What do digital artists use in creating their artworks? In this post, I give you a round-up of the TOP 10 tools that most artists use to create digital art. We’ll speak about the best digital art hardware – like the tablets digital artists draw on – but also about the best software apps to make digital art. So let’s jump straight in and see what shouldn’t be missing in your digital art toolbox!
As technology develops, digital art is becoming more and more popular and an increasing number of artists are getting interested in creating digital art themselves.
While it is pretty clear what tools traditional artists use, many newcomers wonder what digital artists use in creating their artworks.
I’ve been creating digital art for more than 10 years and during that time, I’ve tried a lot of tools for digital artists!
In this post, I’m going to give you a round-up of the most recommended tools that most artists use for digital art.
So if you want to get started with digital art or if you are looking around for new tools and technology, then this article got you covered!
What do most artists use for digital art?
The one tool that most artists – if not all – use for digital art is a drawing tablet. If you are serious about making digital art, then a normal mouse and trackpad are simply not enough.
A drawing tablet gives you full control and feels as intuitive as drawing with a real pen on paper. On top of that, only a drawing tablet enables you to access the pressure and tilt sensitivity features of your digital art software, which a mouse and trackpad are not capable of.
With that said, a drawing tablet doesn’t have to be expensive. You can easily find an affordable entry-level tablet if you are a new artists or a more advanced tablet on a budget. I’ll be giving you some suggestions later on in this post.
Drawing tablets come in two variants:
- Without screen – a regular drawing tablet or a pen tablet.
- With screen – also called screen or display tablet, or a pen display.
Both types of tablets are equally great for creating digital artworks. Generally speaking, drawing tablets without screen tend to be less expensive than display tablets.
Which software technology is used in digital art?
The second essential tool that digital artists use in creating their artworks is a graphics program. There are programs that specifically focus on the different types of digital art, such as digital drawing, comic art, photo retouching, and so on.
Photoshop is probably the most popular all-round digital art software. However, there are also other programs like Corel Painter and Clip Studio Paint that are more geared towards digital painting.
I will give you a selection of the best software that digital artists use in creating their artworks down below in my round-up!
You want to know what digital artists use in creating their artworks? Here are the TOP 10 tools!
What do most artists use for digital art?
In the following, I’m going to give you a list of the TOP 10 tools that digital artists use in creating their artworks.
The selection includes both the best hardware and software that are the most popular among digital artists. If you are new to digital art, this is your chance to find the best entry-level tools to get you started.
If you’ve been in the game for quite a while, then can look around for some new inspiration. Plus, there are also some goodies for artists on the go!
TOP 10 Tools Digital Artists use in Creating Artworks
1. Wacom One
Wacom is the gold standard among drawing tablet manufacturers and the new Wacom One is arguably the best entry-level tablet with screen.
It’s a great choice for those who are just getting started with digital art but also for more experienced artists on a budget.
The Wacom One gives you the most natural drawing experience possible, because – contrary to a Wacom Intuos – you can work directly on the inbuilt display.
With undeniably great specs, the Wacom One is a more reasonably priced alternative to the higher-end Cintiq 16 and ideal for all users who want to enjoy the comfort of drawing on-screen without having to spend a ton of money!
Read the full Wacom One Review for more.
2. Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition
The Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition is the optimal choice for all artists who want to work both digitally and traditionally.
For digital art, you can draw directly on the tablet’s surface with the included Pro Pen 2. If you’d like to work traditionally for a change, all you need to do is clip a paper sheet on top of the tablet surface and then start out by sketching on that paper with the Wacom Finetip Pen.
Once you’re done sketching, you can transfer your drawings straight to your computer and edit them digitally in your favorite software.
The Paper Edition is one of Wacom’s professional tablets that offer precise input, high performance and customizability. There are Express Keys and a Touch Ring that you can program to your most used functions and keyboard shortcuts so you don’t need to lift a finger off your tablet while editing.
Sophisticated pen technology and multi-touch functionality make the Intuos Pro Paper Edition a great pick for digital and mixed media artists looking for a versatile drawing tool.
Read the full Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Review for more.
3. iPad Pro & Apple Pencil
If you don’t want to get an extra drawing device and you also want to enjoy some editing on the go, then get an iPad Pro along with the Apple Pencil 2!
There are many different iPads around. When choosing an iPad for drawing, however, you should make sure that it works with the Apple Pencil 2. The previous Apple Pencil 1 is a decent stylus, but the successor is way more powerful and ergonomic.
The iPad Pro comes in different sizes with the 12.9-inch model being the largest. All recent iPad Pros are equipped with a Liquid Retina XDR display that accounts for splendid color accuracy and vibrancy.
ProMotion technology will make your strokes appear on the screen in real time and the display will adjust dynamically based on the content on the screen. Along with the anti-reflective coating, this makes the iPad Pro a top-notch tool for digital artists.
Weighing only around half a kilogram (about 1 lbs), the iPad Pro is the ideal travel companion that allows you to create art wherever you are!
4. Wacom Cintiq 16 or 22
The Cintiq 16 and 22 are Wacom’s more budget-friendly pen displays with all the essential features of the Pro models. Both tablets come with a full HD screen, the Pro Pen 2 and more than 8,000 levels of pressure sensitivity.
They offer great value for money for all digital artists who want to up their game from an Intuos or non-drawing screen tablet like the iPad Pro.
The iPad Pro admittedly has a better resolution, but the Cintiq’s screen is larger and the Pro Pen 2 more sensitive than the Apple Pencil. Plus, the Cintiq 16 retails at a lower price than the iPad and doesn’t have any limitations as to available digital art software.
With all specs the same, the Cintiq 16 and 22 only differ in screen size. The 21.5-inch screen of the Cintiq 22 provides ample drawing space for all digital artists who like to work on a large surface and it’s the lowest priced Cintiq of that size ever!
Check out the full reviews of the Cintiq 16 and Cintiq 22 for more.
5. Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is the gold standard in the industry and definitely the most popular tool digital artists use in creating their artworks. There is nothing you could not do with Photoshop. Photo retouching, digital painting, illustration, graphic design, photo manipulation – Photoshop has the most powerful features that live up to all creative requirements.
With Adobe’s Creative Cloud, you’ll have always access to the latest Photoshop version on both desktop and mobile platforms. You can choose between three subscription plans that come with additional online storage and allow you to share your creations across all of your devices.
The most affordable option is the Single App plan that gives you access to one program and storage for $9.99 per month. If you have the budget, consider signing up for All Apps plan instead. With this plan, you’ll get the entire Adobe Suite, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and lots more.
You can start a Free 7-Day Photoshop Trial here to see if you like it.
Adobe also offer a 60% discount for all students and teachers that you can claim here.
If you need help in getting started, check out the free Photoshop tutorials available on this website.
6. Corel Painter
As its name suggests, Corel Painter was specifically developed for digital painting, drawing, illustration, manga and anime art.
Corel Painter is also used by industry professionals and comes with heaps of brushes that emulate all the different traditional media. The pinned color wheel that you can place anywhere on the screen makes picking your most used color swatches quick and easy.
On macOS Catalina, you will get Sidecar support, allowing you to mirror your screen on your iPad and paint with your Apple Pencil.
Corel Painter isn’t the cheapest. But as opposed to Photoshop, you will get the entire software package for a one-time payment. Updates come at a discounted price, and you will often find the software on sale at a considerable discount.
To see if Corel Painter is right for you, you can start a Free 30-Day Trial here.
7. Clip Studio Paint
Clip Studio Paint is another favorite that digital artists use in creating their artworks. There are very few software apps that make digital drawing feel as intuitive as this one.
So if you’re looking for a powerful and natural painting app, don’t look any further. Clip Studio Paint is the ideal tool for you!
Clip Studio Paint is available in two versions: the PRO (standard) version and the fully featured EX (expert) version. And the newly released EX version is now also available on the iPad.
Clip Studio Paint is great for digital painting and drawing, and it’s especially popular with manga and comic artists. The brush tool is like no other: once you draw a line, it auto-corrects any slight jitter, making all your lines smooth and even.
The EX version is substantially more pricey than the PRO version. But if you’re not planning to print out your art on a larger scale, you most likely won’t need the additional features of Clip Studio EX.
Anyway, you can test either version with a Free 30-Day Trial here!
8. Procreate
Procreate is a powerful drawing app for the iPad and iPhone (Procreate Pocket). With Procreate and your iOS device, you can create art anywhere in the world – on a professional level!
In fact, many professional artists use Procreate. It features many of the tools that you know from common desktop apps, like blending modes, layers, layer groups, masks, and more.
Procreate comes with more than 200 brushes out of the box. If that’s not yet enough for you, you can create your own ones or import custom-made brushes. The ‘Drawing Assist’ feature is especially great for edits on the go, because it will auto-correct all your brush strokes.
What’s more, Procreate also offers full PSD support, so you can easily share your creations across platforms and editing apps. And the absolutely best thing: to get all these features, you don’t even need to cash out a whole lot of money. Procreate is available for less than $10!
9. High-Quality Monitor
A good monitor is an essential tool that digital artists use in creating their artworks. Whether you are a professional artist or a hobby designer, it’s important to have a high-quality monitor.
Why? Because as a digital artist, you will spend hours looking at your computer screen! So to make your editing sessions as comfortable as possible and avoid strain on your eyes, picking the right monitor is key.
High-end monitors can be pretty expensive, but there are some mid-range models that do a great job, too!
The ASUS ProArt Display PA247CV is a fantastic option. It’s a professional monitor that offers great value for money. It comes with a 23.8-inch IPS Full HD (1920 x 1080) display that makes your images look clear and crisp.
The screen is factory calibrated and provides industry-standard 100% sRGB / 100% Rec. 709 color space coverage. The stand is fully adjustable in terms of swivel, tilt, pivot, and height, so you can set up your workplace just the way you like.
The 23.8-inch screen diagonal is not the largest but sufficient for most creative needs. If you prefer a larger monitor, check out the ASUS ProArt PA34VC with a 34-inch screen.
10. Monitor Calibration Device
A monitor calibration device ensures that the brightness and color of your monitor are set correctly. If you are new to digital art, you are probably not so familiar with monitor calibration. But a calibration device is something you should definitely consider getting!
If your monitor isn’t calibrated, your images may look dark and washed out when viewed on a correctly calibrated screen. Additionally, when you print your artwork, the colors will be different from the way they look on your computer. If an art print looks dull and dark, your customers might be disappointed and you as the artist might lose sales and fans…
That’s why it’s important to use a monitor calibration device if you are taking your art seriously.
Calibrating your monitor is pretty easy and straightforward. All you need to do is place the colorimeter in front of your screen and then the device will run a calibration routine to set the correct color profile for your monitor.
I recommend the Datacolor SpyderX Pro to color-calibrate your screen. Datacolor is a well-known brand in the field of monitor calibration and the SpyderX Pro offers good value for money. The SpyderX Pro is extremely color accurate and much quicker than the previous models. It can also detect the light conditions in your working environment and comes with multi-monitor support.
My name is Angie and I’m a self-taught digital artist. On this blog, I am sharing my knowledge and discussing the best software and hardware for different artistic needs. My desire is to offer options for all creative stages and budgets so that everyone can follow their dream and create art!
Lovely, just what I was searching for. Thank you, Angie, for taking your time and writing this up!
Hi Sammy, great that you found the article helpful and thank you for letting me know (: