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A lot of people have had difficulty in blending on Procreate. There are a variety of brush libraries and it can be hard to figure out the right combination of tools that will help you.
Using the right blending brushes can impact the texture and final outcome of your artwork.
It might take some practice to learn how to blend colors nicely.
In this post, we will give you detailed, step-by-step instructions to help you blend on Procreate efficiently.
How to Blend on Procreate?
Let’s talk about the types of blending tools you can use to blend.
There are two tools you can choose from:
- Smudge Tool
- Blender Brush
Smudge Tool
This is a very handy, powerful tool present in the top bar next to the brush tool. The smudge tool can give you more control over specific areas of the image that you want to be dark or light.
The smudge tool works together with any brush from the library converting it to a smudge or blender brush.
By using the smudge tool, you can manipulate colors present on the layer through the characteristics of a chosen brush.
Each brush has a degree of smudge from 0% -100% which can be set in the smudge settings.
Remember that 0% degree of smudge means that the smudge brushes are colorless.
Blender Brush Tool
There are no preset blender brushes in Procreate however you can create one. There is a Wet Mix option under the Dynamic Section in the brush settings.
The settings include:
- Grade: Smooth blend
- Attack: Amount of color with each stroke
- Dilution: Intensity/dilution of color
- Pull: Strength of the pull of colors on the canvas
- Charge: Amount of color at the start of the stroke
Steps to Follow to Blend Colors
In this section, we will discuss a few simple steps you can follow to blend colors efficiently.
Clipping Mask
Create the first layer and put all items on one layer. All the objects will not blend properly on separate layers, therefore, a single layer is usually preferred.
You can create a second layer over the sketch and use it as a clipping mask.
If you have two layers to interact with then the impact that some modes have is greater. You will be able to see the effects when you change blending modes on different layers.
Create a layer that would act as a base under the sketch layer. After this, you can use the desired color you require for different areas.
It is easier to use different layers as a clipping mask since it takes less effort to make changes. Moreover, you should use blend modes that determine how layers will interact with each other.
Smudge Tool
Select the following tools:
- Smudge tool: Looks like a hand with a finger pointing down
- Soft Brush: Large brush to blend large areas
- Soft Airbrush: Small brush to blend intricate lines
Adjust the brush size according to your needs. Moreover, adjust the opacity to 50%-55% to avoid harsh edges. Remember to adjust brush size and brush opacity throughout the blending process.
We highly recommend the painting and artistic brushes because they have very good blending effects.
Apple Pencil
Hold the pencil lightly and apply minimal pressure. Exerting light pressure and slow movements will perfect the blending look.
Shading
Feel free to create a new layer for shading. We recommend you to use the red color for the areas you want darker and use the blend mode multiply.
Alpha Lock
An alpha lock will help keep blending within the sketch, however, it will also prevent blending the background where needed.
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However, it is crucial you choose the right iPad suited for Procreate.
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Helpful Tips
These tips and tricks will help you blend in with Procreate easily.
Color Coordination
This tip will help you blend colors in Procreate more efficiently.
An analogous color palette is easier to blend as compared to contrast colors. Blending colors that are further apart from one another on the color wheel can become challenging.
Your digital art experience can change significantly through proper color coordination.
Blend with Gaussian Blur
Select an area of your image with the free-hand selection tool and create a feather. You can apply gaussian blur in it. This tool helps you blur or blend inside the selected area only.
Mindful Blending
You do not want to over-blend patches because it creates a fuzzy or smudge effect. You should keep a lookout for areas where you require crisp edges or soft transitions.
Moreover, using the smudge tool can cause colors to give a muddy look to your art.
To avoid this, we recommend you use the Overlay blending mode. Glaze the color orange, red, or yellow over the muddy areas to add warmth and color.
Painting Process
You should not be blending too much during the painting process.
Draw a sketch and give a solid base of colors to your image. Blending should be done sparingly at the last stage.
Remember that too much blending can ruin the texture. Drawing and painting should be the main focus for the most part. Therefore, use small brushes to blend small areas only.
Selection Tools
Active selection can help you erase, paint, smudge, or blend in the selected areas. The free-hand selection tool will help you select the required areas.
You can use a larger brush to create a smooth gradient in these areas.
Brush Size
There are different brushes in Procreate.
Some of the standard Procreate brushes include:
- Stucco: applies texture
- Gouache: soft brush for smooth gradients
- Bonobo Chalk: applies texture
You should make sure that you vary between brush sizes and opacity when you blend in Procreate.
A larger blending brush should be used for a soft gradient and a smaller brush for edges. The right size and opacity of brushes will give your drawing a professional look.
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Final Verdict
This concludes our post on How to Blend on Procreate with all the necessary step-by-step instructions and helpful tricks.
As an online course creator, if you previously faced difficulty in blending for your online art course, then we hope this post will help you.
While drawing is easy in Procreate, people have faced issues in blending in Procreate.
All you need to successfully draw and blend in Procreate is the Procreate app and the right set of brush tools.