii has a lovely ink dispersion issue (Image credit: Rob Redman)
  • Download Zen Brush 2 for $2.99/£2.99

Zen Brush two is ane of the drawing apps for iPad that emulates the feel of drawing with traditional Japanese calligraphy brushes. Our testing establish information technology has a shine and fluent cartoon engine, and although our Zen Brush review describes its limited features, we besides know it is par for the class with such a narrow usage and that's okay.

Zen Brush ii has a gallery characteristic that enables you to salvage your piece of work in progress, every bit well as a lovely ink dispersion issue to requite your drawings an added feeling of depth. There'south support for pressure-sensitive styluses, including Apple Pencil, and best of all you're no longer restricted to black ink –  you lot can use crimson ink also.

xi. Concepts

Concepts drawing apps for iPad screenshot showing building plans

Concepts is a little-known app that is a big striking with pros
  • Download Concepts for free (in-app purchases)

Created specifically for professionals, Concepts is an advanced sketching and design app. Information technology features space sail and organic brushes, a fluid and responsive vector cartoon engine, and intuitive precision tools, all tailored for a natural-feeling drawing experience. Whether you're an architect, product designer, illustrator or visual thinker, you tin explore, iterate and share your designs anywhere you get.

Concepts is compatible with iOS 12.4 and later, and supports the iPad Pro (2018) and second-generation Apple Pencil. Double-tap tool switching is supported, plus you can customise how the double-tap manifests itself.

12. Artstudio Pro

drawing of girl's face in Artstudio Pro drawing apps for iPad

Artstudio Pro offers lots of drawing options and an active community (Image credit: Artstudio Pro)
  • Download Artstudio Pro for $xiv.99/£14.99

Artstudio Pro for iPad is the successor to ArtStudio – a legacy version of which is still available for $4.99/£4.99. The new version has been optimised for Apple Pencil, and claims to exist 5-10 times faster than ArtStudio.

In that location are new and improved tools, which include 27 blending modes, over 100 built-in brushes and the ability to import all types of formats, including ABL brushes. At that place are also various different canvas sizes and options that include layers, layer masks, filters and effects. With an active community and enough of features to play effectually with, we think this is a cracking selection for artists.

thirteen. Comic Describe

comic strip on Comic Draw drawing app for iPad

Comic Draw is specifically designed for drawing comics and graphic novels (Image credit: ComicDraw)
  • Download Comic Depict for gratuitous (in-app purchases)

While some painting and drawing apps cover a broad range of abilities and creative disciplines, Comic Describe is unmarried-minded in its purpose. Comic artists are its target, and in those terms it is a highly constructive tool. The app features a tool that enables yous to lay out the panels on your page, guides to assist yous go on a perfect perspective and layers to enable you lot to build your drawings.

You'll likewise discover a digital sketchpad for experimenting with your concepts, and an inking and colouring interface to help yous finish your design with various brushes. Comic Draw provides a lettering suite made up of different typefaces, balloons and design tools to add the all-important words, and you can add as many pages as you want to make everything from a comic strip to a full-length volume. There's a gratis trial available before y'all buy (for $9.99/£9.99).

fourteen. Assembly

vector drawing of hip office on Assembly drawing app for iPad

Baffled past Béziers? Assembly makes information technology easy to create vector fine art (Paradigm credit: Assembly)
  • Download Assembly for gratuitous (in-app purchases)

Assembly is a great way to create detailed vector drawings, icons, logos, scenes and characters without all that fiddly mucking virtually with vectors and Bézier curves. Rather than painstakingly cartoon everything out yourself, you tin can choose from an enormous selection of ready-made shapes and stick them together to create your vector masterpiece.

You tin layer, stack and position shapes however y'all want with this entry on our cartoon apps for iPad list, and even create your ain building blocks past cut out, combining and intersecting existing shapes. If you lot need to prototype in a hurry, it's an platonic tool for getting professional results fast.

15. Clip Studio Paint Ex

drawing of girl on Clip Studio Paint Ex drawing app for iPad

Clip Studio Pigment Ex brings the feel of traditional drawing to the digital infinite (Image credit: Clip Studio)
  • Download Clip Studio Pigment Ex for free (in-app purchases)

Another total-featured desktop pigment app that's now on the iPad, Clip Studio Paint Ex is peachy for cartoon comics and manga, and it can also be used to create whatever kind of digital art. It's also i of the few cartoon apps for iPad that brings the feel of traditional drawing to the digital space, making this the perfect app for creating your illustrations and sketches while on the go.

This app comes packed with drawing tools such as pencils, markers, calligraphy pens and air brushes. And because the drawing engine works so well with the Apple Pencil, you'll have a full range of force per unit area-sensitive dynamics to get your linework perfect. Another bonus is when y'all sign upwardly for Clip Studio Paint EX subscription, yous become three months free. Check out our listing of the best Clip Studio Pigment tutorials hither.

16. Graphic

drawing of woman riding bicycle on Graphic drawing app for iPad

Graphic is packed with tools to have your digital art to the next level (Epitome credit: Graphic)
  • Download Graphic for $8.99/£8.99

Offer a desktop-class standard of vector drawing, Graphic boasts variable-width brush strokes and pressure level-sensitive support for the Apple Pencil. This easy-to-apply improver to our drawing apps for iPad guide is compatible with both the Mac and iPhone versions via iCloud and Dropbox, enabling y'all to save your masterpieces on the go for straightforward editing beyond devices later down the line.

17. Autodesk Sketchbook

Autodesk Sketchbook drawing app for iPad running on an iPad

Artists of any skill level can create digital art with SketchBook (Image credit: Autodesk Sketchbook sketchbook.com)
  • Download SketchBook for complimentary

SketchBook by Autodesk is one of the most popular cartoon apps for iPad among digital artists. As you'd expect from Autodesk, SketchBook has all the swagger of a pro-class painting program, but with an experience designed for those looking to create art on the iPad (see our Sketchbook 4.0 for Android review if you accept an Android device).

At that place's a wide range of digital pencils, pens, markers, and airbrushes to cull from, all accessed via a simple merely intuitive UI that enables you to pin your favourite toolbars to the screen. It's flexible and fast, too, enabling you to work with layers, transparency options, annotations and advanced blend modes. With Dropbox integration plus the ability to import and consign Photoshop-friendly files, it'due south an ideal iPad art app for working on the move.

18. Art Set 4

drawing of girl and set of pencils on Art Set 4 drawing app for iPad

Art Set 4 has an easy to use interface and hyper-real tools (Epitome credit: Art Set 4)
  • Download Art Set 4 for costless (with in-app purchases)

Art Fix iv has an easy to use interface and hyper-real tools for drawing and painting, so for example you can really encounter your watercolour paint flow and run as y'all use it. Oil paint, watercolours, oil pastel, pencil, biro pen, marker, wax crayon and a few others are included for gratuitous, while an in-app purchase unlocks more than 150 brushes and further features.

20. Brushes Redux

drawing of an apple on Brushes Redux drawing app for iPad

The Brushes app is free and open up source (Image credit: Apple)
  • Download Brushes Redux for free

Legendary creative person David Hockney has been spotted using the Brushes app when creating art on the iPad. Information technology'southward an oldie but a goodie, designed specifically for Apple'southward tablet and now with the 'Redux' suffix – and it's free and open-source.

Using a basic toolbar at the bottom of the screen, you can bring upwardly a colour wheel/picker, work with layers and switch between various brushes. Best of all, perhaps, Brushes is fast and responsive to the touch and so it'due south easy to work chop-chop. A useful characteristic is the ability to record each brush stroke, enabling you lot to play back exactly how you created each slice of iPad art via the Brushes viewer.

21. SketchClub

Two iPad screens showing drawing on Sketch Club drawing app for iPad

Create absurd digital art with Sketch Club's keen toolset (Image credit: Sketch Art Club)
  • Download Sketch Club for $3.99/£three.49

Sketch Club has a great set of tools for creating beautiful digital art, which is why information technology'southward a valuable add-on to our drawing apps for iPad list. The app has a unique prepare of flexible digital brushes (and more tin be made), pens, vector tools, former school pixel art, and fun procedural tools.

Sketch Club has an uncluttered user interface, with lots of settings to customise the app to your own unique preferences. A particularly great feature of this app is the integrated online community. Here you lot can upload your sketches to allow others rate and comment on your work, equally well as enter daily challenges and fun weekly competitions.

Related articles:

  • iPad generations: the complete iPad model list
  • Best iPad Pro apps: Make your Apple Pencil shine
  • Apple Pencil alternatives: The all-time styluses from a range of acme companies

Rosie Hilder is Creative Bloq's Acting Editor. After beginning her career in journalism in Argentina – where her blogging prowess led her to become Deputy Editor of Time Out Buenos Aires – she moved back to the UK and joined Time to come Plc in 2016. Since and then, she's worked as Operations Editor on art and design magazines, including Calculator Arts, 3D World and Paint & Draw, and got the 'Apple bug' when working on The states title, Mac|Life. In 2018, she left the earth of print backside and moved to Creative Bloq, where she now takes intendance of the daily management of the site, including growing the site's reach through trying to please the Google Gods, getting involved in events, such as judging the Brand Impact Awards, and helping make sure our content serves ours readers equally best it can. Her interests lie in branding and analogy, tech and sexism, and plenty more in-between.

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