One of Procreate’s most powerful features is the ability to create your own brushes. Whether you want to tweak an existing one or design something completely original, custom brushes can add a unique touch to your style and speed up your workflow. You don’t need to be a brush expert — just a few settings can make a big difference.
Starting with a Duplicate
If you're new to custom brushes, a great way to start is by duplicating an existing brush and modifying it. Open the Brush Library, tap the brush you want to copy, then swipe left on it and select Duplicate. Now tap the duplicate to open Brush Studio, where all the customization happens.
Understanding Brush Studio
Brush Studio is where you build and fine-tune your brush. It’s packed with options, but here are some of the key areas to explore:
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Stroke Path: Adjust spacing and jitter for smoother or more dynamic strokes.
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Taper: Controls how your stroke fades in or out — great for calligraphy and sketching.
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Shape: The shape source defines the brush tip. You can import your own shape or tweak the current one.
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Grain: Controls the texture applied to each stroke — this is what gives a brush its surface feel.
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Rendering: Adjust how the brush blends with the canvas.
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Apple Pencil: Fine-tune how pressure, tilt, and speed affect the stroke.
Creating from Scratch
To build a brush from the ground up, tap the + button in any brush set. Start by choosing a shape and grain source — Procreate comes with some defaults, or you can import your own images. From there, use the other tabs in Brush Studio to shape how the brush behaves.
You can preview changes live by drawing in the testing area at the bottom of Brush Studio.
Importing Shape and Grain Textures
For a custom feel, try importing your own shape or grain. These should be black and white images (square format works best). Tap “Edit” under the Shape or Grain section and choose “Import.” You can use photos, scanned textures, or files you’ve created elsewhere.
Saving and Organizing Custom Brushes
Once you’re happy with your brush, tap Done to save it. You can drag it into any custom brush set for easy access. Naming it clearly helps if you plan to reuse or share it later.
Exporting Your Brushes
To share your brush with others or back it up, swipe left on it in the Brush Library and tap Share. Procreate will export it as a .brush file that others can install with a tap.
Creating your own brushes in Procreate can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. Start by adjusting small things like spacing or opacity, and before long, you’ll have a set of tools that perfectly matches your style. In the next post, we’ll look at using reference images and canvas guides to help with proportions, compositions, and realism.
