Top 7 drawing apps for Chromebooks

Digital art is on a rise in this age; people are busy creating stunning artwork, be it by sketching, water or oil paintings, 3D or other forms of art. Multiple online apps, available for free or on subscription, simulate these various formats. When drawing on a touchscreen, iPad users can use Procreate to draw and paint, whereas not many people are aware of the drawing apps you can use on Chromebook.

This article will cover the top seven drawing apps you can consider using on your Chromebook. Since Chromebook does not boast much storage space, most of the apps we have mentioned are web-based.

If you are looking to experiment with digital art on your Chromebook, then here are seven recommendations that you can experiment with:

Sumopaint X

Sumopaint is a free digital painting and image editor application available on the web. It has over 300 brushes and 20 drawing tools. They also offer effects and layers on their Pro version. Sumopaint is a suitable drawing tool for Chromebook as it occupies barely any space, being online, and can also be used offline with their progressive web app. You can customise and create your own brushes and create three-dimensional work, posters, and logos. Most importantly, you can start creating without logging in or signing up. You might need to sign up or log in when you are saving your work.

Sumopaint’s main features include:

300 brushes
Line, blur, and other tools
Artificial Intelligence Panel to help you create images from text prompts.
Layers Panel to manage and apply layers, lenses, and adjustments.
Info Panel to find more information on image size and tools.
Customizable shortcut buttons for quick access to frequently used tools.
Drawing assists like symmetry, gravity, perspective, spinner, and live stroke to help you cover a wider area and make unique prints.
Not available on Play Store which may not work on a Chromebook.

Visit Sumopaint

Also read: One by Wacom review: Good creative pen tablet for beginners?

Aggie.io

Aggie.io is also perfect for Chromebook and if you have any friends interested in drawing, as this is a collaborative web-based painting application. You can create a new canvas for free and share this link with anyone to collaborate with. Aggio.io provides various options like landscape and portrait modes to initially begin. They offer Artdesk, your own personal dashboard to import and manage artworks as well as collaborations.

Aggio.io’s main features include:

The parent company, Magma has launched Artspaces to help artists discover each other and work together on various projects
They have their own Discord channel where you can connect with hundreds of artists and paste your new canvas link to collaborate with anyone around the world
Voice and chat features
It is a simple and effortless online drawing application for beginners and pros alike
You can completely rotate your drawing page clockwise and anti-clockwise
Begin anywhere and download your projects
You can import a GIF to create an animation
The website does not crash or hang and functions smoothly

Visit Aggie.io

Autodesk’s Sketchbook

Sketchbook by Autodesk is a popular app compatible with all devices and available on platforms like Mac App Store, Microsoft Store, Google Play, and App Store. Sketchbook allows you to create, sketch, and doodle with minimum latency and hardly any software issues. You can get the Pro version for your desktop, and the app version on your phone. High compatibility with any stylus allows you to create and bring your ideas forth anywhere on any device. The app scans your drawings to digitalise them, after which you can continue editing and working on them on Sketchbook. This digital drawing platform has been known to give the closest and most natural representation of drawing on paper.

Sketchbook’s main features include:

Predictive Stroke technology to correct freehand drawn lines or shapes.
Hundreds of customisable brushes, pencils, and tools
Symmetry tools like vertical, horizontal, and radial tools create sophisticated patterns
Available offline
Layers with blend modes and background removal
Used by professionals and is beginner-friendly
Colour and layer management
A premium bundle on iOS

Visit Sketchbook

Also read: How to change the language on Chromebook?

ibis Paint X

If your Chromebook has an ARM processor and cooling fans, then ibis Paint will be the right choice for you. Ibis Paint X has zero latency, making it highly stable and the app also balances your digital pen strokes. You can see popular artwork and artists created by users around the world. It offers a comfortable and fast drawing speed of 60 fps. Ibis Paint X also offers tutorials and FAQs for beginners in addition to providing a detailed list of the pressure-sensitive styluses that are compatible with the app. They have a diverse collection of brush parameters and angles as well as quick sliders to adjust brush thickness and opacity.

Ibis Paint X’s main features include:

15000 brushes
5900 materials
1000 fonts
80 filters
46 screen tones and 27 blending modes
SNS feature that helps users learn drawing techniques from other users’ drawing videos.
Ruler features like radial lines and symmetry
Clipping mask features

Visit ibis Paint

Krita

If you have Linux on your Chromebook then Krita is the best open-source painting app to create artwork. Krita, Swedish for crayon, is completely free and it offers free education as well as resources like brush packs and python plugins. You can illustrate and create comics, animations, vector art, matte, and texture paintings. Krita has a highly intuitive user interface and a head-up display consisting of frequently used icons within your grasp. They also provide a wrap-around mode for seamless textures and patterns. You can also import from, create and share your own brush bundles with other artists.

Krita’s main features include:

Vastly adjustable 9 different brush engines
Drawing assistants like splines, vanishing point, and fish-eye point among others
Selection tools
Transformation tools
Animation tools for raster animation
Layer and mask management
Built-in vector tools for comic panels
Customisable tool panel called Dockers

Visit Krita

Also read: Is VPNlike safe? Top 3 alternatives

Concepts App

The concepts app is known to be an infinite thinking space that allows you to sketch, draw, and edit your ideas. They claim themselves to be a more advanced version of paper where your ideas can meet vector manipulation and grow. Concepts uses a hybrid vector-raster fluid engine with 64-bit precision and multi-thread rendering. It displays an optimal performance of 120Hz displays and low latency. Concepts is available for free and you can download the app anywhere on any device without creating an account.

You can tap and hold anything that you have drawn and then you can copy, measure, and change tools or colours.
Wide portfolio of custom brushes, vector erasers, pens, pencils, hard and soft masks
Manipulate any shape with advanced transforms
Use precision tools
Infinite layers
Export to both vector and high-resolution formats like SVG, DXF, or PSD
Both stylus and finger drawing are supported.
Multiple tilts and pressure modes for precision

Visit Concepts

Chrome Canvas

Chrome Canvas is a basic child-friendly sketching app with low latency usable on Chromebases, Chromeboxes, and Chromebooks. It has basic drawing tools that are sufficient for a quick sketch, teaching, or jotting down ideas. It is the perfect app for children being uncomplicated and self-explanatory. Chrome Canvas can be accessed effortlessly, all you need is a Gmail account.