For graphic designers and artists, there is no better time to be in the industry than now. And that is because digital artists and traditional artists alike have more tools at their disposal than ever before. Today’s devices are faster and more capable, making them wonderful to work with.

With touchscreen devices such as smartphones and tablets becoming ubiquitous, the act of digital graphic design is becoming more accessible and intuitive than ever. And with Samsung Galaxy devices and similar hardware offering up ever bigger, ever brighter screens – and network providers like T-Mobile offering 4G LTE coverage for these devices – users can take advantage of the many benefits offered to artists in more places than ever. The canvas is now never farther away than your pocket.

Put simply, if you are a graphic designer or artist, the golden era is NOW. Make best use of your smartphone or tablet with the apps below:

Photoshop Express

When it comes to graphic design and photo editing, there is but one name in the industry: Adobe Photoshop. This software program is the industry standard, and makes it possible to do everything from touch up a photo to create digital art from scratch. Adobe Photoshop Express brings this powerful software suite to your smartphone, allowing you to turn those cell phone pictures into masterpieces. And best of all, it’s several hundred dollars cheaper than the desktop version!

myPantone

Any true graphic designer can tell you that when it comes to conceptualizing and executing a new advertising campaign for a client or devising and building a new digital presence, one of the first steps is determining what the color palette is going to be. With myPantone, this task is made easy. Users can build their own color palettes from scratch or get inspiration from elsewhere, determining which specific colors, for example, are dominant in a piece of work. It’s intuitive, powerful and simple.

SketchBook Express

Designed for Android devices with a screen size of 4 inches or larger, SketchBook Express is a professional-grade drawing, illustrating and painting tool. Though it will work with smartphones of a suitable size, it has been designed specifically for use with tablets, and when used on such a device, the interface is remarkably intuitive. Among the many features the app provides includes 2500x magnification, up to 3 image layers, and stylus compatibility. For the artist or illustrator, this free app is a no-brainer.

Infinite Design

This professional vector graphics app lets you create complex, beautiful designs right from your tablet or smartphone. And perhaps best of all, it’s completely free! With Infinite Design, users can pan, zoom or rotate through an infinite canvas; split, merge, flip, duplicate, or transform perspective on an infinite number of layers; take advantage of horizontal, vertical, angular, radial, and kaleidoscopic symmetry; and work quickly, knowing that there are infinite redo and undo options. It is a powerful tool to say the least.

Paperless

There are many illustrating apps available for Android phones and tablets, such as the current suite of Samsung Galaxy devices. What makes Paperless stand out is that it lets users paint and sketch with water colors, feather brushes, pencil and other tools, all of which are perfectly realized on-screen. The app brings the real-world painting experience to the digital realm, allowing individuals to create beautiful works of art without the need for paper or canvas. It’s, well, paperless!

Sketcher Pro

Available for just $1.99, Sketcher Pro is a useful illustrating app that lets users share their work via email and messaging. With 12 brushes and an eraser, a color-picker transparency, pan and zoom, and adjustable canvas size, the app includes everything that an illustrator, graphic designer or artist could want to create paintings, drawings and other works of graphic art.