Top free & paid drawing apps for Mac

Want to get your art out there? Today, it is easier than ever before to show your creative talent to others, and you don’t need the help of sophisticated, expensive tools and methods. Thanks to digital platforms, more and more artists are getting recognized, and if you have a Mac, the tons of options available for drawing apps are overwhelming. 

If you’re wondering how to make art on MacBook, one of the best apps to check out is Tayasui Sketches. The application packs a wide range of functionality while showcasing a minimal interface. It lets users focus on their creativity and not on the buttons. Moreover, the brushes and background give users a sense of drawing on real paper and not a digital canvas. Start drawing by using your mouse, or you can attach a tablet for flexibility that an Apple Pencil or stylus provides. 

However, Tayasui Sketches is not the only drawing app for Mac and here’s a list of all the free and paid drawing apps you can choose to ignite your creativity. 

1. Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is a well-known app, and you must have already heard everything that this app can do. It has been around a long time and is updated every year. 

Photoshop is one of the most sophisticated drawing applications for Mac. From creating your own image to editing other images, there’s nothing this software isn’t capable of doing. Thanks to a lot of support and love across the globe, the app is easy to understand, and there are tons of videos online to help you learn how to use Photoshop. There’s also an online community that will happily answer your questions. The newest version of Photoshop has an AI called Adobe Sensei, and it helps creators get better selections. 

While Photoshop is one of the greatest drawing apps, it is expensive. Creators have to pay a monthly subscription of $20.99 if billed annually. 

2. Corel Painter

Corel Painter is another topmost drawing app for Mac that creators have specifically designed for creators. It offers a variety of tools that you can use to take your art to the next level. The app offers over 900 brushes and is hugely loved by artists. 

Furthermore, the app supported GPU acceleration to get their work done at a lightning-fast speed. You can go through hundreds of videos on their website that will help you quickly learn the nuances of using the app. 

While there’s no subscription, Corel Painter costs $339.99. 

3. Preview’s Markup

Photoshop and Corel Painter are great drawing apps, but if you are starting and don’t want to spend money right away, you can look at the simplest drawing app that is in-built to macOS. Yes, it’s none other than Preview: Markup. Preview is available across all Apple devices. It is an annotation tool, but you can draw with it. The app might be perfect if you have recently realized your knack for drawing. 

When you open any picture in Preview, you will find the Preview toolbar icon. Click on the icon and open the Markup toolbar, which covers myriad ways of annotating your image. 

You’ll get two modes in Draw and Sketch with other tools. You will also get the option to use open Markup in the right-click context menu. 

If you’re a beginner and finding your footing, you’ll find that the free Preview Markup app is enough for you. However, if you’re more advanced, there are other tools you can consider. 

4. Clip Studio Paint

Do you aspire to become the best mangaka? If so, you need a great manga illustrator, and Clip Studio Paint is highly recommended for artists who draw a lot of manga panels. The app lets you decide the panel layouts and quickly personalize the tools for your art style. 

Clip Studio Paint is a drawing app for Mac that works wonderfully if you wish to draw comics. The app is available for a free trial, but after the trial period is over, you have to pay $49.99 to use the standard version. You can also get the full-featured version for a price of $219.99. 

5. Inkscape

Inkscape is an application that appeals to various artists and creative people. It is used to create sketches, website designs and more. It is an open-source app, which is versatile and free to use. There’s a very helpful community that is always ready to assist you. 

So, these are a few of the top paid and free drawing apps for Mac that you can start using to propel the artist in you. Happy drawing!