10 Procreate Projects to Inspire Your Next Design

Interested in making art with Procreate? This creative iPad app brings the processes of sketching, drawing, and painting into the digital world. It offers nearly unlimited flexibility—which can, ironically, sometimes cause a creative block. With so many things to draw on Procreate, it can be hard to narrow in on a single idea. 

Need some Procreate ideas to get started? We’ve collected ten Skillshare student Procreate projects that will provide the inspiration you need. From painting to drawing to lettering, you’ll come away with enough Procreate inspiration to keep you busy for weeks. And, as a bonus, you’ll get a glimpse into Skillshare’s wide range of Procreate-focused classes, so you can continue to expand and hone your skills. 

Learn fun tips and tricks from your favorite Skillshare teachers to help you navigate Procreate like a pro.

Use these examples as starting points for your own Procreate projects, and see what you can create.

1. Digital Drawing With a Handcrafted Appeal

Created for Brooke Glaser’s Intro to Procreate: Illustrating on the iPad Pro, Skillshare student Bee Joy E.’s Baking Day provides a shining example of how digitally crafted drawing can retain an authentically homespun, handcrafted appeal. The student used just a few Procreate brushes to create this joyful portrait of a mother and daughter. If you’re looking for ideas of what to draw on Procreate, consider this artist’s decorative details, like the cascading vines of the plants, the bright patterns on the dishes, and the individual tiles. Focusing on these seemingly small details can give your next piece personality and warmth.

2. Block Stamps Design

Inspired by Liz Kohler Brown’s Block Print Style Illustrations on Your iPad, this illustration by Skillshare student Angela R. makes imaginative use of original Procreate block stamps. Animals, plants, and birds can serve as the perfect inspiration for things to draw on Procreate, and block print stamps simplify the process of drawing and replicating those things. In this piece, the student artist keeps the image simple and effective with a balanced arrangement of flora and fauna, while emphasizing textures unique to the block print style.

3.  Images With Texture

Leaves by Skillshare student Heather R. makes use of soft colors and textures in another piece inspired by Brooke Glaser’s Intro to Procreate: Illustrating on the iPad Pro. The student arranges familiar forms from nature in a relaxed, uncluttered style that would be at home on fabric or wallpaper. And as a first-time user of Procreate, the student shows how easy it can be to craft beautiful work right out of the gate.

4. Tattoo-Inspired Design

The great variety of Skillshare classes on making digital art can provide you with Procreate drawing ideas that you may never have considered previously. In their class, Procreate for Tattoo Artists, Jeremy Hazel and Jasper Bram take you through the basics of using Procreate and provide a set of unique tattoo brushes that mirror the effects of real tattoo tools. Student Mary H.’s atmospheric Boricua offers a prime example of unmistakably tattoo-inspired art.

5. Intricate Linework and Lettering

A flower may seem like a simple subject, but Liz Kohler Brown’s Botanical Illustrations On Your iPad in Procreate opens up a world of possibilities to create beautifully detailed botanical Procreate projects. In this student project, Pretty Gold Shimmer Wreath, artist Karin P. starts with a black background that allows the intricate gold design and lettering to pop. The effective use of varying line weights should serve as an inspiration to anyone looking for Procreate drawing ideas. 

6. Abstract Design

Lila B.’s gorgeous Pink Nebula fulfills all the promise in the title of Rich Armstrong’s class, Digital Marbling: Creating Stunning Abstract Art in Procreate. The artist’s harmonious yet striking use of color pushes the piece from abstract to otherworldly. Despite the impressive result, the class is perfect for beginners; even those with limited experience making art or using Procreate can easily learn these techniques.

7. Digital Watercolor Painting

The combination of hand painting and digital painting produces an impressive result, as evidenced by Brooke Glaser’s Procreate and Real Watercolors: Combining Hand Painting With Digital. Glaser teaches how watercolor and digital mediums can work together to produce beautiful work like Watercolor to Procreate Koi Fish by Skillshare student Stephanie B. The before-and-after images below reveal that using Procreate enhanced Stephanie’s finished artwork, creating a more sophisticated and painterly look: 

The techniques taught in Glaser’s class are applicable to any traditional art medium—not just watercolor. So if you are a traditional painter looking for Procreate painting ideas, you may want to consider combining techniques.

8. Transform Photo Images into Watercolors

Liz Kohler Brown’s Urban Watercolor Sketching On Your iPad presents students with one of the most unique Procreate painting ideas: Turning a photograph into a digital ink-and-watercolor drawing that looks like real pigment on paper. In Mansion Ink and Wash by Skillshare student Judy B., you can see how the artist uses Procreate’s tools for lightening and darkening to give her watercolors a natural look. The black lines she uses to define the shapes of the house and landscaping retain a similarly hand-drawn feel.

9. Animated Art

In Animation for Illustration: Adding Movement with Procreate and Photoshop, Libby VanderPloeg’s shares her process for adding a bit of motion to original illustrations. Student Carole B’s What will you create in 2019 ;) reveals how even limited movement can make an illustration spring to life. The subtle animations of steam rising from the cup of coffee, the beating heart, and the character’s eye movement add interest and intrigue to the original static image, making us wonder who or what the character is thinking about. Use this Procreate inspiration to take the most simple drawing and add something special to it.

10. Create a Monster

Sometimes the best way to learn a set of new skills is through a light-hearted, un-intimidating project. Nic Squirrell’s iPad Art: Create a Monster—An introduction to Procreate suggests that students create a “cute and cuddly” monster to learn the basics of Procreate. This process includes designing, drawing, painting, adding texture, and exporting the finished work. This can be a helpful and fun prompt for what to draw on Procreate for beginners, as you can allow your imagination run wild and avoid getting stuck on trying to make the piece look realistic. In this example, My Monsters, Skillshare student Ariel N. presents an octet of colorful, personality-filled creatures that deftly demonstrate the power of digital art-making.

Take a lesson from Skillshare Originals teacher Vashti Harrison on getting started with Procreate.

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