If you’re starting out as a graphic designer or digital painter, then Procreate is a good place.
As a beginner, you don’t need to start with difficult designs for now. You must focus on learning the basics and putting down your creative ideas.
In this article, we will look at some basic designs you can learn as a beginner. But before anything else, let’s first have a look at what Procreate is and some of the things you need to know when getting started.
What Is Procreate?
Procreate is an app on iOS and iPadOS devices that allows people to create digital art and paintings.
Procreate is good for creating raster images and original art. You can learn to draw anything on the app from your imagination. Many designers and illustrators love to Procreate because it has very flexible brushes and a great workflow.
To get started on Procreate, you need to buy it on the Apple Store. It costs $9.99 for a one-time payment, after which you own the app for life. After buying the app in the store, you need to get a drawing pencil because the app works best when using one. Procreate works with the Apple Pencil and the Logitech crayon.
It is advisable to get a paper-like screen protector too. This gives you a good paper-like feel when drawing. It also protects your screen from damage when drawing.
Beginner Tools and Features on Procreate
Before you start using the app, you need to buy or create a few tools for yourself. Many features come with the app. But since you’re a beginner, we will go through only a few of them:
Brushes
Brushes are some of the most important tools on the app. There are many brushes, and you can download free procreate brushes from other creators. You can also create new brushes for yourself and use them in your design.
The changes are so easy to make on the brushes; you will have so much fun with them. On Procreate 5.0, you can take brushes from your Photoshop app and continue using them on Procreate.
Masks
You can cover certain portions of an image without erasing them with masks. This way, you can always go back and edit your changes.
There are different types of masks, like layer masks and clipping masks. Each one has its special use and is very helpful for beginner designs.
Adjustments
You can add style to your art with a few adjustments. Adjustments also help you balance the colors in your drawing or painting. The Adjustments tools are so important that they occupy the top half of the Procreate menu.
Now, let us go through some of the best drawing ideas when starting out on Procreate:
12 Ideas for Beginners on Procreate
Looking for some pieces to try your hands on with Procreate? Here are a few helpful projects to start with.
1. A Flower or Plant
A flower or plant is an easy idea to start with on Procreate. This is because you don’t need complex imagination or difficult components to draw a simple flower.
You can easily see plants and flowers around you to draw inspiration or Google a few. As long as you use the right brush and set your canvas, you can scale through without stress.
2. A Fruit
You’ve probably seen art students practicing their drawings with a fruit bowl in front of them. There is a good reason for this. Fruits come in different shapes, and these shapes are good for practice.
As a beginner in Procreate, you need all the practice you can get. Fruits will teach you different techniques to prepare you for more complex drawings.
3. A Butterfly
Ready for a little bit of intricacy? A butterfly will help you with that. Different patterns on the butterfly’s wings help you learn complexities.
As a beginner, you can draw a butterfly to help you iron out important details in your drawings. You can also try it out if you are more confident in your style and want to improve.
4. Handcrafted Lettering
As a beginner, you can use the brushes on Procreate to write in different styles. Handcrafted lettering helps you learn about different brushes as well as their thickness. You can also learn creativity with lettering when you practice it. It will come in handy when you want to do more advanced designs.
5. Realistic Eyes
Drawing realistic eyes will teach you more about details and brush thickness than many other drawing ideas. The shape of the eye will teach you a lot, but that’s not all. You have to learn how to use the right brushes for the pupil, lids, and lashes.
If you are having trouble drawing it, you can learn online. Many YouTube tutorials teach how to draw the eye on Procreate.
6. Little Shark
The little shark is an easy shape to draw, but it can test you as a beginner. Drawing a little shark will teach you a lot about shapes and curves. It also helps push your imagination a little if you want to be perfect. Finally, it is a fun drawing and can be relaxing for beginners.
7. Colored Pumpkin
If you want to improve your curves, there might not be a better challenge than a colored pumpkin. Pumpkins involve drawing lots of curves, so they are good for practice. Also, when you add colors to the mix, they become more of a challenge. You have to learn to add your color mix to draw it
8. Feathers
Feathers are also good for learning to draw curves. They are simple and fun to draw, and they teach you a lot about shading. With the right brushes, any beginner can pull this off.
9. Coffee Mug
Obviously, a coffee mug is a good choice for learning shapes, but it’s more than that. You can also learn perspective drawing and shading when drawing a coffee mug. Also, coffee mugs provide the perfect balance for beginners. They’re not too hard to frustrate you and not too easy to bore you.
10. Trees
Drawing trees with or without leaves will help you improve your drawing form. You will also learn to improve your attention to detail by focusing on little aspects of the leaves. Trees might be the best if you want something to help you relax.
11. Chair and Table
Shading. Geometry. Perspective. All important parts of drawing on Procreate, and furniture like tables and chairs can help you master them. On the other hand, they are not too difficult to discourage you.
12. Landscape Drawing
Mountains, trees, valleys, etc., will challenge you to bring out your creativity on Procreate. You will learn how to shade, change brushes and use different forms.
If you’ve mastered drawing trees, landscape drawing will be a walk in the park for you.
In Summary
- Start with a very simple subject matter. A flower or plant is a perfect choice for a beginner. You can find plenty of reference photos online to help you get started.
- Work on your skills with basic shapes. Start with a circle or oval for the petals, then add in some simple lines for the stem and leaves. Remember to keep your lines light so that you can easily erase them if need be.
- Experiment with different colors. Procreate offers a wide range of colors to choose from, so don’t be afraid to experiment. See how different colors look when layered on top of each other. You can also use the color blending features to create new shades and hues.
- Take your time. There’s no rush when it comes to creating art. Take your time and enjoy the process. The more you practice, the better you’ll become at using Procreate.
- Use the layers feature to your advantage. Layers allow you to experiment with different design elements without commitment. You can easily delete or adjust a layer if you’re not happy with the results.
- Try out different brushes. Procreate comes with a variety of default brushes, but you can also download custom brushes too.
Conclusion
Drawing on Procreate is a lot like drawing on actual paper. So if you are a beginner learning to draw, Procreate can provide the perfect platform to build your skills.
However, you should be willing to start somewhere. You cannot start with full-blown artistic designs like a pro. Basic ideas like hand lettering and others listed in this article will serve as a guide for you to start.
Try as many ideas as possible and be creative with them. In no time, you’ll be surprised at your own progress!
