Procreate - a musing about brushes.

When I started learning to draw, I hated Procreate. I hated it for loads of small reasons, the main being that a layer cannot be larger than the canvas, and there isn’t a real fill tool.

Over time, I found things I didn’t like about Art Studio Pro and I couldn’t get behind the (modest) subscription for Clip Studio Paint. I don’t trust Adobe, so Fresco was out. As time went on, I found myself using Procreate more and more, just because it was the least objectionable. Eventually, I embraced it as my main tool.

It was months later when I went into another application to grab an old work, that I realised I had totally fallen for Procreate’s brush engine and just wasn’t concerned with interface niceties or layer size any more.

Presently, I am trying to draw every day and exploring styles, brushes, and techniques. I’m doing it all in Procreate, gleefully.

I think, with all this practice, I am getting better at drawing. Or, at least becoming less terrible at it.

Brushes.

Procreate being a single purchase, and the developers continued assertions that it will remain that way emboldened me to spend some money on brushes.

After some research, I grabbed a substantial pack from Retro Supply Co (RSCO) and some from True Grit Textures supplied (TGTS). So far, I am exceedingly happy with them. I probably got more than I required from RSCO, but their large bundles and the discount offered struck me as enough reason to go ahead and pull the trigger.

Since grabbing these new brushes, I have seen a noticeable uptick in my artistic output. While brushes are no replacement for skill, style and practice (all of which I lack) they do allow the results to be as polished as possible. The other thing I noticed was that the brushes from TGTS and RSCO both have different feels to them. TGTS brushes seem to flow onto the page easier while RSCO brushes offer more pressure control, or at least that’s how they feel to me, someone with no skill and too little study.

I have not even looked at a stock brush since getting these packs. I have used the feathery pencils (Chromagraph) and wet inkers (The Rusty Nib) from TGTS for sketching and inking respectively. Meanwhile, the cross-hatching and destruction textures from RSCO have complemented them wonderfully. I think if I were more interested in painting than lifework, I would appreciate RSCO better. Though, I realise that I am already in the deep weeds of this topic and should probably stop talking.

I tell you all of this because I wonder if I would enjoy any art application as much as I do Procreate, if I had access to these brush sets.

Okay, what’s your point?

I have previously grabbed brush packs from Etsy and Gum-whatever-it’s-called and been reasonably satisfied with the results. But spending money on really goos quality offerings from large brush makers has really changed things for me. I had an Marker pack from a smaller seller for ages, and was quite happy with them. Once I tried the CHROMATONE (they put it in all caps, not me) Marker pack from RSCO I was blown away but the difference, they feel more like the tools they are aping, and the results are consistent. Layering mixes in predicable ways and the selection of nibs are organised wonderfully.

Premium brushes really change your experience, and, in ways I did not expect.

When Affinity eventually relaunches on the iPad, I may re-buy the Rusty Nib (TGTS) just to find out.

Prices

The obvious elephant is the cost. Procreate is priced at about £20 for a single purchase (I think) and I paid £22 just for some pencil brushes. Before using them I would have said it was overpriced but after using them I think they are no different to physical tools and paying a little more often results in better, well, results.

If anything, it’s made me think of Procreate as a platform more than a tool in itself.

And, don’t even get me started on what an astonishing difference good paper textures make.

Your art is still crap.

Yes. I know. Im working on it. I’ll get better… I think.