Top Procreate Tattoo Brushes: A Comprehensive Guide for Artists

Written by Daisie Team

Published on 24 May 2023 10 min read

As a tattoo artist, understanding the significance of having the right tools to manifest stunning designs is crucial. Among these tools, a standout digital tool is Procreate, an app recognized for its wide variety of brushes that are instrumental in bringing your ideas to life. With the ability to create realistic tattoo designs, it's increasingly becoming a go-to tool for tattoo artists.

In this guide, we'll delve into the top Procreate brushes specifically designed for tattoo artistry, how to create custom brushes, and tips for using them effectively. We'll also discuss how Procreate aids in developing concept art, adding another dimension to your tattoo design process. So, grab your iPad and let's dive into the immersive world of Procreate tattoo brushes!

Best Procreate Tattoo Brushes

Procreate offers an extensive selection of brushes, catering to every tattoo artist's needs. Whether it's linework, shading, texture, or coloring, there's a brush for every stage of your design process. In this comprehensive brush guide, we'll delve into the best Procreate tattoo brushes by category:

Linework Brushes

The cornerstone of any tattoo design is linework, and Procreate boasts numerous excellent brushes to help you craft clean, precise lines. Some of the top linework brushes within the realm of digital art tools include:

Studio Pen: This brush is perfect for creating smooth, consistent lines with variable width based on pressure. It's ideal for outlining your design.
Technical Pen: This brush provides uniform lines with consistent width, making it great for intricate details and geometric designs.
Brush Pen: This brush mimics the feel of a traditional brush pen, allowing for expressive lines and calligraphy-style strokes.

Shading Brushes

Shading infuses depth and dimension into your tattoo designs. Procreate offers several brushes, such as gradient shaders, that can help you achieve the perfect shading effect:Soft Airbrush: This brush is perfect for creating smooth, soft shading with a gradual transition between tones.

Soft Airbrush: This brush is ideal for creating smooth, soft shading with a gradual transition between tones.
Hard Airbrush: This brush provides a more defined edge to your shading, allowing for a more dramatic contrast between light and shadow.
Noise Brush: This brush adds a subtle texture to your shading, giving your design a more natural, hand-drawn feel.

Texture Brushes

Incorporating texture into your tattoo designs can engender a unique, tactile quality that sets your work apart. Procreate has a variety of texture brushes, including stipple brushes, to help you achieve the desired effect:

Stipple Brush: This brush creates a stippling effect, allowing you to build up dots of varying sizes and density for a textured finish.
Charcoal Brush: This brush mimics the look of charcoal, giving your design a rough, gritty texture.
Chalk Brush: This brush replicates the feel of a chalk pastel, adding a soft, powdery texture to your work.

Coloring Brushes

Color breathes life into your tattoo designs, and Procreate offers a range of brushes designed specifically for coloring. Some of the best coloring brushes in the variety of brush types include:

Turpentine Brush: This brush blends colors together as you paint, simulating the look of wet paint or ink
Flat Brush: This brush lays down flat, even colors with a slightly textured edge, perfect for filling in large areas or creating bold color blocks.
Watercolor Brush: This brush creates a translucent, watercolor effect, allowing for subtle color blending and layering.

Creating Custom Procreate Tattoo Brushes

Procreate offers an impressive array of brush sets, but there are times when you need something more specific for your needs. That's where creating custom Procreate tattoo brushes comes into play. By adjusting brush shape, grain, and settings, you can craft personalized brushes mimicking real tattooing tools. So, let's explore how to create perfect custom Procreate tattoo brushes for your projects, keeping in mind the brush types ideal for contemporary tattoo designs.

Brush Shape

Open the brush library and select a brush.

Tap on the "Shape" tab to access the shape settings.
Here, you can modify the scatter, rotation, and count of the brush shape, as well as its shape source by importing a custom image.

Creating a custom brush shape from scratch allows you to achieve truly unique lines and textures. Draw your desired shape on a separate layer, save it as an image, and import it as your brush shape source.

Brush Grain

The texture of your brush or the brush grain significantly impacts the final appearance of your strokes, adding depth and character to your work. To modify the brush grain:

Select a brush and open the "Grain" tab.
Here, you can tweak the scale, depth, and contrast of the grain, or import a custom image as your grain source.

Choosing or creating a custom grain based on the type of look and feel you want for your Procreate tattoo brushes is essential. For instance, a rough, organic grain can help mimic the texture of skin, while a smoother grain is perfect for clean, precise lines or calligraphy designs.

Brush Settings

Brush settings, as detailed in the brush guide, determine the interaction between your brush, canvas, and stylus. Procreate offers a wide range of settings to fine-tune your brushes, including:

Spacing: Adjusts the distance between brush stamps, creating a continuous or dotted line similar to a tattoo needle.
Pressure sensitivity: Determines how the brush responds to the pressure applied by your stylus, essential for creating authentic stroke styles.
Opacity and size dynamics: Control how the brush changes in transparency and size based on pressure, tilt, and speed.

By experimenting with these settings and using bonus brushes or brushes for sketching, you can create perfect Procreate tattoo brushes that respond to your unique drawing style and technique, ideal for the professional illustrator.

Using Procreate Tattoo Brushes Effectively

With your collection of pre-made, custom, and adaptable brushes from brush galaxy and sets like tattoo needle brushes, it's time to harness them effectively. Understanding pressure sensitivity, layer management, and stencil techniques will allow you to utilize your Procreate tattoo brushes optimally, yielding stunning and authentic tattoo designs.

Pressure Sensitivity

Getting the hang of pressure sensitivity is crucial in achieving natural and dynamic strokes with your Procreate tattoo brushes. Your stylus and iPad will work together to capture the nuances of your hand movements, allowing you to create lines that vary in thickness and intensity. Here are some tips to help you master pressure sensitivity:

Practice makes perfect: Spend time experimenting with the pressure you apply while drawing. Light pressure will result in thinner lines, while heavy pressure will create thicker, bolder strokes.
Customize your settings: If you find that the default pressure sensitivity settings don't suit your style, adjust them in the brush settings menu to find the sweet spot that works for you.
Keep it natural: Try not to overthink it—draw as you would with a traditional pen or pencil. Embrace the variations in your pressure and use them to your advantage, giving your designs a unique and organic feel.

Layer Management

Layers are a powerful tool in Procreate, allowing you to work on different parts of your design without affecting the rest of the composition. By effectively managing your layers, you can streamline your workflow and create complex tattoo designs with ease. Here are some best practices for layer management:

Label your layers: As your design grows, keeping track of your layers can become a challenge. To avoid getting lost, give each layer a descriptive name that reflects its contents.
Group related layers: Organize your layers by grouping together elements that belong to the same part of the design. This makes it easier to locate and edit specific elements when needed.
Use layer opacity: Lowering the opacity of a layer can help you see what's beneath it, making it easier to align elements and create smooth transitions between layers.

Stencil Techniques

Stencils are a valuable tool for tattoo artists, helping to create precise and intricate designs. In Procreate, you can use layer masks to mimic the stencil technique and achieve a similar level of accuracy. Here's how:

Create a new layer and draw your stencil design using a high-contrast color, such as black.
Lower the opacity of the stencil layer to make it easier to see your work underneath.
Create a new layer below the stencil layer for your tattoo design.
Use your Procreate tattoo brushes to draw your design, using the stencil as a guide. The stencil layer will act as a mask, ensuring that your design stays within the lines.
Once you're happy with your design, you can remove or hide the stencil layer to reveal the finished piece.

By mastering these skills and using your collection of brushes, including tattoo art brushes and texture pack, you can create beautiful designs. Whether you're making brushes from scratch or using brush sets, you can bring to life amazing designs with your preferred color combinations. So, let your creativity run wild with your Procreate tattoo brushes!

Procreate Tattoo Brushes Resources

Now that you're well on your way to mastering Procreate tattoo brushes, it's time to dive into the wealth of available resources. From online tutorials to artist recommendations and brush packs, there's a treasure trove of information out there to help you refine your skills and expand your brush collection. Let's explore some of these valuable resources to ensure you're making the most of your Procreate tattoo brushes.

Online Resources

There's no shortage of online resources to help you learn the ins and outs of Procreate tattoo brushes. From video tutorials on YouTube to step-by-step guides on dedicated websites, you'll find plenty of helpful information to level up your skills. Some topics to search for include:

Brush tutorials: Learn how to use specific Procreate tattoo brushes effectively, with tips and tricks for creating realistic tattoo designs.
Workflow tips: Discover how other artists use layers, pressure sensitivity, and stencil techniques to streamline their creative process.
Advanced techniques: Push the boundaries of your Procreate tattoo brush skills by exploring advanced techniques like blending, detailed shading, and more.

As you explore these resources, don't forget to take notes and practice what you've learned. The more you apply these techniques, the more skilled you'll become with your Procreate tattoo brushes.

Artist Recommendations

One of the best ways to learn and improve is by observing and following the work of talented tattoo artists who use Procreate. By studying their techniques and designs, you can draw inspiration and learn valuable tips from their experiences. Consider these approaches:

Follow artists on social media: Many tattoo artists share their work on platforms like Instagram, showcasing their designs and offering insights into their creative process. Search for artists who specialize in the style you're interested in and follow them to stay updated on their latest pieces.
Join online communities: Websites like Reddit and Facebook groups are home to thriving communities of tattoo artists and Procreate users. Participate in discussions, ask questions, and share your own work to receive feedback from your peers.

Remember, it's not just about admiring the work of others—engage with the community, ask questions, and be open to learning from the collective wisdom of fellow artists.

Brush Packs

While creating your own Procreate tattoo brushes can be rewarding, sometimes it's helpful to expand your collection with brushes created by other artists. Brush packs—collections of brushes designed for specific styles and purposes—are an excellent way to achieve this.

Free brush packs: Some generous artists offer free brush packs for download. These can be a great starting point for those who are new to Procreate or looking to expand their collection without breaking the bank. Simply search for "free Procreate tattoo brushes" to find a variety of options.
Premium brush packs: If you're willing to invest a bit of money, you can find high-quality, professionally designed brush packs for sale. Websites like Creative Market and Gumroad feature a wide array of premium Procreate tattoo brushes created by seasoned artists. These packs often include detailed instructions and examples of how to use the brushes effectively.

When exploring brush packs, pay attention to the styles and techniques they're designed for, and choose those that align with your artistic goals. Remember, having a diverse collection of Procreate tattoo brushes at your disposal can help you create more versatile and impressive designs.

Maintaining Procreate Tattoo Brushes

Once you've built up an impressive collection of Procreate tattoo brushes and honed your skills, it's important to keep things organized and up-to-date. In this section, we'll discuss some practical tips on managing your brushes, ensuring they're always ready for your next creative masterpiece. Let's dive into the world of brush maintenance and organization.

Organizing Brushes

Keeping your Procreate tattoo brushes organized can make a huge difference in your workflow. When you can easily find the right brush for the job, you'll save time and reduce frustration. Here are a few suggestions to keep your brushes neat and tidy:

Create brush categories: Group your brushes into categories based on their function, such as linework, shading, texture, and coloring. This way, you can quickly locate the specific brush you need.
Label brushes clearly: Give your brushes descriptive names that convey their purpose. It's much easier to find the perfect brush when you can tell at a glance what it's designed for.
Prune your collection: Over time, you may accumulate more brushes than you actually need. Periodically review your collection and remove any brushes you no longer use, to keep things streamlined and efficient.

Remember, a well-organized brush collection will not only help you work faster, but also encourage you to experiment with different styles and techniques.

Updating Brushes

Just like any other tool, Procreate tattoo brushes can benefit from occasional updates and improvements. Here are some pointers on keeping your brushes up-to-date and in tip-top shape:

Check for updates: If you're using brushes from other artists or brush packs, be sure to regularly visit their websites or follow them on social media for any updates or improvements they may release. Updated brushes can offer better performance or even new features.
Refine your custom brushes: As you gain experience with your custom Procreate tattoo brushes, you may discover ways to improve their performance. Don't hesitate to make adjustments to the brush settings or shape to better suit your needs and preferences.

Keeping your brushes updated and fine-tuned will ensure that you're always working with the best tools available, helping you create even more amazing tattoo designs.

Sharing your Procreate tattoo brushes with fellow artists is a great way to give back to the community, showcase your skills, and inspire creativity. Here are a couple of ideas on how you can share your brushes:

Post your brushes online: Share your custom brushes on platforms like Instagram, along with examples of your work using those brushes. This can encourage other artists to try them out and provide valuable feedback.
Contribute to brush packs: Collaborate with other artists to create a shared brush pack, showcasing a variety of styles and techniques. This can be a fun way to learn from each other and help others discover new Procreate tattoo brushes.

By sharing your brushes, you'll not only contribute to the growth of the Procreate tattoo community, but also gain insights and ideas from other artists' experiences with your creations.

If you're excited about exploring the world of digital tattoo art on Procreate, we highly recommend checking out the workshop 'Procreate Basics: Making Digital Art' by Sameera Maruvada. This workshop will provide you with the essential skills and techniques to master Procreate and elevate your digital art creations.