Looking for a free drawing program for anime-style illustration? Pixia, a long-running Japanese paint tool, creates illustrations and digital artwork with brushes, layers, filters and masks. Its tools also cover image editing, design work, and photo retouching.
Build an illustration with layers
Create an image by drawing with Pixia’s brushes, then organize the artwork across layers. Layer-based work suits illustrations that develop in separate parts, such as a character, background, or decorative details. The same drawing-oriented tools can also be used for anime-style art, fan art, and experiments with digital painting.
Draw with brushes and artistic effects
Pixia includes a range of brushes and effects for making marks and adding visual treatments to artwork. These tools can support both freehand illustration and designed graphics, including logos, buttons, and textures.
Apply filters and masks to images
Filters and masks extend Pixia's tools beyond drawing for editing and retouching images. Pen tablets with pressure sensitivity are supported for natural brush strokes.
Pros
- Layers support multi-part illustration work
- Brushes and artistic effects provide varied ways to draw
- Filters and masks support image editing
- Tools cover logos, buttons, and textures as well as illustrations
Cons
- Most official documentation and support pages are in Japanese
System requirements: Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11 · 32-bit and 64-bit
Can Pixia create layered illustrations?
Yes. Pixia supports layers for illustration and other image work.
What kinds of artwork can I make with Pixia?
Pixia supports illustrations, anime-style art, fan art, logos, buttons, and textures.
Does Pixia include tools for editing images?
Yes. It includes filters and masks, along with tools for photo retouching.
