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Sketchpad

Full paint program in a tab — brushes, layers, filters and a stamp library — with nothing to install and nothing to pay.

Opens in a new tab. We do not control this site and it may have changed since we catalogued it.

How to get the most from it

Sketchpad sits in Drawing Toys under Make, filed as coffee break.

  • Set aside five to fifteen minutes and give it your proper attention.
  • Use a laptop or desktop computer — we file it as desktop only.
  • It works with the sound off, so it is fine on a train or in a quiet office.
  • No account needed — you can start without signing up.
  • Go in expecting something useful and clever.

About this category: Generative brushes and cursor instruments. You are not drawing so much as steering something that is already drawing, which removes blank-canvas anxiety entirely.

Good for

  • Filling a coffee break properly
  • Getting something practical done
  • Being impressed by a clever idea
  • A quiet break at your desk
  • Trying it with zero commitment

Sketchpad: quick answers

Is Sketchpad free?

Yes. Sketchpad is free to use and needs no account.

Do I need an account to use Sketchpad?

No. You can use Sketchpad without signing up for anything.

Does Sketchpad work on a phone?

Not well. We file Sketchpad as desktop only, so open it on a laptop or desktop computer.

Is Sketchpad safe for work?

Yes, we file it as safe for work. It also works muted.

How long does Sketchpad take?

We file it as "Coffee break": Five to fifteen minutes of proper attention.

More in Drawing Toys

All 11 in Drawing Toys
  • A quick whiteboard in the browser: sketch boxes, arrows and doodles, share a link and draw together in real time without making an account.

    • <1 min
    • Desktop
  • Collection of period-correct cursor trails — rainbows, bubbles, snowflakes, ghosts — demoed live so you can wave the mouse about.

    • <1 min
    • Desktop
  • Eleven absurd brushes — blobs, tentacles, exploding dots — that make the composition decisions for you the moment you move.

    • <1 min
    • Desktop
  • Google's stripped-back sketchpad — pencil, pen, marker, chalk — with pressure support and absolutely no other features.

Same mood: useful

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