Today I've got a little tutorial for you! You can follow along to create your own doodle, using only brushes from the Procreate Library. I would love to see what you end up drawing once you are done, so make sure to tag me in a picture of it on Instagram @augusthoney_. Before you start, you will need a basic understanding of how to use the Procreate app. This is a really good page from Procreate to help you understand all of the terms used.
Set Up Your Canvas
For this tutorial, I just used the "screen size" preset, though you could easily use the Square preset right below it. You can change your background color now, but I changed it later in the tutorial as well. For the background color, I used a light brown with the Hex code you can input as #bbaea2.
Create Sketch Layer and Turn on Drawing Guide
Next, you will want to create your first layer and turn on drawing guide. You do this by selecting the layers tab and hitting the plus button. Then you will tap on the little thumbnail of the layer and select the rename option. Name the layer "sketch". Then select the wrench icon on the left side of the screen, tap on "canvas" and make sure the drawing guide is toggled on. The default guide is a grid, which is what we want. If you want to adjust the size, you can do that by selecting "edit drawing guide."
Sketch Some Leaves and Words
I used the Peppermint pencil that is in the Sketching tab of the brushes to make the sketch of the doodle I wanted. I made sure to select the brush, and then tap it again to get into the brush settings. From here, I made sure my streamline was turned up to about 80%. This helps my drawings come out nice and smooth. From there, I drew a stem with 3 leaves on it and loosely wrote "Let Love Grow" You can write this in any font you would like, I chose to do some hand lettering (check out this blog post I wrote about this last week!)
Create Color Layer and Lower Opacity of Sketch Layer
Next, we need to create another layer. If you're curious why I use so many layers while drawing, check out this information from Procreate about why Layers are helpful. Create another layer and rename it "color." Before we add any more doodles, click on the little "n" next to the sketch layer and turn the opacity slider down to about 45-50%. This will make it easier to see what you are doing on the colors layer.
Outline and Color Drop the Color Layer
Outline the sketch you have, making sure you are working on the Color layer, with any color. I used the Technical Pen found in the Inking section of the brush library, with the streamline turned all the way up. I used a blue color, HEX code #67726d. Once the outline is done, tap and drag the color circle to fill in the outline. If you aren't sure how to do this, check out this video for more information.
Create Outline Layer
Create another layer and name it "outline." This is what we will use to add some depth to the picture. Using the Technical pen with a white color, outline the leaves as closely as possible, but it is okay if it isn't perfect, it adds to the charm. After you have outlined it, tap on the mouse cursor button on the left side of the screen. This will allow you to move the layer you are working on. Drag it to the right just a little bit to make it not perfectly in line with the drawing. This is when I decided to change my background color.
Write Some Words
Now we will write the words. Create another new layer and rename it words. Then you can write and edit your words without messing with the other layers. I chose "let love grow." You can use the same pen, but I used my August brush which is available on my Etsy shop, to write the words. Using white, trace your sketch words and fine tune it until you like it.
Add some depth
This is one of my favorite little tricks, but it can be a little hard yo understand at first, so make sure you go slow and follow each step. First, open the layers tab and swipe the letters layer towards the left side of the screen. This will open a 3-option menu. Select "duplicate" and you will get a copy of the layer.
Create another blank layer, tap and hold it, and then you can move it. Move it between the two "Letter" layers.
From here, choose a color that is darker than the white you used for your letters you wrote. I chose HEX #a08f80. After you do that, tap on the thumbnail of the new layer and select "clipping mask", which you can read more about here. Then, using the same Color Drop technique from earlier, tap and drag the color onto the canvas to fill the whole layer with the color you chose.
A little arrow will appear next to the layer you just filled, once you tap "clipping mask".
Now, the letters below the white ones are the dark brown. To combine the layers, pinch them together using your fingers, or tap on the thumbnail of the brown layer and tap "merge down".
Now we are going to create the depth we want. Selecting the letters that are brown, tap on the mouse cursor button on the left side of the page. A dashed line will appear around the letters. Move them down and to the right just a hair to create a shadow effect. There will be some gapping, you can just fill that in making sure you are on the layer with the brown letters.
Finishing Touches
From here you can be done! It looks great as it is. When I was done with it, I thought it needed a little bit of texture, so I created a new layer, moved it all the way to the bottom and using the Gouache brush found in the painting section of the brush library, I turned the size all of the way up and used the same brown from earlier and painted it all over the canvas. This added just the right amount of texture to the canvas. Add any other details you would like, sign it and vioala! You created a cute little doodle.
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