Creating Paper Cut Out Art in Procreate

1. Intro: Hi, I'm flow A. You might know me from my easy to follow YouTube tutorials or my more end up classes here at skill share. In this class, I will be showing you how you can create paper cut out art in procreate without touching scissors. When you sign up for this class, you will get a special paper texture brush, which we will be using to create the class project. I will guide you through the process of creating paper cutout Artim procreate from sketch to finish and in the resource section, along with the brush that I just told you about. You will find working files and color palettes to help you get started creating your own paper cutout artwork, and I'm sure that you can create this. And if you need help, I'm always here to answer questions and to guide you through the process. I'm looking forward to having you in the class. Let's get started 2. The Brush: If you want to create a paper cut out effect and procreate, you will want that paper look. That's why I have created a brush To create a passel paper texture, you can find the brush in the resource section. Do be sure to use a browser, though, and not the skill. Share app, because you probably can download it through the skill share app and let me just demonstrate how you can use this brush. To create that paper effect, I have created thes squares to demonstrate brush. If you want to make light color paper, you'll have to start with a light base for your paper. And if you want to create darker paper colors, I would suggest starting out with a darker base color. First, let's create a variety of light color papers. I have selected the pastoral paper brush and let's go to that first square and let's drop on a light blue. I'm demonstrating blue color papers, but you can do this with any color of paper. Just go ahead and experiment with this brush. I have the size set to around 75% and the opacity is at 100% and just make one big stroke over your paper or over at that square. Be sure to cover your paper with just one stroke, because if you make multiple strokes, it'll get darker and the texture of the paper won't be that visible anymore. Now let's create a darker paper. I'll go to the second square and picked this blue and I. If I just make one stroke, you can nicely see that passed all paper texture. And now, for the third block, I'll pick this dark blue, and I'll just make one stroke to create the texture. So just don't lift your pen. Now we'll move to the darker squares, go to the fourth square and let me pick this dark blue. That's how you can create darker shades of paper of pastel paper. This one is even darker, and now let's go to the sixth square. Now pick this darkest color to create an even darker looking piece of paper. 3. Exercise: Creating the effect: When you want to create a paper cut up effect, you will need two things. Two layers for each layer of paper. Actually, you'll need one layer with the color paper on it, and you will need a layer below it with the drop shadow that is created by that piece of paper. Let's do a little exercise to practise creating that drop shadow. First thing we'll do is create a random sheep. The cameras here, by the way, is 2500 by 2500 pixels, but it doesn't really matter. Let's use the monoline brush, which you confined under calligraphy, and let's pick a color for our paper. Let's start out with this light blue. Now let's make a random shape and let's fill the outside off that cheap. Let's imagine that this is a piece of paper. Like I said, we will need two things. Two layers. One layer will be paper texture, and one layer will be to drop shadow, so we will have to duplicate this layer to create both. So this top layer, we will add the texture, too, and its bottom layer That will be the drop shadow. Let's turn that off for now, and to add a texture to this layer, we will set it to Alfa Lock. What that does is it enables us to Onley paint on the paint that's already there. So that's that blue shape. The center off this layer is transparent, so nothing will show up there. We'll go back to the past all paper brush and add some texture to this paper earlier. Let's add a bright blue and cover the entire canvas with just one stroke, so don't lift your pen. And next, let's also add a color to the bottom, so we'll have to add a new layer and dragged up below the paper textual layer and the layer that will become the drop shadow. Let's add a darker color paper there. We use a darker blue as a base and will use the pastel paper brush to add a dark texture. Now it's time to make that drop shadow and really get that paper cutout effect. So let's go to the layer, which we will turn into the drop shadow. Let's turn it on. Now let's fill the shape with a dark color, dark, almost black color, bluish black and just drag and the color on the shape and it'll turn dark. Next thing will do is shift this layer. You can do that by going to the arrow to the move tool, and you can turn off Magnetics, and you can just drag this layer a bit to the right and to the bottom. You can just play around with that. The further you drag your layer, the more space there seems to be between this layer of paper and a bottom layer of paper. If you move it more close to the paper to the texture paper layer, it'll seem as if it's closer to the other layer of paper, so you can just play around with that. Let's go for something like this, and the next step is to blurt this layer so we'll go to the magic long and use Gaussian Blur. Now, if you drag your pen to the right on your screen, you'll increase the amount of Blur and hear us. Well, you can play around with the settings. I'll go for something between eight and 9%. Finally, we can make this paper appear less flat, will do that by adding a light line to the parts off which light is hitting. In this case, light is coming from the top left here, creating that shadow area, and it'll hit a slight edge of paper here. Let's go to the layer with the paper texture on it. And since al Falah custard you will only be able to paint on that color that is already there. And that's super handy for our brush. We will go to this catching brushes and used a soft passel bush l Let's pick this very light blue in the color palette. And of course you can Doll. Oh, this color palette through the resource is area. And again, be sure to use a browser and not the skill share at because it seems he can doll. Oh, the resource is through the app. The brush is pretty small. I have said it to Rwanda. 2%. Let's zoom in a little bit and let's imagine that the light is coming from here hitting some parts of the paper. Why here? Let's just go over that edge and make it look as if you can see a slight edge of that paper . You don't give a bit more volume two to paper as if it's not really thin paper, but a more thick kind of paper. Because if you are really creating paper cut out, aren't you? Don't want paper that is too thin. I can imagine. You can just turn around your canvas and add the's light areas to places where you imagine life would hit that side of the paper. As you can see, that really improves the paper cut out effect. Now you're ready to get started with your paper cutout project. 4. Making a Sketch: first thing you'll need to do when getting started with your paper cutout project is come up with an idea and get started sketching. This will really help you out in the paper cutting process. It will help you plan out all the layers of paper. Now, if you need some ideas for your paper cut up project, you can check out the projects that I've shared into Project Section to get some inspiration. But of course, you can also just hop on onto Pinterest or check some photos on photo websites to get some ideas of what you could make for your paper cut up project. I have decided to go for some sharks in a reef, so let's get started with sketching for a sketching brush. I will just use the HB pencil. It is already in procreate, and it's a great brush or pencil, actually first catching, and I will just said it to a dark, great color. How soon? Out a little bit and I will set my brush to Well, let's say 68% pretty big Anil starts catching out my shapes. I'll start out with the outer shape of my reef. I'm gonna make some flowing lines, pretty much almost touching the outside of my canvas. The campus is 2500 pixels by 2500 pixels, right away, just making flowing lines that doesn't need to be old tidy. We just need a plan for our paper shapes, so this will be the top layer of paper, and now I'll go to the layered that will be underneath it and make some more of these flowing shapes. In this case, they will overlap with the layer that I've already got. But that will that will look really nice with the paper cutout effect. Won't he shapes to be overlapping at some parts, getting close together? I just need to make sure to keep in mind which one is on top that you make that that line a little bit sicker, for example, then we'll go to the next layer of paper, still just making very probably lines, making it overlap with some butter layers of paper. Let's also add some coral coral shapes to this layer, and with paper cut out, it's important that you don't make two tiny shapes. Imagine that you would really have to cut this out with a scissor When it comes to riel paper cut out art. Usually you'll find relatively simple shapes unless it's from some kind of scissor wizard that's really good at yeah, by cutting these really tiny piece of paper. Yeah, just imagine having to use a scissor to cut out these shapes. Try to come up with something simple. All right, let's move to the next. This one will be below this layer of paper with coral, - so we have 1234 layers of paper. Right now. Let's continue. Make another one, and I want to add some more coral later to this one. So it's like we're looking into this deep hole like a coral cave from above and still just try to make these parts of paper overlap. In some places, I'll make a piece of coral again. Just a quick sketch. I don't have to make anything really complicated. Just try to keep it simple. Let's go to the next layer of paper and let's make one final one at the bottom off this grief. How, of course, I also want to add some sharks. Well, let's make a circle for its head first that it's too. Let me make a brush a bit bigger, perhaps 80% spins at side, and we can really work on that shape of the shark later when we are filling all these pieces of paper. But you do want to get a sense of the layout off your paper Cut up project. Let's make another shark here. It's like they're circling in this reef. These are a bit smaller. Well, they're not really smaller, but they are further down in that reef like cave, so they will appear to be smaller and we'll have a really small one or, well, it's really deep there. Well, I'm not a shark here, and here's our Super Massey sketch. If you feel the need to tidy up your sketch, you can just do that by lowering the opacity of her sketch and then make a new layer on top of it. And on that layer, you could just follow the lines that yeah, those messy lines that you just created and create a more detailed sketch. But I think I'll just go for the messy Skitch. We'll manage. I will turn down the opacity a little bit before we move on to the next step. I'll go to around 60% 5. Filling Shapes: it's time to create our colored papers. And like I said earlier in the class, each layer of paper will need a layer for the paper texture and a layer for the shadow. Let's just get started with the paper. That's all the way at the bottom. We'll create a new layer underneath our sketch, so click the plus and dragged below the others. This layer is the only one that doesn't need a drop shadow layer. This is just the base on which we are building our paper cutout artwork. This paper will be very dark, so we'll drop in this color first and you can download this. Call a pilot through the resource area in case you want to use the exact same colors I'm using. So now let's switch to the passel paper brush and I'll pick this darkest color in our color palette. And I'll just go over the entire campus with one single stroke without lifting my pencil. If you wanted to be even darker, you can make a second pass, creating a very dark based paper, and I'll we can't see anything anymore. So let's lower the opacity of this layer a little bit so we're able to see our sketch now. You can choose to either work from the top to the bottom, starting with the outside shape. Well, the top shape or you can go from the bottom to the top. Let's go from the bottom to the top. This time, we'll create a new layer out this layer. We will create that shape for that bottom piece of paper. So let's switch to the monoline brush, which you confined under calligraphy. And let's pick this color, which we will use as a base for our paper texture. Let's follow that shape that we created in our skitch, and you can drag in the color all that outside to create a piece of paper that has a hole in the center. Max will want to add that paper texture, but first you will need to duplicate this layer, so we also have a layer for our drop shadow. So slide to the left iron layer and click duplicate. This bottom layer will be our crop shadow, and this top layer will be the paper texture. So we'll have to switch to the pastoral paper brush again and will make a shade of paper that is slightly lighter than our base shade of paper. So let's turn opti opacity year. That way we can easily check the color of our next layer of paper. You do want to set this layer to L flock, though that way we will only be painting on the pixels, the color that is already on this layer. Now again, let's just pick that darkest color. But this time we will only use it for one pass, so go over the entire layer without lifting your pen to fill it with that pastoral paper texture. Now we are ready to go to the next layer. Let me just lower the opacity of the bottom layer again and also this top layer. So we are able to see this catch better, and we'll make a new layer on top for our next shape will go back to the model. I'm brush and pick this collar again because this piece of paper will also be pretty dark. I'm going to make a brush a little bit bigger, let's say 16% but it's really a matter of personal preference, and I'll follow the next shape. Make sure to close it and drag in the color on the outside and how we can turn up the capacity of the other layers again and again, to be sure to duplicate this layer. So we have a layer for the paper texture and a layer for the drop shadow, which we will make later. Turn on Al Flock on this layer switched to the passel paper brush. Now let's create a caller got a slightly lighter than the color that we just created. So I'm picking this fourth color in the color palette and again make sure that you cover your entire canvas, which is one stroke without lifting your pencil and on to the next layer of paper. Let's click the plus for a new layer and let's turn down the opacity just of this one a little bit. Let's see if we can see our sketch. Let's turn down the opacity of this one, too, just so we concede a sketch and follow those lines, we'll have to switch back to the monoline brush under calligraphy and again pick this first bluish purplish color, and we can first follow the wobbly shape, and we can later add does um those coral parts first a wobbly shape and then just follow. That's catch that you made. You don't have to follow it exactly. You can create something that's a bit there, friend. My sketch wasn't that tidy, so I'll try to make a smoother shape. Now. You can just feel it, feel that outside shape, and there we have our next layer of paper. But again we will need to duplicate this. So we have a layer for the paper texture and for our shadow. You will turn Alfa. Lock on on this paper texture layer, and we will switch back to the past a paper brush to add that texture. And let's pick this third color right now. And also let's turn back up the opacity of the other layers so we can compare our new paper color to dose and again make sure that you make just one stroke on your canvas. Don't lift your pen. If you accidentally do, they can always just undo by tapping with two fingers and start over and on to the next layer. Let's click a plus for a new layer of paper, and I think this time everything is already pretty light. So we don't need to lower the opacity off the other layers again. Let's use the monoline brush again, and we'll still be using this color right here. Let's start following shape and drag in the color to fill your paper again. Make sure to duplicate your layer and use L flock on this top layer to be able to add that paper texture. Let's grab the pastel paper brush again and let's pick this second call right now doing great so far. Let's go to the next Click the plus again, go back to the monoline brush, and this time we will be using this very light paper color because our paper colors will will move to the lighter paper colors, and we will need a light base for that again. First, I'll make the wobbly shape and then add the coral parts. Let me just fill this shape already and now let's make thes coral parts drag in the color to filled shape on the last one here, and then we'll have to duplicate the layer again so we have a layer for the texture and a layer for the drop shadow. Click the layer the top layer use l flock and go back to the past all paper brush I want. Use this dark blue color and again make sure to not lift your pen as you call or your paper . You're almost there. Let's go to the next layer. Let's click plus again and moved back to the model I'm brush to create the next shape. We'll pick light color again. L Let's follow the wobbly shape and drag in the color on the outside and again, don't forget to duplicate your layer and set this top layer to L flock before you switch to the pastoral paper brush To add the past all paper texture. Let's pick this color right now and on to the next click plus again for a new layer, switch back to the monoline brush. I used a light color again and follow this catch that you made and just drag in the color to fill it. I will duplicate this layer again and set the top layer to L Flock to be able to add the paper texture and will use this third color. Right now, Let's turn off this catch layer and take a look. I think it looks nice I think it will be fun to add just one more layer of paper, a really light colored paper. Let's click the plus to make a new layer, and this time I'll pick this second color this second blue color. Go to the model. I'm brush again and make another wobbly shape on top, much just freewheeling. Here. Thats dragging the color to fill it. Now let's tidy up this little part here and, of course, were dis layer. We will need a drop shadow layer to, so let's just duplicate it said this one to l Flock and adds some texture here by using the past. All paper brush this time will use this very light color to add the texture. Now we almost have all our layers of paper. But of course we still need to add our sharks. Let's go back to the monoline brush and let's turn on our sketch layer again. Turn up the opacity a bit, and now we will have to decide where we want our sharks to be. I think it would be nice if our blue shark would be below this layer right here and let's check which layer that is I think that's this one. Yes, it ISS. So we'll have to put our shark on a layer below that one. And let's use that very light color to draw our shark. Just make a flowing motion. Fill the shape. Yeah, give it some fins. Have a little tail like that. And, of course, we want to give it some texture. But first we will need to duplicate the layers so we can also make that drop shuttle later . So, like Alfa Lock, go to toe passel paper brush and let's use this blue and let's use this blue. Now let's move to the other sharks. The two below the shark can go below this layer with the coral on it, so we'll have to make sure that our shark layer is below layers. Seven. Here we'll switch to the monoline brush again and pick that light color and allies draw. These sharks give it a little too camera. We see it. It's obscured by that coral. This shark. There we have these two sharks again. Make sure to duplicate the layer, said the top 12 l flock and go to the passel paper brush to add that texture We'll use this darker blue this time. Let's just go over them. Now All we need to draw is that tiny shark or, well, the charge. It's pretty far away here in the deep, and we want that shark to be below that layer over here. Let's check where that is. Yeah, that's this one. So did shark. Needs to be just up. Top that bottom layer, plus to make the layer. Go back to the monoline brush under calligraphy and used this color as a base. We'll make the brush a bit smaller, too. 9%. Let's draw that shark there. It's all the way at the bottom. But of course we will need to duplicate this layer as well, because we need a drop shadow and a texture layer. Used Alfa lock on layer Go to the past all paper brush and for our color. Let's pick this one there. Now we have all our layers. Let's turn off this catch layer. But of course, this doesn't look like paper cutouts art yet. We will need to add those drop shadows, and that's what we'll do in the next step. 6. Add a Drop Shadow: creating all those layers of paper. That was quite a lot of work. But making these drop shadows that will be a lot easier. We have all these layers was double layers, and we will fill them with a shadow color. Let's just grab a very dark ish bluish color, but we drop it in a color piled. It's slightly darker than are based paper, and on each layer we will just drop in that color. But do make sure that you drop it on the sheep that's there, so here will have to drop it on the shark, and you can see that it has that color right now that will move to the next layer. Feel it there and again. You can see that it's dark now, and we'll just go up on those layers, filling all those shapes with that dark shadow color. Just be sure to check if your shape is filled. I will fill this shark and we'll just go up filling all these layers with a shadow color, and that's it. We have done all these layers already. That was a lot faster than drawing all these paper layers. Next thing we'll have to do is shift all these layers, so we'll have to select all these layers, and you can do it up by swiping to the right on these shadow layers. So you have selected all these shadows and well, imagine that the light is coming from here, so we'll shift our shadows in that direction. We'll do that by going to the arrow right here and the same as we did in the exercise. Just drag it down and should ride a little bit like this. And, of course, you can move to different layers to, well, to move that shadow a little bit. But first, let's use the Gaussian blur, and then later we can decide if we want to move some shadows. Let's just start with the bottom layer Gutin, a magic wand and click Gaussian blur, and you can go for somewhere between eight and 9%. And while we're at it, let's set each layer, which we have a shadow. Let's set it to multiply. I will go to dis layer and use a Gaussian blur as well practica, right and stay somewhere between eight and nine. We'll go to this one, said A to multiply used to Gaussian blur and go to somewhere around eight and 9%. Just repeat the process with each player. It is called the employer and set the layers to multiply. What multiplied does is it darkens everything on the layer below. You'll give a dark effect, but you will still be able to see the texture through it. And we still want to see that paper texture another cause. The employer. I'll go for a bit more blur here at the top, around 11% onto the next one. Again, I'll set it to multiply and used a Gaussian blur. I even go to around 12% for this one. What you can do now Let's play around with these shadows a little bit rinses. With this layer, you could use arrows and go and make it appear as if this layer is a little bit closer to the bottom layer with this one as well. If you move it back up, it'll appear. Us. If those layers off paper well as if they aren't that far apart is if they're close together, taken varied at up a little bit. Between these layers, you can go to this one for example, and shift that one up a little bit, As if some sheets of paper aren't farther apart from each other than others. Let's do the same with this one. We can do the same with the one at the bottom to uncover that shark at the bottom a little bit. It'll just add a little bit more interest to your paper cutout artwork. 7. Final Details: Finally, let's add a little bit more realism to our paper by adding that light etched that we also did in the exercise. So we'll have to go to the sketching brushes. I used a soft pastel brush, and we used that very light color again. And now all the layers that have Alfa Lachter and on we can start adding those edges. And remember, the light is coming from here, so wherever then, light would touch the paper. That's where we want those light edges to be. Let's just start with the top layer. Well, let's just go over the edges. It won't be very visible here. Oh, and a brush. Just like any exercise, it's around 1 to 2%. Just add some light edges. They can go to the paper layer below and do the same thing there. Just make a very small edge where the light would hit. You really give your paper cutout artwork that extra touch. Just repeat that process for each paper texture layer onto the next some white parts on that coral. - I moved down again to the next layer. - Come to the next to that shark. Let's give him a little wide edge as well. Can't you than this? Just go all the layers off paper, But don't go overboard with the layers that are a lot lower. Keep the effects subtle onto thes two sharks. And as we get lower, the effect will really get more subtle. Just a couple of touches is enough. Our little shark at the bottom. And with that final touch, our paper cutout artwork is finished. 8. Your Turn!: Now it's your turn to create your own paper cutout project. And I'm really looking forward to seeing your results Will be sure to share them in the project area. If you need some inspiration for your own paper cutout artwork, you can check some of my projects or download my working file of these sharks in a reef so he could use that as a base for your own artwork. We can just use my file as a base to practice the paper cutout effect. Once you have finished this class, it would be great if you could leave a review. I would really appreciate that. And if you don't want to miss the next class, then be sure to hit the follow button. That way you will get a notification when my new class launches. Thanks for following my class. I will see you next time