Beginner’s Guide to Procreate: What I Wish I Knew When Beginning

When I first opened Procreate on my iPad, I was excited but also a little overwhelmed. So many brushes, settings, and gestures—it felt like learning a whole new language!
Over the years, I’ve learned a few things that would have made my early days much smoother. Here’s my beginner’s guide, filled with the tips I wish I’d known when I started.

1. You Don’t Need the Most Expensive iPad

I used an iPad Pro, but starting out doesn’t require the top model. The iPad Air works beautifully and pairs with the Apple Pencil. Just make sure whatever you get is compatible with the Pencil—it’s the key to a natural drawing experience.

2. learn the Gestures

Gestures are everything in Procreate. Two-finger tap to undo, three-finger tap to redo, pinching to zoom, and rotating with two fingers. Learning these early will save you so much frustration—and time.

3. Layers Are Your Best Friend

Think of layers like digital tracing paper. Sketch on one layer, linework on another, colours and textures on separate layers. It keeps everything editable and makes experimenting risk-free.

4. Keep Your Brushes Simple at First

Procreate has hundreds of brushes. When I started, I felt I had to try them all. Don’t! Stick to a few essentials for sketching, inking, and colouring. Once you’re comfortable, you can start customising or experimenting with new brushes.

5. Save Colour Palettes

I wish I’d known to save my favourite colours from the very start. Procreate makes it easy to create custom palettes, which helps maintain consistency across your work and saves endless fiddling with colour picking.

6. Use Alpha Lock & Clipping Masks Early

Alpha Lock lets you paint only on existing pixels, and Clipping Masks let you add colour or texture without touching the layer below. These are beginner-friendly ways to control colouring without frustration.

7. Experiment Freely—It’s Digital

The beauty of Procreate is that nothing is permanent. Undo, erase, adjust, or start over. I spent way too long worrying about “messing up” in my first few weeks. Now I embrace mistakes—they’re often where the best ideas come from.

8. Reference Layer Is a Game-Changer

For colouring line art, set your line layer as a Reference Layer. Then you can fill underneath without worrying about spilling outside your lines. It makes colouring fast and accurate—a must for beginners.

9. Keep Your Canvases Manageable

Large canvases with tons of layers can slow down your iPad. Start with a reasonable size (e.g., 3000 x 3000 px at 300 DPI) and scale up once you’re comfortable.

10. REGULARLY Back Up Your Work

Even as a beginner, save your files regularly. Export PNGs or PSDs to iCloud, Google Drive, or an external hard drive. Losing hours of work is no fun!

Just a thought

If you’re just starting in Procreate, my biggest advice is: enjoy the process. Play, experiment, make mistakes, and watch your skills grow. It’s one of the most rewarding tools I’ve ever used as an illustrator, and the learning curve is worth it.

Hey, there! I’m Jasmine Berry, a freelance illustrator based in sunny Perth, Western Australia. Most days you’ll find me sketching away on my iPad or surrounded by pencils and cats, chasing new ideas. I like to think of myself as eternally optimistic—always seeing the fun, the colour, and the possibility in every project I take on. Send me a message if you would like to collaborate on a project.