Creating Halftone Brushes in Procreate: Full Guide

Written by Daisie Team

Published on 11 July 2023 6 min read

If you've ever wanted to level up your digital art game, creating a halftone brush in Procreate might be the perfect project. This guide will walk you through each step of the process, from getting to know Procreate to improving your halftone brush design. By the end, you'll not only have a functional halftone brush, but you'll also have a deeper understanding of Procreate and its many features.

1. Get Familiar with Procreate

The first step in creating a halftone brush in Procreate is, quite naturally, getting familiar with the Procreate app itself. Procreate is a powerful digital art program, but like any tool, it's most effective when you understand how to use it. Let's dive into downloading the app, navigating its interface, and exploring its features.

Download and Install Procreate

Procreate is available for download on the App Store, specifically for iOS devices. After purchasing and downloading the app, install it on your iPad. Remember that Procreate is a powerful tool that needs a compatible device to run smoothly. Ensure your device meets the required specifications for the best experience.

Basic Navigations

Navigating Procreate can initially feel like trying to read a map in a foreign language. The interface is packed with icons, sliders, and menus. But don't worry—once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature. Here are the basics:

The Gallery is where you'll find all your artworks. Tap on the plus sign in the top-right corner to start a new canvas.
The Brush icon opens your brush library, where you can select different brushes to use on your canvas.
The Layers panel allows you to manage layers—you can add, delete, hide, and rearrange layers here.
The Color button opens the color picker, where you can choose your paint color.

Explore Features

Procreate is packed with features that can help you create a halftone brush. The Brush Studio lets you customize brushes to your heart's content. You can tweak settings like opacity, size, and even the shape and texture of your brush. The Layers feature allows you to work non-destructively and keep different elements of your artwork separate. The Smudge tool can help you blend colors and create smooth transitions. Take some time to explore these features and experiment with them. The more you know your tools, the easier it will be to create your halftone brush.

2. Start with Simple Brushes

Before we dive into creating a halftone brush, it's a good idea to first get comfortable with using simple brushes in Procreate. This will give you a feel for how brushes behave and how different settings can affect your brush strokes.

Choose the Right Brush

Not all brushes in Procreate are created equal. Some are great for sketching, others for painting or inking. For a halftone brush, we are looking for something different. The Hard Airbrush under the Airbrushing section is a good starting point. It's simple, predictable, and versatile—perfect for creating a halftone pattern.

Adjust Brush Settings

Now that you've chosen the Hard Airbrush, it's time to adjust its settings to suit our needs. You can do this in the Brush Studio, which you can access by tapping on the brush in the brush library. Here are some settings to consider:

Size: Adjust the size of your brush to control how large or small your halftone dots will be.
Opacity: This controls the transparency of the brush. For a halftone brush, you'll probably want full opacity for a clean, crisp pattern.
Spacing: This controls how far apart each instance of the brush shape is. Increasing spacing will result in a more dotted line, which is what we want for a halftone pattern.

Don't be afraid to play around with these settings and see what effects they have. The more you experiment, the better you'll understand how each setting affects your brush.

Practice Brush Strokes

Once you've adjusted your brush settings, take some time to practice making brush strokes. Draw lines, curves, and shapes. Experiment with varying pressure and speed. Notice how these factors affect the appearance of your strokes. This practice will not only help you get comfortable with the brush, but it will also give you a better sense of how to create a halftone pattern with it.

3. Create Halftone Patterns

Now that you're comfortable with simple brushes in Procreate, we're ready to step up our game. It's time to create halftone patterns. This is where the magic happens when making a halftone brush in Procreate.

Understand Halftone Concept

Before we start designing, it’s important to understand what a halftone pattern is. Halftone is a technique that simulates continuous tone imagery through the use of dots. It's an old-school printing technique that gives images a vintage, comic-book style look. In the digital world of Procreate, we use halftone patterns to add texture and depth to our artwork. Got it? Great, let's move on.

Designing Halftone Patterns

Creating a halftone pattern in Procreate is a bit like making a polka dot pattern. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Open a new canvas, and make sure it's square. This makes it easier to create a repeating pattern.
Select your adjusted Hard Airbrush and draw a single dot in the middle of the canvas.
Now, duplicate this layer and reduce its size by about 50%. Move this smaller dot to one of the corners of your canvas.
Repeat this process, duplicating and shrinking dots, until you have a pattern you're happy with.

Remember, there's no right or wrong here. Feel free to experiment with different dot sizes and arrangements to create a halftone pattern that suits your style.

Test Your Halftone Pattern

Once you have your halftone pattern, it's time to test it out. Create a new layer and fill it with your pattern. This will give you a good idea of how it will look when used as a brush. If you're happy with it, congratulations! You've created your first halftone pattern in Procreate. If not, no worries—you can always go back and tweak your pattern until you're satisfied.

4. Design Halftone Brushes

Alright, let's put that halftone pattern to work. It's time to design your very own halftone brush in Procreate. Ready? Let's dive in.

Import Halftone Pattern

First things first, we need to import your halftone pattern into Procreate. This is easier than it sounds:

Go to the brushes panel and create a new brush.
In the 'Shape' section, tap 'Edit' and then 'Import'.
Select the halftone pattern you created earlier.

And just like that, your halftone pattern is ready to be turned into a brush.

Setup Brush Settings

Next, we need to adjust the settings for your new halftone brush. Here's a quick guide:

In the 'Grain' section, set the scale to max. This will ensure your halftone pattern covers the whole canvas.
Go to the 'Dynamics' section and turn the 'Size' setting to max. This will make your brush size responsive to pressure.
Adjust the 'Opacity' setting to your liking. The lower it is, the more transparent your brush strokes will be.

Feel free to play around with other settings too. The great thing about creating your own halftone brush in Procreate is that you can make it truly unique to you.

Test Your Halftone Brush

Now for the fun part—testing your new halftone brush. Create a new canvas and start drawing. Try out different pressures and angles. See how the brush responds. If you're happy with how it performs, you've successfully created a halftone brush in Procreate. If not, don't be disheartened. Like any good artist, you can go back, adjust your settings, and try again. Practice makes perfect, right?

5. Improve Your Halftone Brush Design

Let's face it, no masterpiece was created in a day. Your halftone brush Procreate design can always be improved. Let's see how you can make it even better.

Get Feedback

You've created a pretty neat halftone brush but let's not stop there. It's always a good idea to get an outsider's perspective. Show your new brush to friends, family or fellow artists. Don't be afraid of criticism—it's often the fastest way to improve. Remember, the aim is to create a halftone brush Procreate design that's not just good, but great.

Refine Your Brush Design

Armed with feedback, it's time to refine your brush design. Maybe you need to adjust the opacity, or tweak the grain. Or you might want to start from scratch with a new halftone pattern. Don't be afraid to experiment. The more you play around with the settings, the better your understanding of how to design a killer halftone brush in Procreate. So, what's stopping you?

Keep Practicing

And last but certainly not least, keep practicing. The more you use your halftone brush, the better you'll get at mastering it. Try using it in different art projects. See how it behaves with different colors and on different layers. And most importantly, have fun with it! After all, isn't that why we love Procreate in the first place?

Creating a halftone brush in Procreate might seem daunting at first, but with patience and practice, you'll be a pro in no time. So, are you ready to create your own halftone brush Procreate masterpiece?

If you enjoyed learning about creating halftone brushes in Procreate, take your skills to the next level with the workshop 'Animating with Procreate and Photoshop' by Nyanza. This workshop will teach you how to bring your creations to life by combining the power of Procreate with the versatility of Photoshop. Don't miss out on this opportunity to enhance your digital art skills!