Procreate Pattern Brushes: A Guide to Creation & Use

Written by Daisie Team

Published on 11 July 2023 6 min read

Let's dive right into the world of Procreate—an intuitive digital illustration app packed with features that artists love, including the versatile tool we'll focus on today: Procreate pattern brushes. If you're looking to break new ground in your digital art, creating custom pattern brushes can be a game-changer. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to get started and to get the most out of Procreate's pattern brushes.

Getting to Know Procreate

Before we get our hands dirty with Procreate pattern brushes, let's take a step back and get a solid understanding of Procreate itself, the role of brushes in Procreate and what exactly pattern brushes are.

Procreate Overview

Procreate is a powerful, user-friendly digital illustration app developed exclusively for iOS devices. It's a favorite among artists and designers, thanks to its robust set of features. Procreate offers more than 200 handcrafted brushes, a suite of innovative artistic tools, an advanced layer system, and the lightning fast Valkyrie graphics engine. But the true magic lies in its ability to cater to the artist's individual touch—especially through the use of custom brushes like Procreate pattern brushes.

Brushes in Procreate

Brushes are one of the most crucial tools in Procreate. They allow you to create different textures and effects, enabling you to bring your vision to life on the digital canvas. Procreate offers a wide variety of brushes, from pencils to inks to paints and beyond. But the true power of brushes in Procreate is that you can make your own. You can customize every aspect of a brush to create unique textures and patterns—enter Procreate pattern brushes.

Pattern Brushes

Pattern brushes in Procreate are exactly what they sound like: brushes that create a repeating pattern when you draw a stroke. The possibilities are endless—you can create patterns of shapes, textures, lines, or even complex illustrations. Custom pattern brushes can add a new level of depth and creativity to your artwork, making it more distinctive and interesting. Whether you're creating detailed backgrounds or adding intricate details, Procreate pattern brushes can be a powerful addition to your artistic toolkit.

Creating Your Own Pattern Brushes

Now, let's get into the meat of this guide—making your very own Procreate pattern brushes. This process may seem a bit daunting at first, but once you break it down, it's actually quite simple and fun. You'll need to define the shape and grain of your brush, and then tweak the settings to get it just right. Let's get started!

Brush Shape

The shape of your brush will determine the overall look of your pattern. To create a brush shape in Procreate, you'll start by drawing a single element of your pattern on a blank canvas. This could be anything—a dot, a line, a leaf, a star. Once you're happy with your shape, save it as a new brush via the Brush Library. Remember, the shape you create will be repeated to form your pattern, so think about how it will look when repeated over and over.

Brush Grain

The grain of your brush controls the texture. In Procreate, the grain is an image that is repeated or stretched inside your brush. This can create a wide range of effects, from a smooth, uniform appearance to a rough, textured look. When you're creating a pattern brush, consider how the grain will interact with your brush shape to create the final pattern. As you experiment with different grains, you'll start to see the endless possibilities of Procreate pattern brushes unfold.

Brush Settings

The settings of your Procreate pattern brush are where you fine-tune its behavior. Here, you can adjust aspects like the size, opacity, and flow of your brush. You can also control how your pattern repeats—whether it's a simple, straight repeat, or a more complex pattern that changes with pressure or speed. The settings are what make your pattern brush truly unique, so don't be afraid to play around and see what you can come up with.

Using Pattern Brushes Effectively

So, you've created your own Procreate pattern brushes—fantastic job! Now, it's time to put them to good use. By mastering a few simple techniques, you can start to create some truly stunning artwork. From stroke techniques to layering and blending patterns, let's explore how to use pattern brushes effectively in Procreate.

Stroke Techniques

Different strokes for different folks, as they say. When using your Procreate pattern brushes, how you move your stylus can drastically alter the end result. Straight, long strokes can create a uniform pattern, perfect for backgrounds or texturing. Short, quick strokes can give a more scattered effect, ideal for adding detail or creating a sense of movement. And don't forget about pressure—applying different levels of pressure can change the size or transparency of your pattern, adding depth and nuance to your artwork.

Layering Patterns

Pattern brushes in Procreate aren't just for standalone designs—you can layer them to create complex, dynamic pieces. By layering different pattern brushes, you can create a sense of depth and detail that would be hard to achieve otherwise. Start with a base layer, then add more patterns on top, adjusting the opacity and blend mode of each layer to create a harmonious design. And remember: sometimes, less is more. Don't be afraid to let parts of your base layer show through for a more natural look.

Blending Patterns

Here's where things get really interesting. Procreate's blend modes allow you to combine your pattern brushes in unique ways, creating effects that can be both subtle and dramatic. By changing the blend mode of a layer, you can make your pattern interact with the layers below it, creating a sense of depth and complexity. For example, you could use the Multiply blend mode to create a shadow effect, or the Overlay mode to add a touch of light and color. The possibilities are endless, so don't be afraid to experiment!

Troubleshooting Pattern Brushes

Even the best artists can run into a few hiccups when using Procreate pattern brushes. But don't worry—with a little know-how, you can easily troubleshoot any issue that comes your way. Whether your brush isn't visible, is streaking, or is lagging, we've got you covered. Let's dive in.

Brush Not Visible

Can't see your brush strokes? It could be that the color of your brush matches the background. Try changing the brush color to see if that solves the problem. If not, check your brush opacity—make sure it's not set to zero. You should also verify that the layer you're working on isn't hidden. If none of these solutions work, try resetting your brush settings or reloading the brush itself.

Brush Streaking

Streaky brush strokes can disrupt the appearance of your patterns. If you're experiencing this, first make sure you're not moving your stylus too quickly—slow and steady often wins the race in digital art. Also, consider adjusting the streamline setting of your brush. A higher streamline value can help smooth out your strokes and eliminate those pesky streaks.

Brush Lagging

Is your brush not keeping up with your stylus? This lag can be frustrating, but there are a few possible solutions. First, try reducing the size of your canvas or the complexity of your brush. Heavier brushes and larger canvases can slow down Procreate. If that doesn't work, you might need to clear some space on your device. Procreate requires a certain amount of free memory to work smoothly, so deleting unused apps or files might do the trick.

After you've mastered creating and troubleshooting Procreate pattern brushes, you might feel like sharing your creations with others. Whether you're looking to impress your friends on social media or generate some income from your artistry, let's explore how you can get your brushes out into the world.

Exporting Brushes

Before sharing your Procreate pattern brushes, you need to export them from the app. It's pretty straightforward: select the brush you want to export, swipe left, and tap 'Share.' Procreate will then generate a .brush file that you can send via email, save to your files, or upload to a cloud storage service.

Showing off your self-made Procreate pattern brushes on social media is a fantastic way to connect with other artists and gain feedback. You can post a picture or video of your brush in action, or provide a download link for your followers to try it out themselves. Instagram and Pinterest are great platforms to start with as they're visually oriented and have large artist communities.

Selling Your Brushes

If you've put time and effort into creating unique Procreate pattern brushes, why not make some money from your hard work? There are plenty of online marketplaces where you can sell your digital brushes, such as Etsy or Creative Market. Just remember to provide clear instructions on how to download and install the brushes, and maybe include some examples of artwork created with them. This will help potential buyers see the value in your product.

If you enjoyed learning about Procreate pattern brushes and want to take your skills to the next level, check out the workshop 'Animating with Procreate and Photoshop' by Nyanza. This workshop will teach you how to create captivating animations using both Procreate and Photoshop, adding a new dimension to your digital art.