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Procreate Basics: How to Start Digital Drawing

Procreate is one of the most popular apps for digital drawing on iPad. Here's the basic workflow to make your first piece.

  1. Create a New Canvas

    Tap the '+' button in Procreate and create a new canvas at the size you want.

  2. Choose a Brush

    Pick a brush from the brush library, such as a pencil, ink pen, or watercolor brush, to match the style you're going for.

  3. Separate Your Drawing into Layers

    Add separate layers for your sketch, coloring, and background β€” it makes editing any one part much easier later.

  4. Export the Finished Artwork

    When you're done, use the share menu to export the piece as a JPEG, PNG, or another format.

  5. Why It's Worth It

    With just an iPad and Apple Pencil, you can create professional-quality digital art anywhere, without needing paper, paint, or a dedicated studio space.

Layers are the key to non-destructive editing

Keeping a sketch, line art, coloring, and background on separate layers means you can adjust or completely redo one part, like recoloring the background, without touching the linework at all. Grouping related layers together and lowering the opacity on a sketch layer to use as a guide underneath cleaner linework are both common workflow habits worth building early.

Pressure sensitivity changes how a brush behaves

Procreate's brushes respond to how hard you press with the Apple Pencil, which affects line thickness, opacity, or texture depending on the brush. Practicing basic pressure control on a blank layer before starting a real piece makes brush behavior much more predictable, and most brushes can also be customized further in the brush settings if the default feel isn't quite right.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an Apple Pencil to use Procreate?

You can technically draw with a finger, but Procreate is designed around pressure-sensitive stylus input, and an Apple Pencil (1st or 2nd generation, depending on your iPad) makes precision and pressure-based effects far more usable.

Is Procreate available on devices other than iPad?

The original Procreate is iPad-only; a separate app called Procreate Dreams exists for animation, but there is currently no version for Android or Windows.