How To Make Procreate Coloring Pages
Creating coloring pages in Procreate can be the beginning of a lifelong hobby.
Undeniably, we all love the calming focus that coloring brings.
Moreover, the joy of watching our page come to life is beyond words.
Despite its growing popularity as a therapeutic activity, it can be hard to find coloring booklets that cater to our interests.
Making your own Procreate coloring pages can save hours of your time sifting through hundreds of booklets.
Procreate can help you expand and explore your artistic skills and is easy to use once you get the hang of it.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Before You Begin
Before you begin your coloring journey with Procreate, it is essential to consider one thing.
Decide if you will be coloring the template digitally or printing it to color manually.
Your decision will impact which formatting options you select for the template.
If you intend to color digitally, then the template you select should have a pixel-based setting.
The more pixels on the template, the clearer your coloring sheet will be when you are finished.
If you intend to print your coloring sheet, we advise you to select your template based on inches.
This will ensure that none of your images is cropped in printing.
Moreover, the proportions of the image aren’t similarly impacted.
Items You Might Want to Buy
If you intend on drawing your coloring sheets by hand, it can be helpful to either download or buy grid filters.
Grid filters can help you scale your image.
This is if you apply the filter to an image you are using for reference.
In addition, they are an easy strategy to enhance your drawing.
It is also much easier to draw on Procreate if you invest in a high-quality stylus.
A stylus can increase your control over your lines and is somewhat essential if you intend to color in procreate.
Downloading and purchasing a variety of brush sets in Procreate can dramatically increase the quality of your art.
Sketching sets are essential if you intend to draw your coloring page by hand.
You can also download hundreds of other sets to help you color and style your images.
If you intend to spend a serious amount of time on Procreate, it might be worth considering purchasing a drawing glove.
These gloves are designed to help you draw on tablets.
These gloves prevent you from accidentally activating touch screen settings without limiting your flexibility as you sketch.
They are reasonably affordable and available here on Amazon for only $12.99.
Strategy 1: Recycle Existing Images
The easiest and most effective way to create your drawing template is to copy an image from the internet.
Be mindful, though, of the copyright rules.
‘Line art’ images work best as they are already designed with plenty of free space to fill with color.
What if you can’t seem to find any online art that suits your needs and don’t have the artistic skills to sketch your image (see strategy 2)?
Then, it might be worthwhile looking into employing an artist or freelancer to design an image for you.
Steps To Follow
1. Select the size of your template (choosing the inches option works best if you intend to print it later).
Check the orientation of your project and adjust it according to how you want the end product to be printed.
2. Decide whether you want to add borders.
This will ensure that the art is not at risk of being cropped when you print it off.
If you do want to add a border, draw a rectangle with your stylus.
If you do not lift your pen, the lines of the shape will automatically straighten.
Tap on the rectangle and select the “edit shape” option to adjust the rectangle’s corners to better fit the page.
3. You can import your image through the “actions” menu by selecting “insert,” then “insert flat image.”
4. Resize your image by adjusting the blue toggles on each corner until it fits the page as desired.
5. Erase any sections of the image that overlap the borders of the image.
6. Create a new layer (we suggest renaming it to ‘Color here’) where you can color the image digitally with Procreate.
7. Select and lock the background image.
This is for those wishing to color it in Procreate.
They can do so without impacting the original image.
Congratulations!
Your new coloring sheet is ready to share as a digital or PDF file or for printing on paper.
More information exploring this strategy can be found here.
Strategy 2: Drawing Your Templates from Scratch
Drawing your templates may be a more complex strategy to achieve what you want; however, it can increase your skills and pride while providing you the exact product you are interested in.
It can help to have a picture or artifact you are using for inspiration nearby for reference as you set about designing your coloring page.
Step 1: Select Your Canvas
If you are looking to print the coloring page, it is good practice to choose a template measured in inches .
Then double-check in the settings that the DPI is set to at least 300 DPI (dots per inch) for the clarity of your work.
DPI works much in the same way as pixels do.
The higher the number of dots, the clearer and more defined your lines will be in the final product.
It also helps to check that the page is orientated appropriately.
You can adjust by rotating your thumb and forefinger by 90 degrees left or right.
Step 2: Select Your Brush Set
It can help to start sketching with a thinner brush until you determine the general layout of your image.
You should select a grey or black color that can you can see quickly and easily.
You can change the color of your brush by tapping the circle in the far-left-hand corner of your screen .
Then, select the color from the existing color wheel.
Step 3: Create a Basic Outline of Your Image
This outline does not need any authentic detail.
It can be as simple as a series of shapes to represent the basic elements of your image.
These basic shapes can easily be moved and rescaled WITHOUT erasing until you are satisfied with the layout of the image.
To move these shapes, tap the S-shaped “selection” tool towards the top right of the screen.
Using your stylus, trace a simple box around the shape.
A striped line should border the shape where you have drawn.
You can then tap the center image and drag it around your page using the stylus.
You can also drag on the corners or edges of the outline to resize the shape to better fit your desired proportions.
When you are satisfied with the general layout of the page, create another layer by tapping the button with two squares in the top left of the screen.
Reduce the opacity of the original layer by tapping “layer one” to access settings.
Reducing the opacity to 15 or until it becomes fainter can make it easier to draw a more definitive sketch of the image.
Step 4: Time to Create a More Defined (but Not Final) Draft of Your Image
For this step, it’s crucial to select a thicker, fuller brush that will create stronger, more precise lines.
This is the draft where you can add more specific elements of the image and consolidate the whole image.
This is still a draft.
So don’t be afraid to use the “erase” tool or continue to reposition.
Moreover, you can still rescale the image elements until you are happy with how it is structured.
While creating these details, it’s essential to consider the audience of your coloring pages.
If you are drawing something for young children, you will not want to create an overcomplicated design.
This is because they will feel intimidated to complete the coloring.
This step will take longer than the original draft.
However, the more time you invest, the better your coloring page will look in the end!
Step 5: Finalizing the Image
For this step, it’s crucial to select a strong, thick pen that gives very defined lines.
You will want to find an inking, studio pen, or brush.
They will give you more choices to alter the thickness of your lines within the image.
If you tap the brush you selected, it will provide you with many options to alter the pen’s performance.
You may wish to play around with these menu options.
However, before you begin drawing, it’s important to note the “stroke path” settings.
Streamline
Adjusting the “streamline” setting can impact the smoothness of your lines.
The higher the streamline, the smoother your lines will be.
So, it’s a good idea to set the streamline to at least 80%.
Stroke Thickness
You might also want to adjust the thickness of the brush using two different methods.
The line’s thickness is naturally determined by the amount of pressure you put on your stylus.
The greater the pressure, the thicker the lines will be and vice versa.
Alternatively, there is a bar on the mid-left of the screen that can be used to manually adjust the thickness of the brush.
Streamline, and thickness are critical features of the final drawing.
This is to make the image clear and defined.
Negative Space
It’s also important to consider how you can maximize the amount of negative (or empty) space in the drawing.
The more negative space that’s available, the more enjoyable it is to color the page.
To increase negative space, you can decrease the thickness of certain lines.
Then, increase the space certain elements take up.
You can even add additional lines that could be used to separate two colors within one element.
As you finalize this draft, don’t forget that you can zoom closer or further from an object.
You do this by using the same thumb and forefinger movement that you would use for most touch screen devices.
This is also a stage in drawing that you may find you need to erase more than reposition.
While the erase tool is still a great way to adjust your image, it can help to experiment with “layer masks.”
Layer Masks
Layer masks essentially allow you to cover sections of the final edition without physically removing the original image.
They are helpful because if you choose to reposition elements in this final draft,.
Using the erase tool will leave you gaps in the drawing that are too noticeable to be ignored.
This means you may be left with a noticeable patch-up job.
Alternatively, you may have to redraw entire sections from scratch, which consumes much more time.
This process will be avoided entirely with layer masks .
This is because you can delete the mask, move the object, and create a new mask that suits your design.
A video tutorial on this process can be found here.
Coloring the Image Digitally
Before you begin coloring this image digitally or sharing it with others to color digitally, it’s important to check that you have locked the layers of the final draft.
Locking the image will ensure that no accidental changes are occurring as you color the image.
There are also two ways that you can color in Procreate.
By selecting a color before tapping the empty area of the text, you can color drop to fill large chunks of the image quickly.
Alternatively, by selecting alpha lock and experimenting with your brush sets, you can have a more traditional coloring experience.
Varying your brushes can increase texture in the image, and many users find it more artistically satisfying to use this technique.
Coloring in multiple layers and using “layer blending modes” is another, more complex way to help you find the best effects for your image.
Sharing Your Coloring Page
You can share your image as a printout or in a variety of ways digitally.
Procreate File
Suppose you intend to offer the page as a Procreate file.
In that case, it is crucial to ensure that you have selected the unlocked layer where others can color quickly and easily without troubleshooting why the layer is locked.
After you have selected the unlocked layer, hit the actions button and access the video settings.
Using these settings to turn off the time-lapse recording and agreeing to purge video ensures that the new owners of the file do not have access to a time-lapse of your creative process.
You may wish to turn the video back on for them afterward so that they can rewatch their process later, but that is also optional.
PDF File
Select the unlocked layer and swipe down with three fingers to turn your coloring page into a PDF file.
“Copy all” the image, and open a new template.
Consider adding a border to this new template if you don’t wish for the image to be cropped.
This is important if the new sharer should choose to print the template .
(See strategy one, step one if you need help remembering this process.)
Paste and resize your image onto this new page.
If any elements of the image overlap borders etc., use the erase tool to do one final tidy-up before you share the file.
When you are satisfied with this new template, go to the Actions setting.
In Action, you should easily find an option to share.
Ensure you select the PDF options.
Your device will then automatically prepare the image as a PDF export.
You can then save the file to your device, airdrop it, or share it on any other platform easily using your device.
It’s that easy to share your unique creation!
Final Thoughts
Whether you are looking to create a specific coloring page quickly or expand your artistic skills by creating a whole coloring page from scratch, Procreate’s many features accommodate your needs.
The app is designed to be highly intuitive and uses many functions similar to several touch screen devices you may be using.
Procreate has many free features that make your artistic journey as easy as possible.
We highly encourage you to continue exploring the features mentioned in the article and beyond to find the most efficient strategies to meet your needs.
Creating and sharing quality art has never been easier.
While purchasing additional products mentioned earlier in the article may help you reach your full potential, the app’s many free features are adequate for the everyday user.
Whether you intend to print, share, or digitally complete your coloring pages, Procreate has all your bases covered.
Thousands of clients rave about this app.
We do not doubt that with the aid of this article, you’ll love the platform as much as we do!
If this article on Procreate coloring pages piqued your interest, then you would be interested to read other Procreate articles.
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