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.
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.
Birthday Cake
Creating a unique, personalized birthday card is so much fun! This tutorial is super easy and will help you create your own unique piece of cake. It will have colorful, decorated layers, lots of candles and you’ll learn how to work with text in Procreate.
Brushes used:
- Studio Pen
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Creating a Cake Base with Layers: Learn to draw multiple tiers of a cake with clean shapes, using the move and transform tools for resizing and layering.
- Using Liquify for Customization: Master the Liquify tool to adjust drips on the cake.
- Alpha Lock for Detail Work: Discover how to use Alpha Lock to add shadows, highlights, and depth without coloring outside shapes.
- Clipping Mask for Patterns: Apply clipping masks to add diagonal patterns and details to the candles.
- Adding Outlined Text: Learn how to create an outlined text effect in Procreate.
Poké Bowl
Let’s paint something challenging! I think this poké bowl is perfect, there are lots of different shapes and textures, making it a nice ‘puzzle’. In this video I will take you through my process of figuring this ‘puzzle’ out and building a color palette along the way.
Brushes used:
- Flotastic Sketcher
- Flotastic Brush
- Flo Darka
- Flo Lighta
- Overlay Brush
- Darken Line Brush
- Lighten Line Brush
- Soft Brush
- Multiply Brush
- Standard Blender
Canvas Size:
- 3500 x 3500 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Using multiple layers for efficient workflow: Layers are created for individual elements like tomatoes, rice, corn, and leaves, allowing precise adjustments and shading
- Adding realistic shading with Flo Brushes: Shadows and highlights are built with Flo Darka and Flo Lighta brushes to give depth and texture to various elements
- Crafting loose painterly styles: Balancing refinement and expressiveness, use textured brushes and deliberate smudging to keep a hand-painted feel
- Building complex details step by step: Intricate parts, like kernels and leaves, are developed in phases: base colors, shadows, highlights, and fine adjustments