If you love to draw but don’t have a pre-installed device with a drawing app, this list is for you. Chromebooks are one of the most popular devices, offering some excellent features that make them perfect for artists.
If you’re looking to buy a new computer or laptop right now, there’s never been a better time to invest in a Chromebook!
The Best Drawing Apps for Chromebook
Finding which apps are worth downloading can be challenging, with many drawing apps available on the Chrome Web Store. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of 15 great options–so stop scrolling through Google Docs and get cracking!
Sketchbook
One of the most robust drawing applications on Chromebook is Sketchbook. This fantastic free app provides users with a fully loaded toolset that enables them to produce high-quality digital art.
It comes with multiple drawing tools like pen, pencil, marker, etc.; it has vector editing tools, a text tool for adding effects and logos to your artwork, and a perspective ruler that allows you to draw things in perspective quickly.
The best thing about this application is its quick access toolbar which helps you work faster by providing shortcuts to standard tools. So if you want to create professional drawings on your laptop, then Sketchbook should be your first choice!
Adobe Illustrator Draw
Another great application for Chromebooks is Adobe Illustrator Draw which lets artists create beautiful illustrations or graphics on their laptops using basic shapes.
This app is pretty much the same as Sketchbook because it has a quick access toolbar, many drawing tools, and vector editing features.
Even though both apps have almost the same functions, Adobe Illustrator Draw might be better for Chromebook users because it’s by Adobe and, therefore, more reliable when producing high-quality results.
Affinity Designer
If Sketchbook & Illustrator Draw are not good enough for you, then try Affinity Designer! This unique Cross-Platform App is all about graphic design and offers many amazing brushes which turn your laptop into a professional art studio.
It comes with an advanced pen tool that allows you to create artwork, a sketching toolset for clean lines, pencils/pens for rough sketching, a brush tool for painting, and many more.
Every tool in Affinity Designer is customizable because it lets you create custom brushes that allow you to paint normally, which other drawing applications don’t offer. So if you want a higher-end application for Chromebooks, then try Affinity Designer!
Pixel Art Studio
Pixel Art Studio Lite is a free pixel art editor designed specifically for Chromebook users who love creating old-school graphics using basic shapes.
This simple yet powerful app enables users to draw pixel art & sprites quickly and fast, edit them by changing colors or flipping images, add animations to moving objects, and much more. It’s one of the best drawing applications on Chromebook at the moment due to its easy UI and seamless performance.
Inkpad
Inkpad is a basic drawing app for Chromebooks that provides you with a compelling but straightforward user interface that enables you to create superb drawings or sketches on your laptop’s screen within minutes.
It has just the necessary tools and features that every artist needs. It offers a quick access toolbar for creating straight lines and rectangles, adding shadows, changing colors (RGB & HSV), changing opacity/fill/stroke style, etc.
The best thing about Inkpad is its clean UI which doesn’t get in your way when working, so you can be 100% focused on your artwork!
Figma
If you’re looking for an Adobe Illustrator alternative, then try Figma. It comes with the same set of tools, but its interface is way different.
It’s simple, robust, and provides users with a fully customizable workspace so they can produce drawings or graphics without being distracted by unnecessary features.
Figma comes with tons of essential tools for designing web & mobile apps, but it doesn’t have the animation tools that Illustrator has! So this free app isn’t perfect but still worth trying because it’s pretty good in many ways.
ArtFlow
ArtFlow is a professional drawing app for Chromebooks that enables artists to create beautiful drawings, illustrations, sketches, 3D artworks, etc.
Some of its features include:
- 14 tools (drawing & painting)
- 11 brushes (pencils/pens & smudge tool)
- Unlimited layers with masking support
- Color picker
- Quick access toolbar for commonly used tools
- Symmetrical drawing capabilities
- Mirror drawing option
- Undo/redo feature with 20 levels per brush stroke when it comes to painting or sketching!
So if you’re looking for a powerful but free app, try ArtFlow because it’s probably the best Adobe Illustrator alternative for Chromebook users.
ArtRage
If you want a more realistic painting experience, then try ArtRage. It comes with tons of features that perfectly simulate creating actual artwork making it one of the best drawing apps for Chromebooks.
It has just about everything you need to create high-quality artworks including powerful drawing tools, advanced color palette, layers support, different canvas sizes, variety of textures & brushes (watercolors, oil paints, pastels/chalks…), etc.
So if you’re tired of Sketchbook & Photoshop Draw and looking for a professional alternative, then try ArtRage because it’s probably the best painting program on Chromebook at the moment!
MediBang Paint
Medibang Paint is a free art app for Chromebooks that gives users a similar drawing experience to what they’d get if they’re using Adobe Photoshop.
It has all the essential tools you need including a pen, pencil, watercolor brush, airbrush, spray paint can, text tool, eraser tool, and lots more! It also comes with a powerful layer management system that enables you to adjust opacity/fill & create masks.
So if you want an alternative to Photoshop, try MediBang because it’s packed with almost everything an artist needs!
Sumopaint
Sumopaint is another cheap but powerful drawing application for Chromebooks that enables users to produce excellent drawings, illustrations, or sketches just within minutes!
It has all the necessary tools you need, including pen/brush tools, shapes, eraser tool, smudge tool, layers support with different blending modes (normal-dissolve), and resizing & rotating capabilities so artists can create any art they want without being limited.
SumoPaint also comes with layer filters used to adjust levels of shadows & hues, making it one of the best painting apps for Chromebook!
So if you’re looking for a professional app, try SumoPaint because it’s exceptionally well-designed & free!
Aggie.io
Aggie is a free web-based drawing app that you can access right from your Chromebook.
It’s similar to Sketchbook and ArtRage, but it doesn’t have all of these two apps’ features.
So if you’re looking for an online alternative to Photoshop & Illustrator, then try Aggie because it’s one of the best drawing apps for Chromebook!
Concepts
Concepts is a web-based drawing app for Chromebook users that enables artists to draw, sketch or paint using their fingers.
It has a clean interface and comes with a lot of advanced tools, including pen/brush tools (20 different types), brushes (3 types), ratio tool, symmetry drawing support (horizontal & vertical), free shape selection feature, unlimited layers, etc.
So if you want an alternative Photoshop, try Concepts because it’s the best drawing app on Chromebook!
Ibis Paint X
Ibis Paint X is a powerful drawing program with a super-intuitive interface & lots of advanced features.
It has different brush types (pen, pencil, airbrush, etc.), layers support, color picker/eyedropper tool, symmetry drawing option (horizontal & vertical), mirror mode for symmetrical drawings, quick shape selection tool, and more!
So if you’re looking for a highly lightweight but professional app, try Ibis Paint because it’s probably one of the best painting apps on Chromebook!
Infinite Painter
Infinite Painter is another free app that lets artists draw in multiple layers with almost everything they need to create superb drawings.
It comes with all standard pen/brush tools, a color picker/eyedropper tool, symmetry drawing support (horizontal & vertical), mirror mode feature for symmetrical drawings, quick shape selection tool, and more.
Infinite Painter is an excellent alternative to Photoshop if you want to draw smoothly with filters and other powerful features!
So try Infinite Painter because it’s one of the best painting apps on Chromebook!
Chrome Canvas
Chrome Canvas is a lightweight drawing app with essential features such as pen/brush tools, quick shape selection tools, undo & redo options, layers (100 max), and more.
It also has different brush types (pen, pencil, airbrush), color picker/eyedropper tool, symmetry drawing support (horizontal & vertical), etc. So it’s worth giving a shot if you’re looking for something simple & basic!
This list of 15 great drawing apps for Chromebooks is a fantastic place to start when looking for new ways to express your creativity.
Have you tried any of these? If so, which one do you think has the best features and why? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below! We can’t wait to hear from you.
