Procreate
The iPad app that turned a tablet into a professional illustration studio.
What it is
About Procreate
Procreate is a digital illustration and painting application exclusive to iPad, built for Apple Pencil. It offers a high-resolution canvas that responds to pressure, angle, and speed with extremely low latency — making it the first choice for professional illustrators, concept artists, and graphic designers working on the move or preferring a natural drawing feel. Used in book illustration, concept art for games and film, tattoo design, brand illustration, and hand-lettering. Exports to PSD, PDF, animated GIF, and timelapse video.
What you can do with it
Capabilities
Sketch, ink, and colour an illustration using pressure-sensitive brushes that respond dynamically to Apple Pencil angle and force
Build a layered illustration with separate layers for sketch, line art, base colour, shading, and highlights
Record a timelapse of your entire drawing process automatically for portfolio documentation or client review
Create a custom brush from a scanned texture or photograph to replicate specific analogue media (charcoal, linocut, watercolour)
Export finished artwork as a layered PSD file to continue in Photoshop or hand off to a print production designer
How to learn it
Learning Resources
Procreate's official Handbook at procreate.com/handbook — clear and thorough documentation for every feature
YouTube: Bardot Brush and Marc Brunet cover Procreate for illustration and concept art in depth
Replicate a piece you admire stroke-by-stroke — understanding how layers, brushes, and blend modes interact is faster through reproduction than free exploration
Pro Tip
The QuickShape gesture — draw a shape and hold at the end — produces a clean geometric form instantly. Most users discover it by accident; using it deliberately saves substantial time on any design that includes straight lines, regular curves, or geometric elements.
Skills that use this tool
Roles that use this tool