The Procreate app has transformed what is possible when creating art on an iPad.
It’s a very intuitive and easy-to-learn interface suitable for beginners but also interesting for experts, and everyone in between.
You do not need to be a professional to be able to use Procreate, and throughout this article, we will explain why.
Affordable
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The first thing to know about Procreate that makes it very beginner friendly is its affordability. Firstly, you can buy a license for the Procreate app with a one-time payment whereas many apps and programs today, especially art and creative programs, are accessed with an ongoing monthly subscription payment.
On top of the fact that it is a one-time payment, it is also a very cheap one-time payment. So, for the same price you might pay to buy two or three coffees you can buy yourself a lifetime license to a feature-rich art app that will give you years of enjoyment.
You Can Use It On An iPad
All apple devices especially iPads are designed to be very easy and intuitive to use. Because of this, the Procreate app is also very accessible as it was designed to be used on an iPad.
If you know how to use a smartphone you will have the skills, or be able to develop the skills very quickly, to use Procreate.
It is not like some of those very complicated editing applications that people use on high-powered computers that have a significant technological learning curve.
Intuitive Workflow
The Procreate app has a very intuitive workflow.
You can go from a blank canvas to a finished piece of art in literally minutes. The key features are easily available from the home screen, and the more detailed features are only one click away and grouped with other logically related features so once you’ve had a small amount of time to practice on Procreate you will quickly develop a very effective Procreate skill set.
Draw On The Screen
Being creative with the Procreate app is made even easier when you use the Apple Pencil. An Apple Pencil is a device made by Apple that you sync with your iPad then when you place the pencil on the screen of your iPad it follows the movement of the pencil tip and creates a digital image of the pencil’s movements.
The Apple Pencil has a pressure-sensitive tip so you can create special effects based on your drawing style.
It is not an actual pencil that is going to mark your iPad, it has a special tip that is just designed to make direct contact with your iPad screen without leaving a mark or damaging it in any way.
The Apple Pencil provides a very intuitive way for you to interact with your digital canvas and is very easy to use if you are skilled at hand drawing.
No Supplies Needed
With most types of art, there’s going to be a significant investment of materials and supplies required to get yourself ready. That is not the case with Procreate.
With a once-off investment in the app license, you can create all sorts of things for years to come.
If you want to branch out and try more things then you can purchase an Apple Pencil. It is also possible to purchase other image packs and add-ons for the app to enhance its capabilities but the core app for one price is more than enough for most people.
Professionals Love It Too
Even though you do not need to be a professional to use Procreate many professionals love this app. They love how intuitive the app is and how easy it is to use and how rapidly you can turn an idea into an artwork.
Art Is For Everyone
The Procreate catchphrase, or tagline, is that “art is for everyone” and you can see this as a mission of theirs in the way the app has been designed. So if you are a beginner the Procreate app is a great app for you to consider.
Speeding Up The Learning Process
If you buy the Procreate app and you want to take your skills to the next level there are many different resources at your disposal both free and paid.
Procreate Website
The first place you should go if you have not already is the Procreate website. They have some official support resources in a special dedicated section of their website and they include tutorials and lessons on everything you could ever want to know about how to use the Procreate app.
There is a specific Procreate handbook that gives you a step-by-step, lesson-by-lesson guide on how to master all the features and functions of the Procreate app.
You do not need to go through this guide from start to finish if you do not want to, you can just pick and choose from different lessons to learn the features that you want to be able to use. But you might find benefit in starting from the start and going through the first few sections, lesson by lesson, as you familiarise yourself with the app in the beginning.
This Procreate handbook used to be a paid option but is now included as free for all users.
YouTube
Sometimes you learn more by watching someone do something than by reading about it yourself. The same may be true for Procreate, and the many YouTube videos you can search with many talented artists of all skill levels demonstrating how they use the Procreate app and what they have achieved with it.
With innovative recording techniques, people can record exactly what they’re doing on their screen so you get a very good picture of exactly what buttons they press and how they move their fingers, and which options they select to get certain textures to create their final designs.
Watching people on YouTube using Procreate can be both an inspiring process as well as an educational process.
Paid Courses
If you like structured and coherent sequences of information that have a very clear goal, then you may want to consider a Procreate class from advanced Procreate users. In some cases, this might be an in-person workshop, but in most cases, this will be in the form of an online course. An online course typically consists of a series of recorded videos grouped into a logical formation with a very specific skill or art style being conveyed to the students.
A Procreate Masterclass would be the quickest way to build your skills and familiarity with Procreate.
Procreate Success Is Yours For The Taking
With a little bit of effort combined with a lot of passion, a beginner can have success with Procreate.
Procreate is a very intuitive app, designed for a very intuitive device, and though it will take some time to learn the basic controls and features of a new application, it will not get any easier than it is with Procreate.
There are endless free resources available to you on YouTube and the Procreate website, you just need the time to sit down and take them in.
Taking the time to learn a new app is an investment, but it’s a worthy investment given the satisfaction you will have creating artwork in the years to come.
