How to Draw Manga in Procreate

If you are a fan of manga and anime, you might want to create your own manga-style illustrations using Procreate, a powerful and versatile drawing app for iPad. Procreate has many features and tools that can help you achieve the manga look, such as the G Pen, the halftone effect, the symmetrical drawing guide, and more. In this blog post, we will show you some tips and techniques on how to draw manga in Procreate, from sketching to coloring.

Step 1: Sketching

The first step is to sketch your manga character using the G Pen, which is a brush that mimics the traditional pen used by manga artists. The G Pen has a smooth and sharp stroke that is perfect for creating clean and dynamic lines. You can find the G Pen in the Inking category of the brush library.

To sketch your character, you can start with a circle for the head and then add some guidelines for the eyes, nose, and mouth. You can also use the symmetrical drawing guide to help you draw both sides of the face evenly. To activate the guide, tap on the wrench icon on the top left corner of the screen, then go to Canvas > Drawing Guide > Edit Drawing Guide > Symmetry. You can choose either vertical or horizontal symmetry depending on your preference.

Next, you can sketch the eyes, which are one of the most important features of manga characters. Manga eyes are usually large and expressive, with thick lashes and shiny highlights. You can use the liquify tool to adjust the shape of the eyes if needed. To access the liquify tool, tap on the magic wand icon on the top left corner of the screen, then choose Liquify.

After sketching the eyes, you can add the eyebrows, nose, and mouth. Manga eyebrows are usually thin and curved, while manga noses and mouths are often small and simple. You can also sketch some details like hair, ears, and clothing. Remember to use light and loose strokes for sketching, as you will erase them later.

Step 2: Inking

The next step is to ink your sketch using a new layer. To create a new layer, tap on the layer icon on the top right corner of the screen, then tap on the plus sign. You can also rename your layers by tapping on them and choosing Rename.

To ink your sketch, you can use the same G Pen as before, but with a smaller size and higher opacity. You can adjust these settings by sliding your finger up or down on the left side of the screen. You can also use different colors for different parts of your character, such as black for hair and eyes, brown for skin, and blue for clothing.

To ink your character, you can trace over your sketch lines using smooth and confident strokes. You can also use quick flicks to create tapered ends for your lines. You can also use different line weights to create contrast and depth in your drawing. For example, you can use thicker lines for outlines and shadows, and thinner lines for details and highlights.

If you make any mistakes while inking, you can use the eraser tool to erase them. You can also use the undo and redo buttons on the top left corner of the screen to go back or forward in your history.

Step 3: Coloring

The final step is to color your character using another new layer. To create a new layer, tap on the plus sign again. You can also drag your color layer below your ink layer to avoid covering your lines.

To color your character, you can use any colors you like, but it is recommended to use a limited palette to create harmony and balance in your drawing. You can also use reference images or color pickers to help you choose your colors.

To color your character, you can use any brush you like, but one of the most popular brushes for manga coloring is the Soft Brush, which is a brush that creates soft and smooth gradients. You can find the Soft Brush in the Airbrushing category of the brush library.

To color your character, you can start by filling in the base colors using large strokes. You can also use alpha lock to prevent coloring outside of your shapes. To activate alpha lock, swipe right with two fingers on your layer thumbnail.

After filling in the base colors, you can add shading and highlights using darker and lighter colors respectively. You can also use different blending modes to create different effects. For example, you can use Multiply for shading and Add for highlights. You can change the blending mode by tapping on the N letter on your layer thumbnail.

One of the most distinctive features of manga coloring is the halftone effect, which is an effect that creates dots or patterns on your colors. You can create this effect using Procreate’s built-in halftone brushes or by importing custom brushes from online sources. You can find the halftone brushes in the Halftones category of the brush library.

To create the halftone effect, you can use a new layer and set the blending mode to Overlay. Then, you can choose a halftone brush and a color, and apply it over your colors. You can also adjust the size and opacity of your brush to create different densities and intensities of the effect.

And that’s it! You have created a manga-style illustration using Procreate. You can also add some final touches and refinements to your drawing, such as adding a background, some text, or some effects. You can also export your drawing as a PNG or PDF file and share it with others.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and learned some useful tips and techniques on how to draw manga in Procreate. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below. Happy drawing!