The Ultimate Drawing and Painting on the iPad with Procreate

Explore procreate's interface, create custom canvases with size, dpi, rgb color, and imports, then use brushes, smudge, eraser, transform, and selections.

Explains iPad Procreate gestures for drawing, including undo and redo with multi-finger taps, zoom, rotate, color picker, and layer operations, plus snapping shapes and customizing gestures.

Explore how layers in Procreate on the iPad function as separate sheets, manage order, use alpha lock and masks, and combine or group layers for precise digital painting.

Explore Procreate brushes on the iPad, from sketch pencils to airbrush textures. Organize your brush window for quick access and enable monochromatic coloring for clean line art.

Explore brush options in Procreate, adjust spacing and jitter for dot or zigzag lines, and use streamline for smoother strokes; learn to export and import brushes.

Practice rough sketching with lines using a 6B pencil on iPad, focusing on circles, straight lines, and curves; develop rhythm, tone variation, and control with light guidelines and deliberate strokes.

Practice clean line work in Procreate by using the Studio Pen and Monoline Brush, tracing on an imported reference with separate layers and adjustable opacity for smooth lines.

Learn to build accurate shapes by using basic forms—sphere, cylinder, cuboid—and substitution for complex objects, then compare distance, size, angle, blank space, and flow from a standard point.

Practice sketching shapes by starting with big shapes, then small shapes, using a 6B pencil; compare rough sketches to refine proportions, space, and angles, building a foundation for drawing characters.

Learn how value and saturation define lightness and color intensity, distinguish value from saturation, and use Procreate adjustments to compare tones and hues, improving color accuracy when copying.

Explore contrast and shadows by examining five levels: light, halftone, core shadow, reflected light, and cast shadows, and practice applying them to spheres and cylinders.

Master contrast simplification by focusing on big volumes, using light direction, halftone, core shadows, and cast shadows to guide shading, while distinguishing contrast from value and applying basic shapes.

Practice simplifying contrast by analyzing light from the top left, identifying halftone and core shadow on cylinders and soft objects, and using color shadow values for believable volume.

Master the basics of color, including warm and cool hues, complementary and similar colors, and neutral colors, then apply brightness contrast and a base–dark–bright order to create mass and emphasis.

Master Procreate sketching by setting a custom canvas, managing layers, and using curved lines and overlaps to render leaves, a simple tree, and food items like hot dog and burger.

Sketch school items and a teddy bear in Procreate on the iPad using layers and basic shapes; refine with liquify, transform, and layer merging, prepare for color and light effects.

Color objects on the iPad using Procreate by layering base colors, refining shapes, and applying shading. Master tools like opacity, selection, hue adjustments, and fills for leaves, pots, and foods.

Learn to color props and apply light in Procreate by building volume with dark and light layers, clipping masks, and overlays, using brushes to shade the bag, crayons, and teddy.

Explore the golden ratio and basic head proportions to draw convincing faces, using a sphere framework and one-third divisions to place hairline, eyebrows, nose, lips, chin, ears, and neck.

Practice drawing heads from different angles using the golden ratio to locate the chin, nose, and eyebrows, refining structure with cross sections and center lines.

Explore the eye’s structure, from the iris and pupil on a spherical eyeball to the eyelid, waterline, and eyelashes, and how light and shading shape realism.

Build lips from three circles, shape the lower lip with a slight v, and add volume with strategic shadows at the corners, center, and middle of the bottom lip.

Draw the eyes and mouth for a casual character face using symmetry guides, shading the iris, eyelashes, and lips, then compare child and adult expressions.

Learn to construct the nose from a trapezoid and three spheres, shade with light from above, and render nostrils, bridge, and volume from front and side views in procreate.

Master the ear silhouette with six lines and a waterdrop shape, and learn the inner ear’s three parts—oracle, inner space, and a Y-shaped bone—placed between the eyebrows and the nose.

Draw various facial expressions on the iPad with Procreate, mastering facial curves, brow bone, eyes, cheeks, and chin while using guides and exaggeration for character faces.

Learn to draw hair with natural direction, emphasizing the part and tie, volume from the head, and irregular curved lines rather than strand-by-strand drawing.

Practice three hairstyles from different angles using Procreate, building the sketch on separate layers, refining silhouettes, and adding shadows and hair strands with color and opacity adjustments.

Master simplifying the human body by building a structured skeleton with sphere, cube, and cylinder to capture proportions, center alignment, and silhouette, then gradually add muscles.

Practice simplification of the human body using real photos, focusing on head to hips, spine line, and cylindrical limbs; learn to observe curves over straight lines and sketch in blocks.

Learn to draw hands by simplifying the palm and back into a cube, rendering fingers as cylinders with joints, and accurately placing the thumb muscle for natural curves.

Master drawing the arm with three parts—the shoulder, upper arm, and lower arm—focusing on joints, curves, and folds to avoid flat silhouettes, with proportional guides.

Learn to draw feet by simplifying to a three-part sole, guiding all five toes together, and using diagonal flows, with landmarks like the ankle bone, Achilles tendon, and heel.

Learn to draw legs with three flows—inner thigh, outer thigh, and shin—using natural curves, proportional guidelines, and subtle shading to create dynamic silhouettes.

Explore three croquis poses by combining learned techniques, emphasizing anatomy, overall pose flow, and clothing on the body while using reference images and simple facial features.

Learn to draw clothing wrinkles by focusing on bends and tight areas, following the flow of fabric, and adding depth with varied line thickness and shadows.

Learn to sketch character outfits in Procreate by layering clothes, tracing body volume and flow, and adding wrinkles, coats, shirts, pants, shoes, bags, and accessories.

Color the outfit in Procreate by consolidating sketches, building base colors on separate clothing layers, and refining with shadows, wrinkles, and texture details.

Learn the basics of perspective by constructing cubes with vanishing points on the horizon. Master one-point, two-point, and three-point perspectives and how viewpoint changes visible faces and depth.

Learn to analyze and draw one-point and three-point perspectives using vanishing points, Procreate drawing guides, and practice with perspective boxes, houses, and bridges.

Learn how aerial perspective and the rule of thirds shape layout and depth, then arrange close, middle, and distant elements with varying saturation and brightness.

Practice thumbnail sketches using the rule of thirds and varied proportions to plan space before drawing, establish a horizon, and convey near, mid, and far distances.

Learn to sketch a room using two-point perspective, starting with rough boxes, aligning objects along perspective lines, and adding mood with tone, props, and varied shapes.

Color a room scene in Procreate by layering base tones, managing layers, using selection tools and clipping masks, applying light from the right, texture, and color adjustments with hue/saturation/brightness.

Sketch a baby with close-set eyes and nose, a short chin, and a plump, water-drop body, using rounded curves and a soft silhouette; refine with liquify and optional outfit ideas.

Color a baby sketch in Procreate by painting on a new layer beneath the draft, while adjusting hue, saturation, brightness, and refining shape with liquify and layered shadows.

Color a kitchen scene in procreate by layering a neutral base, painting space first, and applying shadows, hue adjustments, and selective color mixing to heighten depth for background and character.

Sketch a female character for the theme i don't feel like studying on a 3000 by 3000 canvas using an HB pencil, focusing on accurate proportions, facial features, and pose.

Color the sketch with a base color and studio pen, manage layers for big shapes, then add shading, glow, and final touches using clipping masks and liquify.

Create an outdoor beach sketch in Procreate on the iPad, building a layered composition with horizon, rocks, grass, and clouds while applying aerial perspective and a character on separate layers.

Combine the character and background sketches and color the ocean and sky in Procreate using layers, clipping masks, and brushes to create distance, waves, texture, and moody glow.

Begin with memories by selecting 3 or 4 keywords via a mind map, then use thumbnail sketches to explore layout, canvas ratios, perspective, and mood before detailing.

Master a detailed sketch in Procreate on iPad, from a thumbnail to a 3000 by 2200 canvas at 300 dpi, placing the child, dog, and patterned details.

Practice coloring in Procreate, adjust the sketch layer opacity, and establish background tones. Use clipping masks, square selection, and blending modes to refine textures, walls, and figures.

Explore the deform technique to transform features by exaggerating or reducing parts, using size variation and basic shapes—circles, triangles, squares—to create expressive, stylized characters.

Learn to sketch pets as characters by building from simple shapes, focusing on dogs and cats, and maintaining symmetry and correct perspective with Procreate on iPad.

Color a pet character in Procreate by using new layers with clipping masks for fur, then draw features and add highlights, shadows, and overlays for volume.