So, you bought a graphics tablet. Besides the fact that you still have to get used to it and get better at it, you need to immediately decide on a graphic editor that will maximize all the capabilities of your new device. And if you think that you can only draw in Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, then you are very mistaken.

In addition to the globally recognized and undoubtedly cool products of Adobe, there are many graphic editors that offer the same functionality, but for less money, and sometimes even for free. In addition, some programs boast a unique interface with many interesting features; designers and illustrators will definitely appreciate them.

We have compiled a list of programs where you can fully draw using a graphics tablet, simulating various artistic techniques, make sketches, create raster and vector images, and also practice lettering and calligraphy.

Corel Painter X3

Painter X3 simulates traditional brushes, textures, dry and wet effects with incredible precision. Thanks to this, there is an almost complete immersion in a real artist’s studio, where there is no computer or monitor, only an easel and canvas.

Painter Lite

Lightweight and cheaper version of Painter offers everything necessary tools for drawing, but for more low price. An excellent option for those who are just starting to draw and are not ready to spend a lot of money.

Clip Paint Studio PRO

Despite the fact that this program was developed specifically for drawing manga, Clip Paint Studio has gone quite far and can be used with the same success in industry-standard digital painting. The program has incredibly convenient features, for example, ready-made shapes that can be used as a model for drawing poses.

Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 7

SketchBook Pro is a professional drawing application optimized specifically for tablet devices. Drawing in it is easy and pleasant, which novice users will undoubtedly appreciate.

ArtRage 4

A program with incredible tools and the most attractive interface. Drawing in it is easy and pleasant. Focused on creating realistic images.

Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 9

Photo editing, drawing, unusual effects are not all the capabilities of Xara Photo. Users will appreciate the compatibility of file formats and the low price of the product.

Affinity Designer

The program supports working with layers, import\export different formats files, a convenient navigator and all the tools for working with vector graphics that you can think of. Affinity Designer is kind of a killer Adobe Illustrator. The only drawback of this program may be that it is only available for MAC. But the price is more than reasonable.

Inkscape

A free and convenient vector illustrator, which is essentially a symbiosis of Corel DRAW and Adobe Illustrator. Remarkable support for pen pressure sensitivity—a big deficiency in the vector illustration world—makes Inkscape a powerful tool for those serious about calligraphy.

By the way, Inkscape has an excellent resource in seven languages, including Russian, which is very rare even for commercial graphics programs. On the Inkscape website you can not only download the program, but also read articles, study lessons, participate in discussions and much more. There is also the opportunity to become one of the developers and testers of the product and bring useful features to it.

Artweaver

Program raster graphics, which looks like a symbiosis of Painter and Photoshop. Compared to GIMP, it is slower in processing, but with a much larger set of brushes. Wide support for Wacom tablet.

GIMP

A colorful and functional raster program for drawing and illustrating. The interface appearance and capabilities are similar to Corel Painter. Wide support for Wacom tablet.

MyPaint

An undemanding and easy-to-use open-source program for digital artists. Allows you to concentrate on creativity, not the program interface. Tablet support is well implemented.

SmoothDraw

And here's another one worth attention drawing program - ten thousand beginner and professional artists managed to download this wonderful development for free. You don't have to waste time studying menus and tools - just open new file and showcase your talents with clearly visualized features.

Users have access to blending modes, layers, virtual canvas rotation, and sub-pixel anti-aliasing levels. Except standard means painting app contains special tools, such as graffiti, water drops, stars, grass. Synchronization with tablets is also implemented.

Paint Tool SAI

Don't be intimidated by SAI's clean interface, as this is the de facto standard program for most Japanese anime artists. It also comes with a line correction feature to create sharper contours.

Serif DrawPlus (starter edition)

Serif DrawPlus offers all the tools for working with raster and vector graphics. Here you can create interesting prints, make logos, edit photos or draw using a lot of custom effects, including 3D. Truly a godsend for beginning illustrators and designers, and completely free!

All the programs on the list will be excellent alternatives to Adobe products, even if you are not ready to admit it yet. It’s enough to give them a chance, and who knows, maybe in a couple of weeks you won’t even remember about Photoshop! Moreover, you don’t have to pay for some products at all. Don't be afraid to try new things, push boundaries and improve!

A computer drawing program is a very necessary thing both for creative people and for those who work with images for work.

Few people think that in addition to the standard Windows graphic editors, as well as, there are other drawing programs for the computer that are no worse, and in some places even outperform eminent competitors.

Another interesting free representative from the graphic category. Using the program, you can change and edit ready-made files or draw your own, fortunately, there are enough tools.

In addition to the standard tools that almost everyone has, they also have their own features.

It's no wonder why SmoothDraw has so many useful tools with a professional twist. The fact is that this project was originally intended to create files from scratch.

This computer drawing program for children is just right. There are no complicated elements, and the menu is intuitive even for a beginner.

The lack of Russian support for packages with files is a little darkening, but the interface itself is so simple that you can ignore this drawback.

In addition, SmoothDraw does not have installation file, being a portable version. In other words, you can transfer the folder with the editor to your flash drive, and then activate the product anywhere.

The application opens with equal ease on both old Win98 and Win8 machines.

Paint.NET

The editor's workspace is quite archaic, which does not prevent it from being as informative as possible.

In addition to the classic panel, there are several floating windows that are configured in the menu and have informative and auxiliary functions.

In addition, they are translucent, which will not interfere with drawing or editing any object.

This editor, by the way, has good support for layers, as well as the ability to import external files.

At the same time, you can vary the transparency, data mixing, and also change the names of these layers. A useful feature, isn't it?

Work with hot keys is present. To view full list supported commands, just click on the “Window” menu.

In most cases, all functions are activated by pressing F1-F12, although alternatives are possible.

The main advantage of the editor lies in its accessibility and pleasant appearance. And “in the depths” lies some good functionality that will appeal to many.

ArtWeaver

Not a bad program, designed to compete with its famous competitor from Adobe. Of course, it cannot be called a full-fledged replacement for Photoshop, but the functionality here is no less interesting.

In addition, products are produced under an Open Source license, i.e. completely free (non-commercial version). It is somewhat reminiscent of Corel PhotoPaint in its capabilities.

If you look at the workspace interface, you will notice many similarities with the same competitor version 7 and below.

In this case, all the necessary windows required for raster editor, be it a toolkit, navigation, a list of layers, or a sequence of actions to be performed.

The main tool is, oddly enough, a brush. Firstly, this is the most popular tool, and secondly, the developers have endowed this function with an abundance of settings and customization.

Even the framing was given attention, providing it with horizontal and vertical proportions.

For a free program, working with layers is excellent.

You are free to group them, set transparency, blending types, and even fix scaling and movement. But what is really useful is duplicating a separate layer.

It even has its own format - awd. Layers can only be saved in it, but the list of supported ones includes jpg, png, psd, tiff and more. Full set.

A good choice for those who have just decided to get comfortable.

Livebrush

The program is easy to learn and free. Although this option is controversial, since only Livebrush Lite can be considered such.

The key feature of the application lies in the fact that you can only draw here with a brush.

On the one hand, this somewhat slows down the user and limits it, but on the other hand, this feature is implemented here so masterfully that it makes the product unique.

In order not to scare away potential users, let us clarify that a “brush” is not an abstract tool for drawing lines.

It can be very different from the usual human perception, appearing in the form of complex geometric elements, fractal graphics and even vines. It's all about the settings.

Whatever you dream up and create for yourself is what you will use.

In addition, on the official website, many people post their own “visions” of brushes, which you can easily download and install on your PC.

Computer drawing programs

Computer drawing program: 5 best programs

Read our material about updating the drawing program on Microsoft computer Paint.

We reviewed the most common applications that act as full-fledged complexes for drawing, as well as processing a variety of images.

What drawing program for graphics tablet Whether you choose an editor on a PC depends on your specific goals.

Corel Painter will be highly appreciated by specialists digital graphics. This the best choice, when you want to download a drawing program to your computer to work with your tablet. The famous developer offers a developed but rather complex product. To learn how to use all the benefits of the package, you will have to spend a lot of time. And if you also want to learn how to work in vector, you will have to switch to a more functional tool from the same developer - CorelDRAW.

Autodesk SketchBook Pro is a high-quality drawing creation program for all categories of users. Allows you to both process graphics and create cool art, comics, and sketches from scratch. An accessible interface in Russian will be a pleasant bonus, but in order to work with the utility at the highest level, it is advisable to think about purchasing a professional monitor with good color reproduction.

Krita is no less functional. Artists draw both posters and entire comics in it. The application is free and open source code and is suitable for all modern operating systems. However, it will be a little difficult for beginners to master it. If you are not afraid of difficulties and are willing to spend time, try it and you will get a truly functional tool.

Adobe Photoshop allows you to apply a wide range of different effects and filters. Creating images will seem very comfortable and quite simple. You will be able to enjoy the accessible Russian-language interface and big amount educational video lessons and materials on the Internet.

Working with Tux Paint is aimed at quality training inexperienced users. The utility's interface will be convenient for any user, and the presence of sound and animation effects will attract the attention of children's audiences whose parents want to teach their child the skill of drawing on a computer.

Paint.NET will bring a lot of positive impressions; the program engine is able to remember all user activity and return more than a dozen completed actions, excluding any errors made during the editing process and applying various effects. Using Paint, vector graphics can be edited effectively.

Pixbuilder Studio is distinguished by high performance indicators, the rest of the utilities from the above selection demonstrate more low speed launch and open images. The program contains rich professional-level functionality and is available for download absolutely free.

Fans of a variety of brushes will appreciate Artweaver program Free, which has a lot of useful filters and effects. It is worth noting that the application allows you to create custom brushes, which will become difficult for competitors.

Paint Tool SAI is a serious utility designed for professional artists and designers, allowing you to create stunning illustrations and digital paintings. The utility supports tablets, providing creative people with all the necessary resources for artistic activities. Moreover, some studios use SAI as a program for drawing cartoons. Its functions are really good.

Graffiti Studio is difficult to compare with full-fledged painters and even drawing games for children, since the purpose of this application is to entertain the user. You can fulfill your teenage dream and feel like a master of street graffiti. True, the range of tools is meager - only a marker and spray cans, but a huge selection of colors and shades, line thicknesses will be a significant plus.

Also not included in the review are the wonderful programs MyPaint, Medibang Paint, SmoothDraw, Affinity Designer, the graphics built into Windows paint editor and raster graphics editor Inkscape. Their detailed descriptions you can always find it on our website.

Do you want to paint beautiful pictures, but don’t want to spend money on materials? This is no longer a problem! Today, paints and canvases have been replaced by digital technologies, which have made painting an incredibly convenient and exciting activity.

Mouse or graphics tablet?

This choice depends on your drawing skills. If you studied at an art school or are simply confident in using a pencil and brush, then you will find it more convenient to work with a graphics tablet. If you don’t know how to draw yet, then you can easily start with a computer mouse.

As with any art form, drawing requires a certain skill. The more confident you are in using the tool, the more accurate the picture becomes. Someone creates second-rate drawings on a cool graphics tablet, while others create masterpieces using a regular computer mouse.

Choose a tool based on your capabilities and skills, and special programs will help you turn your ideas into reality.

What program to draw in?

Drawing is one of the oldest activities. People from different parts of the world were engaged in it even before history began to be recorded in written sources. A lot of time has passed since then. And now, instead of the walls of the cave, we have at our disposal modern smartphones, tablets and computers.

Adobe Illustrator Draw

Dotpict – it is intended exclusively for pixel graphics. The home screen is displayed as a grid, each square of which can be filled with a specific color. This way you can create small landscapes, images of people, animals, etc.

To draw small details, zoom in and then zoom out again to view the entire picture. The application has a function automatic saving work results. Dotpict – great app for fans of pixel art and those who want to create simple drawings without using complex tools.

MediBang Paint

MediBang Paint runs on Android, Mac OS X, Windows, iOS. It is possible to start and continue drawing anywhere on the different devices. The results of the work are saved in cloud service, they can be exchanged with other people.

There is also a decent number of brushes and other tools for drawing and creating comics. What’s even more surprising is that such a high-quality application can be obtained completely free of charge.

RoughAnimator

RoughAnimator allows you to first create drawings and then turn them into animations. In other programs, you first need to draw something, then import the image into another program, and then animate it there. RoughAnimator brings it all together.

Draw frame by frame, turning them into little cartoons. There is a function for adjusting the playback speed and a number of simple tools. Save your work as GIF animation, QuickTime video, or as a sequence of frames. The application costs 300 rubles.