Drawing and creative play matter more than people realize. Research shows that Americans who rate their mental health as very good or excellent tend to engage in creative activities more often than those who don’t. For kids, creative play gives them space to explore ideas, express feelings, and build confidence without rules or pressure.
With so many digital tools available, drawing apps have become an easy way to bring that creativity into everyday life. Whether kids are doodling for fun, practicing new skills, or working through emotions, these apps offer a screen-time option that encourages imagination rather than passive scrolling. Many also include features like step-by-step lessons, interactive coloring, and open-ended sketching spaces that grow with a child’s interests.
This guide covers some of the best drawing apps available today, from simple, kid-friendly coloring pages to more advanced apps used by artists and illustrators. Find a drawing app that fits how different kids like to express themselves, whether that’s casual sketching, creative play, or guided learning.
Best drawing apps
Some drawing apps make it easy to jump in and start drawing right away, while others give you more tools to slow down and refine your work. Let’s cover the best drawing apps and show how they differ.
1. Project Aqua by Adobe
Project Aqua is a drawing and creativity app built by parents, made for kids ages 5-12. Instead of starting with a blank canvas, kids can color pre-made pages or their own sketches, follow step-by-step drawing tutorials, take on design challenges, and play simple art games that teach drawing fundamentals along the way.
The app is built to encourage creativity through play, giving kids space to explore ideas while staying curious and engaged. Project Aqua also allows kids to scan their paper art into the app for further play, and it offers a personal museum for them to arrange and display their creations. Project Aqua is completely free, ad-free, and designed with families in mind, giving parents peace of mind while kids explore their creative sides.
Made for: Kids ages 5-12
Available on: iPadOS, iOS
Price: Free
2. Fresco
Adobe Fresco is a professional drawing and painting app for people who want their digital artwork to look like masterpieces. Inside the app, users can sketch, paint, and color using thousands of brushes, including ones that act like real paint and ink by blending and smudging as you draw. The app also lets artists add simple animation, so drawings can move, bounce, or come to life with just a few taps.
It works across devices, meaning you can start a drawing on an iPad or iPhone and later open the same file in desktop apps like Photoshop or Illustrator to keep refining it. It’s often chosen by artists, illustrators, and designers who want powerful tools without paying for a separate drawing app.
Made for: Artists and illustrators
Available on: iPadOS, iOS
Price: Free
3. Sketchpad
Sketchpad is a browser-based drawing app that offers no-setup drawing. The web browser allows users to start sketching right away using basic tools like pens, shapes, colors, and text. Users can create simple drawings, diagrams, school projects, or casual sketching without downloading anything. There are no complex brush settings or advanced features to learn, just a clean canvas and straightforward tools.
Made for: Beginners and casual drawers
Available on: Web browser
Price: Free
4. Sketchbook
Sketchbook is a drawing app that mimics the experience of drawing on real paper. It’s mainly used for freehand sketching, line work, and rough ideas rather than finished paintings. The app offers pencils, pens, and simple brushes that respond to a tablet stylus. Artists can use it for practice sketches, planning illustrations, or warming up before moving to more advanced tools.
Made for: Artists and illustrators
Available on: iPad, iPhone, Android, Desktop
Price: Free
5. Crayola Create and Play
Crayola Create and Play is a kids’ creativity app that mixes drawing with games, coloring, and simple activities. Kids can color characters, decorate scenes, play drawing games, and explore creative challenges. The app is designed to keep kids moving between activities to hold attention and encourage exploration.
Made for: Young kids and families
Available on: Web browser, iPad, iPhone, Android
Price: Free
6. Joydoodle
JoyDoodle is a drawing app made for kids who like bright colors and playful tools. Inside the app, kids can draw freely, color pictures, and use fun effects like glowing lines, stamps, and animated strokes. The focus isn’t on realistic drawing—it’s on experimenting and seeing what happens when you tap, swipe, or layer colors. It can be used to introduce younger kids to digital drawing.
Made for: Young kids and beginners
Available on: iPad and iPhone
Price: Free
7. Toca Boca
Toca Boca apps focus on open-ended play, where drawing is used as part of imaginative games and storytelling. Kids use drawing to decorate characters, change scenes, and add their own ideas to imaginative worlds. Parents use it for younger kids who enjoy imaginative games more than traditional drawing apps.
Made for: Young kids
Available on: iPad, iPhone, Android
Price: Free
8. Simply Draw
Simply Draw is a guided drawing app that teaches users how to draw step by step. Users follow clear instructions that break drawings into simple shapes and lines, which allows beginners to draw recognizable pictures without feeling lost. Each drawing builds difficulty as you move from basic outlines to finished images. It’s often used by kids or adults who want help learning how to draw rather than those looking for a place to experiment.
Made for: Beginners learning how to draw
Available on: iPad, iPhone, Android
Price: Free
9. Color by Number
Color by Number apps are built around filling in pictures using numbered color guides. Instead of deciding what colors to use, users tap numbered sections and watch the image come together piece by piece. There’s no pressure to draw or plan, so users can just follow the numbers for an easy coloring activity.
Made for: Kids and adults
Available on: iPad, iPhone, Android
Price: Free
10. Procreate
Procreate is a drawing and painting app made for artists who want full control over their work. Inside the app, you can sketch, paint, shade, and build detailed illustrations using a wide range of brushes and layers. It’s often used for finished artwork, character design, and professional illustrations rather than casual doodling. It allows artists to refine details, experiment with techniques, and create polished pieces from start to finish.
Made for: Artists and illustrators
Available on: iPad
Price: $12.99
11. Tate Draw
Tate Draw is a drawing app inspired by real artwork from the Tate museums. Users can draw using shapes, colors, and styles pulled from famous pieces of art. The app encourages users to experiment and make their own versions rather than copy something exactly, gently introducing kids to artistic ideas while still keeping the experience playful and open-ended.
Made for: Kids and families
Available on: iPad and iPhone
Price: Free
12. Kreska.art
Kreska.art is a web-based drawing app that focuses on quick sketches and simple digital art. Users open it in a browser and start drawing right away, using simple tools for lines, shapes, and colors. There’s no setup and no extra features, so artists can stay focused on the drawing itself. It’s meant for sketching ideas fast, not building complex artwork.
Made for: Casual drawers and beginners
Available on: Web browser
Price: Free
Drawing app features to harness creativity
Drawing apps include different ways to draw, color, and play on the screen. Let’s break down the most useful features to spark creativity:
- Pen and pencil: This is the digital version of drawing with a real pen or pencil. You use it to sketch ideas, outline drawings, or add details. It’s often where people start, especially if they like simple lines and the feeling of drawing by hand.
- Paintbrushes: Paintbrush tools let you fill space with color and texture instead of just lines. You might use them to color in drawings, create soft backgrounds, or layer colors the way you would with real paint. They’re great for making drawings feel more expressive.
- Special effects brushes: These brushes draw continuous patterns as you move your finger or stylus across the screen. Instead of a plain line, you might see rainbow trails, stars, dots, leaves, or repeating shapes flowing behind each stroke.
- Bloop & blop play: Bloop & Blob Play starts by drawing big, loose shapes with wide brushes. Kids then add smaller lines and details and use a Magic tool to turn those shapes into animals, characters, or objects.
- Background scenes: Background scenes give you a ready-made setting to draw on, like a room, landscape, or blank scene, allowing you to add characters, objects, or details on top instead of starting from an empty page. This helps when you want to tell a story or don’t know where to begin your project.
- Magic tools: Magic tools instantly change how a drawing looks by applying visual styles. With one tap, a drawing can turn into something that looks like paper, clay, paint, pop art, or other textures.
- AR capabilities: AR (augmented reality) lets kids place their drawings into real-life settings using the camera on a phone or tablet. With features like 3D Dunes, flat drawings can pop into 3D and be moved around on the screen, appearing on tables, floors, or other spaces you see through the camera.
- Paper art capture: This feature lets you take a photo of a drawing made on paper and bring it into the app. Once it’s uploaded, you can color it, trace it, or use the app’s magic tools to explore more possibilities.
- Drawing games: Drawing games turn drawing into simple challenges or activities. You might follow prompts, complete a picture, or draw something within a set time. These are usually meant to make drawing feel playful and keep kids engaged without needing instructions.
- Museum building: Museum building lets you collect finished drawings and display them in one place inside the app. Think of it like a personal gallery where artwork can be saved and revisited. This is often used to help kids feel proud of what they’ve made and to keep drawings organized.
Sketch happily with Project Aqua drawing app
Drawing apps open the door to creativity in different ways, whether that’s sketching ideas, learning how to draw, or simply having fun with color and shapes. The best experiences are the ones that make drawing feel welcoming instead of overwhelming, especially for kids who are still building confidence.
Project Aqua is designed around that idea, giving kids different ways to express themselves through art. They can color pages, follow drawing prompts, design characters, and turn paper drawings into interactive digital art inside the app. Finished drawings don’t disappear once the screen closes because Project Aqua allows kids to save them, revisit them, and add them to their own museum as they make more.
Project Aqua invites kids of all skill levels to keep drawing just to see what they’ll make next.
Explore Project Aqua for free.
Drawing app resources
What is the best drawing app for iPad?
The best drawing app for iPad depends on who’s using it and what they want to make. Some apps focus on detailed artwork for artists, while others are built for creative play and learning. Project Aqua is a favorite amongst families and kids. It’s made specifically for younger creators, works smoothly on iPad, and stays completely free—without ads.
What can I use drawing apps for?
Drawing apps can be used for all kinds of creative activities, from sketching ideas and coloring to making characters, scenes, and simple art projects. Parents and kids often use them for things like coloring together, following drawing prompts, decorating characters, or saving finished drawings to look back on later.
Apps like Project Aqua are perfect for travel or busy days, giving kids a creative outlet they can use anywhere. No markers, paper, or cleanup needed.
What drawing apps are free?
Many drawing apps offer free versions, though some limit features for those plans, encouraging subscriptions, or include ads. Project Aqua is completely free and includes full access to coloring pages, drawing activities, creative challenges, and a personal museum where kids can save and revisit their artwork. That makes it an easy option for families who want kids to explore drawing without pop-ups, extra costs, or extra cleanup.