Flowpad

For many people whose childhood included the convenience of the personal computer, their first experience with the Windows operating system consisted of doodling for countless hours using the preloaded Microsoft Paint program. As technology progressed, more advanced graphics designing applications arose, while the simplicity and speed of Paint remained unchallenged for carrying out the most basic tasks.

However, if you are looking for a spiritual successor focused on doodling, then FlowPad may be the right fit for you, thanks to its intuitive interface, handy feature set and ease of use.

Fans of Microsoft’s app ecosystem will rejoice at the sight of the app’s design language, which follows closely the newest version of the Fluent design language, blending in perfectly with the rest of the UWP-based, built-in system applications. The top toolbar allows the user to toggle between light and dark themes, pin the program to the taskbar or Start Menu, save and open .GIF files and export to various formats.

Other functions situated in the bottom ribbon include compatibility with the native Windows Ink experience, letting the user pan and zoom using a touch-screen capable display, drawing with tilt and pressure sensitive styli, dedicated buttons for zooming in and out, centering the image and toggling grid lines.

Essentially, the app is optimized for displays with Wacom-style pen technology, being capable of emulating brushes such as ballpoint or fountain pen, for those who want to practice calligraphy. Moreover, despite being dedicated to drawing, the program can also be used for taking and highlighting notes or drawing geometrical shapes using rulers and protractors of varying dimensions and angles.

Strokes can be selected individually and moved around by selecting them with a free-hand lasso tool, and a clear-all button is also present in the lower left corner for instantly starting a new drawing session. The user can also unleash their creativity using any color of the RGB spectrum when sketching.

Despite the impressive layout and pleasant design, some limitations can be encountered when using the app to its full potential. Fore example, exported files and content copied to clipboard from the canvas have transparency issues when opened with photo viewers, while the lack of a picture importing tool for editing and annotating photos and the omission of text and shapes insertion functions make for an incomplete experience.

For those who want an upgrade over the old Microsoft Paint app but find no use in Paint3D’s extra functionalities, FlowPad is a good open-source alternative focused on the basics of drawing and sketching, while making use of the Windows Ink library of features optimized for styli.