7 Ways to get better at Procreate
Frustrated when just starting out with the Procreate App? I get it, I’ve been there! From creating color palettes, to finding new brushes and tutorials, these tips help simplify what can be an overwhelming app into a powerful creative tool. These are my top seven tips on how to get better at using Procreate.
1 —
Make yourself more color palettes
Having multiple color palettes ready at hand when you’re starting any sort of design or illustration makes it so much easier to set your mood and not have to be constantly adjusting shades.
Beyond just selecting colors you like, did you know you could also IMPORT palettes from a photo? Here’s how:
Choose a photo with colors you love and save it to your device
In Procreate, click the color selector tool and go to the Palettes tab
Click the plus button at the top right
Select “New from photos”
A new palette will automatically be created from your photo!
This is my favorite way to easily create a cohesive palette.
2 —
Make a list of the brushes you like
There are so many brushes already stocked in Procreate that when you’re just starting out, it’s easy to forget which ones you like. So, keep a list! Some of my favorites:
My two most used brushes:
Shale Brush (calligraphy tab)
Brush Pen (calligraphy tab)
My favorites for thin line sketching:
6B pencil (sketching tab)
Narinder Pencil (sketching tab)
My favorites for painting:
Old Bleach (artistic tab)
Tarraleah (artistic tab)
3 —
Find some tutorials
Learning about layers, masking, alpha lock, grouping certain things, etc. can feel super overwhelming. Luckily, there are so many creators making incredible tutorials for certain skills that you can learn a lot about procreate just by watching tutorial videos. Here are a few YouTube videos that I learned a lot from:
4 —
Buy more brushes
I bought a pack of brushes from Retro Supply Co that has a great mix of textures, but there are so many options out there. It’s fun to experiment and new options you might not have thought about being possible in procreate. Buy brushes from artists on Creative Market or Etsy!
5 —
Play instead of practice
Ugh, I know, it’s frustrating that it just takes time and iteration to really get yourself familiar with procreate and all its possibilities, but it’s true. One of the best things about digital drawing is that you have the capability of ENDLESS art boards. You never run out of paper and ink. You can undo, delete, and wipe your slate clean again. Having a playful mindset is a great antidote to perfectionism.
6 —
Commit to a creative challenge, or simple series
Constraints can sometimes feel freer than a blank slate to play with. Setting yourself up with the structure of a 12- or 30-day challenge (like Inktober, Charly Clements challenges, holiday or seasonal themes) can really help give some momentum to your creative practice. Search #artchallenge on Instagram or make up your own!
I started doing minimalist botanical illustrations as a themed series that feel simple and doable and the repetition and constraint of a relatively-quick drawing have helped my comfort and skills in the app immensely.
7 —
Acknowledge the learning curve
You’re learning a new medium here and new complicated software, so cut yourself some slack by acknowledging that there is a learning curve and it is HARD to begin.
It’s slight, but the delay of digital lag when using an Apple Pencil compared to pencil or pen really bothered me at first when I went from physical mediums to digital. Just know that the frustration won’t last forever if you continue practicing and push past it.
After five years using Procreate, it has become one of my most used creative apps (right up there with Adobe Illustrator!) I love scrolling back through my gallery and seeing how my skills have grown through patience, practice, and a lot of tutorials. Stick with it and see what you can do!
One of my first drawings on Procreate:
A drawing I made on Procreate yesterday:
