Coloring Tools and Tips for Coloring in Procreate - Things I Wish I Had Known As A Beginner
Procreate has so many tools and tips that are useful for coloring. Whether you’re new to Procreate or have been using it for a long time, these tools and tips are helpful. Below are useful tools and tips for coloring in Procreate that I wish I had known as a beginner.
1. Separate layers
This first one is a tip. When drawing in Procreate, I’ve found it very useful to separate my drawing out into layers. For example, keep the drawing’s outline on a separate layer and create a new layer for coloring. I’ve done this below. Layer 1 is the black outliner, while Layer 2 is the layer I will color on. This will come in handy in a second.
Tip: Don’t be afraid to make many layers to further separate out your drawing. For example, you might make a separate layer for the eyes of the dog, another layer for the fur, and and other layer for the nose.
2. Move layers
Layer 2 is above Layer 1, which turns out to be a problem. Why? Layer 1 has the outline, while Layer 2 will be the coloring. If the coloring layer (Layer 2) is above the outline layer (Layer 1), the coloring will hide the outline unless I very carefully color around the outline. You don’t have to waste your time carefully coloring around the outline because there’s a way to get the coloring to appear under the outline. You can accomplish this by moving the coloring layer below the outline layer. Hold your finger on the coloring layer until it bobs. Next, move it below the outline layer and release it by lifting your finger up off the screen. Below, on the left side is a picture of the coloring layer above the outline layer. As you can tell, it’s a lot messier than the one on the right.
3. Color Drop and Reference
ColorDrop is a tool on Procreate that allows you to fill an outline with one color. How do you do this? Put your finger on the color bubble (but don’t hold it there) and drag it to the desired area; when you lift your finger up off the screen, the color will drop into the spot and fill it until it reaches an outline.
If ColorDrop isn’t filling up the space cleanly (white appears on the edge of the outline), you probably have to adjust the threshold. Learn about that here. If ColorDrop goes beyond the outline, it could be the threshold; it could also be your outline has a hole or is extremely thin.
The only problem with ColorDrop is that you have to ColorDrop into the layer with the outline, which means you can’t keep the outline layer and the coloring layer separate… except that you can because of something called Reference. If you make a layer a reference, it will use the outlines in that layer as the guides for ColorDropping, no matter which layer you’re in. This means you can ColorDrop inot the coloring layer with the outlines on the reference layer as a guide; the result is that the color will fill the outline from the reference layer, but it will appear on the coloring layer.
To make the outline layer a reference layer, tap on the outline layer when it’s the current layer (the outline layer is the current layer if it is blue; if it isn’t the current layer, tap it and then follow the directions above). A menu will appear. One of the options on the menu is Reference. Tap Reference and you’re all set.
4. Alpha Lock
There are multiple masks and locks, but I commonly use Alpha Lock. Alpha lock is a great way to easily recolor a part of your drawing and to add details without disturbing other parts of your drawing.
How does Alpha Lock work? Let’s say I have a layer that is just the coloring of the dog’s fur, nothing else (Layer 3 in the picture below). Alpha lock isolates the dog’s fur so I can‘t draw on the blank canvas, only the dog’s fur. While on the Alpha Lock layer, I can go over the whole canvas with a new color and it will only change the dog’s fur. This is great for adding highlights, details, and recoloring. Earlier I mentioned that it’s okay to make as many new layers as you want to separate the drawing out on to these layers. Alpha Lock is an example of why you would want to do that. For example, if I had a layer with the dog’s nose, eyes, and fur, it would be harder to change the color of the dog’s eyes using Alpha Lock because the eyes aren’t separated from the fur.
5. Color Picker
Many times I’ve found that I need a color, but I’ve already gone through so many colors that it’s not in the color history. However, I can still find the color I need because of a useful tool called the Color Picker, which allows you to pick a color straight off of the canvas. On the left side of the canvas, you should see a side bar with a little white outline of a box. Tap it and the Color Picker will appear. Drag the Color Picker over to the desired color, let go of it, and the color will change to that color. (Note: the white outlined box is called the modify box, and its uses can be modified so that tapping it might not make the Color Picker appear.)
6. Classic Color Changer
When changing colors in Procreate, I find it helpful to use the Classic version. When you open the Color Panel (tap the color bubble) there are tabs on the bottom. By tapping these tabs, you can change the color panel to adjust to how you like to change colors. I like the Classic view because I can adjust the hue, saturation, and brightness. When coloring, I find this helpful because often I want a color that’s just a light brighter or a little more saturated and the Classic view allows me to slightly change those qualities to get the color I need.
7. Brushes to use
Brushes in Procreate are important. Having the right brushes that do the right thing is important. That’s why we offer brushes that you can use in Procreate so that you can create art that way you want to. My personal favorites brushes for drawing are the blur brush (great for highlights), the smooth inking pen (great for smooth, cartoony outlines), the blender brush (great for blending/acts like a blending stump) and the everything brush (plain, versatile brush); my favorite set is the Essential Drawing Set (includes many essential drawing brushes that I use often and a blender brush).