TOP PICKS | 13 TOOLS

Painting and Drawing Apps for Students

Artists, from amateurs to pros, are starting to see the value in using tablets and phones to sketch, draw, and paint. What mobile devices sacrifice in tactility they make up for in flexibility: zoom for nailing fine details, huge color palettes, and tons of different options for pens and brushes. And of course, students can stuff them in their backpack just like a sketchpad. These awesome painting and drawing apps -- our current favorites -- are curated for both younger and older students. For young students, there are more stripped-down but highly engaging options that make art accessible via the freedom of gesture and touch-based interaction. For older students, there are pro-grade apps with deep customizability and functionality that will let them produce artwork perfect for their portfolio.

Top Picks

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Draw and Tell HD - by Duck Duck Moose

Kids' drawings come alive with stickers, color, and voice recordings

Bottom line: Lots of art tools and voice recording help kids unleash their visual and verbal storytelling.

Grades: Pre-K–1 Price: Free

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Musical Paint for Kids

Create digital drawings, explore musical tones

Bottom line: With appropriate teacher guidance, this can be an engaging if limited creative experience for pre-K-grade 2 students that cleverly mixes drawing and music creation.

Grades: Pre-K–2 Price: $3.99

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Zen Studio Meditation for Kids

Musically accompanied drawing is zen, but grid can limit freedom

Bottom line: The music is a nice touch, even though the drawing tool isn't particularly sophisticated; however, the free content makes it worth a look.

Grades: Pre-K–4 Price: Free, Paid Limited content available for free; unlock all content through $2.99 in-app purchase.

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Night Zookeeper Drawing Torch

Charming digital creation tool with fun prompts and a bit of magic

Bottom line: Guided creative expression can prompt and inspire kids to think and explore in new and unique ways.

Grades: K–5 Price: Free

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Paper by WeTransfer

Beautifully designed digital sketchbook for any age

Bottom line: The simplicity and effectiveness of the app make this a powerful sketch and note-taking tool for the iPad.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free

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Sketch Guru - Handy Sketch Pad

Ignore the ads to easily create and share sketches

Bottom line: Easy tools and technology make a good artistic learning tool, despite the ads.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free

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Tayasui Sketches

Slick and satisfying illustration app on par with the competition

Bottom line: This tool, while a bit of an adjustment from pen and paper, gives students ample room to grow creatively.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free, Paid The $5.99 Pro version adds new brushes and tools like cut and paste, smudge, wet watercolor, fill, and color mixing.

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Brushes Redux

Versatile, simple art app for many skill levels

Bottom line: Brushes Redux looks deceptively simple, but it's actually a sophisticated tool that can help students express their creativity.

Grades: 5–12 Price: Free

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Sumopaint

Impressive, easy-to-use tool for creating and editing images

Bottom line: Sumopaint can spark students’ creativity, encourage them to be artistic, and provide them with new, image-related tech skills.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free, Paid The basic online image editor is available for free. A Pro account removes ads and includes over 35 pro filters and tools for a lifetime fee of $9. A Pro Plus license for $19 includes the desktop app for offline use.

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Procreate

Outstanding art tool supports the workflow of seasoned digital painters

Bottom line: For iPads, this is a best-in-class tool with enough pro-level features and technology, and some nice support resources.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Paid $9.99; additional tools can be purchased in-app.

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Autodesk Sketchbook

Impressive creation tool for teens serious about art

Bottom line: Gives students easy access to professional tools for creating digital art.

Grades: 7–12 Price: Free to try While the app is free to try, the full Pro version is $4.99. This version adds a host of creative options from brush types to colors to more layers. There's also a $29.99 per year Sketchbook subscription that unlocks the Pro version across all platforms.

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