Sunset Lake
In this super easy Procreate tutorial, we create a dreamy sunset lake from scratch, no experience needed. You start with simple shapes, build soft gradients, layer in mountains and glowing light, and finish with reflections, trees, and subtle effects that make everything feel magical. Step by step, it all comes together into a calm, glowing landscape you’ll be proud of.
Brushes used:
- Forester
- Ringaroona
- Jaegar
- Pine Trees
- Pine Tree Long
- Sheerwater
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Creating clean base shapes with the Selection Tool
You block in large elements like the lake and clouds using rectangle and freehand selections with color fill for crisp, simple foundations. - Building smooth gradients with Gaussian Blur
You layer horizontal color bands and blend them into a seamless sky using Gaussian Blur, creating a soft sunset glow. - Adding dimension with clipping masks and alpha lock
You shade mountains and trees non-destructively, controlling highlights and shadows while staying inside your shapes. - Designing realistic reflections
You duplicate, flip vertically, blur, and adjust opacity to create convincing water reflections for mountains and islands. - Enhancing atmosphere with light rays and blend modes
You use low-opacity layers, masks, and the Add blend mode to create subtle light rays and glowing effects that elevate the whole scene.
Cheerful Room
I found this super interesting reference photo on Unsplash and thought… why not turn this into a playful, stylized room illustration? I didn’t plan anything beforehand because I really wanted to show you how I explore and figure things out along the way. It gets a bit messy, I test things, change my mind, but that’s honestly part of the fun. And hopefully it gives you tools and confidence to do this with your own photos too.
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Dry Ink
- Studio Pen
- Soft Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Building perspective without overthinking it
You set up a simple perspective grid, roughly place your horizon and vanishing points, and use assisted drawing as a guide, not a rulebook. - Turning a photo into a stylized scene
You simplify shapes, round forms, exaggerate curves, and redesign elements like plants and decor instead of copying everything exactly. - Distributing bold colors intentionally
You spread purples and greens across the composition first, then balance the intensity with sandy neutrals and small pink accents. - Using clipping masks for flexible shading
You add shadows with Multiply layers and highlights with Screen/Add layers, keeping everything editable and easy to tweak. - Softening line art for atmosphere
You alpha lock the line art and experiment with warm and cool tones to shift the mood and make the illustration feel softer and more cohesive.
City Street in the Morning
Today we’re doing a fun little “photo-to-art” shortcut (and no, it’s not cheating). I shot this street photo myself in Ghent super early in the morning and it just had that magical color vibe, so we’re turning it into a playful, expressive painting in Procreate. We keep it simple: sketch only what you actually need, block in flat shapes on separate layers, then build up texture with a small brush set and a limited palette so it feels bold and painterly. The final “wow” comes from pushing contrast and light—Screen and Multiply masks like you’d do in photo editing—plus some lantern glow to sell that fairy-tale mood.
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Pipeline
- Sierra
- Molesworth
- Forrester
- On the Flo
- Florentine
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Use a photo as a guide without getting stuck to it: You duplicate the photo, lower opacity, and sketch only the important structure so the result stays simplified and artistic, not stiff.
- Block in clean flats fast: You use the Selection tool (Freehand + Color Fill) to carve big building shapes on separate layers, working front-to-back so everything stays organized.
- Texture first, detail later: You lay down big charcoal strokes for color variety, then slowly tighten things up with smaller brushes and saved window selections for crisp edges where it matters.
- Control detail with distance :You keep the foreground richer and the background quieter (less texture, fewer marks), so the perspective reads without you doing a million tiny things.
- Push contrast with masks: You copy/paste a merged version, use Screen + a black mask to paint in extra light, Multiply + a black mask to deepen shadows, then finish with Curves (Gamma) and a gentle saturation bump.
Love Birds
In this Procreate tutorial, we’re drawing something super sweet, two adorable love birds surrounded by hearts, flowers, and lots of cheerful textures. It’s a perfect little project for Valentine’s Day, but really, you can make this any time you want to spread a little love. I’ll walk you through all the steps, from sketch to final texture, and by the end, you’ll have a lovely piece you can gift or share with someone special. So, grab your iPad and let’s have some fun together!
Brushes used:
- Studio Pen
- Philosopher Falls
- Night Heron
- Pelion
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Using layers and clipping masks with confidence
Learn how to stack and organize your layers smartly so nothing ever gets messy, even with all the added elements. - Building characters with playful shapes
We’re creating cute bean-shaped birds and adding personality through color, shape, and detail, no stress if it’s not perfect! - Filling a background with balance and charm
Add hearts, branches, leaves, and flowers while keeping your composition nicely balanced and full of energy. - Bringing illustrations to life with texture
Use gouache and pencil brushes to give your drawing warmth, depth, and that handmade feel, so satisfying! - Finishing touches that make it pop
From rosy cheeks and wing patterns to flower dots and floating hearts, you’ll learn how small details make a big difference.
Two Tone Illustration
In this super calming tutorial, we’re creating a cozy little window scene with just two colors, yes, really, just two! You might’ve seen this trending on TikTok or Instagram, and I just love how moody and magical it looks. We’ll sketch everything from the curtains to a cute cat, add soft line art, and then bring it all to life with dreamy lighting and texture using only two hues. It’s like making your own printable coloring page, but with a digital twist. I’ll guide you through every step, it’s easier than it looks!
Brushes used:
- Bruny
- Studio Pen
- Night Heron
Canvas Size:
- 2500 x 2500 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Making the most of Procreate’s symmetry tool
You’ll set up a symmetrical guide to quickly sketch balanced elements like the window and curtains, super handy! - Creating clean line art from a sketch
We lower the opacity of the sketch and go over it with the Studio Pen to get those nice, crisp lines. satisfying stuff. - Building a full scene with only two colors
By layering light and shadow with just two tones, you’ll create depth and atmosphere without a huge color palette. - Adding handmade texture with gouache brushes
Instead of just tapping to fill, you’ll brush in your colors to give the scene a warm, natural, coloring-book feel. - Placing highlights and shadows for extra mood
We imagine where the light hits and layer on soft rim lights and deep shadows, this is where the magic really happens.
Girl with a Cat
In this tutorial, we’re drawing a cozy little scene: a girl with her white cat, sitting among simple flowers. We start with a basic sketch, block in flat colors, and then bring it all to life with texture and tiny details. It’s chill, nothing too tricky, just a relaxed drawing session with soft shapes and lots of layering. Let’s get into it!
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Studio Pen
- Nutgrove
- Florentine
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Sketching a basic composition
Start with simple lines to block out the girl, her cat, and a few gentle curves for posture and placement, no pressure to be perfect! - Building color with thoughtful layer organization
Use separate layers for each part, like the sweater, cat, and flowers. So you can tweak things easily as you go. - Adding soft textures with charcoal brushes
Bring everything to life using Nutgrove and Florentine brushes to gently shade clothing, hair, plants, and more with that lovely grainy feel. - Creating natural flow with varied leaf and hair shapes
Have fun playing with rounded and pointy leaves, and draw loose strands of hair to add movement and softness to the scene. - Finishing with delicate details and little starry extras
Top it all off with sweet star shapes and tiny touches that make your piece sparkle without overcomplicating anything.
Snow Landscape
Let’s create something magical together! In this super easy Procreate tutorial, we’ll build a peaceful snowy landscape step by step, and yes, you can totally do this too. We’ll start with simple hill shapes, add some lovely gradients, paint soft trees, and finish it all off with a glowing moon, sparkly snow, and gentle shadows. It’s all about layering, blending, and keeping things fun and relaxed. Don’t worry if you’re new, I’ll walk you through everything.
Brushes used:
- Studio Pen
- Soft Brush
- Forester Brush
- Pine Tree Broad Brush
- Moon Brush
- Piermont Brush
- Winkly Brush
- Glimmer Brush
- Light Pen
Canvas Size:
- 3000 x 2000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Creating depth with blur
By adding subtle Gaussian and motion blur, we give our hills and trees that lovely soft-focus look, perfect for building depth in a snowy scene. - Soft shading with Alpha Lock
Using Alpha Lock makes it easy to add soft gradients to hills and trees without painting outside the lines, it’s like magic for gentle shading. - Painting glowing shadows
We create dreamy moonlit shadows by duplicating tree layers, flipping them, and gently distorting and blurring, it’s such a fun and effective trick. - Adding texture with smudging
Using the Smudge tool with painterly brushes like Winkly gives our snow and trees a lovely textured feel, like a real painted scene. - Sparkles and moonlight with Add mode
The Add blending mode is perfect for creating light effects, we use it to make our moon glow and our snow sparkle just a little extra.
Stylized Outer Space Scene
Let’s create a super dreamy outer space scene together in Procreate! This one is easy, really satisfying, and perfect if you just want to relax and have fun while making something beautiful. We’ll layer soft, puffy clouds, add glowing lights, sprinkle in lots of stars, and even create some cute little planets. I’ll walk you through everything step by step, and as always, feel free to make it your own! Let’s jump in and get creative.
Brushes used:
- Tidewalker
- Studio Pen
- Light Pen
- Ragged Lane
- Ringaroona
- Jagger
- Winkly
- Sheer Water
Canvas Size:
- 2000 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Creating soft watercolor backgrounds
We use the Tidewalker brush to build up a smooth gradient sky with subtle zigzags and some light smudging for texture. - Drawing layered puffy clouds
With the Studio Pen, we stack clouds in all sorts of sizes, keeping the bottoms a bit flat for that classic stylized look. - Adding dreamy glow effects
Using a layer set to Add and the Light Pen, we make the clouds shimmer, then tone things down with a layer mask for balance. - Sprinkling in colorful stars
We use a mix of brushes and colors to create a sky full of fun, varied stars, from soft dots to bright little sparkles. - Painting simple textured planets
With the Jagger and Winkly brushes, we add two cute planets, then finish with a few loose rings and glowy details to make them pop.
Your First Drawing 2026
Okay, so if you’ve never opened Procreate before, or maybe you did and then panicked and closed it again, this is the tutorial you’ve been waiting for. We’re starting right at the beginning, like fresh-out-the-box beginning. You’ll set up a custom canvas, get comfy with layers, learn all those magical tools (like alpha lock, clipping masks, and selection tricks), and in the process? You’ll create a stunning, misty landscape that’s so pretty you’ll want to frame it. It’s super beginner-friendly, totally pressure-free, and yes, you’ll absolutely feel proud when you’re done. Let’s make something beautiful together!
Brushes used:
- Ringaroona
- Forester
- Jagger
- Rainforest
- Winkly
- Lichen
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Alpha Lock + Clipping Masks = Your New Best Friends
These tools let you paint inside the lines (without actually trying). Perfect for gradients, textures, and staying super tidy. - Making Soft, Dreamy Gradients
From skies to hills to water, you’ll learn how to blend colors like a pro using Gaussian Blur and soft brushes (hello, misty vibes). - Using Layers Like a Procreate Pro
You’ll stack, group, rename, and organize layers like a total boss. Plus, some sneaky tips for when your iPad yells at you for using too many. - Selections + Transform = Ultimate Control
Whether it’s drawing a water section or flipping your reflection perfectly, the selection and transform tools help you place everything just right. - Quick Shapes, Drawing Guides + Masks
Make perfect circles, horizontal water lines, and paint with precision using assist, quick shape, and layer masks, all non-destructive and totally magic.