The 5 Best iPhone Apps For Digital Art
The best iPhone apps for digital art – our #1 picks for 2021 for aspiring artists and digital content creators…
When I was a kid, if you wanted to draw you had to use a pencil and paper–and if you messed up, things could get quite expensive. Drawing pads aren’t cheap, after all (don’t even get me started on paint)!
But with the advent of tablets, especially, drawing has transitioned from being a discipline that takes place on a physical medium to one that takes place on a digital medium.
The thing is, even five years ago, to create digital art you really did need a tablet. Most phones were just too small.
But now that iPhone has grown larger – the latest screen size will hit almost 7 inches! – they’ve become incredible tools for digital art. So, if you’ve got an artistic streak and an iPhone there’s never been a better time to get drawing.
And with a good PDF management app, you can quickly share and disseminate your work too.
Best iPhone Apps For Digital Art – The Definitive List
Canva – The #1 Tool For Creators
I only started using Canva recently. But it has changed my life and the way I work. With Canva, I can create gorgeous, custom images for all of my posts on KYM, build interactive lead magnets for our email subscribers, and even put together stunning presentations for business meetings.
Canva is a free tool, but the Pro version is what you want, as it opens up an ocean of possibilities, and you can use it to create pretty much anything from flyers to headers for your blog, as well as content for all major social media platforms, including Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and even TikTok.
Canva also has thousands of stunning templates for you to work with too, so you don’t even need to be any good at designing to create truly professional-looking graphics and images. If you work online, run a blog, or have a social media account and you’re not running Canva, you’re basically leaving money, followers, and engagement on the table.
Autodesk SketchBook
- The app’s official description: At Autodesk, we believe creativity starts with an idea. From quick conceptual sketches to fully finished artwork, sketching is at the heart of the creative process. You never know when a great idea will strike, so access to fast and powerful creative sketching tools is an invaluable part of any creative process. For this reason, we are excited to announce that the fully featured version of SketchBook is now FREE for everyone!
- What it does: Autodesk’s software is at the heart of so many media and design companies, it’s practically as universal as a word processor in select industries. This free SketchBook app is made by those same people as a way to help designers and illustrators quickly get ideas down.
- How to get it: iOS
iArtbookPro
- The app’s official description: Professional painting app, based on Unlimited Layers with Blend Modes and Masks. Any brush can be used with 2 professional-level realtime technologies of calligraphy: Line Delay & Straight Line, combine it for best results. With 100% calligraphy the line will be very smooth even if you are drawing with your finger. Brushes can be Dry, Glossy and Wet. There are 3 types of Wet brushes: Without Pull, With Pull and Super-Precise. Any brush can instantly became Smudge-brush with Finger instrument. Textured brushes are also supported.
- What it does: iArtbookPro isn’t the most feature-packed on this list, but it’s arguable one of the easiest to learn. Packed with brushes, colors, and essentials like layers, you’ll become a DaVinci in no time.
- How to get it: iOS
Artstudio Pro
- The app’s official description: Introducing Artstudio Pro, the most powerful painting and photo editing app available for both iOS and macOS. The successor to our famous ArtStudio app has been redesigned bringing many new features and improvements taking full advantage of the latest technologies Metal, iCloud Drive, Apple Pencil, and optimized for 64-bit multi-core processors to achieve the smoothest possible workflow.
- What it does: Now this bad boy has close to everything. Seriously, Artstudio Pro is so packed with drawing tools, you’ll wonder if you even need desktop-class drawing apps again.
- How to get it: iOS
Procreate Pocket
- The app’s official description: Powerful enough for creative professionals. Simple enough for everyone. The award-winning Procreate Pocket is the most versatile art app ever designed for iPhone. Offering hundreds of varied pressure-sensitive brushes, an advanced layer system, and the breathtaking speed of Silica M, Procreate Pocket gives you everything you need to create expressive sketches, rich paintings, and gorgeous illustrations on an expansive, ultra-portable canvas.
- What it does: Procreate is another company that makes professional desktop apps that power some of the biggest and most successful graphics studios on the planet. Their Procreate Pocket gives you some of that power on your iPhone, allowing you to paint masterpieces that fit in your pocket.
- How to get it: iOS
Magic Poser
- The app’s official description: Ever tried googling for a special pose or ask your friend to pose for your artwork? Then you should download and try Magic Poser! Magic Poser is a ground-breaking app that allows you to easily pose ANY number of 3D human art models with props in any way you want! A must-have app for drawing, manga, comics, storyboarding, character design, etc.
- What it does: When you’re learning to draw, it’s not just about the brush strokes and vantage points. You also need to learn how people move and sit and walk. And Magic Poser helps you do just that by allowing you to create 3D models you can use to base your drawings on.
- How to get it: iOS
