Hi Elizabeth!
You only need design space to make the Cricut cut!
Kids can design in Google Drawing or any other program and download as png, jpg, or SVG files that you can upload to design space! A lot of people create in the Ipad program Procreate for the Cricut!
One of my art teachers had students create virtual self-portraits using Google Drawing, then had the kids download the files and add them to a folder. I downloaded them, uploaded them to my Cricut, and cut them as stickers! You can see some in my screenshot...
I only have Design Space installed on the laptop I use to run the Cricut
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