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Your old tablet still has a job to do

Turn Your Old iPad or Tablet Into a Drawing Tablet

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Sophie Ward

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A Canvas That Was Sitting in Your Drawer

You don’t need an iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil to start making digital art. Your old iPad or Android tablet, paired with a basic stylus ($10-20), runs drawing and sketching apps that would have cost hundreds of dollars as standalone software a decade ago.

Is it as good as a dedicated drawing tablet or a new iPad with Apple Pencil? No. The stylus won’t have pressure sensitivity (unless your iPad supports Apple Pencil), and the screen might not be as responsive. But for learning digital art, sketching ideas, kids’ drawing, or casual illustration, it’s more than capable.

Stylus Options

If Your iPad Supports Apple Pencil

Check Apple’s compatibility list. Apple Pencil 1st gen works with iPad 6th gen (2018)+, iPad Air 3+, iPad mini 5+, and all iPad Pros.

If your “old” iPad supports Apple Pencil, you’ve got a professional-grade drawing experience. A used 1st gen Apple Pencil is $50-70 on Swappa.

If Your iPad Doesn’t Support Apple Pencil

Most older iPads (pre-2018) don’t support Apple Pencil. You’ll need a capacitive stylus:

  • Adonit Mark ($10) – basic mesh-tip stylus, works on any touchscreen
  • Adonit Dash 4 ($30) – fine-point stylus with better precision, no palm rejection
  • Logitech Crayon ($50) – works on iPads that support Apple Pencil 1st gen (not truly “old” iPads, but worth mentioning)

Android Tablet Styluses

Some Samsung Galaxy Tabs come with an S Pen – if yours does, you already have the best stylus experience available on Android (pressure sensitivity and palm rejection included). For other Android tablets:

  • Adonit Note+ ($40) – works with most Android tablets, decent precision for the price
  • Any capacitive stylus ($10-15) – same deal as iPad, basic but functional for sketching

The honest truth about capacitive styluses: They work, but they’re not precise. The tip is thicker than you’d like, there’s no pressure sensitivity, and palm rejection doesn’t work (you’ll need a drawing glove or be careful about your hand placement). For sketching and casual art, they’re fine. For detailed illustration, save up for a device with active stylus support.

Best Drawing Apps

Procreate ($13, iPad Only)

If your iPad can run it, this is the one to get. Brushes that actually respond like real media, proper layer support, and a replay feature that shows your whole drawing process from first stroke to finish. $13 once, no subscription.

Minimum requirement: iPadOS 16.3+. That means iPad Air 3, iPad mini 5, iPad 5th gen, or any iPad Pro. The iPad Air 2 and older can’t run it anymore. If yours qualifies, don’t overthink it – just buy Procreate.

Sketchbook (Free – iPad & Android)

Sketchbook went fully free a few years back – no ads, no premium tier, everything unlocked. It runs on iOS 14+ and Android 8+, which means it works on tablets too old for Procreate. The brush engine is genuinely good (it’s made by the people behind AutoCAD), and the symmetry tool is surprisingly fun to mess around with. If your tablet can’t run Procreate, start here.

MediBang Paint (Free – iPad & Android)

If your kid is into manga or comics, this is their app. MediBang Paint gives you panel templates, screen tones, and cloud storage so they can pick up drawings on different devices. Free with optional premium brushes, and it runs on both platforms.

ibis Paint X (Free – iPad & Android)

ibis Paint X is the most popular free drawing app on Android, and it’s easy to see why. You can record your drawing process as a timelapse (kids love sharing these), and the brush library is absurdly deep – over 47,000 options, though you’ll realistically use maybe 10. Free with ads; removing them is a few dollars.

Paper by WeTransfer (Free, iPad)

The most beginner-friendly drawing app. Simple, beautiful tools – a pen, pencil, marker, watercolor brush, and eraser. No overwhelming menus. Great for kids and casual sketching.

Drawing for Kids (Free / $3, Both Platforms)

Specifically designed for young children. Simple shapes, colors, stamps, and stickers. No text, just visual tools. Good for ages 3-7.

iPad Digital Art for Beginners

If you’re new to digital art, start here:

  1. Install Sketchbook (free, works on everything) – learn the basics without spending anything
  2. Start with simple exercises – trace photos, copy simple shapes, practice lines and circles
  3. Watch YouTube tutorials – search “digital art for beginners iPad” or “Sketchbook tutorial” for hundreds of free lessons
  4. Don’t worry about the stylus – even a $10 capacitive stylus teaches you the fundamentals. You can upgrade later if you stick with it.
  5. Try different styles – sketching, coloring, manga, lettering, watercolor effects. Digital art apps let you experiment without wasting paper.

The old tablet is perfect for this stage. If digital art clicks for you, you’ll know it’s time to invest in better hardware. If it doesn’t, you spent $0-13 finding out.

Setup for Kids

An old tablet as a kids’ drawing surface is hard to beat:

  1. Install Paper by WeTransfer, Drawing for Kids, or Sketchbook
  2. Set up Guided Access (iPad) or Screen Pinning (Android) to lock to the drawing app
  3. Get a cheap stylus ($10) or let them use their fingers
  4. Put on a rugged case (our kid-proofing guide covers the best options)
  5. Let them create

Kids don’t need Procreate. They need a canvas and colors. The old tablet provides exactly that, and if they’re talented, they’ll outgrow it and you’ll know it’s time for an upgrade.

Using It as a Secondary Drawing Display

If you have a computer with creative software (Photoshop, Illustrator, Clip Studio Paint), you can use the old tablet as a secondary display or drawing surface:

  • Sidecar (Mac + newer iPads) – use the iPad as a drawing surface for Mac apps with Apple Pencil
  • Duet Display ($48/year Air, $84/year Pro, iPad & Android) – turns the tablet into a second screen you can draw on from Mac or PC. The Pro tier adds pressure sensitivity, which is the whole point for artists.
  • Astropad Standard ($30 one-time, iPad) – specifically designed to turn iPads into professional drawing tablets for Mac. Astropad Studio ($80/year) adds more features.

These options work best with Apple Pencil or S Pen support. With a basic capacitive stylus, the drawing experience as a secondary tablet is mediocre.

Quick Setup

  1. Get a stylus ($10-50 depending on your tablet model)
  2. Install Sketchbook (free) or Procreate ($13, if compatible)
  3. Optional: get a matte screen protector ($8) – it gives the screen a paper-like texture that feels better for drawing
  4. Start sketching

Your old tablet won’t replace a Wacom Cintiq or a new iPad Pro for professional work. But my oldest discovered she can trace photos in Sketchbook by importing them as a layer, and she spent an entire Saturday drawing portraits of the dog. On a tablet I was about to sell for $40.

If drawing isn’t your thing, there are dozens of other uses worth trying. Our old iPad ideas guide has the full collection.

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