In this article, we will discuss our top eight picks for Apple Pencil drawing apps and note-taking apps for iPad. Express your creativity through drawing, sketching, note-taking, and painting wherever you are.
Thinking about ditching the pen and paper and going digital? Welcome to the world of endless possibilities where your creativity will know no bounds.
No, seriously.
How many times have you run out of paint or pens? Or have made an uncorrectable mistake that ruined your vision? How many times has the paints-not-cooperating annoyed you to death?
I’m no professional artist but I do dabble in painting every now and then and let me tell you one thing, I hate cleaning up after my creative spells end.
The clutter and the mess are so overwhelming that it’s hard to believe it happened for a mediocre drawing of some butterflies in a garden.
But, hey – art is art. And, there’s a better, far more convenient way of making it happen.
These Apple Pencil apps not only allow you to unleash your inner artist but can prove to be quite helpful for those just looking to take down notes and important reminders.
Whatever your need is, here are eight Apple Pencil apps you should download right away!
1. Charcoal Apple Pencil Drawing App
The Charcoal Apple Pencil app stands out as a wonderful tool for artists seeking to create realistic charcoal drawings on their iPad.
Apart from offering realistic charcoal effects, the app also boasts an intuitive interface, high-resolution capabilities, and support for layers. Whether you’re a professional artist or an aspiring creative, Charcoal provides a versatile platform for creating breathtaking charcoal drawings on your iPad.
One of the notable features of Charcoal is its specialized brushes and tools specifically designed to replicate the textures and effects of charcoal. From subtle smudging to bold strokes, it provides artists with multiple choices for desired depth and shading in the artwork.
Additionally, the Apple Pencil drawing app’s capacity to generate high-resolution drawings enables artists to showcase their work with remarkable detail. With support for layers, artists can easily experiment and fine-tune elements within their compositions.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (iOS 14.0 or later); Mac (macOS 11.0 or later)
Price: Free
Download Charcoal from the app store now.
2. Linea Sketch Apple Pencil Drawing App
Linea Sketch’s key strength lies in its clean and intuitive interface, diverse selection of tools, efficient organization system, powerful layering capabilities, and versatile color options.
The Apple Pencil drawing app for iPad provides a diverse selection of tools and brushes, enabling artists to unleash their creativity. With an extensive selection of customizable tools, Linea Sketch enables artists to achieve desired effects and different styles in their artwork.
The drawing app also organizes your sketches into custom notebooks and pages which allows for easy management and navigation of projects.
Moreover, the app’s powerful layering system allows artists to easily create, rearrange, and adjust layers. Thus providing greater control over the composition and facilitating experimentation with different elements.
Lastly, the app offers a variety of color palettes, blending modes, and background options as well.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (iOS 14.0 or later)
Price: Free to download with in-app purchases starting at $0.99/m
Download Linea Sketch from the app store now.
3. Tayasui Sketches Apple Pencil Drawing App
The Tayasui Sketches app for Apple Pencil is highly regarded for its wide range of realistic tools and effects, intuitive interface, and smooth drawing experience. It is a powerful tool that empowers artists to create captivating digital artwork with ease.
The app sports an extensive set of tools and realistic effects including brushes, pencils, and watercolor options that bring life to digital artwork. Along with lifelike texture and details, the app also supports layers, blending modes, and custom color palettes.
Moreover, the app provides an in-app store for convenient access to additional brush packs and tools, expanding creative possibilities.
Tayasui Sketches Apple Pencil drawing app ensures a user-friendly and seamless drawing experience, utilizing the precision of the Apple Pencil for fluid strokes and precise control.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (iOS 15.0 or later); Mac (macOS 12.0 or later)
Price: Free to download with in-app purchases starting at $5.99/m
Download Tayasui Sketches from the app store now.
4. Procreate Apple Pencil Drawing App
Procreate drawing app for iPad is celebrated for its robust capabilities and exceptional performance.
Similar to other Apple Pencil drawing apps Procreate’s layering system allows artists to work with multiple layers, adjust their opacity, and apply blending modes.
Plus, to ensure a delightful drawing experience, it boasts an intuitive interface and responsive performance with seamless strokes, precise control, and real-time rendering.
With a vast library of 100+ brushes ranging from realistic pencil and ink to textured brushes and digital effects, it’s like you’ve died and entered art heaven. The best part is that the app also allows users to create their own custom brushes, providing unparalleled creative freedom.
Moreover, advanced features like perspective guides, drawing assist tools, and transform options further add to achieving professional-grade artwork.
Compatibility: iPad (iOS 15.4.1 or later)
Price: $12.99
Download Procreate from the app store now.
5. SketchUp Apple Pencil Drawing App
SketchUp is a powerful drawing app for iPad designed for architects, designers, and creative professionals. Known for its 3D modeling capabilities, the app offers a unique set of features that make it a go-to choice for architectural and spatial design projects.
It offers a user-friendly interface combined with precise drawing tools and smart snapping features that have artists drooling over the app. To create intricate and accurate 3D models with ease, you can explore the vast library of pre-built 3D models and components. Or, you can create your own designs like a pro.
You can also integrate the Apple Pencil drawing app with other design software and platforms, allowing for seamless import and export of files.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (iOS 15.0 or later)
Price: Free to download with in-app purchases starting at $14.99/m
Download SketchUp from the app store now.
6. Sketchbook Apple Pencil Drawing App
Sketchbook is a feature-rich Apple Pencil app for drawing with an intuitive interface and powerful tools. It combines an extensive collection of brushes and customizable tools and compatibility with styluses like the Apple Pencil to provide a complete drawing experience for artists of all levels.
Offering a professional-grade digital drawing experience, artists can explore features like pressure sensitivity, tilt functionality, and palm rejection. Thus contributing to its popularity for delivering a natural and responsive UI.
Users can choose from a vast library of brushes, including pencils, pens, markers, and even digital watercolor brushes. Plus, to deliver detailed and polished results, the Apple Pencil drawing app allows artists precise control over line thickness and opacity.
Additionally, Sketchbook also offers a variety of helpful features such as rulers, guides, and symmetry tools.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (iOS 13.0 or later)
Price: Free to download with an in-app purchase of $1.99
Download Sketchbook from the app store now.
7. GoodNotes 5 Apple Pencil Drawing App
GoodNotes 5 excels both as a drawing app and a convenient notetaking app for iPad. With its powerful features and intuitive interface, GoodNotes 5 provides an exceptional digital experience for artists and note-takers alike.
As an Apple Pencil drawing app, GoodNotes 5 offers a range of tools and brushes that to sketch, draw, and create intricate artwork with precision and control.
It supports pressure sensitivity, allowing for varying line thickness and opacity, while offering layers and blending modes so artists can experiment and create complex compositions.
As an Apple Pencil note-taking app, GoodNotes 5 can write, annotate, and highlight notes using the Apple Pencil or by typing.
The app provides a variety of paper templates, including lined, grid, and dotted, to suit different needs. You can also convert handwritten notes to text for enhanced searchability or simply because your writing sucks.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (iOS 15.4or later); Mac (macOS 12.3 or later)
Price: Free to download with in-app purchases starting at $0.99
Download GoodNotes 5 from the app store now.
8. Nebo Note-taking & Apple Pencil Drawing App
As given by its name, Nebo is an exceptional note-taking app designed specifically for Apple Pencil users. With its advanced features, Nebo offers a seamless digital note-taking experience by converting handwriting to text in real-time.
Write naturally as you go without worrying about anything. The Apple Pencil note-taking app will instantly convert your handwriting into clean and clear digital text. Thus, it ensures legibility while also enabling easy editing and sharing.
Moreover, Nebo also supports interactive diagrams, mathematical equations, and sketching, making it a universal note-taking app. Users can draw shapes, annotate images, and create interactive elements within their notes.
Compatibility: iPad (iOS 15.0 or later); Mac (macOS 12.0 or later)
Price: Free to download with in-app purchases starting at $4.99
Download Nebo Note-taking from the app store now.
Conclusion
Discover your artistic potential with the top drawing apps for Apple Pencil, enabling you to unleash creativity anytime and anywhere. Or, enhance productivity and facilitate efficient note-taking by using these as note-taking apps instead. It’s your call.
We all know and agree that the iPad’s touchscreen serves as an exceptional digital canvas, enhanced further by the performance of the Apple Pencil 2.
With these tools at your disposal, you can transform your iPad into a medium for your artistic vision or a powerhouse of productivity.
