The Apple iPad is a dream for drawing—portable, powerful, and packed with brilliant software. The screen and Pencil work together like magic.

If you use your iPad for drawing, sketching, or note taking, You need some extra accessories to get the most out of your tablet or take your experience to the next level.

In this post, I’m going to show you my favorite iPad Accessories for Drawing, ranging from a drawing glove to a matte screen protector. Let’s get started.

The 6 Best iPad Accessories for Artists & Drawing in 2026

Here are some of my favorites:

1. Matte Screen Protector

Most apple ipads comes with a glossy screen, that lacks of friction, making it difficult to control lines, leading to less precision and a more tiring experience.

I highly recommend getting a matte screen protector for your iPad, if you use it for any kind of note-taking, digital planning, or drawing.

Because I find that makes the screen less slippery and feels much nicer when you’re using the Apple Pencil.

As an artist, I find it adds enough friction to screen, creates the illusion of drawing on paper, less slippery, feels much nicer, and eliminates that pencil tapping on glass sound. Overall, a better drawing experience is…experienced.

Matte screen protectors are relatively common to the point where there are numerous sellers on amazon selling them. I have tried a bunch of different brands and honestly I recommedn the Paperlike, Supershieldz, and doodroo.

Paperlike is very popular as it doesn’t feel like sandpaper, doesnt mess with the vibrancy of your iPads display, however, it is a bit more expensive.

Supershieldz and Bersem screen protectors are highly regarded for their affordability and value, often costing under $10 for a 2-pack or 3-pack. 

Screen protector from OMOTON – it writes well, however, it does feel very rough in texture, so just be aware that this type of surface will wear down your Apple Pencil tips faster. I do still think it’s worth it for the improved handwriting.

2. Tablet Stand

I use the Parblo PR 100 tablet stand for drawing on my ipad pro, which is very affordable, but there are numerous options on Amazon, such as Sketchboard Pro. Why do you need one?

Well, most iPad users have a folio case either from Amazon or Apple (way too overpriced) and they fold it back and use it as a stand for writing or drawing.

It creates a bad angle that’s not good for your neck and shoulders; it involved a lot of hunching over.

If youre the kind of artist that spends hours every day drawing on the iPad, you probably already know that.

This is where this stand comes in. At an ergonomic height(s) akin to that of a drawing tablet, your body posture will thank you.

The Sketchboard Pro is very popular, which has 4 built in pop-out legs so that you can set it on a table and have your iPad at the perfect angle for drawing.

What makes the Sketchboard Pro standout is that your iPad sits in the sketchboard instead of on to of it. This means that as you press your iPad into the rubber recess, it will securely fit in, with the screen sitting flush with the rest of the Sketchboard Pro.

When not using the sketchboard you have to rest your hand on the screen when drawing, which kind of limits what you can do at the edges of your screen.

When using the sketchboard pro, you rest your hand on the sketchboard instead. It’s a similar feeling to when you’re drawing on a piece of paper on a table. There isn’t an edge to “fall off of.”

3. Drawing Glove

It is known that Apple covers all bases including palm rejection for the Apple Pencils.

But I’m a skeptic. I always use a drawing glove when drawing on my iPad despite having a matte screen protector.

My hand slides over the screen easily and most importantly, no nasty palm and hand oils getting all over my display.

I recommend the GUUGEI 3-Layer Palm Rejection glove of which I own two. You can also get one from huion, xppen, Parblo, and xencelabs.

4. Travel Sleeve

It is as the name says, it’s for traveling. Everyone could benefit from a travel sleeve but as apple iPad artists, we reap a huge benefit by having a little more protection than our cases as we are more likely to draw on the go.

It doesn’t hurt to get the ones that have extra pockets for peripherals like a keyboard, a numpad, or the Apple Pencil.

I currently use one from ProCase which comes with a smaller pouch for your charger and maybe a flash drive.

However, if you want something a bit more stylish and personal, there are sorts of super expensive PU leather tablet sleeves available.

5. Wireless Numpad

A numpad is short for a number pad, which connect via bluetooth and features more than 20 shortcuts. These are for artists who like to keep their pen on the canvas at all times.

Simply put it off to the side of your iPad and offload UI navigation to your non-dominant hand.

In your drawing software (I use Procreate), you can program the tools and features you use the most to the keys on the numpad for easy access.

For instance, programming the select tool to 1, or the save tool to 0. It significantly improves drawing or designing efficiency.

I use a Macally Bluetooth Number Pad but you don’t need it, I just have expensive taste at $29.99. I recommend these that offer a wide range of prices to choose from, such as Havit Bluetooth Number Pad that costs only $19.99.

6. Wireless Keyboard

Apple ipad is a touch screen device instead of a laptop. But some tasks require a bit more screen and precision.

What do I mean? Well, posting your artwork (if you primarily use the iPad) online, that virtual keyboard can take up space that does not enable you to preview what you’re writing.

Secondly, editing is much more precise if you’re working with dialogue (if you’re a mangaka or comic artist) in your artwork.

Believe me, I know what it’s like to tap the screen with the pencil and the virtual keyboard doesn’t pop up. Not everyone likes to use Scribble.

The wireless Keyboard will turn your iPad into a more traditional office setup. The only caveat is most iPad apps aren’t optimized for keyboard use, so it might be challenging to get the most out of your setup.

Generally speaking, You can use any Bluetooth keyboard with your iPad such as Logitech K480, and I use different ones depending on the situation.

I really love the Apple Magic Keyboard Case, which is not only works as a keyboard but also the protective case.

It features a sleek aluminium palm rest, a 14-key function row, and a larger trackpad that feels identical to a MacBooks.

Its made typing feel more polished and responsive and fixed issues with accidental palm touches and trackpad clicks, a joy to type on.

I like that I can adjust my screen angle to have it perfectly aligned how I want it whether it’s on my desk or whether I’m using it with my lapdesk.

There are cheaper options out there, but the Magic Keyboard remains the best option for what it does.

Apple smart keyboard Folio is another great option, featuring an instant magnetic connection with no charging or pairing required.

It is slim, with Roomy keys, protective design and has good tactile feel, Easy to detach. But it lacks backlighting, offers only limited viewing angles, less stable than magic keyboard.

With the smart keyboard you have to fold the cover around to make a triangle. If you don’t do it correctly it might flop over. Not so with the magic keyboard.

In Conclusion

I could have made a list of recommended items for this article but keeping it open-ended seemed optimal because we all have different needs and wants when it comes to drawing.

These iPad accessories are designed to take your experience on Apple ipad to the next level by making drawing, note taking, painting, and modeling easier.

I dont recommend the Apple Pencil as I assume most digital artists who use the iPad are already aware of it.

In the end, I hope you get something out of this article.