How To Make Lines Neater in Procreate

Creating neat and professional-looking lines in digital art can be a challenge, especially for those new to the medium. In Procreate, the popular digital painting app for iPad, several tools and techniques can help artists achieve cleaner, more precise lines. Whether you’re a budding artist or a seasoned pro, these tips will help you refine your line art and take your digital illustrations to the next level.

Line art is a fundamental element in digital illustration, serving as the backbone for most artworks. It involves creating lines that define shapes and forms in an illustration, often used as a guide for further coloring and shading. Neatline art is crucial as it sets the tone for the final piece.

Choose the Right Brush:

Procreate offers a wide range of brushes. For line art, brushes like the Studio Pen or Monoline under the ‘Inking’ category are popular choices. Explore our procreate monoline brushes for options that might suit your style.

Experiment with different brushes to find the one that suits your style and provides the control you need.

Studio pen brush
Choosing from different type of brushes

Customize Your Brush Settings

Tweak settings like Streamline, which smooths out your strokes, making them cleaner and more controlled. For more on adjusting your brush, see how to make a monoline brush thinner or thicker in Procreate.

Adjusting the brush size and opacity can also help in achieving the desired line weight and transparency.

Streamline settings
Adjusting the brush size and opacity

Use a Stabilizer

Procreate’s built-in stabilization feature can be a game-changer. It helps in smoothing out shaky lines and achieving fluid, consistent strokes.

Smoothing out shaky lines

Practice Consistent Pressure

If using an Apple Pencil, practice maintaining consistent pressure to ensure uniform line thickness.

Experiment with different grip styles and pressures to find what works best for you.

Different grip styles & pressures

Utilize Layers

Create your rough sketch on one layer, then add a new layer on top for cleaner line art.

This approach allows you to hide or modify the sketch layer without affecting your neat line work.

Making a rough sketch
Hiding or modifying your sketch layer

Zoom In for Details

Don’t hesitate to zoom in for intricate details. This allows for greater control and precision.

Zooming in

Use QuickLine and QuickShape Features:

Procreate’s QuickLine and QuickShape tools are perfect for creating straight lines and perfect geometric shapes.

Simply draw a line or shape and hold your pencil down at the end of the stroke to activate these features.

QuickShape & QuickLine tools
Drawing your shape

Take Breaks and Review:

Regular breaks prevent fatigue and help maintain a steady hand.

Step back and review your work periodically to catch any irregularities.

Reviewing your work

Conclusion

Neat line art is a crucial step in creating polished and professional digital illustrations. By choosing the right tools, customizing settings, and practicing your technique, you can significantly improve the neatness and quality of your lines in Procreate. Discover what a monoline pen is and how to make an outline brush in Procreate for further guidance. Remember, like any skill, it takes practice and patience, so keep experimenting and have fun with the process!

Author Image
Jana is an illustrator. She studied at ISIA U, the Institute for Graphic Design in Urbino, Italy. She works in both traditional and digital techniques, and she loves illustration as a way of expression. She also has frame-by-frame animation skills, and I am familiar with programs such as Procreate, Photoshop, Adobe Indesign, After Effects, and DaVinci Resolve.

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