#procreatetips

Blending modes alter the way layers appear and blend with other layers. Each layer's default blend mode is Normal, but there are several different options. To switch to a different option, open up your layers and select the N that is on the right side of a layer. This will open a drop-down menu that allows you to scroll through the various modes and shows a preview before you actually decide to stick with it.

Before the list is the bar that gives you the ability to change the layer's opacity. While you do have the interface that changes the opacity of your brush, this changes the layer's transparency as a whole.

The first blending mode is Multiply. This mode changes the appearance of a layer by making the art darker. This will be helpful when trying to create an appearance of a shadow.

The next mode is Darken. Darken, depending on whether or not there is a difference in color and darkness between two layers, will keep the darker layer, bringing it to the front. If there is little to no difference, however, nothing will change.

The next two modes are Color Burn and Linear Burn. Though both give the layer a darker effect, Linear Burn's darken effect does not have as much saturation as the other and shows more of a contrast in the darker colors.

Darker Color is similar to Darken in the sense that it will not change if the colors are similar, but it takes a slightly different approach when comparing the colors.

Normal is the default mode where nothing is changed. The image that you've created stays the same.

Next is Lighten. Lighten does the opposite of Darken, using the lighter color and blending it.

Screen, Color Dodge, and Add all do similar things, but with different approaches. Screen brightens the colors, making your image somewhat transparent and transforming it into a highlight. Color Dodge makes the layer even brighter. This can also be for highlights, but if you want it to have more of an exaggerated effect. Add brightens the lighter colors without brightening the layer below it as much as Color Dodge.

Lighter Color lightens the layer, but just like Darker Color, takes a different approach to performing the task.

Overlay lightens and darkens aspects of the layer depending on the tones. It darkens the darker tones and lightens the lighter ones. This can be used if you want both the effect that Multiply and Screen apply to the layer.

Soft Light, Hard Light, Vivid Light, Linear Light, and Pin Light are all like Overlay with the way that they lighten and darken the layer. Soft Light is a more subtle version, while Linear Light would be a much harsher mode. Hard Light and Vivid Light would be considered in between the two, but Hard Light is a lot less bright than the other.

Pin Light darkens and lightens the layer at the same time. Depending on the colors that are used, that layer may seem as if it doesn't exist.

Hard Mix reduces the colors that you have used on the layer, replacing them with black, white, cyan, yellow, magenta, red, green, and/or blue based on the colors used.

Difference inverts and darkens colors using the base and contrasting colors as a reference. This will completely change your layer, but if that's something that you're interested in, I'd recommend testing it.

Exclusion, much like Difference inverts and darkens colors, but if there are variations of gray in the layer, those colors will remain unaffected.

Subtract darkens the lighter parts of an image and leaves darker colors with almost no effect.

Divide performs the opposite task as Subtract, lightening darker colors and keeping the lighter ones the same.

Hue is for when you want to slightly change the hue, but want to keep the tone and saturation that already exists on the layer.

Saturation changes the intensity of the layer, making it less vivid.

Color uses the hue and intensity of the layer above, while keeping the radiance of the bottom layer. Depending on the colors used, there could be little to no difference.

And finally, Luminosity. This mode does the opposite of Color, keeping the hue and saturation of the bottom layer, but using the radiance of the top.

My custom Procreate brush set is now available to download for -ˏˋ FREE ˊˎ- in my Ko-fi shop!  Happy drawing and let me know what you all think! 

Last week we talked about brushes and the different types, but sometimes we want something different. When we don’t want to use any of the standard brushes that come with the app, there are two options; adding premade brushes or making your own. Today, I will explain how to make your own brush.

The first thing that you should do is add another set under your brush library to keep track of which ones are custom. Although a little symbol appears on the side, indicating that the brushes are not from the standard sets, it could be beneficial when trying to stay organized.

 To start a new set, drag your list down until a blue plus button pops up, and then select it. To add a brush to the set, select the plus button on the top right of the library. This will add a basic brush, but by selecting it, you will be brought to the Brush Studio.

The Brush Studio is what you will use when customizing a brush and there are several options, from stroke path, to shape, to adding color to your brush. The best way to get comfortable with these settings is by playing around with them, making small strokes on the provided drawing pad. When your drawing pad is full, you can clear it by selecting Drawing Pad and clicking on the Clear drawing pad prompt. 

Although it’s not too soon, I’ve already become excited for Christmas, so as an example, I made a brush that resembles a Garland. To get the garland look, I dragged the Scatter option to the right (not with a specific number in mind) and brought Tilt Roundness to -99%. 

When testing the brush out on a new canvas, I noticed that by dotting everywhere, it kind of looks like someone had blown on a dandelion!