The Five Best Apps for Artists on the iPad
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If you're a Digital Artist looking to get more use out of your iPad, here's a collection of the best creative apps to help you get started.
As you probably already know, Apple recently released new iPads along with the Apple Pencil Pro. And if you read my article Wacom vs. Apple, you'll understand that I think this is a huge development for digital artists.
Of course, I was already on the iPad team before the new Apple Pencil Pro.
I do digital art — both as a hobby and as a part-time job — for almost two decades now. I wouldn't consider myself a professional artist, but I'm hardly a beginner either.
During this time, the only thing I managed to gain was perspective. I like to try new creative software, even if it's not in my wheelhouse, so I feel at least somewhat qualified to talk about which apps you should install on your iPad.
Procreate
If you've been around AppleInsider for any length of time, you probably already know that I beat the drum pretty hard for Procreate.
If for some reason you can only choose one art app for your iPad, I would suggest Procreate. That is, if you plan to do raster art.
ProcreateProcreateProcreate
Of course, I don't actually know why you need to choose only one. I vote for you to collect art apps on your iPad like I do. Of course, there are worse vices.
However, let me first at least make the case for Procreate. Procreate is very easy to use. That's the biggest reason I love it. Built-in gesture controls combined with a smaller interface make it easy to focus on your work without having to fumble through menus.
There are also brushes that you can purchase for Procreate. One of my favorite little treats is high quality brush sets like those from Ittai Manero or Retro Supply.
Lastly, I really can't forget to mention that Procreate is a one-time fee program that costs only $13. In a world where seemingly everything has moved to a subscription model, having an app that you pay for once is truly wild and valuable.
Again, it is more intended for illustrators rather than designers who need to work with vector formats — but don't worry, designers. I caught you with the next one.
Affinity Designer 2
I understand. Not everyone can work with raster image formats. Sometimes you have to work in vector. Well, good news. Affinity Designer, now officially Affinity Designer 2, is available for iPad.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not much of a vector artist. However, there have been times when I've made stickers or t-shirt designs for clients or friends, and I know that when I send the design to print, it has to be vector.
Affinity Designer
Login to Affinity Designer — at least if I'm designing on an iPad. I really like Affinity Designer. It has most of the features I need in a vector
And guess what — Affinity Designer is also a one-time fee and costs only $18.49.
Of course, if you like Affinity Designer, you can try their other apps, including the bitmap editor Affinity Photo and the desktop publishing app Affinity Designer. You can buy each for $18.49, or get a universal Affinity V2 license for $164.99, which includes licenses for the iPadOS, macOS, and Windows versions of each app.
ArtRage Vitae
If you come to the digital world from a more traditional background, you might want to check out ArtRage Vitae .
I'll be honest. I don't like the ArtRage interface. I think it's too throwback and sometimes makes it difficult to move around the canvas easily. However, what it lacks in interface it more than makes up for in tools.
Artrage Vitae
ArtRage Vitae paints behave much more like real paints than anything else I've encountered on the iPad. There are some amazing digital artists who use ArtRage Vitae or the older version of ArtRage exclusively and have created some truly fantastic work.
And with a one-time cost of $4.99, it's a fairly low-risk investment.
Adobe Fresco, Photoshop and Illustrator
Naturally, I wouldn't I wouldn't do this article any justice if I didn't mention Adobe in some capacity. I'm assuming that most of our readers are familiar with the powerful applications of Adobe, Photoshop, and Illustrator, and that I don't need to discuss them in detail.
However, I will say that both apps have come a long way from where they started. While I still prefer using Adobe Illustrator on the desktop, it's a great app for the iPad.
Adobe Fresco
And Photoshop gets better with every update, and I'd say that for almost all your basic tasks, the iPad app is better than adequate. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's worth keeping it on your iPad — with a reservation.
But let's talk about Fresco for a minute. Fresco is Adobe's digital art app for the iPad, and it started out more or less as Adobe's answer to Procreate. Since its inception, however, Fresco has grown into something of its own.
I like Fresco. A lot actually. Adobe took the time to listen to artist feedback and retool it to make it a viable competitor to Procreate. My biggest complaint is that I don't like the interface, sometimes I find it annoying. It's not as intuitive as I'd like, but I'm sure with practice I'll learn to work around the things I don't like.
Fresco's biggest advantage is that it has the best brushes I've ever seen outside of Procreate. Adobe worked with design industry maven and illustration master Kyle T. Webster to create some truly amazing brushes. Seriously — they are fantastic.
But, despite the fact that Fresco is good, it still has a huge drawback.
Adobe products are subscription-only, which can be a big problem when so many creative apps are one-time fees. For example, Fresco costs $10 per month if you want full access.
Luckily, you can bundle and save some money if you're like me and need a lot of apps to get work done. Adobe charges $14.99 per month for an iPad-only app package that includes Photoshop, Illustrator, Fresco and Spark, as well as 100GB of cloud storage and access to Adobe Fonts.
At $15 a month, it's not the worst subscription fee we've ever seen. If you're already familiar with Photoshop and Illustrator, it might be worth paying instead of having to re-learn a new piece of software.
However, if you've already paid for a $59.99/month Creative Cloud desktop subscription, all iPad apps are included. So if you're a creative professional who already has desktop apps, install them on your iPad. At least do yourself a favor and get Fresco.
Dudel Draw
Although not a traditional drawing app, Dudel Draw is an incredible drawing tool both beginners and experienced artists.
If you've been creative for any length of time, chances are you know that the hardest part is getting started — and a blank sketchbook page or canvas can be quite intimidating.
Dudel Draw eliminates these concerns by giving you a random, single-color shape and asking you to turn it into a drawing.
Dudel Draw
This is a great way to inspire spontaneous creativity and consistency since you can do it once a day or several times. day. Building consistent art habits takes time, but daily prompts can really help.
Also, I often find that as soon as I start drawing something — literally anything — my brain switches into “creative mode” and it becomes much easier for me to tackle a larger project.
Dudel Draw is completely free and works on both iPhone and iPad. Sure, it's a little basic, and you only have one tool, the pen, but if you just want something to help unleash your creativity, it's worth picking up.
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