Procreate has become an indispensable tool for digital artists around the world. With its intuitive interface and incredible versatility, it offers a smooth experience for creating art. If you want to make the most of it and streamline your workflow, here are five practical tips to improve and speed up your creative process.
1. Use Custom Gesture Shortcuts
One of the quickest ways to improve your workflow in Procreate is by setting up custom gesture shortcuts. Procreate allows you to assign specific gestures to common actions like undo, redo, switching between brush and eraser, or quickly accessing tools.
How to set it up:
- Go to the wrench icon and select Preferences > Gesture Controls.
- Assign actions to gestures like tapping with two fingers to undo, three fingers to redo, or even a quick double-tap on your Apple Pencil to switch tools.
These shortcuts will save you time and make your creative process much smoother.
2. Use Reference Layers for Coloring
Did you know you can use a reference layer to keep your lines intact while coloring on a separate layer? This technique is especially useful for projects that require clean details and organized layers.
How to do it:
- Draw your lines or outlines on a new layer.
- Tap the layer name and select “Reference”.
- Create a new layer below the reference layer and start coloring. Procreate will use the outlines from the reference layer to fill in areas, but your colors will remain on a different layer.
This allows you to experiment with colors without affecting the original lines, keeping your project clean and organized.
3. Undo and Redo with Gestures
One of the simplest and fastest features in Procreate is using gestures to undo and redo actions, without needing to search for buttons or go through menus.
How to do it:
- To undo, simply tap the screen with two fingers.
- To redo, tap the screen with three fingers.
These gestures are extremely helpful when you need to correct a mistake or go back to a previous action, allowing you to continue drawing without interruptions.
4. Use Drawing Guides for Precision
If you’re working on illustrations that require precision, Procreate’s drawing guides are an essential tool. You can use grids, perspective guides, or symmetry to ensure your drawings are aligned and proportional.
How to activate them:
- Go to the settings menu (the wrench icon) and select Canvas > Drawing Guide.
- Tap Edit Drawing Guide and choose from 2D Grid, Isometric, Perspective, or Symmetry.
- Adjust the size, color, and other settings to fit your needs.
These guides are perfect for maintaining consistency in your drawings and speeding up the process when working with complex shapes or scenes with depth.
5. Use Symmetry Guides for Complex Designs
Symmetry guides in Procreate are a powerful tool when you need to create symmetrical designs quickly and accurately, like mandalas, characters, or geometric patterns.
How to use symmetry:
- Activate the Drawing Guide from the settings menu (the wrench icon) and select Edit Drawing Guide.
- Choose Symmetry from the available guide options.
- Customize the symmetry, choosing between vertical, horizontal, or radial symmetry.
With this feature, anything you draw on one side of the canvas will automatically replicate on the other, allowing you to create perfectly balanced illustrations with minimal effort.
Conclusion
Mastering these five Procreate tricks will help you work faster, more precisely, and more efficiently. Whether you’re setting up custom gestures or using drawing guides, these tips are designed to enhance your workflow and help you create digital art more effectively. Try them out and take your Procreate skills to the next level!