Hey guys I need a tool to prototype UI designs and create sketches of them.
Pen and Paper?
Photoshop?
Paper cutouts would make for crafty bonus points.
Needs to be electronic and run on Linux.
I prefer pen and paper for most things but I also really like Balsamiq for making client-readable mockups. It has a lot of good basic UI elements you can work with to create sketches, from sitemaps to menus. Unfortunately don't believe it's Linux friendly, but still worth looking at as an option: https://balsamiq.com/
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While I agree with @kreestuh that balsamiq is great for creating basic layouts and prototyping: if you're looking for something with which you can create a very realistic mockup and are willing to spend some more time I would recommend using Figma. It has a great web interface to design in but unfortunately doesnt have a linux desktop program. Hope this helps though!
Pinta or Gimp ?
I have used it with wine and had no problems at all.
Have a look at pencil the new version is not released yet but it's had one or two release candidates out.
+1 for balsamiq. I use it at work for wireframing and it is a godsend. It won't give you a pixel perfect result like more design proof focused software, such as sketch.
Also, if you don't mind using a webapp, there are a number of good wireframing tools online, meant with colab and team sharing features. One I liked in particular was UXPin. Most of these are paid SaaS, but Linux compatibility won't be an issue.