There’s no way to control the thickness of the 3D effect, so your object will always resemble something created with Puff Paints, but as free drawing software it’s great fun for kids of all ages. You can choose a finish for your shape (options include matte, gloss, dull metal, and polished metal), paint its surface, and apply lighting effects.

Here you can pick a model to import (current choices include people and animals), or better yet, draw your own shape and ‘inflate’ it to turn it into a three-dimensional model that can be rotated and viewed from different angles.

However, the real fun happens when you click the 3D Objects button. Like the classic version of Microsoft Paint (which is was originally intended to replace), Paint 3D offers a small selection of drawing tools for doodling on a flat canvas. Krita is an incredibly powerful drawing program, and it's yours to download and use completely free. You also get layers, masks, various transform tools, HDR support, and advanced selection functions. There are handy drawing aids for creating straight lines, vanishing points and smooth shapes. Krita was created by artists for artists, and it shows in the dozens of thoughtful little touches that make it easier to create great paintings. Right-clicking anywhere on the canvas in Krita will bring up a selection wheel that lets you pick a new tool and select a colour in seconds – a system that's much easier than trawling through menus and settings Each brush is totally customizable, and you can save your bespoke brushes to use again later.

There are panel templates, halftone filters, and perspective tools in addition to the usual brushes, fills and pens. You can use Krita for any kind of drawing and illustration, but it's particularly great for comics and manga. Krita is professional-quality drawing software created by a team of artists with the noble aim of putting top-notch creative tools within reach of everyone.

Best drawing software for surface 3