Procreate Blending: Realistic Results in 5 Steps

Written by Daisie Team

Published on 10 July 2023 6 min read

Unlocking the potential of Procreate to create lifelike artwork can be a game-changer for your digital art journey. One of the key techniques that can elevate your Procreate art is achieving realistic blending. If you've ever wondered how to create those seamless transitions, rich textures, or depth in your digital paintings in Procreate, this guide is for you. We'll walk through five steps to master realistic blending in Procreate, transforming your digital canvas into a realm of endless possibilities.

1. Get Familiar with Procreate

The first step towards achieving realistic blending in Procreate is to understand the app itself. Let's start by exploring its interface, understanding its brush library, and learning to navigate the layers panel.

Explore the Interface

The Procreate interface is designed to be intuitive, but it's worth taking some time to familiarize yourself with its features. From the gallery view where you manage your artwork, to the canvas where the magic happens, each component has a specific role. Key elements include the toolbar at the top, the brushes panel, the layers panel, and the color picker. Remember, knowing your way around the app will make the blending process smoother.

Master the Brush Library

Brushes are the heart and soul of your Procreate art, and understanding how to use them will set the stage for achieving realistic blending. Procreate offers a wide variety of brushes, each with its own unique characteristics. Start by exploring the default brushes and notice how each brush affects the strokes. As you experiment, you'll start to discover which brushes work best for your style.

Navigate the Layers Panel

Think of layers as transparent sheets stacked on top of each other, each holding a part of your artwork. Understanding how to manage layers is essential to achieve realistic blending in Procreate. You can create, delete, reorder, hide, and duplicate layers. More importantly, you can adjust the opacity of each layer, allowing the colors from the underlying layers to show through, which is a key aspect of blending.

Now that you've got a handle on the basics of Procreate, we can dive into the specifics of choosing the right brushes for blending.

2. Choosing the Right Brushes

Choosing the right brushes is the next big step towards achieving realistic blending in Procreate. To do this, you need to understand brush characteristics, experiment with brush settings, and even create custom brushes if necessary.

Understanding Brush Characteristics

Every brush in Procreate has unique characteristics that affect how it interacts with the digital canvas. For example, some brushes have a hard edge, while others are softer. Some are opaque, and some are more transparent. Some brushes mimic the look of traditional media, like oil paint or watercolor, which can be especially useful when you're aiming for a realistic look. Learning about these characteristics will help you choose the right brush for each situation.

Experiment with Brush Settings

Procreate gives you control over a range of brush settings. You can adjust aspects such as size, opacity, and pressure sensitivity. Experimenting with these settings can help you fine-tune how your brushes behave, making it easier to achieve the desired blending effect. Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all setting—what works best will depend on your personal technique and the specific piece you're working on.

Create Custom Brushes

One of the most powerful features of Procreate is the ability to create custom brushes. If you can't find the perfect brush for your needs, why not make your own? You can adjust every aspect of the brush's behavior, and even use your own images for the brush's shape or texture. Custom brushes can be a secret weapon for achieving realistic blending in Procreate.

By now, you should have a good understanding of how to choose and customize the right brushes. Next, we'll look at how to use these brushes to start blending your colors.

3. Learning to Blend

Now that you have the right brushes at hand, it's time to put them to work. Blending is the process of smudging and merging different colors together to create smooth transitions or gradients. It's a vital skill for achieving realistic blending in Procreate. Let's explore how to do this effectively.

Use Smudge Tool Effectively

The smudge tool in Procreate is a wonderful ally when it comes to blending. It behaves much like a brush, but instead of depositing color, it moves the existing colors around on your canvas. This can be used to soften hard edges, create smooth transitions, or mix colors together. The key is to use it gently and gradually—too much smudging can make your colors muddy.

Apply Layer Blending Modes

Layer blending modes are another powerful tool for achieving realistic blending in Procreate. These are settings that affect how the colors on one layer interact with the colors below it. For example, the "multiply" mode darkens the underlying colors, while the "screen" mode lightens them. Experimenting with different blending modes can lead to some interesting and realistic effects.

Practice Gradient Blending

Gradient blending is a technique where you gradually transition from one color to another. This can be used to create realistic shading, highlights, and color transitions. To practice gradient blending, try creating a simple sphere with a light source and a shadow. Start with a base color, then gradually add lighter and darker shades to create the illusion of depth.

Keep experimenting with these blending techniques, and soon enough, you'll see your artwork start to come to life. But we're not done yet—next, we'll learn how to add even more depth and dimension to your work.

4. Creating Depth and Dimension

Blending alone does not complete the journey of achieving realistic results in Procreate. The next step is to add depth and dimension to your artwork. This involves mastering shading, working with textures, and implementing lighting effects. Let's dig in.

Use Shading Techniques

Shading is a simple yet effective way of adding depth to your work. It involves adding darker tones where there's less light and lighter tones where the light is more concentrated. The key here is to observe real-life objects and how light interacts with them. Notice the subtle color changes, the shadows, and the highlights. Incorporating these observations into your work is a significant step in achieving realistic blending in Procreate.

Work with Textures

Texture adds another layer of realism to your work. In Procreate, you can use textured brushes or add texture manually by creating small, detailed strokes. Whether you're painting a rough brick wall or a smooth, shiny apple, the right texture can make your artwork come to life. Remember, the magic lies in the details.

Implement Lighting Effects

Lighting plays a crucial role in creating a sense of depth and dimension. By adding highlights and shadows, you can create the illusion of volume and space. This can be done by observing the light source and how it interacts with the object you're painting. Is the light coming from above? From the side? Does it cast a long shadow? Keep these factors in mind as you paint.

With depth and dimension added, your artwork is almost complete. But before we wrap up, there's still one more step—finalizing your piece to make it truly stand out.

5. Finalizing your Artwork

So you've spent time achieving realistic blending in Procreate, adding depth, and dimension to your work. Now, it's time to add those final touches that will make your artwork pop. Let's get to it.

Enhance Colors and Contrast

Enhancing colors and contrast can give your artwork that extra sparkle. Adjusting brightness, saturation, and contrast can make your colors more vibrant and help different elements of your artwork stand out. Don't overdo it, though—keep it subtle and tasteful. Remember, you want to enhance, not overpower.

Add Final Touches

Final touches can include anything from adding a hint of texture, tweaking the lighting, or adding a touch of color to catch the eye. Maybe there's a particular area you want to draw attention to, or perhaps you want to add a bit of mystery to your piece. The final touches are all about making your artwork uniquely yours.

Export Your Artwork

Once you're happy with your artwork, it's time to share it with the world. Procreate offers several export options, from JPEG and PNG to PSD files. Choose the format that suits your needs best, and voila—you're done!

Congratulations! You've just taken a significant step towards achieving realistic blending in Procreate. Remember, mastering any skill takes practice. So, keep experimenting, keep learning, and most importantly, keep creating!

If you've enjoyed mastering Procreate blending techniques and are looking to further enhance your digital art skills, don't miss the workshop 'Animating with Procreate and Photoshop' by Nyanza. This workshop will teach you how to create dynamic animations using both Procreate and Photoshop, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for your digital art projects.