Procreate Brushes: A Comprehensive Guide for Digital Artists

Procreate's brush system is the heart of the app, offering endless possibilities for digital artists on iPad. In this guide, we'll explore everything you need to know about using, customizing, organizing, and creating brushes in Procreate.

Video Tutorial

Understanding the Brush Library

Procreate organizes brushes into sets, making it easy to find the right tool for your artwork. Each brush set contains brushes designed for specific purposes or techniques.

Accessing the Brush Library

To access the Brush Library in Procreate:

1. Tap the brush icon in the top right corner of your screen
2. The Brush Library will open, displaying all your brush sets
3. Tap on any set to view the brushes within it
4. Tap on a brush to select it for use in your artwork

Default Brush Sets

Procreate comes with several default brush sets, each containing specialized brushes:

• Sketching: Perfect for initial linework and sketching
• Inking: Designed for clean, crisp lines and outlines
• Painting: For creating painterly effects and textures
• Charcoals: Emulating traditional charcoal drawing tools
• Airbrushing: For smooth gradients and soft effects
• Artistic: Creative brushes with unique textures and effects

Organizing Your Brushes

As you acquire more brushes, organization becomes essential. Here's how to manage your brush library effectively:

1. Creating New Sets

   • Tap the "+" icon at the top of the Brush Library
   • Name your new set appropriately (e.g., "My Texture Brushes")
   • Your new set will appear in the Brush Library

2. Rearranging Brushes and Sets

   • To move brushes: Tap and hold a brush, then drag it to a new position
   • To move sets: Tap and hold a set, then drag it to reposition
   • To move a brush to another set: Tap and hold a brush, then drag it onto another set

3. Deleting Brushes or Sets

   • Swipe left on a brush or set
   • Tap the "Delete" button that appears

4. Creating Brush Set Covers

   • Open the brush set you want to modify
   • Tap "..." in the top right corner
   • Select "Set Cover" and choose an image

Customizing Brush Settings

One of Procreate's most powerful features is the ability to adjust and fine-tune brushes to suit your specific needs.

Basic Brush Adjustments

You can quickly adjust three primary brush properties:

1. Size: Adjust by dragging left or right on the top slider
2. Opacity: Adjust by dragging left or right on the bottom slider
3. Color: Tap the color circle to open the Color Picker

Advanced Brush Settings

For deeper customization:

1. Tap the brush icon to open the Brush Library
2. Tap the brush you want to customize
3. Tap the brush name at the top of the screen to open Brush Settings

This opens a comprehensive set of settings that control every aspect of your brush:

Stroke Path Settings

• Spacing: Controls how often the brush stamp is applied along your stroke
• Streamline: Smooths out your stroke for cleaner lines
• Taper: Adjusts how your stroke begins and ends
• Jitter: Adds randomness to your stroke

Shape Settings

• Shape Source: The basic shape of your brush stamp
• Grain Source: The texture applied to your brush
• Rendering: How the brush appears on screen (e.g., Monoline, Wet Mix)

Dynamics Settings

• Size Dynamics: How pressure affects brush size
• Opacity Dynamics: How pressure affects brush opacity
• Bleed: How much colors blend together

Creating a Copy of a Brush

Always create a copy before modifying a brush you like:

1. In the Brush Library, swipe left on the brush
2. Tap "Duplicate"
3. Modify the copy while preserving the original

Importing and Creating Brushes

Procreate allows you to expand your brush collection through imports and creating custom brushes.

Importing Brush Sets

To import brush sets from external sources:

1. Download the brush set file (.brushset) to your iPad
2. Open Procreate
3. Tap the Brush icon to open the Brush Library
4. Tap the "+" icon at the top right
5. Select "Import" and navigate to your downloaded file
6. The new brush set will appear in your library

Creating Custom Brushes

Creating your own brushes in Procreate:

1. Open the Brush Library and select "+" to create a new set if needed
2. Tap "+" again to create a new brush
3. Start with a brush similar to your desired result and modify it
4. Adjust Settings like Shape, Grain, and Dynamics
5. Create or import custom textures for unique effects
6. Save your brush with a descriptive name

Sharing Your Brushes

Once you've created custom brushes, you can share them:

1. Select the brush set containing your brushes
2. Tap "..." in the top right corner
3. Select "Share" and choose how you want to share it
4. The set will be exported as a .brushset file

Professional Brush Techniques

Understanding Brush Behavior

Different brushes interact differently with:

• Pressure sensitivity: How hard you press affects the stroke
• Tilt sensitivity: The angle of your Apple Pencil changes the stroke
• Velocity: How fast you draw affects the outcome

Professional artists understand these behaviors and use them intentionally.

Working with Brush Blending

Procreate's brushes can blend colors in several ways:

1. Alpha Blending: Traditional opacity-based blending
2. Wet Mix: Creates watercolor-like effects
3. Smudge Tools: For manual blending between colors

Layer-specific Brush Techniques

Leverage layers with specific brushes:

• Clipping Masks: Apply textures within specific shapes
• Layer Blending Modes: Change how brush strokes interact with layers below
• Layer Opacity: Adjust the strength of brush effects after painting

Troubleshooting Common Brush Issues

Brush Performance Optimization

If you experience lag with certain brushes:

1. Reduce the brush size
2. Lower the Stabilization settings
3. Adjust the Spacing to be higher
4. Consider using a simpler brush for large areas

Fixing Brush Glitches

If a brush isn't behaving correctly:

1. Check if you're on the correct layer type
2. Ensure the layer opacity is not set too low
3. Reset the brush by duplicating the original
4. Update Procreate to the latest version

Recommended Brush Sets for Digital Artists

While Procreate comes with excellent default brushes, professional artists often expand their collection with specialized brush sets.

Our Recommended Brush Sets

At Art and Design TV, we've developed several premium brush sets designed specifically for digital artists:

1. ArtPack Pro:

   • Our comprehensive collection containing over 200 professional brushes
   • Perfect for artists who want a complete toolkit for any style
   • Explore ArtPack Pro

2. Infinity Fractals:

   • Create stunning mathematical patterns and textures
   • Perfect for abstract art, backgrounds, and unique effects
   • Explore Infinity Fractals

3. TattooPro:

   • Specialized brushes for tattoo artists and designers
   • Includes traditional, realistic, and modern tattoo styles
   • Explore TattooPro

Free Brush Samples

Try our free brush samples to experience the quality before purchasing:

• ArtPack Sample - A selection of our most popular brushes
• Fractal Sample - Test out our mathematical pattern brushes

FAQ About Procreate Brushes

Conclusion

Mastering Procreate's brush system opens up unlimited creative possibilities. From organizing your brush library to creating custom brushes, these skills form the foundation of professional-quality digital art on the iPad.

Remember that the best way to learn is through practice—experiment with different brushes and settings to develop your unique style. And when you're ready to take your artwork to the next level, consider exploring our specialized brush collections designed specifically for professional digital artists.

Ready to continue your Procreate journey? Check out our guide on Mastering Colors in Procreate or explore our complete Procreate Tutorial Series.