What PENUP Actually Offers
PENUP is Samsung’s drawing-focused social network, built for anyone who wants to sketch, color, or paint on a phone or tablet and then share the result with other artists. It comes preloaded on many Samsung devices, which explains why several long-time users mention finding it already installed rather than seeking it out themselves. The app bundles coloring book pages, drawing templates, Live Drawing tutorials that let you follow along with a video, and Photo Drawing which uses a photo as a tracing aid, alongside a Trending Works feed where people post finished pieces and comment on each other’s work.
This makes it best suited to beginners and hobbyists who want structure, not professional illustrators who need advanced production tools. The social layer, where you can follow artists, get feedback, and take part in seasonal challenges, is really the heart of the app, and it shows in how people describe their experience with it.
Where It Genuinely Shines
The strongest praise centers on how approachable PENUP is for people learning digital art. Reviewers repeatedly describe it as useful for beginners trying to learn digital drawing, with one user calling the coloring pages, challenges, and step-by-step guidance a big draw. Another reviewer specifically highlighted the paint tool’s color-mixing behavior, saying it creates a nice fade of colors and that the pen feels smooth with plenty of options for coloring and drawing.
There’s also a notable emotional thread running through the reviews. One user described picking the app up again after Bell’s palsy affected their mobility and ability to draw, saying it helped them feel like their skills were returning. Others mention using it on and off for years, following artists, and finding the community encouraging rather than negative, with one reviewer explicitly praising it as ‘social media the way it should’ be, free of typical platform negativity.
The Recurring Complaints
Despite the goodwill, the same frustrations show up across multiple reviews. The auto-fill/bucket fill tool is a common pain point: one reviewer noted that most of the time it doesn’t fill all the way to the lines, forcing tedious manual touch-ups afterward. Users also want more variety in coloring categories, describing the current selection as repetitive or boring with too few options per theme.
On the tool side, more experienced users want deeper customization. A reviewer who called themselves genuinely inspired by the app still asked for more brushes with more ways to modify them, plus better layer controls. Another wanted the ability to erase the background of an imported gallery image directly within the app, a feature that currently seems to require workarounds.
Technical Quirks Worth Knowing
At least one review pointed to a strange rendering bug where pen strokes appeared as untextured black ink regardless of which pen type or color was selected, though the user noted this resolved itself after a factory reset of their phone. This suggests occasional device-specific glitches rather than a widespread issue, but it’s worth knowing about if your brushes suddenly stop behaving as expected.
The app also requires optional storage and notification permissions depending on your Android version, mainly to support uploading and downloading drawings and alerting you to followers and comments. None of this stood out as a complaint in user feedback, but it’s part of the setup process worth being aware of.
Who Should Actually Download This
PENUP makes the most sense for beginners and casual hobbyists who want a guided, community-driven way to practice digital drawing without paying for a dedicated illustration app. The coloring pages, challenges, and follow-along tutorials give structure that’s genuinely appealing to newer artists, and the community aspect adds accountability and encouragement that many reviewers clearly value.
If you’re a more advanced digital artist who wants extensive brush customization, robust layer management, or background removal built in, you’ll likely hit the app’s ceiling fairly quickly based on recurring user requests for exactly these features. For everyone else, especially Samsung device owners who already have it installed, it’s a low-risk way to get back into drawing or build a habit around it.
