How to COLOR line art in Procreate

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In this step-by-step kawaii drawing tutorial, we’ll take a sketch from our previous tutorial and learn how to color the line art in Procreate step-by-step. BONUS: we’ll also design a CUSTOM PHONE CASE with the art we just colored! We’ll cover principles of composition, layout, and color.

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Step 1: Set Up Your File

First thing, we need to set the canvas in Procreate, so that it is optimized for product use once we have finished the drawing. I used Printful to manufacture this phone case, so went to their website that tells me exactly what size of art I need to create.

In this case we will be using the dimensions 7.5 x 15.5 centimeters with a 600 DPI which will be great for printing. With this setting, I have 157 layers available to me, however if you have an older iPad, you may want to reduce the DPI to 300 to get more layers.

Although we set this up for a phone case, when you are creating YOUR design, you can set up your canvas for any size you need (check with your manufacturer). If you use print-on-demand, you can usually find their recommended sizes on their website.

Step 2: Create the Composition

We’ve already talked about composition in our first video, however an important thing to remember is that you want your create to tell a story. For example, with my creation I have our little honey bee holding a flower, then he’s have a drink of honey, then she’s flying away with a big pot of honey with his spoon ready.

You want to think of the flow of your creation and where it leads you eye. Where are you looking when you look at your creation? You’ll note my bees face left then right then left again. It keeps the eye following along with the images. Even the positioning of your smaller items are important. If you find yourself following them off the main image you may need to move them. All of the elements should work together to flow into one another and keep your eye on the art.

Step 3: Color Palette

For your color palette you can look at different references including your original bees. Pull colors and shades you like. If you want black and yellow bees you can, for my bees I wanted a more pastel palette. Instead of black I used brown to make my bees cute and pastel.

Test the colors out, try them together until you get that perfect combination!

Step 4: How to Color Line Art in Procreate

Now, the fun part – coloring. You have the color palette you want, so now it is just about coloring in your art.

PRO TIP: Place each color on a different layer. This way, if needed, you can easily find that layer and change all the appearances of that color at once. This is especially helpful if you need to do some last minute tweaks.

Remember the feel you’re trying to go for with your art, the line art, composition and color all help to bring that feeling into your art.

Sept 5: Export Your File

After all that hard work it’s finally time to export your file, so you can put it on your product. Make sure the background layer is hidden so that your image will have a transparent background.