Sep 16, 2021 The software listed above is some of the best free drawing programs one can download on their Mac systems. They tend to provide users with similar features which Adobe suite has to offer whereas in some cases free programs excel in the feature category as compared to the one present in Adobe suite. Having a good drawing app for Mac is priceless. Retina screens, accurate touchpads, and native support for a variety of inputs make sketching on Mac a pleasure. But with so many drawing programs to choose from, how do you pick the right one? Welcome to the no-sweat guide to the best free drawing software for Mac! The Best Free Drawing Software for the iPad Most of these are also available for Android users! Adobe Illustrator Draw: Almost like the Windows and Mac version of Adobe Illustrator, but you can draw anywhere! Krita is a professional FREE and open source painting program. It is made by artists that want to see affordable art tools for everyone. Krita is a professional FREE and open source painting program. It is made by artists that want to see affordable art tools for everyone.

by Kayla Morrison • 2020-10-28 17:49:45 • Proven solutions

We are living in an era where digital artists are highly appreciated. Luckily, there are so many free drawing software for Mac and Windows that can help turn you into an Oscar Award-winning digital artist. But finding the right tool from the myriad of options available can be a serious challenge. So, to cut your long chase short, here is a list of the 15 best free drawing software for Mac in 2020.

1. Krita

Krita is a free open source drawing program that offers all the necessary tools to make a smashing art. Despite being free, Krita is a darling to most professional designers looking to create unique illustrations, comics, arts, and more. It features a customizable UI with lots of fantastic features like pop-up pallets, brush stabilizers, dockers, color themes, etc. And without forgetting, you can make custom brushes and share them with Krita friends.

Pros:

Mar 06, 2020 An open-source app doesn’t get better than this. In fact, Inkscape is probably one of the best free drawing programs that can work as a kind of Illustrator alternative as well. Supported Platforms: PC/Mac. Clip Studio is one of the best drawing programs for artists and illustrators who primarily work on manga. From fine art to anime, watercolors to photo collage, logos to illustrations, Adobe painting and drawing software has your canvas covered. Start your free trial. Take your artistry everywhere. Fresco lets you paint and draw on iPad or iPhone, anywhere you feel inspired. Use it with Photoshop on the iPad to combine images, retouch artwork,.

• Open-source program.
• Customizable resource center.
• Constant updates.

Cons:

• Lacks documentation.
• Poor touch controls.

2. Autodesk Sketchbook

Autodesk Sketchbook is another popular drawing app among professional designers. Some of the features that place this app among the best are its simple UI and advanced sketching tools. Speaking of tools, there are more than 140 brushes, multiple layers, and various blending models. Additionally, the software supports predictive and perspective strokes and rulers.

Pros:

• Excellent brush collection.
• Professional tools.
• Simple to use.

Cons:

• Not for beginners.
• Slugging on older Mac versions.

3. MediBang Paint

MediBang Paint is undoubtedly one of the best free drawing software for Mac you can find currently. The key advantage here, apart from simplicity, is the compatibility with all desktop and mobile platforms. For example, you might begin drawing on your iPhone and then finish up on Mac, thanks to the free cloud storage. However, some specific tools that you’ll enjoy on the desktop version might not be present on your phone or tablet.

Pros:

• Cross-platform app.
• Fantastic brush presets.
• Free cloud storage.

Cons:

• Must create a MediBang account.
• Tutorials are mostly in the Japanese language.

4. Sip

Sip offers you a professional and straightforward way to collect, organize, and export your colorful arts. It boasts of universal shortcuts that allow users to manipulate colors effortlessly. Sip also enables you to choose the precise shade you need and organize them neatly to form palettes. Additionally, you can duplicate colors and even create snapshots for remembering colors when required. Plus, the app will detect and align color formats with whatever app you’re using.

Pros:

• Supports multiple color formats.
• Universal keyboard shortcuts.
• Simple to use.

Cons:

• Not entirely free.
• Lacks important features.

5. Inkscape

Are you still looking for a free drawing app for Mac with vectors? Try Inkscape! With this open-source drawing powerhouse, you’ll enjoy a simple design layout with multiple features to make professional vectors. It can design and manipulate notes, objects, and colors. You’ll also get multi-line text support, support for standard image file formats, and anti-aliased display. Overall, freebies can’t come any better!

Pros:

• Open-source app.
• Multiple drawing tools.
• Helpful online community.

Cons:

• Lags with large files.
• Cluttered UI.

6. GrafX2

Honestly, I can’t get any easier than GrafX2. It is a free and straightforward online tool for making unique pixel arts. This 256-color bitmap app allows you to draw up to 60 varying resolutions. Surprisingly, the last reboot was in 2007, but GrafX2 has still managed to offer advanced sketching tools for modern designers. You’ll get grid settings, shading tools, animation options, and shape tools.

Pros:

• Best for game developers.
• Simple to use.
• Free app.

Cons:

• Outdated UI.
• Lacks important tools.

7. Adobe Illustrator

Although overshadowed by its sibling, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator is still one of the complete apps for drawing vector designs. Here, designers and artists will create everything, ranging from billboards and product packaging to book illustrations and web icons. You’ll get all the essential tools to change simple shapes or colors into sophisticated logos, graphics, or icons. Also, you’ll get beautiful typography and drawing tools.

Pros:

• Smooth and fast operations.
• Multiple drawing tools.
• Supports PDF files.

Cons:

• Not for beginners.
• Free trial with the paid version.

8. Clip Studio

URL: https://www.clipstudio.net/en

If you primarily work on manga, Clip Studio should be your go-to option. Although you can use it to design standard animations and illustrations, Clip Studio excels in the manga space, just like Manga Studio. The app offers advanced features like pen-pressure detection to allow you easily create drawings of intricate areas, quick colorings, and so on.

Pros:

• Smooth and natural brushes.
• Excellent dark theme.
• Customizable interface.

Cons:

• Unintuitive key binding.
• Stifling price.

9. FireAlpaca

If you want a lightweight tool for your old computer, choose FireAlpaca. Please don’t dismiss this tool, however, because it comes with some pretty essential drawing tools. This free digital painting program is available in up to 10 different languages and runs smoothly on Mac and PCs. It comes with simple tools such as Pen, Pencil, and Watercolor to draw illustrations and arts professionally. And best of all, FireAlpaca is free forever!

Pros:

• A free, open-source app.
• Basic drawing tools.
• Multi-language platform.

Cons:

• Not for pros.

10. Adobe Photoshop

Closing our best ten is Adobe Photoshop, which is undoubtedly the most popular drawing tool of the lot. Here, you’ll get access to hundreds of brushes with smooth strokes. Unlike the perception out there, Adobe Photoshop is super-simple to use but might require some learning curve first. You can use it to make banners, websites, icons, logos, convert images, and so on. Moreover, you can upload local photos and start from scratch.

Pros:

• All-purpose software.
• Multiple design tools.
• Supports all image formats.

Cons:

• Resource hungry program.
• Not for beginners.

Vector Drawing Programs For Mac

11. BlackInk

If you’re still experimenting with your art but not afraid to take risks, here’s the perfect app for you. The app offers a straightforward controller system for making unique and custom brushes. You can also customize the default brushes and use them to paint images. Even better, you can share your custom brushes to the community. This way, you’ll never lack a paintbrush to work with.

Pros:

• Perfect for beginners.
• Create custom brushes.
• Share brushes to the community.

Cons:

• Steep price.
• Not for advanced users.

12. ArtRage

ArtRage is an intuitive and uniquely realistic app for real artists. Although it’s designed with simplicity and fun in mind, this app offers powerful tools to match. On the multi-lingual platform, you’ll get painting tools such as watercolor, oil brush, paint roller, airbrush, palette knife, and so much more. You’ll also get an eraser, pen, ink pen, marker pen, and any other drawing tool you can imagine.

Pros:

• Create custom brush tools.
• Offers special effect tools.
• Zoom and rotate canvas freely.

Cons:

• Not for beginners.
• Awkward when adjusting brush size.

13. EazyDraw for Mac

This is a vector-based drawing app tailor-made for technical illustrations, drawings, and desktop publishing on Mac OS X computers. With EazyDraw for Mac, users will enjoy a full set of tools to design, logos, titles, illustrations, etc. And if you’re a beginner, you’ll get simple to understand manuals and tutorials to help you get started quickly.

Pros:

• Multiple drawing tools.
• Comes with easy tutorials and manuals.
• Simple layer controls.

Cons:

• Awkward interface.
• Steep price.

14. Gravit Designer

Gravit Designer is a simple cross-platform app that’s free to download and use on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS. With it, you’ll design beautiful mockups, interfaces, and scalable vector graphics. Unlike other high-end options like Photoshop and Sketch, Gravit Designer allows you to create social media posts without breaking the bank. Another thing, it supports multiple import and export file formats.

Pros:

• Software is bug-free.
• Supports multiple image file formats.
• Available in both online and desktop versions.

Cons:

• Scrolling the canvas can be annoying.
• Crashes with big files.

15. Vectr

Lastly, you can use Vectr to make some eye-catching designs and arts on Mac. It’s a beautiful free tool that’s fun to use and simple to learn. With Vectr, you’ll make smooth and professional designs for any business. You’ll also get a straightforward tutorial to help you get started quickly. You can work with texts, shapes, and multiple layers. However, Vectr is not as sophisticated as other advanced options like Canva.

Pros:

• Free to use.
• Simple to understand.
• Offers straightforward tutorials.

Cons:

• Not for pro designers.
• You need to create an account first to save files.

Conclusion

These are the best free drawing software for Mac you can get currently. If you’re on a limited budget, you can opt for free, open-source options like Vectr and Fire Alpaca. But if you want to enjoy extended features, choose advanced tools like Photoshop and Canva. What’s better, all of these programs offer free trials, so there’s no harm in trying.

Getting your art out there has never been easier than it is today. Just a few decades ago, people needed sophisticated tools and other expensive methods to show others their creative talent. Digital platforms have revolutionized this landscape and a lot of artists are getting recognized every day. However, if you’re looking for drawing apps for Mac, you can find a ton of options and it can be a little overwhelming.

In this article, we are going to streamline that list so that you can choose the best drawing app for you. Let’s jump into it.

Contents

• 1 Top 10 Best Drawing Apps for Mac:

Top 10 Best Drawing Apps for Mac:

We have compiled a list of 8 best drawing apps for Mac that you can get today. The list is ranked based on which app we think is the best, but you can choose whichever app suits your art style.

1. Adobe Photoshop

What can I say about Adobe Photoshop that hasn’t been said already? Photoshop has been around for a long time and it gets new updates every year. It’s one of the most sophisticated drawing apps for Mac and will be a lot of help for a creator. You can create your own image and also edit other images to your liking. This software has a lot of love and support all over the world and it’s easy to understand why. There are a lot of videos online that’s going to help you learn Photoshop and there’s a large online community who’d be happy to help you. The newest version, Photoshop 2020, has an AI called Adobe Sensei that will help you get better selections.

Photoshop is great, but it is expensive. You will have to pay a subscription fee of $20.99/month if billed annually and you can do so here. So if you’re new to the creator scene, then I’d recommend checking out other entries.

Free Cad Software For Mac

2. Autodesk Sketchbook

If you want a professional drawing app with a lot of bells and whistles and if you want it for free, then Autodesk Sketchbook is for you. This app is so versatile and feature-rich that it will appeal to a lot of people. It has a minimalistic design and is preferred by a lot of content creators. There are over 140 brushes and you can even import brushes created by other artists. You can also get custom perspective guides among other things.

You can check out more features and download the app by clicking on this link.

3. Corel Painter

Corel Painter is an app that’s designed by creators for creators. It has a wide variety of tools you can use to propel your art to the next level. With over 900 brushes, this app is loved by many artists. Corel Painter also supports GPU acceleration so that you can get your work done much faster. Their website has hundreds of videos that will help you perform better.

Corel Painter costs $339.99 and there’s no subscription. You can download the app here.

4. Rebelle 3

If you are into realistic painting, then you will find Rebelle 3 appealing. It’s a unique app that uses realistic watercolor, acrylic paint simulations. The resulting image will look like it was made on paper with real colors and if this suits your art style, then you should definitely go for it. It makes the colors seem extremely realistic and you can even get simulated watercolor drops. This app was supposed to be an experimental software designed by Peter Blaškovič and it is popular among watercolor painters and CG artists.

You can check out Rebelle 3 and its features on its website. You can get Rebelle 3 for $89.99.

5. FireAlpaca

If you are new to digital drawing or if you have older Macs, then FireAlpaca should be a nice fit for you. It doesn’t have as many features as the earlier entries on the list, but that’s why it’s recommended to beginners. You won’t find the options overwhelming and you can worry about getting a more powerful Mac later on. It’s a small app that’s simple, easy and free to use.

You can check out the feature list of FireAlpaca on their website.

6. Preview

Preview comes pre-installed on a Mac and it can do much more than sign PDFs. If you want a simple drawing app for random doodles, the Preview should be good enough. You can open up any image on Preview and click on the Markup icon (pictured above) to access a lot more menus. It can help you doodle, make notes and even select shapes with the lasso tool. Since this is an in-built app, you don’t have to download anything.

7. Clip Studio Paint

If your dream is to become the best mangaka on Za Warudo!(means “the world” for all of my readers who are not JoJo fans), then you deserve a great manga illustrator. Clip Studio Paint is highly recommended if you draw a lot of manga panels. You can decide panel layouts and customize the tools for your art style pretty quickly. This drawing app for Mac also works great if you want to draw comics.

Clip Studio Paint is available for the free trial and you can get the standard version for $49.99. You can get the full-featured version for $219.99.

8. MediBang Paint

MediBang Paint, just like Clip Studio Paint is aimed at anime and comic-book artists. It has over 50 brushes and a large number of backgrounds that you can choose from. They have tons of tutorials for you on their website and you can snap grids and arrange the panels easily. This app is also available on iPhones and iPads. Medibang Paint is available for free and you can download it here.

9. Inkscape

Inkscape is an app that will appeal to a wide variety of creative people. It can help you create anything from sketches to website designs. It’s a versatile app that’s open-source and free to use. Inkscape also has a very helpful community that will help you use the app.

You can download Inkscape for free by clicking on this link.

10. Patina

Patina is another simple app that lets you create sketches to your heart’s content and simply moves everything else out of the way. It has a simple layout and it’s extremely simple to use. you can use it to make a lot of sketches and doodles on other images too. Patina has a lot of essential features but misses out on stuff like multiple layers. This app is, however, perfect for beginner artists.

Patina is a free app available on the App Store and you can download here.

List of 19 Drawing Software For Macbook

Here is the total list of top Drawing tools and Apps for your Macbook.

Drawing Tool For Mac

1. Adobe Photoshop
2. Autodesk Sketchbook
3. Corel Painter
4. Rebelle 3
5. FireAlpaca
6. Preview
7. Clip Studio Paint
8. MediBang Paint
9. Inkscape
10. Patina
11. Adobe Illustrator
12. Leonardo
13. Affinity Designer
14. Krita
15. Tayasui Sketches
16. Paintbrush
17. Tayasui Sketches
18. Sketch
19. Sip

Final Take

Drawing Software For Mac

These are some of the best drawing apps for Mac. I hope that this article was helpful to you. If you have any doubts or if we missed your favorite app, then please let us know in the comments section down below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Any software that allows you to make animations on Mac? The list of 2021 best animation apps can help you make 2D and 3D animations, gif pictures, short cartoons, and more easily on Mac.

I need to make a short animation, my goal is simple as follows. I need something simple but yet looks pretty decent. What is the best animation software for Mac, 2D or 3D is both OK:
1) making humans is easy, they don't have to look too real, just cartoony is fine
2) human dialogues, speaking gestures are important
3) being able to adjust the setting is important, create different settings
4) human movement does not need to be too complex, but basic things like walking ---- Online forum

Nowadays we see more and more people creating animated videos on social media. Short animated videos and gif pictures are funny and engaging, with information easily transmitted to viewers and catch the their attention. It is indicated that 65% of people are visual learners. Today's topic centers on the best animation programs for Mac users to make 2D or 3D animation. You can make short animated videos, gif pictures, funny cartoons and further get the avi, flv, quicktime animations upload to YouTube, FaceBook or other social sites, no matter you're a beginner or an advanced user.

Need animated video footage for your animation?
Free download animations from 1000+ sites with the free anime downloader >>

Top Best Animation Programs for Mac (2D & 3D)

Digicel Flipbook

For beginners starting with 2D animations, Flipbook is the very first 2D animation program to free download on macOS from 10.7 or later. This animation maker software for Mac makes it extremely easy to make great 2D animated movies, while being extremely easy. You can draw into FlipBook, shoot rough drawings, scan, add soundtracks, pan, zoom, rotate, import backgrounds, export movies (QuickTime, AVI) and do more.

Flipbook is available for free trial and the limited version is priced at $19.99. Note that this 2D animation software for macOS generates still image only, and won't support GIF pictures.

Anime Studio

Anime Studio has almost everything you need for creating amazing 2D animated videos. The software has both beginner and professional versions, with a massive mix of powerful 2D rigging system and useful animation tools. The animation movies created with this Mac animation maker software will be available in QuickTime, AVI or SWF.

The Anime Studio Debut, which is available for $69.99, has limits like a maximum size of 768 pixels x 768 pixels and 3000 frames, no support for image output etc. You can get the best animation app for Mac free download and trial for 30 days.

Pencil2D

Pencil2D is an open-source and free animation/drawing software for macOS which is by far the most comprehensive animation tool given that it's totally free. The Mac animation programs supports two types of layers, namely anime songs and sound, bitmap images, camera and vector images, which makes it easy to adjust frame timing. A big bonus feature of the free 2D animation software for Mac is that it can export animated files in FLV and GIF format.

Overall, Pencil2D is a good choice for beginners to start with free drawing programs, but it may not be suitable for professional projects.

Blender

Blender is an open source, free 3D animation programs for macOS to model, animate, render and edit computer-generated graphics and video. Given it's 3D animation freeware for Mac, it may not match with paid programs like Maya and Lightwave in certain aspects, but it has plenty of decent options for making professional 3D animation videos/3D movies (e.g. VR rendering, Modeling, Sculpt, UV etc). You can not only create 3D animations, but even develop video games, e.g., it can be used as a minecraft animation maker software for Mac.

Though this free animation software for Mac is quite popular among users, it's in fact complicated to use. Even advanced users can't get started with it immediately.

Maya

Maya is currently the king among high-end 3D animations software for Mac and Windows. Priced at $1,470.00/year, it has everything you need to create 3D animated movies, games, TVs or short videos. Maya is extremely powerful 3D software and is considered an industry standard in the film and video game industries. The program offers free 30-day trail, so you can free download it to Mac and try it out.

Considering the expensive price and complicated operation, Maya is not suitable for those who are beginners and may not use all its features. Maya is always up to date, so you need to keep learning and be patient if you decide to start with it.

You may need: top anime sites, free anime streaming websites

More Options of Animation Programs for Mac

Synfig Studios - Free. Open-source and free 2D animation maker software for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Easy to use.
Tupi - Free. User-friendly 2D animation software for Mac, Windows and Linux. Suitable for beginners.
Toon Boom - Paid (starting from USD $23 monthly) but offers free trial. A powerful 2D animation video software for macOS. Suitable for professional entry.
Cinema 4D - $190 for a month license. A piece of professional 3D anime studio for macOS and Windows. It has been widely used to make high budget box officehits. Free trial provided.
Lightwave - $695.00. One of the best 3D animation programs for macOS that will well fit high-end animators and movie makers. It offers a 30 day free trial.
K-3D - Another free anime software for Mac, Windows, Linux to make 3D animated movies/videos. It features full set of basic tools for general requirements.

Upload Animated Videos/Movies to YouTube, FaceBook

After you create your own 2D/3D animations, you may want to play on other device or upload to YouTube, FaceBook, or other social sites to share with others. As those animation maker software for Mac is very limited on the output formats (e.g., Flipbook supports QT and AVI, Anime Studio generates qt, avi or swf), you may need a third-party helper to convert it.

Drawing Software For Mac

MacX Video Converter Pro will convert among any video formats for you. You can easily put your animated videos for YouTube, Instagram, FaceBook or iPhone, iPad, Samsung etc. The speed is quite fast and no quality loss is observed. Plus, it also help free download anime series, movies, videos or soundtracks from online sites (1000+ supported) to give you more choices on animation resources.

Free Drawing Software For Mac

MacX Video Converter Pro - Convert/Download Animated Movies

What Is The Best Drawing Program For Mac

MacX Video Converter Pro can easily convert animated videos created by any macOS animation software from AVI, QuickTime MOV, FLV to MP4, H264, 3GP, YouTube, FaceBook, iPhone, iPad, Android etc, and also free download animations from 1000 more video sites with high quality.