Strawberry
For this realism project, we’re painting a strawberry. It’s been a long time since I painted one, and honestly they’re always a bit of a challenge with all those tiny seeds. But don’t worry. We’re going to approach this in a logical, layered way. No unnecessary struggle. Just smart steps, soft shadows first, bright highlights later and suddenly it all starts looking delicious.
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Studio Pen
- Shader
- Flo Darka
- Flo Lighta
- Lighten Line
- Darken Line
- Overlay
- Standard Blender
- Basic Flo
- Multiply
- Forrester
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Thinking in 3D from the start
You don’t just copy a photo, you look at the strawberry as a rounded form. By squinting your eyes and focusing on big light and shadow shapes first, you instantly create depth. - Using layers in a smart, simple way
You separate the base, seeds, leaves, and background so everything stays flexible. With alpha lock, you shade safely without ruining your clean edges. - Letting shadows do the heavy lifting
You begin with soft, darker tones to define the dimples around the seeds. This makes the surface feel textured before you even add highlights. - Making seeds feel embedded, not pasted on
You shade mostly on one side of each seed and add tiny highlights on the opposite side. Just a few strokes and suddenly they sit inside the strawberry. - Building shine step by step
You add soft highlights first, then sharper, brighter ones on top. That layering of light is what makes the strawberry look glossy and juicy instead of flat.
Realistic Pear
In this cozy realism tutorial, we’re painting a simple but beautiful still life: a juicy pear sitting on an upside-down cup. It’s all about taking your time, not stressing perfection, and just enjoying the process. We start with a loose sketch, work through clean shapes and color blocking, and then build up soft lighting, shadow, and texture with loads of helpful techniques along the way. Don’t worry if your pear isn’t identical to the reference, this is your artwork, and it’s totally fine to make it your own. Let’s keep it relaxed, fun, and full of color.
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Studio Pen
- Standard Blender
- Base Painter
- Basic Flo Brush
- Lighten Line Brush
- Darken Line Brush
- Dark Shader
- Overlay Brush
- Light Shader
- Forrester Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Starting with a loose sketch – Get the shapes down quickly by measuring roughly and looking at negative space. No need to get it perfect!
- Using symmetry for clean shapes – Great for structured objects like cups, the symmetry guide helps keep everything neat and centered.
- Building your painting in layers – Alpha lock and clipping masks make it easy to add shadows and highlights without going outside the lines.
- Adding light, shadow, and texture – Learn how to create soft, realistic lighting and some fun pear skin texture with just a few brush tweaks.
- Refining with smudge and detail brushes – Blend where needed, but keep those crisp edges where it counts. It’s all about balance!
Kawaii Fruit
Okay, so it’s winter and I really miss those sunny summer vibes, so in today’s tutorial, we’re drawing a super cheerful bunch of fruity friends! It’s a fun, laid-back project where you can play around, move things, reshape them, no pressure to be perfect. We start with a loose sketch, build up our cute fruit characters with faces, blush, and all that fun stuff, then add color, texture, and even some sweet little background flowers to pull it all together. It’s really all about enjoying the process, experimenting as you go, and ending up with something that just makes you smile.
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Studio Pen
- Underwood
- Round Chalk Pencil
Canvas Size:
- 3500 x 3500 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Using layers to stay organized
We separate each fruit into its own group so it’s easy to tweak, color, or move anything around without messing things up. - Alpha lock for easy shading
With alpha lock on, we can add texture and shadow right inside our shapes, super handy and fun with those chalky brushes! - Adding personality with cute faces
Happy eyes, tiny smiles, and rosy cheeks make your fruits come alive. Each one ends up with its own little vibe. - Mixing brushes for texture
We play with smooth and rough textures to make everything feel a bit more lively, from glossy apples to fuzzy coconuts. - Balancing your composition with details
Little flowers in the background help fill up the space and keep the whole piece feeling cheerful and fun.
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.
Realistic Macarons
In this sweet and beginner-friendly Procreate project, we dive into the tasty world of painting macarons. Whether you’re just starting out or brushing up your skills, this tutorial takes you step-by-step through the process—from rough sketching to adding lifelike texture and lighting. It’s all about building confidence with repeatable steps and having fun while painting something deliciously realistic. Grab your iPad and stylus—let’s paint some macarons that practically pop off the canvas!
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Soft Brush
- Studio Pen
- Basic Flo Brush
- Dark and Light Shader
- Flo Darka Brush
- Flo Lighta Brush
- Lighten Line Brush
- Darken Line Brush
- Overlay Brush
- Standard Blender
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Building perspective and structure using rough sketching
Start with a simple sketch to block out macaron shapes and positions, using negative space to ensure proportion and balance. - Creating clean base shapes with crisp edges
Use the Studio Pen to outline and fill in macaron shapes, choosing base colors that will serve as a foundation for future shading and adjustments. - Applying realistic shading with clipping masks and alpha lock
Use the dark/light shader and Flo brushes to simulate natural lighting, adding dimension with subtle highlights and shadows. - Adding texture using custom detail brushes
Utilize the Flotastic set’s textured brushes to mimic the bumpy, airy surface of macarons, enhancing realism through varied brush strokes and pressure. - Blurring and softening with Gaussian blur and smudge tool
Refine focus by softening background macarons and shadows, creating depth and keeping the main subject sharp and engaging.
Happy Avocados
Ready for some serious cuteness? In this cozy, beginner-friendly Procreate tutorial, we create an adorable avocado couple – perfect as a sweet gift or just for fun. The steps are super chill and easy to follow, and there’s plenty of room to play with expressions, colors, and little touches like rosy cheeks or textures. You’ll leave with a finished illustration full of charm and personality!
Brushes used:
- Inka
- Shale
- Copperhead
- Quoll
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Building layered base shapes: Start with rough, egg-like shapes and build up complexity by stacking colored layers for depth and dimension.
- Using Alpha Lock for clean shading: Apply Alpha Lock to shapes like the pit or avocado body to shade without spilling over edges.
- Mixing brushes for detail work: Switch between expressive and tidy brushes—like the Copperhead and Shale—to balance sketchy charm with clean outlines.
- Adding personality with minimal facial features: Use just a few lines for eyes, mouths, and limbs to give the characters playful expressions and gestures.
- Enhancing illustrations with subtle texturesL Use texture brushes and layer masks to softly distress or enrich the drawing, especially on the background and outer edges.
Watercolor Lemon
Want to create a fresh, watercolor-style lemon slice in Procreate? This tutorial breaks it down into approachable, mess-friendly steps that feel just like painting with real watercolors—minus the cleanup. Using free brushes and a vibrant color palette, you’ll be working with symmetry, blending techniques, and subtle highlights to bring your digital citrus to life.
Brushes used:
- Round Watery Brush
- Fineliner Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2500 x 2500 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Using Procreate’s radial symmetry tool: Helps easily create balanced shapes like citrus slices by auto-mirroring brush strokes across radial segments.
- Mastering watercolor-style blending: The Round Watery brush allows seamless color blending by keeping your Apple Pencil pressed to the screen—just like layering wet paint.
- Layer masking for highlights: Non-destructive layer masks are used to mimic moisture and shine with soft white highlights painted using black on the mask layer.
- Adding texture and contrast with multiple colors: By layering from light to dark yellows and oranges, the lemon slice gains dimension and realism while still keeping that painterly looseness.
- Combining line work with painterly strokes: A fineliner adds just a touch of crispness to select edges without making the artwork feel too perfect or rigid.
Golden Berries
This tutorial is all about keeping it loose and painterly with a still life inspired by golden berries. No sketching—just diving straight in with expressive brush strokes, exploring texture, color, and light. It’s more about the feeling and less about the details, making this a perfect exercise to let go and loosen up. Grab your brushes and let’s make something beautiful together!
Brushes used:
- Round Smeary
- Smeary Damp
- Basic Sketcher
- Overlay
- Opaque Thin
- Painterly Mixer
- Flo Darka
- Flo Lighta
Canvas Size:
- 3000 x 2000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Blocking in without sketching: Jump straight into painting by laying down big, expressive shapes, skipping the traditional sketch phase to keep things fluid and intuitive.
- Using painterly brushes for texture: Learn to blend and layer using textured brushes like Round Smeary and Smeary Damp, building depth while maintaining looseness.
- Manual brush tracking and labeling: Smart tip: jot down the brushes you use on a dedicated layer with a writing brush to keep track for future projects or tutorials.
- Photo editing tricks for painterly contrast: Use duplicated layers with Multiply and Screen blend modes plus layer masks to add contrast, depth, and light, borrowing techniques from photography.
Realistic Milk
Time for another realism challenge—this time, we’re painting a bottle, a glass of milk, and a can. The key to realism here is mastering reflections, lighting, and crisp edges. I’ll walk you through my process, from sketching and blocking in colors to refining highlights and shadows. Let’s dive in!
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Soft Brush
- Studio Pen
- Basic Flo Brush
- Standard Blender
- Flo Lighta
- Flo Darka
- Lighten Line
- Darken Line
- Overlay Brush
Canvas Size:
- 3000 x 4000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Sketching with Proportions & Symmetry
Start with a rough sketch, thinking of the overall shapes and relationships between objects. Use the symmetry tool for precision but rely on observation for accuracy. - Creating Crisp Base Shapes
For sharp-edged subjects like glass, block in flat colors with the Studio Pen before refining details. Use separate layers for easier adjustments. - Building Realistic Lighting & Reflections
Glass relies on accurate light and shadow. Use the Flo Darka and Flo Lighta brushes to gradually build depth, blending carefully for soft transitions. - Adding Highlights & Shadows for Dimension
The key to making objects look reflective is crisp highlights. Use the Lighten Line and Darken Line brushes for thin, precise reflections and edges. - Refining with the Smudge Tool
Blend edges strategically—soften transitions in smooth areas while keeping crisp lines where reflections or material changes occur.