Glowing Flower
In this fun and easy tutorial, we’re taking a simple flower photo and turning it into a dreamy, glowing illustration—step by step. I’m working on a nice square canvas, and I’ve got a handy little brush pack ready (linked for you, of course). We’ll be layering petals, playing with color, and using some of Procreate’s glow effects to really make this flower shine. Super relaxing, super satisfying. You can follow along with my photo or bring in your own favorite bloom!
Brushes used:
- Studio Pen
- Light Brush
- Glitter Streak Brush
- Confetti Brush
- Light Pen
- Soft Brush
Canvas Size:
- 3500 x 3500 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Outlining petals with smooth strokes
Using the Studio Pen, we gently trace the shape of each petal keeping the lines clean and flowy. - Building depth with layered colors
We stack soft color layers underneath our line work to build the flower from the inside out, one petal group at a time. - Creating that signature glow
By duplicating our layers and playing with Bloom and Gaussian Blur, we give the petals that dreamy, magical glow effect. - Adding soft highlights with the light brush
We gently brush the tips of the petals with soft highlights in matching tones to boost contrast and softness at the same time. - Finishing with sparkles and glowy touches
We sprinkle in some subtle sparkles and light dots, and even add a soft glow underneath for that final pop of magic.
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.
Cute Hamster
In this tutorial, we bring a fluffy little hamster to life: round, soft, and irresistibly cute. You’ll learn how to sketch, paint, texture, and shade in a loose, painterly style that’s both easy to follow and fun to adapt for other animals.
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Soft Brush
- Studio Pen
- Base Painter
Canvas Size:
- 3500 x 3500 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Creating a loose, organic sketch: Building up rounded shapes, simple features, and a sense of cuteness through proportions.
- Building fur texture: Using tapered strokes and layering to create fluffiness while keeping edges painterly.
- Layer-based coloring and shading: Organizing ears, paws, and seed on separate layers for precise shading and color adjustments.
- Adding depth and personality: Using light direction, painterly color transitions, soft shadows, and highlights in the eyes to make the hamster feel alive.
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.
Bear with Coffee
In this cozy little painting session, we’re creating something super cute, super chill, a sleepy bear on a tree stump, sipping on coffee (or tea, or cocoa, totally up to you), all wrapped in a calm, foresty vibe. It’s loose, painterly, and just really fun to do. We start with a soft sketch, build up those lovely background layers, and then slowly bring our bear and the world around him to life, one gentle brushstroke at a time. Nothing too precise, just relaxing and going with the flow.
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Jagged
- Wet Acrylic
- Dry Mixer
- Tapered
- Impressionistic
- Soft Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Sketching a peaceful scene with simple shapes
We start loose and light, a bean shape here, a soft circle there, just enough to map things out without overthinking it. - Layering painterly textures for atmosphere
Using big, soft strokes and playing with color gives us that dreamy, almost storybook forest look. - Using color to create calm and depth
We mix warm tones and soft shadows to gently lead the eye, with no harsh lines or loud spots, it’s all about the mood. - Adding soft texture and detail with purpose
Fur, bark, foliage, it’s all about little touches that keep things feeling fluffy, natural, and handmade. - Framing your subject to guide the viewer
We gently surround our bear with leaves, bushes, and soft shadows to keep him cozy and right at the heart of the scene.
Lemonade
Let’s dive into a summery realism piece, painting a juicy glass of lemonade (or maybe orangeade?)! We’ll focus on expression and brush character. This isn’t about pixel-perfect photo realism but more about creating a believable still life with painterly energy. The whole thing is built up from a rough sketch to detailed lighting and textures, layering in color, adjusting shadows, and letting the process breathe and evolve.
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Flotastic Brush
- Overlay Brush
- Flo Darka
- Flo Lighta
- Darken Line
- Lighten Line
- Multiply Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2000 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Creating expressive sketches from reference
Start loose with angular shapes and negative space awareness to define forms before refining. - Layering painterly textures with intentional brushwork
Using textured brushes to build depth while preserving a lively, expressive aesthetic. - Managing color and lighting for realistic glass and fruit
Careful use of lighting and reflection, including overlays and transparency, creates convincing form without over-polishing. - Combining structured process with spontaneous experimentation
Balancing process (alpha lock, layer building, selection tools) with creative detours for color and brush exploration. - Enhancing realism with subtle detailing techniques
Final passes with custom brushes add tactile texture, contrast, and visual interest without flattening the image.
Watercolor Girl
I’ve got another lovely watercolor project lined up for you – this time, we’re painting a graceful lady with a flowy dress and soft, dreamy textures. We’ll start with a simple sketch, build up soft watercolor layers, and finish with some playful butterflies and splatters to give it that extra bit of magic. It’s a gentle, relaxing process – perfect if you’re in the mood for something elegant and a little whimsical. Let’s get into it and enjoy the flow together.
Brushes used:
- Basic sketcher
- Round watery
- Water bleed
- Water flicka
- Blotch
- Big splatter
- Small brush
- Fineliner
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Building a loose, confident sketch
Start with simple shapes to block out the pose, giving your figure structure and flow before refining into something more elegant. - Layering soft watercolor tones
Work in delicate passes with the round watery brush, letting colors blend naturally for that light, painterly feel. - Adding warmth and depth with color variation
Introduce pinks, blues, and yellows to create rich skin tones and subtle shadows – don’t be afraid to be bold with it! - Creating flow with splatters and smudging
Use expressive splatters and gentle smudging to bring the dress to life and add some lovely, organic texture. - Finishing with whimsical details
Add butterflies, little flicks, and soft white highlights to pull everything together and give it that dreamy, magical finish.
Seaside Shop – Part 2
In this cozy two-parter, we built up a full seaside shop scene in Procreate, starting from a simple sketch and taking it all the way to a fully textured, vibrant final piece. In part one, we set the foundation with our sketch and line work. And in part two, we will bring everything to life with color, textures, lighting, and lots of fun little extras. We’ll drop in a background, built up layers for every part of the scene, add plants, clouds, shadows, and a cute little pineapple with sunglasses, because why not? Have fun!
Brushes used:
- Soft Brush
- Studio Pen
- Basic Sketcher
- Grungy Stone
- Barky
- Vague Stone
- Hedera Leaf
- Small Plants
- Flowers Brush
- Flotastic Brush
- Lighten Line
- Darken Line
- Flo Lighta
- Flo Darka
- Multiply Brush
Canvas Size:
- 3000 x 2000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Building up natural-looking shadows
We use multiply layers and a mix of soft and crisp edges to add depth and make everything feel grounded. - Working smart with alpha lock and clipping masks
Super handy for staying tidy while you color, add textures, or shade without painting outside the lines. - Adding texture for that lived-in feel
From barky wood to sandy beaches, we layer in subtle grungy textures that make your shop feel like it’s really been there for years. - Detailing with light and color
Whether it’s soft highlights on the water or glowing edges on a bottle, we learn how to use light to guide the eye and bring things to life. - Letting loose with personal touches
This is where your scene really becomes yours, from product colors to playful little signs and those fun party vibes.