5 best free programs for drawing on a computer 
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With the advent of graphics tablets of different price categories, professional and novice artists have significantly increased their interest in digital painting. But after the purchase, many of them had a question: in which program is it best to draw on a computer? You will find the answer to it in this article. In it, we will look at 5 good graphic editors. And if you need more options - read the full review of the 10 best free drawing programs
Krita
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Krita is a professional art creation software that is completely free to use. The program has more than 100 brushes that imitate natural art materials: pastel, charcoal, oil, watercolor, chalk, pencil, ink. There is a brush shake stabilization feature that will smooth out strokes made with an unsteady hand. You’ll be able to import brush and texture packs from other artists to expand your toolbox as well as create custom ones.
Support for layers and masks has been implemented, it is possible to record processing scenarios and set up frame-by-frame animation. Works with all popular graphic formats, including "native" extensions of other programs: Photoshop, Corel Draw, GIMP, etc. In the process, the user can display frequently used options and customize the interface for himself.
Pros:
- Russian language support;
- emulation of an infinite canvas;
- creation of animated projects;
- support for various color models (RGB, CMYK, Lab).
Minuses:
- there are no image retouching tools.
GIMP
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
GIMP is quite a powerful program for drawing on a computer. It has everything you need to create illustrations and edit images. The user will have flexibly customizable brushes, professional color correction tools, retouching, smart selection, various filters, and a set of geometric shapes.
The program can work with layers, alpha channels, supports plug-ins and graphics tablets. Among the advantages of the editor, it is worth mentioning the preservation of the history of actions with step-by-step undo, the creation of animation, the recording of scripts for automating image processing, and support for Photoshop brushes.
In the editor, you can create a picture from scratch or trace by outlining the uploaded photo. All major formats are supported.
Pros:
- open source;
- cross-platform;
- batch processing function;
- does not load the PC.
Minuses:
- Not all color models are supported;
- incorrect reading of PSD format (sometimes);
- complex interface.
inkscape
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
A program ideal for drawing both artistic and technical illustrations on a graphics tablet. Sharpened for working with vector graphics. The editor’s arsenal includes lines, shapes, curves, path markers, dashed strokes, pattern fills, a color selector, a gradient editor, and other vector graphics tools. Here you can work with layers, group objects, create three-dimensional inscriptions, turn on animation.
Pros:
- converting raster images into vector ones;
- installing extensions;
- There are a lot of tutorials on the net about how to use the program.
Minuses:
- high consumption of system resources.
MyPaint
Platforms: Windows, macOS
The program has a minimalistic interface and is focused solely on creating art. It lacks tools typical for graphic processing: color correction, selection, rotation, filters.
The drawing application on PC has a large number of art supplies. These are all kinds of brushes, markers, pencils, liners, etc., that can reproduce a realistic texture. And their combination allows you to achieve impressive results on a virtual canvas. Brushes have flexible settings: you can choose their shape, texture and interaction with surrounding materials.
There is initial support for layers, changing transparency, the ability to duplicate and copy an image from one layer to another. Similar to Krita, MyPaint has an infinite canvas feature with autosave of the used part. The program can be used to create sketches, comics, anime and watercolor sketches.
Pros:
- support for the OpenRaster format;
- "hot keys" function;
- regular updates;
- the presence of a Russifier.
Minuses:
- there are no tools for selecting a section of a photo;
- no vector graphics feature.
MediBang Paint Pro
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
The application will appeal to fans of Japanese comics, because the software library has more than 800 pre-installed backgrounds and anime-themed templates. The working canvas can be divided into several parts, thanks to an option called the "comic panel". There is a wide variety of text styles and different types of brushes. There are gradients and several fill tools. As for the color palette, you can create blanks or mark colors that will be used constantly in your work.
MediBang Paint Pro is integrated into the cloud, which allows you to share data and work on the same project together. In addition, there are mobile versions designed for smartphones running Android and iOS.
Pros:
- distributed free of charge;
- storage of files in the cloud;
- creative community for the exchange of experience.
Minuses:
- some functions are activated only after connecting to the network;
- no ruler for drawing perspective;
- there is no possibility to change the size of the finished project.
Conclusion
Among the programs reviewed, there are solutions aimed at both professionals and amateur artists. You can test all the software yourself, since the programs are distributed free of charge.