I have to preface this to say that some of the apps mentioned are for the Apple iPad only. I do think that it’s worth the investment for an iPad pro and Apple Pencil because you not only have flexibility about where you make your art but it’s also really responsive and an experience that’s really nice. There’s just something about the iPad that is so smooth. Get a secondhand iPad pro, and pencil, if you can. It’s worth it.
Procreate
So with a name like "Procreate", you’d expect it to be all about… professionals creating, right? Yes, that’s what it is, actually.
Procreate is a must-have if you're an artist interested in digital art and illustration. It’s amazing what you can do with it, from Illustration to mockups to making gifs. It’s not as good as photoshop but then on the other hand, photoshop has so many many features that it’s got a really steep learning curve. When I got my iPad pro, it was mostly so that I could draw with an app called Paper 53.
Basically, when the pandemic hit, I decided to look on YouTube for what artists were using for making art on iPads. Little did I know that the $10 app I had bought years before was actually on the cutting edge. I follow them on Instagram to get tips and I’ve watched a lot of Youtube tutorials so that I can get an idea of what the possibilities are.
There are different brushes you can buy online too that will allow you to add more dimension to your work. However, I would actually only recommend a handful of brush packs that are for sale. I’ll probably make a video about soon.
Vectornator
Vectornator follows up Procreate by also having a name that doesn’t really do it justice. I am newer to using Vectornator because I was using Affinity Designer but I have found that Affinity Designer can be really annoying at times and freeze, and lose my files. This happened once but it’s left a bad taste in my mouth so I decided to give Vectornator a try and I’m glad I did.You can vector with the pencil or with the brush, and they have a nifty auto trace feature so you could technically draw something in Procreate, and then vector it in Vectornator. It’s got its flaws, yes, but it also is a lot more intuitive than Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer. It’s got fewer options, yes, but it’s also a lot more snappy and actually more fun to use. Right now, it’s free for Apple devices.
What's the difference between a vector and a raster? Find out.
Adobe Capture
Speaking of auto trace, Adobe Capture is basically just an auto trace application that you upload a design to, and it turns it into a vector. You can them import it into something like Vectornator or Affinity Designer and just fix up anything that you are having issues with. It’s also free, right now.
Behance
Behance is an app and also a website that has an abundance of resources in the ways of inspiration and seeing what your fellow artists are doing from around the world. You can check out portfolios there and it’s free to have your own. What’s cool is that if you are interested in what art is being made in, for example, a small town in Turkey, you can look at it from a location standpoint and be amazed at the work being created. I find it nice to scroll through from time to time and just appreciate the work of other illustrators and artists. Maybe you’ll like it too.
Unsplash
Unsplash is a website where people upload photos to be used for free. It’s a way to market yourself so it’s fun to upload photos you’ve taken but on the other hand it’s also fun to see what’s available to use in your own projects. A lot of the time, you don’t have to credit the photographers but it is nice to shout them out if you get an opportunity within your work. I use Unsplash to find reference photos a lot of times because they are photos you’re allowed to use.
BONUS:
Skillshare! I signed up for a free Skillshare account and took a bunch of classes to learn things. It's amazing what is out there.
If you have suggestions for other must-have apps or resources for artists, let me know in the comments.
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