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 Love Jars
In this cheerful little tutorial, we’re making a super sweet Mother’s Day-themed illustration—but honestly, this one’s perfect for anyone you love (including yourself!). We’re keeping things loose, playful, and a little bit messy, just how we like it. You’ll sketch some cute jars, add inky outlines with character, and finish it off with soft watercolor vibes. Whether you’re brand new or a seasoned doodler, it’s all about having fun and making something from the heart. Let’s dive in!
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Flotastic Inker
- Watery Dual Color Brush
- Splatter Brush
- Ultra Soft Mixer
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Using Symmetry for Balanced Sketching: Quickly block out the jar shape and maintain proportion while allowing for playful imperfections.
- Loose Inking for Expressive Texture: Incorporate wobbliness, broken lines, and hatching for a charming, handmade feel without pressure for perfection.
- Layering Watercolor with Dual Colors: Apply rich, blended washes using Procreate’s dual color functionality to create a vibrant, blotchy background and object fills.
- Non-destructive Painting on Separate Layers: Preserve ink lines while experimenting with color options and maintaining flexibility throughout the process.
- Adding Final Touches with Splatter and Blender: Finish the piece with textured splatter and softened edges using the ultra soft mixer, enhancing the watercolor look.
Cat on a Roof
In this super fun and easy Procreate tutorial, we’re going to paint a dreamy, starry night scene—complete with a glowing sky, textured rooftops, and of course, a cute little cat looking up at the stars. We’ll be using only brushes that are already in Procreate, and I’ll walk you through every single step so you can follow along with ease. I’ve also chosen a nice tall canvas for this one to really emphasize the sky—can’t wait to see what you’ll create! Let’s get started!
Brushes used:
- Quoll
- Niko Rull
- Oberon
- Flicks
- Splatter
- Soft Brush
- Tinderbox
Canvas Size:
- 1500 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Blending painterly gradients: Using the Quoll brush with varied pressure to create rich color transitions while preserving texture in the sky.
- Layering textures with alpha lock: Learn to use Alpha lock to shade and texturize areas like the roof, chimney, and cat without coloring outside their shapes.
- Adding atmosphere with light effects: Use glow layers, splatter brushes, and the Bloom effect to enhance the dreamy night vibe with starry accents and a glowing moon.
Cute Little Bird
Want to create an adorable bird illustration in Procreate? This easy-to-follow tutorial walks you through every step, from sketching the basic shapes to adding texture and shading for a polished, stylized look. You can fully customize the colors and details to make it your own!
Brushes used:
- Round Chalk Brush
- Round Chalk Pencil
- Medium Nozzle
Canvas Size:
- 3500 x 3500 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Using basic shapes to build structure: Start with simple circles and ovals for the head, body, and wings, adjusting them for a natural composition.
- Creating texture with brush techniques: Use the Round Chalk Pencil and Medium Nozzle to add a soft, painterly texture and feather-like details.
- Layering and blending colors: Apply soft gradients and highlights to add depth, using alpha lock to contain shading within the shapes.
- Adding final details with freehand strokes: Enhance the illustration with stylized feather marks, a rosy cheek, and a curved branch for a complete composition.
Tree with Hearts
In this tutorial, we’re making a simple yet stunning heart tree design, perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or just showing someone you care. Using a carefully crafted brush pack and color palette, we’ll layer watercolor effects to create soft, artistic textures. Let’s dive in!
Brushes used:
- Studio Pen
- Flotastic Sketcher
- Hearts Brush
- Wet Mixer Brush
- Round Watery Brush
- Watery Brush Pen
- Half Loaded Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2500 x 2500 pixels
Key Skills Learned:
- Building a tree structure
Sketching the trunk and branches with organic strokes, keeping branches thinner as they extend outward. - Adding realistic bark texture
Using Alpha Lock and a textured brush to create natural, streaky bark details. - Creating watercolor heart foliage
Layering heart stamps, blending edges with wet brushes, and softening shapes for a watercolor effect. - Enhancing depth with masks and smudging
Using layer masks and smudge tools to create a soft, realistic bleed effect in the hearts. - Painting textured grass and ground
Mixing colors with wet brushes and adding expressive strokes for a natural grassy base.
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.
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.
Cute Polar Bear
Let’s paint a cozy, adorable winter bear together in Procreate! This beginner-friendly tutorial shows you how to use just two free brushes included in the app. Along the way, you’ll learn powerful techniques like using Alpha Lock, layer blending modes, and the Smudge Tool, all while creating a cute bear decked out in winter gear. Ready to bring this bear to life? Let’s get started!
Brushes used:
- Sassafras Brush
- Oberon Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2500 x 2500 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Using Alpha Lock for controlled shading: Alpha Lock limits your painting to the active layer’s contents, perfect for adding shadows and highlights without going outside the shape
- Layer blending modes like Multiply and Overlay: Multiply enhances shadows, while Overlay introduces subtle atmospheric effects like soft lighting or color accents
- Effective use of the Smudge Tool: Blends strokes and colors for a soft, painterly texture
Happy Bauble
This fun and easy Procreate tutorial walks you through creating an adorable, sparkly holiday bauble while mastering a variety of techniques. It’s packed with tips and tricks to level up your skills in digital drawing and painting. Let’s have fun!
Brushes used:
- Monoline
- Studio Pen
- Soft Brush
- Glowing Brush
- Light Pen
Canvas Size:
- 2500 x 2500 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Creating perfect shapes: Hold your Apple Pencil in place and use the one-finger tap method for precise circles and edges
- Layer management and clipping masks: Organize and isolate elements by stacking layers and applying clipping masks for shading and highlights
- Mastering light and shadow: Add depth with Multiply for shadows and Screen for highlights
- Using Liquify for shape adjustments: Reshape elements like eyes seamlessly with the Liquify tool
- Adding glow and sparkle: Create dynamic lighting effects and glowing stars using the Luminance brushes and blending modes like Color Dodge.