Get Started on Creativity: Top 10 Apps for Digital Pencils on Chrome OS

FREE Best Drawing Apps for Chromebook

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Expressing your creativity in the digital medium has never been easier since there are so many apps that enable us to edit photos, create videos, or make beautiful digital paintings. Even though a Chromebook may not seem like an obvious choice when it comes to digital drawing, there are so many different apps that are compatible with Chromebooks that grant you access to the tools you need to make a quick sketch or create a stunningly detailed drawing.

We selected some of the best drawing apps for Chromebook with the aim to help you narrow down your choices and find an app that allows you to unleash the full potential of your creativity.

10 Best Drawing Apps for Chromebook

Chromebooks support a broad range of drawing apps that are designed for seasoned professionals or just ordinary people who like to pass their time drawing. Each of the apps we featured in this article can be used to create sketches, drawings, or digital paintings, although the scope of their tools varies. Let’s take a look at what the ten best drawing apps for Chromebook have to offer.

1. Limnu

Price: Free trial, pricing options start at $5.00 per month

Compatibility: web-based

All you need is an Internet connection to start creating a new sketch with this web-based collaborative tool. Limnu doesn’t limit the number of whiteboards you can use on a daily or monthly level, while each whiteboard is infinite which ensures that you have enough space for even the most demanding ideas.

The impressive collection of pens and brushes enables you to draw without any restrictions, and all of your creations can be easily shared with members of your Slack team or anyone else. In addition, Limnu is a powerful collaboration tool that allows several people to work on the same whiteboard simultaneously. However, the number of available features depends on the subscription plan you have, since the free version of this online drawing app is only available for a limited time.

2. Sumo Paint

Price: Free

Compatibility: web-based

With the selection of 300 brushes, a rich selection of layer effects and a powerful text editor Sumo Paint is easily one of the best drawing apps for Chromebooks you can find online. You must make an account before you can start creating digital paintings or drawings with this platform. What’s more Sumo Paint is also equipped with animated and 3D brushes that extend the scope of your drawing and painting options.

Each brush can be easily customized in accordance with the needs of your project, as you can pick the brush style, adjust the rotation and spacing values, or change the gravity level. The Gradient Fill and Color Picker tools speed up the painting process and make it easier to switch between different colors. All images you create with Sumo Paint can either be saved on the cloud on your computer, although you can only choose between three different file formats.

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3. Sketch.io

Price: Free

Compatibility: web-based

Sketch.io is a fun app that grants you access to a wide range of drawing tools directly from your Chromebook. You can use 18 different brushes, while the line and path tools enable you to trace your pictures and create perfectly realistic drawings.

The platform also has a clipart collection that contains more than 5000 vector images you can use in your projects for free. There are more than 800 fonts to choose from, and you just need to create a textbox and type in the text you want to include the picture you’re creating. Afterward, you can pick the Blend Mode, choose the alignment or set new Letter and Word Spacing values. When done, you can save your images to your Chromebook or print them directly from the app.

4. Infinite Painter

Price: Free, offers in-app purchases

Compatibility: Android 4.2 and up

As the app’s name suggests, the possibilities Infinite Painter offers are indeed infinite. Besides gaining access to brush collection that contains over 160 presets, installing this app on your Chromebook will enable you to create brushes on your own. Moreover, you can adjust the settings for each brush so that it fits into your artistic vision perfectly.

The app lets you add as many layers as you want to your creations, and it lets you choose from four different symmetry types. The Line, Ellipse, Pen, Lazy and Protractor line guides ensure that each line you draw is perfect. In addition, Infinite Painter is equipped with five perspective guides that are perfectly suited for 3D painting. What’s more the app’s Clone tool enables you to turn any photo into a painting with ease. However, you will have to make in-app purchases if you want to use all of the app’s features.

5. ArtFlow: Paint Draw Sketchbook

Price: Free, offers in-app purchases

Compatibility: Android 4.4 and up

You can create digital paintings from photos or scratch with the ArtFlow app effortlessly since it provides you with all the tools you’ll need during this process. You can choose from more than a hundred brushes and use the Smudge Tool or Gradient Fill to create your images. Furthermore, the maximum size of the canvas is 6144x6144, which means that each drawing or painting you make can be saved in high resolution.

The maximum number of layers you can add to the canvas is limited to 50, but you should keep in mind that the canvas size can impact the number of layers you can create. The images you produce with ArtFlow can be exported as JPEG, PNG, or PSD files. Purchasing the Pro version of the app is mandatory if you want to gain access to all of its features.

6. Gravit Designer

Price: Free, $49.00 per year

Compatibility: web-based, ChromeOS

Professional designers in need of an app that allows them to create vector drawings from a Chromebook will love using the Gravit Designer app. You can use anchor points to create shapes, insert images into an existing design, or apply a broad spectrum of effects to the pictures you make with this app.

Gravit Designer works both online and offline which enables you to work on new projects regardless of where you currently are. However, you will need at least a basic set of designing skills to start working with this app, since the tools it offers are not aimed at the newcomers to the design world. Moreover, the free version of Gravit Design offers only a limited set of options and you must upgrade to the Pro version of the app if you want to use it regularly.

7. Chrome Canvas

Price: Free

Compatibility: Web-based

If you are looking for a drawing app you can use from the Chrome browser to create quick sketches, Chrome Canvas may be the right choice for you. The app is equipped with just the basic drawing tools as you can only choose between Pencil, Pen, Marker, Chalk, and Eraser options.

You can select the colors from the palette or use the Custom color picker that gives you access to all colors on the spectrum. In addition, the app lets you set the Size and Opacity of all drawing tools so that you can adjust them to the drawing you’re working on. However, you cannot use a stylus pen, create multiple layers, or create a digital painting from photos, which makes Chrome Canvas ill-suited for professional design tasks.

8. Boxy-SVG

Price: Free

Compatibility: web-based

Despite having a somewhat outdated interface, Boxy-SVG is still a great drawing app that is equipped with all the tools you may need to create a digital drawing. This web-based app enables you to create all types of shapes and objects effortlessly, as its Quad Brazier, Cubic Brazier, and Arc feature are remarkably easy to use.

Moreover, you can utilize the Square, Circle, Ellipse, Ring, Pie, Crescent, or Triangle options in any of your designs. The app lets you choose from thousands of different fonts and enables you to change their size and color. Although the app’s selection of brushes is limited, you can still adjust the opacity or the width of each line you draw. In order to save your creations to the cloud or a hard drive on your computer, you must create an account on the Boxy-SVG platform.

9. SketchBook by Autodesk

Price: Free

Compatibility: Android

You don’t have to be an accomplished designer in order to create drawings with SkectchBook. However, the app’s compatibility with stylus pens makes it a great choice for creative industry professionals who want to draw from their Chromebooks. The vast selection of pens and brushes that includes more than 190 fully customizable brushes, huge canvases, or support for multi-layered designs are only a few among countless reasons why SketchBook is one of the best drawing apps for Chromebook today.

In addition, the app can scan paper drawings using the device’s camera, which enables you to digitize all your creations and continue working on them in SkectchBook. The best part is that the app’s Predictive Stroke technology corrects all lines or shapes your draw freehand so that you don’t have to correct mistakes manually.

10. Concepts

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Compatibility: Android 7.0 and up, Chrome OS

Seasoned creative industry professionals don’t need a special introduction to Concepts, since this cross-platform app is widely accepted as one of the best digital drawing apps on the market. Besides the compatibility with different types of stylus pens, the app features brushes, pencils, and pens that respond to velocity, tilt, and pressure.

The app features an infinite canvas and it lets you choose from a wide range of different paper types. Furthermore, the vector-based drawing options enable you to alter the drawing’s position, scale, smoothing, or color. In addition, Concepts is equipped with an infinite layering system that offers a broad spectrum of blending options, which enables you to create image composites in just a few taps. If you would like to use Concepts to create digital paintings and drawings you must purchase a subscription that enables you to use all of the app’s features.

Conclusion

Using a Chromebook for creative purposes isn’t too difficult, since there are so many different apps that provide you with the tools you can use to create visually stunning digital drawings and paintings.

Inexperienced visual artists who are still learning the ropes of the trade should opt for a less demanding drawing app like Sumo Paint or Infinite Painter because they can be used as powerful learning tools.

On the other hand, apps like Concepts or SketchBook are better suited for professional designers in need of a drawing app they can use on a Chromebook. Which of the ten best drawing apps for Chromebook are you going to choose? Leave a comment below and let us know.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

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