The top 5 free drawing apps for Android

Those of us who love to draw don’t always necessarily have a pencil and paper on hand to start doodling when the mood strikes. However, you probably do have your smartphone by your side at almost all times. Luckily, there are plenty of apps available on Android to let your creativity shine. We’ve selected five apps that let you draw to your heart’s content wherever you go; a list that covers a variety of tools to make sure every artist can find the perfect app to match their preferences.

ArtFlow

It would be impossible not to repeat ourselves when talking about the features of these apps, given that most of them share a good number of characteristics. ArtFlow, like most of these apps, offers a wide range of brushes to choose from (more than 80), but this app stands out for its ability to work in high resolutions (up to 4096×4096 if your device allows it). In addition to letting you work with your designs by layers, it also lets you import and export PSD files. That’s exactly what makes this app the perfect tool for working, paired with Photoshop for desktop. [Download]

PaperDraw

Whether you use a stylus or not, drawing with PaperDraw is a user-friendly experience. Its interface is clear and the way each one of its many drawing tools works is more intuitive than many other similar apps. That said, just because it’s easy to use, that doesn’t make it a simple app: you have an enormous color palette and each one of the brushes offered can be adjusted for thickness and intensity. It’s an ideal app for anyone who’s looking for a similar experience to what you’d get from a real sketchpad. [Download]

Adobe Photoshop Sketch

It would be a crime not to include one of the many Adobe apps on this list. We’ve chosen Photoshop Sketch for the fact that it’s the one that comes closest to a virtual sketchpad. As typical for Adobe products, you have to sign in before you can start drawing. But once you’ve done so, you’ll be amazed by the vast number of tools that you have available. And as usual, you can export your creations to continue working on them later in Photoshop or Illustrator. [Download]

ibisPaint X

Big numbers can be scary, and that’s exactly what may happen when many users open ibisPain X and find 142 different brushes. Yes, you read that right, 142. But there’s no need to be alarmed by the huge number of options available to you. Each user can adapt the experience however they like. That’s why this app is perfect for all sorts of users, although more experienced users will probably get the most out of it. That that’s not all ibisPaint X stands out for; it also lets you share the creation process of your drawings with other users, and also see how other users in the community created their drawings. [Download]

Simple Draw

Anyone who’s looking for simplicity above all else will find Simple Draw to be the perfect app. All you have here is a blank canvas and one brush to doodle with as you please. Although you can change the thickness and color you use, the app doesn’t offer many more options. It’s perfect for anyone who wants some simple and direct drawing possibilities. Luckily, you can save your creations without a problem. [Download]