Paint, Smudge, and Erase

Start creating right away with your finger. Discover hundreds of responsive brushes representing a wealth of various mediums.

Basics

Paint, Smudge and Erase are the essential tools of Procreate Pocket.

Located on the top right of the interface, Paint, Smudge, and Erase all share the same Brush Library, and all work the same way.

Tap the icon of the tool you want to use - the brush for Paint, the finger for Smudge, and the eraser for Erase. You can start working immediately, or tap again to open the Brush Library and choose a brush. Tap Done to close the Brush Library and start creating.

Sketch, ink, paint, color, shade and texture in a wide variety of mediums.

Paint to add pigment to your canvas.

Tap the Brush tool, select a brush from the Brush Library, and tap or drag your finger on the canvas to make strokes.

Use the two brush sliders on the left to adjust the size and pressure of your brushstrokes.

Explore the Brush Library to discover hundreds of unique brushes. These create a variety of effects ranging from the realistic to the fantastic.

Tweak the settings of existing brushes or build your own from the ground up in Brush Studio .

Blend your artwork, smooth out strokes, and mix color.

Smudge to move pigment around your canvas.

Tap Smudge, then select a brush from the Brush Library. Tap or drag your finger on your brushstrokes and colors to blend your artwork.

The Smudge tool creates varying effects depending on the value of the pressure slider. Raise the pressure slider in the left sidebar to strengthen your smudge tool. Lower the pressure for a more subtle result.

High strength

When you use Smudge at full pressure, it smears color around like wet paint. Colors will be blended much quicker at full pressure. You may also see visible drag lines where Smudge has moved paint around the canvas. Mix color and pull transparency into your image for dynamic results.

Low strength

At lower strengths, Smudge is smoother and softer. This can create gradients, blending shadows and highlights, or smudging pencil drawings.

Smudge shares the same Brush Library as Paint. Experiment with different brushes to blend with each brush's unique characteristics. These can have interesting and unexpected results.

Paint away mistakes, remove pigment, carve out areas of transparency, and soften your artwork.

Erase to remove pigment from your canvas.

Tap Erase then select a brush from the Brush Library. Tap or drag your finger over your brushstrokes and colors to blend your artwork.

Match your eraser brush with your painting brush to create a seamless style.

You can adjust the pressure slider in the left brush sliders to reduce the amount of pigment the eraser takes away. Use this technique to fade off or lighten areas of your art.