

Sketchup Free is its browser-based, “lite” version. Sketchup is only getting more popular with illustrators over time, especially in Webtoons, and I can’t recommend it enough as a background aid and an intro to 3D modeling programs. That being said, there are other, more lightweight options.

However, every purchase of a One by Wacom tablet comes with a free three-month trial of Magma Blaze!

Note: Magma does have a paid version, called “Blaze,” that unlocks more of its features, but unlike most subscription apps, the free one is still fully-functional. And, it’s optimized specifically for Wacom devices, which is neat! Despite this, it retains some drawing program features that are unprecedented for a browser app, like pen stabilization, rotation, and customizable keyboard shortcuts. Magma is the only drawing program on this list that’s entirely browser-based, which means it lightens the workload on your processor. Magma gives you an infinite canvas to share with up to thirty other artists, along with text, video, and voice chat to help collaborate. The follow-up to cooperative drawing website Aggie.io, developed in part by concept artist Bobby Chiu and the crew behind Lightbox Expo. But be warned - it might lag on older or lower-spec Chromebooks.

It’s so full-fledged that University Paris 8’s art department ditched Photoshop for it in 2015, and it’s more user-friendly than GIMP. Krita is a free, open-source digital painting program.
