Illustrate Tropical Flowers in Procreate

1. Introduction & What You’ll Learn : Hey guys, I'm Juanita. I'm an illustrator and pattern designer based in Singapore. In this class, I'm going to show you how I illustrate my tropical flowers in Procreate. We will be doing five tropical flowers in this class. That's hibiscus, plumeria, orchid, red ginger, and heliconia. I will be showing you my step-by-step process of illustrating these flowers. We will be using the default brushes from the Procreate library itself. I have these sketches of all the five flowers in the resource section, so you can also download and follow along. These flowers can be converted into a seamless pattern. I have converted this into a half-drop repeat. You can upload these pattern on print on demand sites are licensed to companies for other products too. Thank you for taking this class with me. 2. Project & Resources: [MUSIC] If you go under the Project and Resource section of this class, there are few attachment on the right side under Resources. The first five attachment, where the file name says Procreate in the end. These are procreate files. When you download them, they open directly in your Procreate app. They are all the flowers sketches that we're going to do in this class. The sixth file is a zip file with all the images, the reference images. These are all royalty-free images, so you can use them for your illustrations or any other project. For the class project, you can illustrate any flower of your choice using the technique shown in this class. I have this list of flowers in the Project section. These are tropical flowers. Just to give you an idea for the project. [MUSIC] 3. Canvas & Brush Setup : [MUSIC] Let's start with our canvas and brush setup. I have this folder ready named as tropical flowers. I have five canvas here with all the sketches. These sketches are also in the resource section of this class, so you can download and follow along, or you can have your own sketches too. All these canvas size are 4,000 by 4,000 pixel with 300 DPI. This is quite a big size for a flower, but it's better to illustrate on a bigger canvas then on a small one. Let's move on to the brush library. For sketching, you can use any brushes here under sketching section. I've used 6B pencil for my sketches. You can pick any brush you're comfortable with, because anyway, we will not be using the sketch layer for our final illustration. I'll make a folder for our brushes. For that, I'll tap on the plus sign. Once you tap on the plus sign, you'll get a new folder. I'll rename this folder as tropical flowers. Now my first brush is under Inking, that is Technical Pen. Duplicate this brush and drop in our new folder. [MUSIC] Second is under Artistic, the second last brush here. I'll duplicate this brush and again drop in our new folder. These are the only two brushes we're going to use for all our flowers, Technical Pen for all the base layers, and the second brush to add highlights and details. [MUSIC] 4. Hibiscus: Petals : Let's start with our first flower that's hibiscus. I have these sketches in the resource section of this class. You can have your own sketches or install these from the resource section. If you have my file, this file just have one layer with the sketch on it. Now, my first step is to import our reference image. For that, I'll go to Action. So I've left on insert photo, insert a private photo. You can choose any reference image of your choice. I have few royalty-free images in the resource section of this class. Next, I'll go to brushes. Select my technical pen brush to create our base layer. Go to layers, add a new layer. Put this layer below our sketch layer. All our illustration layers will be below our sketch layer. I'll rename this layer as base layer so we don't get confused with the other layers. Select a color from the reference image. Now, this color should not be too dark or too light, more towards a midtone, and create a base layer for this flower. I'll just follow the sketch and create an outline and fill it with the same color. [MUSIC] Now we'll start adding details to this base layer. For that, I'll add a new layer and add clipping mask to this layer. Next, I'll select my second brush. Select a darker color from the reference image. This color should be two tone darker than our base color. My brush size is around 35 percent, and I'll start adding these shading details around each petal. Try to make the brushstrokes follow the shape of the petal. [MUSIC] This was our fourth layer of shading. Next, I'll select a darker color from the reference image and again follow our previous layer. Try not to cover the whole color of the previous layer. This should be more of a shorter brushstroke than the previous one. [MUSIC] Next, selecting a lighter color from the reference image. This color should be lighter than our base layer. I'm going to select this lighter yellow and will start adding these details in the center. Again, I'm not going to cover the whole base layer, just to highlight in the center. [MUSIC] Next, selecting a very light color, more like an off-white. This is again to add some highlight in the center. [MUSIC] Next, I'm going to select my smudge tool, select the same brush, and I'll reduce the opacity to around 70 percent and will start to smoothen the areas where we feel it looks too rough or unfinished. [MUSIC] Now, moving on to the veins on this petal. For that, I'll add a new layer, select my technical pen brush, select a darker color from the reference image, and I'll start drawing these veins on the petals. [MUSIC] These veins are looking too sharp, so I'm going to blur out a little. For that, I'll go to Adjustments, blur. Now, here with your finger, if you just slide right, it's going to increase the percent and also the amount of blur. I'm going to keep this as around two percent. That looks very light and also merges with the background very well. Let's move on to the center of this flower in the next section. 5. Hibiscus: Center : [MUSIC] Now for the center of this flower, I'm going to add a new layer, and I'm going to rename this layer as Center. Select my technical pen, select a dark color from the reference image. Following the sketch, I'll start drawing my center. Fill it with the same color. Now let's add this tiny yellow part of this flower. Select a color from the reference image and I'll start adding on our illustration. Next, you're selecting a bright red from the wing. This is to add this tiny stem on the yellow part of this flower. Now I've logged the center layer. I'll just add a few highlights in the center. Select my second brush. Select a lighter color and I'll add this tiny highlight in the center. We are almost done with this flower. I'm going to add few highlights with a darker color. For that, I'll add a new layer on top of our petal layers and clipping mask to this layer. Select a dark color and I'm going to add this dark color on the edges to give it more definition and more depth to this flower. We're done with our first flower. I'm going to hide my reference image. Let's move on to our second one. 6. Plumeria : [MUSIC] Let's start with the second flower, that's plumeria. I'll tap on my second canvas. If you have the same file, this file just have one layer, that's the sketch layer. My first step is to insert our reference image. For that I'll go to Action, swipe left on insert a photo, and tap on Insert a Private Photo. You can choose any reference image of your choice. I have few royalty-free images in the resource section. You can even download them. This reference image is too big, so I'm going to crop this image and just keep one flower for my reference. Now, let's move on to the layers. I'll add a new layer, pull this layer below our sketch layer, and I'll rename this layer as a base layer. I'm going to change my background color so when we're illustrating with the white color, we can see that clearly. Selecting my technical pen brush, selecting a mid-tone from the reference image. This color should not be too dark or too light. I'll start with an outline and fill it with the same color. This will be our base layer for this flower. Now to start adding details to this flower, I'm going to add a new layer and add clipping mask to this layer. Select my second brush, select a color from the reference image. I'm selecting already light, almost like a white color. Following the reference image, I'm adding this color on one side of the petal. While you're adding these highlights, try to follow the shape of the petal. [MUSIC] Selecting a dark pink color from the reference image. Now if you see in the image, this dark color is on the opposite side of the white color. I'll start adding around the other edge of each petal. [MUSIC] Now moving on to adding yellow color in the center. [MUSIC] Another layer of dark pink. [MUSIC] Now for the center, again selecting a darker pink. This will give more depth and definition to this flower. [MUSIC] I think we need more white color to the petal. I'll select a white color from the color panel, just add few strokes on the white side of these petals. [MUSIC] Now with the same white color but the brush size is little smaller, I'll add these much sharper brush strokes towards the center of each petal. If you're following the same sketch, you can just follow these full lines. [MUSIC] I'll hide my sketch layer so we can see the flower clearly. Next, we can select the smudge tool with the same brush and smoothen these hard lines we can see on these petals. The opacity of my smudge tool is around 75 percent. While you're smudging, make sure you follow the shape of the petal. [MUSIC] I'll fix this edge that is overlapping on the other petal. [MUSIC] Extending these white lines for few petals. [MUSIC] We're done with our second flower here. I'll hide my reference image. Let's move on to the third one. 7. Heliconia : Let's start with our third flower, that's Heliconia. I'll tap on my third canvas. You can download this sketch from the Resource section of this class. This file just have one layer, that's the sketch layer. My first step will be to import our reference image. For that I'll go to Action, swipe left on insert a photo, and tap on Insert a private photo. You can select any reference picture of your choice. I have few royalty-free images in the Resource Section 2. Next, I'll go to Layers, add new layer, and pull this layer below our sketch layer. All our illustration layer will be below our sketch layer. I'll rename this layer as base layer. Next, from the brushes, I'll select my technical pen brush to create our base layer. Select a light pink color from the reference image. We will be doing this flower in two parts, one is the pink part and one is the orange one. I'll start creating this base layer for the pink part first. [MUSIC] Fill it with the same color. Next, I'll create a base layer for the second part of this flower. For that, I'll create a new layer and pull this layer below our first base layer. I'll rename this base layer as Base Layer 2. [MUSIC] I'll select a color from the reference image, the yellowish-orange color and will create an outline for the second part and fill it with the same color. [MUSIC] Moving on to our first part. I'll add clipping mask to this layer. Add a new layer and tap on Clipping Mask. Next, select our second brush from the brush library. You can pick up a color from the reference image or from the color panel. Following the image, I'll start adding this white color from the stem towards the upper part of this flower. [MUSIC] Selecting this light green color. Following the reference image, I'll just add this towards the stem of this flower. Next, selecting a darker shade of pink. It's too tone darker than our base color, same like we see in the image. I'll add these few strokes from the tip. [MUSIC] Again, selecting a darker tone of pink. This is like you're adding shades of darker pinks to create this gradient effect. [MUSIC] Again, selecting the same green color so we can extend it from the center of this petal. [MUSIC] Let's move on to the other part of this leaf. Same like the previous one, I'll start with the green at the bottom and pink towards the tip. [MUSIC] Moving on to this orange part of this flower. To add details and highlights, I will add a new layer and add clipping mask to this layer. Select a darker color from the reference image. I'll start adding this darker shade towards the shadow areas. [MUSIC] Now selecting a lighter color. This will be more on the areas where the light is falling and looks brighter. [MUSIC] On the same layer, I'm selecting this light green color. We'll add at the bottom of this orange part. [MUSIC] Just select a darker shade of the same green so we can add few details. [MUSIC] This part you can even skip. If you want it to look realistic, you can even add this detail, selecting this green color from the reference image to add to the tips of this orange part. If you have my sketch, you can easily follow the sketch lines to add this detail. [MUSIC] We're almost done with this flower. This is the last detail I'm going to add to the tips, selecting this pale yellow and adding to the tips. [MUSIC] Here we are done with our third flower. I'm going to change the background to see how it looks on different colors. Let's move on to the fourth flower. 8. Orchid: Petals : Let's start with the fourth flower, that's orchid. I'll tap on my fourth canvas. If you have my file, it just have one layer with the sketch layer. My first step is to insert our reference image. For that I'll go to Action, insert a photo, swipe left, insert a private photo. You can select any reference image of your choice. I have few royalty-free images in the resource section, you can even download them. Reference image depends on which color and pattern you need of that flower. I think this reference image is too big, I'll just crop one flower out. [MUSIC] Let's move on to our first step, that's adding a new layer for our base layer. Pull this layer below our sketch layer and rename this layer as base layer. Next selecting my technical pen brush, and I'll start drawing an outline and fill it with the same color. [MUSIC] Now to add details, I'll add another new layer and add clipping mask to this layer. Select my second brush and I'll start adding this light color detail from the center. I'll select a color from the reference image, which is more like a white color. [MUSIC] Next selecting my second color. It's more like a darker purple. Following the reference image, I'll start adding this detail to each petal. [MUSIC] Now we're done with this one layer of purple. Next, I'll select my smudge tool with the same brush, so we can smoothen the brushstrokes which doesn't look finished. [MUSIC] Now moving on to the last layer of purple, I'll select a darker purple from the reference image. This will be with a tiny brush stroke on the edges of these petals. [MUSIC] Now these spot details on the petal. For that, I will add a new layer. I will rename this layer as spots. I will select the color from the reference image, and with my technical pen brush, I'll start adding these uneven spots on the petals. Try to follow the reference image for the placement of these spots. [MUSIC] Next I'll go to Adjustments, Gaussian Blur, and I'll blur out these spots a little bit. Just slide right with your fingertips and you can see the blur. I'll keep the blur at around two percent, and we're done with the petals here. Let's move on to the center part of this flower in the next section. 9. Orchid: Center : [MUSIC] Let's move on to the center part of this flower. For that, I will add a new layer, rename this layer as "Center". [MUSIC] Select a nice bright pink from the reference image. [MUSIC] With my technical pen brush, I'll select a base layer first. [MUSIC] Now to add details, I will add a new layer and add a clipping mask to this layer. Now selecting my second brush, select a color from the reference image, I'll select this bright orange and will add detail in the center. [MUSIC] Selecting another color, now here you can even select different color from what I am choosing, depending on your style or depending on how you want the flower to look like. [MUSIC] We are done with our fourth flower here. Let's move on to the fifth one. [MUSIC] 10. Red Ginger: Part 1: [MUSIC] Let's start with our fifth flower, that's red ginger. I'll tap on my fifth canvas. If you have my file, there's just one layer on it, that's the Sketch Layer. Now my first step is to insert our reference image. For that I'll go to Action, Insert a photo and Insert a private photo. You can choose any reference image of your choice. I have a dash few royalty-free images in the Resource section. You can even download them. Now my first step is to add a new layer. I'll tap on a New Layer, pull this layer below our sketch layer. All our illustration layer will be below our Sketch Layer. I'll rename this layer as Base Layer. Select a lighter color from the reference image, which is not too dark or too light, more like a mid-tone. Next, I'll select my Technical Pen brush, and we'll create a base layer for this flower. I'll quickly follow the sketch line and fill it with the same color. Next, adding the new layer, and add Clipping Mask to this layer. Select my second brush. You can pick up a color from the reference image, or directly from the color panel. I will be working in bunches, I will be doing four to five petal at once. I'll start adding this light color to 4-5 petals first. Next we'll select a dark color and again, we'll add this detail to only those 4-5 petals first. Now select a dark color from the reference image, and following the reference image, I'll start adding this color. If you're working on my sketch, it is easier to follow the sketch lines and use it as a guideline. Now again selecting the white color for my second bunch, I will be adding this white color detail to 3-4 petals again, and again going back to selecting a darker shade, and adding the same detail as we did in the previous ones. I will be repeating these steps until we reach the bottom of this flower. Now in the next section, we'll be adding more details so we can give more depth and realistic look to this flower. 11. Red Ginger: Part 2: [MUSIC] Now for my last detail to this flower, I'll select the darkest pink from the reference image and will start adding this detail towards the corners and where you feel there will be a shadow area. [MUSIC] Now moving on to the stem of this flower. For that, I will add a new layer and rename this layer as Base Layer 2. You can even rename this as stem. Now with my technical pen brush, select a color from the reference image. I will follow the sketch and create an outline and fill it with the same color. [MUSIC] Now to add details to the stem, I will add a new layer and add clipping mask to that layer. [MUSIC] Select my second brush, select a darker shade from the reference image. I will start adding details on this stem. [MUSIC] I will hide my sketch layer so we can see the stem clearly, select a darker color and I'll add this color around the shadow areas of the stem. [MUSIC] We are done with our fifth flower here, that's red ginger. Let's recolor these flowers in my next section. [MUSIC] 12. Recoloring : [MUSIC] I will be showing you few ways on how you can re-color these flowers. For that, I go back to my library, duplicate our whole folder so we have our original file safe. I'll rename one of the folder as "Tropical Flowers Recoloring" so we know which folder we're working on. [MUSIC] Now let's start with our first flower, that's hibiscus. I'll tap on the file and merge all the layers. First, merge all the clipping mask layers and then the base layers. Now we just have one layer here with the flower. I'll duplicate this layer, and I'll place them one below the other so we can see the difference clearly. Now our first option is under Adjustments; Hue, Saturation, and Brightness. I'll start adjusting the hues first. When you move this tiny dot in the center, you can see the color changing of the flower. With the Saturation option, you can increase or decrease the saturation of your flower. This is very helpful when your flower looks too dull. Brightness will increase or decrease the brightness of your flower. We can check one more re-coloring option for this flower. For that, I'll shift both of these flower and add one more. Under Adjustments, go to Gradient Map, here Here can experiment with a lot of colors. Tap on any one option. You can even change the color. You can move these tiny boxes and you can see the difference in the gradient effect of this flower. I'll use the same gradient effect for the other two flowers too. For the red ginger flower. I just want to brighten up this flower a little bit. For that, I'll go to Adjustments, Curves, and you can just adjust this tiny dot here. That will make your flower brighter or darker. You can change this and adjust and see the changes. We are done with our re-coloring here. In my next section, I'll turn this into a seamless pattern. 13. Seamless Pattern: I have recolored these flowers and turn into a seamless pattern. It's in half-drop repeat pattern. I even added few leaves here. I'll tile them together. [MUSIC] This is how it looks on print-on-demand sites products. I made these mockups where you can license to companies for other products too.