A good way to let our creativity fly while we relax is through drawing. From simple scribbles to drawings with a certain artistic quality, it is something that we can learn to do from our own computer, without having to use paper and colored pencils. That is why today we bring you a series of programs that will allow us to draw from the screen of our PC.
Until recently, if we wanted to learn to draw, it was essential to sign up for face-to-face classes. Currently, there are programs that will allow us to practice or expand our knowledge, as well as acquire some artistic training when it comes to painting and drawing simply from our computer. It is true that learning to draw requires a lot of skill, and that many people prefer a canvas or a sheet of paper. However, if we choose to take advantage of new technologies, we can try experimenting with digital painting.
Free drawing apps
Next, we are going to see different free applications with which to draw oriented to all types of users. From children who want to start their first drawing practices, to users who are curious about digital drawing, to others capable of satisfying the needs of the most demanding.
Artweaver, create paintings or edit images
It is a digital drawing program that, although it is aimed at professionals, can also be used by users with less experience or even by the smallest of the house. The application focuses especially on creating paintings or editing images, allowing us to draw with the mouse with realistic brush effects or to take advantage of a touch screen to draw with our fingers or a pencil.
This tool has all kinds of brushes, erasers, paint bucket, clipping, selection, stamp, perspective grid text, etc. We will also have access to multiple paper models, effects and gradients and image stamps with which to enrich our work. In addition, it has a large collection of patterns that will allow us to make complex images in a short time with excellent results.
Artweaver has a free version that only offers an unlimited number of brush types and features, so to take advantage of its full potential it will be necessary to purchase its paid version. We can download it from its website.
FireAlpaca, drawing application for all types of users
This drawing application is aimed at professionals, but because it is accessible and easy to use, it can be used by the most beginners. The application offers us the possibility to choose which menus and toolbars we want to always have visible and which ones we don’t need and want to hide. When you pass the pointer over any option, information about the different tools will appear to make it easy for us to use.
The application incorporates a pack of preset brushes with different effects, which can even be customized. It also has the possibility of adding our own brushes or pencils to better adapt to our way of drawing. In addition, it is compatible with the use of graphic tablets, which will allow us to take advantage of the pressure sensitivity of the pen to control the size and opacity of our strokes.
FireAlpaca is a free software whose main drawback is that its interface will not be too intuitive at first, although a few minutes of exploration will suffice to learn how to navigate it effectively. We can download it from this link.
Graphiter, make realistic pencil drawings
It is an application to create realistic drawings made in pencil, but through a digital medium. We can practice drawing without compromise, using all kinds of real workflow tools like graphite pencils, a blending tool, and an eraser. We can choose from a wide range of graphite pencils that begins with H2 and ends with B8, in order to be able to work light and dark tones as we progress.
The application also has an eraser tool that allows us to adjust with precision, size and smoothness as if we were using a real eraser. In addition, our drawings are saved automatically so that we can return to them later. Once our drawing is finished we can export them to a PNG or JPG file
Graphiter has a free version that we can download from the Microsoft Store. Additionally, the application has the possibility of making purchases of additional tools such as colored pencils.
Krita, the most popular digital painting tool
We are facing an open source and multiplatform digital painting program, which has all kinds of tools for artistic drawing. It has a wide variety of brushes and effects that offers us the possibility of working through layers. It also includes support for most popular image formats, as well as sections for managing palettes, cropping, and vector modification.
The different types of brushes include effects such as pixelate, smudge, duplicate, filter, scratch, texture, chalk, curve, color spot, warp, and more. All its functions make it a suitable tool to learn to draw digitally, but with prior knowledge as it is one of the best free options with which to obtain professional results.
We can download Krita for free from the developer’s website.
Baby Paint, ideal for the little ones in the house
We are now talking about a drawing application designed especially for the smallest of the house, with which they can edit or create new images from scratch. All drawing tools are located on the main panel so that they can be easily accessible. It supports full screen mode and allows you to add custom images to your workspace.
This program allows us to create a new image from scratch and has multiple editing tools such as pen, clock, insert stamps, set the desired color for the background, move objects at different angles, as well as choose the desired color for the editing tools. edition. In addition, it is possible to alter the noise, adjust the size of the pen, as well as reproduce all the drawing actions.
If we want to try Baby Paint we can download it for free from this link .
Sketchable, useful for making quick drafts and drawings
This application for Windows 10 will be very useful for us to make both drafts and quick drawings and organize them in different notebooks. It has tools such as a brush, an airbrush, a pencil, a marker, a pen, an inking tip, and a chalk. It is possible to change the color using the corresponding mosaic according to our preferences or use the eyedropper or the palette tool.
With this program we will be able to create high quality projects, offering a wide variety of useful tools, intuitive functions and a sketchbook where we can store and access all our projects in an organized way. The application is free and can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store, although it also has more advanced tools available in a paid version.
Fresh Paint, paint and color with all kinds of tools
It is a very complete application with features aimed at satisfying the needs of all types of users, from young children who want to be able to draw and color to adults who need an advanced tool to capture their ideas. It has tools such as various types of graphite pencils, watercolors and brushes, each with different dimensions.
Each of the tools in this program stands out for the realistic effect that it provides a feeling similar to that of a drawing board. Each tool behaves as if it were real paint or pencil strokes on paper, which allows us to unleash our creativity, obtaining original and real results. We can download Fresh Paint for free from the Microsoft Store.
Paint, application focused on drawing and coloring
This software is especially focused more on drawing and coloring than painting. By using simple tools we can draw blank canvases or on imported images with versatile painting tools such as a normal brush, image fill, gradient, clone tool or pencil. You can add one or more layers for precise control of the elements.
This application also has a large number of selection tools, such as lasso, circle or magic wand. It also allows us to modify the appearance of the canvas, rotating or flipping it, cropping according to a selection, as well as changing its size. In addition, it has an easy-to-use interface, with easy and accessible menus, adjustable drawing brushes or powerful cloning options.
We can download Pinta for free from here.
What application to draw should I choose?
As we have seen, there are applications aimed at all types of users based on their skills. For the little ones, tools such as Baby Paint or even Fresh Paint can be interesting, so that they can make their first drawings with the computer in a simple way. For users with certain knowledge, applications such as Krita, FireAlpaca or Artweaver can be good solutions to uncover all your creativity when drawing on a sheet.