Evening Beach
Summer may be fading, but that doesn’t mean we can’t squeeze out one last warm, relaxing memory. This tutorial is all about embracing those final summer vibes with a peaceful beach scene full of soft gradients, layered cliffs, and gentle waves. It’s light, easygoing, and perfect for anyone looking to unwind with some simple, satisfying steps. Grab your pen and let’s send off the season with one last golden sunset.
Brushes used:
- Soft Brush
- Studio Pen
- Monoline
Canvas Size:
- 3000 x 2000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Creating a soft gradient sky
You’ll use the Soft Brush with varying opacities to build a glowing sunset with smooth transitions and gentle lighting. - Layering rock and cliff shapes
With the Studio Pen, you build depth by stacking jagged landforms in the foreground and background. - Shaping stylized waterlines with foam
Using the Studio Pen and Liquify tool, you form dynamic, wavy shoreline shapes and accent them with dashes and highlights to suggest foam. - Using layer masks for soft light fades
Learn to add subtle lighting effects by combining solid shapes with layer masks and soft brush fades, adding realism without harsh edges. - Drawing and detailing palm trees with freehand selections
You craft palm fronds using the freehand selection tool with color fill, giving you a quick and controlled way to draw detailed tree leaves.
Pastel Paper Landscape
This is such a fun and super easy paper cutout project in Procreate. We’re making a dreamy layered landscape and this time we’re adding a lovely little frame around it too. The steps are simple, but the result has so much depth and charm. You can follow along with my colors or mix things up for your own unique piece.
Brushes used:
- Soft Brush
- Studio Pen
- Monoline
Canvas Size:
- 2500 x 2500 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Creating a layered paper cutout effect: Stack shapes on separate layers, then add shadows and light edges so it looks like real paper.
- Designing a custom frame: Use selection, transforms, and color fills to make a border with realistic inner shadows and highlights.
- Adding dimensional shadows: Apply Gaussian blur, multiply blending mode, and subtle offsets for that “lifted” paper look.
- Placing light edges for realism: Add highlights with the Studio Pen on the opposite side of your shadows to make the layers pop.
- Stylized tree creation: Use the freehand selection tool with color fill to create crisp, geometric trees that fit perfectly into your scene.
Blue House
Today we’re keeping it simple and super fun, we’re painting a sweet little blue house with fluffy clouds, fresh greenery, and all those tiny details that make it feel alive. We’ll start with a nice symmetrical sketch, use a bit of perspective magic for the fences, and then bring it all together with soft shadows, crisp highlights, and lots of playful texture.
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Soft Brush
- Studio Pen
- Adjusted Soft Airbrush
- Aurora Brush
- Soft Rounded Mossy Grass Brush
- Dry Ink Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Making symmetry and perspective work for you: use the symmetry guide for a perfectly balanced sketch and the perspective guide to nail those fences and tiles so everything sits just right in the scene.
- Laying down flat colors in neat layers: build the sky, house, roof, plants, and details each on their own layer so it’s easy to tweak colors or fix shapes later.
- Bringing surfaces to life with texture: from the soft, fluffy feel of clouds to the grain in wooden fences and stairs, different brushes add personality to each part of the illustration.
- Adding depth with shadows that feel natural: multiply layers and a soft brush help you place gentle shadows in just the right spots to give the house a cozy, three-dimensional look.
- Using light and reflections to add charm: soft highlights on the windows, little glints on the door, and sun-kissed edges on bushes make the whole piece pop.
Summer Picnic
Let’s create a vibrant, expressive picnic scene bursting with color and charm—no perfectionism required! This Procreate tutorial guides you through crafting an illustrative picnic composition filled with summery delights like melons, lemonade, pie, and more. With a playful, abstract style and intuitive brushwork, you’ll have fun layering textures, sketching bold shapes, and experimenting with colors. The focus is on creativity and letting go, perfect for a relaxed art session.
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Flotastic
- Quoll
- Larapuna
- Rake
- Exprezzit
- Chalkie Liner
- Snow Gum
- Paper Daisy
- Da Cookie
Canvas Size:
- 2500 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Sketches with expressive layout: Build a playful scene with overlapping elements and bold composition, using rough sketching and freeform shapes.
- Layered texture techniques: Use alpha lock, multiply layers, and a mix of textured brushes to add depth and visual interest to backgrounds and objects.
- Abstract foliage and tree detailing: Explore a range of foliage brushes and selection-based painting to build rich, stylized environments.
- Creating food illustrations with flair: Paint delicious, vibrant picnic items like melons, bread, and pie with multiple layers of color, shading, and pattern.
- Foreground and background integration: Frame the scene using plants in the foreground, and blend elements through strategic masking, shadows, and texture.
Girl with Flowers
In this tutorial, we’re creating a sweet, spring-inspired girl surrounded by loads of flowers. I’ll walk you through my full process — starting with a super rough sketch to figure out the pose and composition, then building it up with cleaner lines, soft colors, and all the finishing details. You’ll see how I like to plan things out, experiment with color (lots of flower power!), and bring everything together in a relaxed, playful way. Nothing too polished or perfect here — just a fun, creative flow. Feel free to follow along, tweak things, and make it your own!
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Flotastic Brush
- Studio Pen
- Shader
Canvas Size:
- 3000 x 4000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Planning a composition using the rule of thirds: Positioning the main subject and elements thoughtfully for balance and flow.
- Layer management for efficient workflow: Using multiple layers and clipping masks to keep elements organized and editable.
- Sketching and refining stylized anatomy: Breaking down the face, hands, and body into simplified forms, then cleaning them up.
- Color blocking and building palettes: Laying down rough color shapes to test compositions, with tips for palette inspiration.
- Adding texture and detail with brush variety: Bringing life to flowers, fabric, and skin with sketchy lines, shading, and subtle gradients.
House with a Garden
This tutorial is pure springtime joy. We’re painting a cheerful, impressionistic house nestled in a colorful, blooming garden, and you’ll only need two brushes to make it happen. No need for perfection—this style thrives on loose, expressive strokes. It’s such a fun, forgiving process, perfect for getting into that warm-weather creative vibe. Let’s dive in!
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Flotastic Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Layering for texture and depth: You learn how to gradually build up detail by layering shapes and brushstrokes from background to foreground, using size and opacity variations.
- Color mixing through brushwork: Instead of blending, you apply a variety of shades with deliberate dabs and strokes to create depth and vibrancy, especially in the foliage and flowers.
- Adding detail through controlled brush size: By gradually decreasing brush size and switching colors, you create the illusion of detailed flowers, windows, and textures without overworking.
- Using Alpha Lock for clean shading and accents: Alpha Lock becomes essential in keeping your textures and highlights inside the shapes—especially on elements like the roof, windows, and clouds.
House on a Hill
This tutorial walks you through creating a whimsical, textured landscape in Procreate, complete with rolling hills, a cozy house, and expressive trees. The beauty of this painting lies in its wonky, imperfect strokes—so no need for perfectionism!
Brushes used:
- Monoline
- Nikko Rull
- Quoll
- Studio Pen
- Tinderbox
- Oberon
- Freycinet
- Burnt Tree
- Flicks
- Inka
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Layering for depth: Build hills in layers, placing darker tones in the foreground and lighter ones in the background to create a sense of depth.
- Adding texture with Alpha Lock: Use Alpha Lock and brushes like the Quoll and Nikko Rull to create painterly textures and blended gradients.
- Painting a wonky house: Construct a playful house with simple shapes, layering elements like the roof and windows for a fun, slightly offbeat look.
How to draw Eyes
In this week’s tutorial I’d like to show you easy ways to draw eyes for your characters. These are perfect for your children’s book illustration style characters or semi realistic characters. I’ve created a handy practice sheet you can use to try out different styles.
Also, I found this super handy and inspiring website where you can find loads of character design sheets. Just check out their visual library 👍🏻 https://characterdesignreferences.com/
I have also attached a cheat sheet to this post that I made last year for the how to draw a stylized portrait tutorial.
10 Easy Drawings
Looking for quick, simple, and fun Procreate drawings? Here are 10 super easy Procreate drawing ideas for when you are bored!
Brushes used:
- Studio Pen
- Monoline
- Soft Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2500 x 2500 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Using Liquify for Shape Adjustments: Master reshaping and refining objects with Procreate’s Liquify tool
- Employing Clipping Masks and Alpha Lock: Gain control over layers by confining details like patterns and shading to specific areas.
- Customizing Backgrounds and Adding Textures: Learn to complement your drawings with subtle gradients, shadows, and textures for depth.
- Working with Symmetry Tools: Efficiently create intricate designs, such as umbrellas and suns, using radial and vertical symmetry.
- Layer Organization and Advanced Effects: Manage layers with features like reference, layer masks, and blending modes to create glowing effects and polished compositions.