I say this a lot: Procreate when used with an Apple Pencil is the peanut butter and jelly of digital art - a perfect match, and I'm convinced I'll never use anything else. I use this combo for everything, from personal doodles, creating a digital planner for myself, and of course all of my small art business creations. The app is incredibly user friendly and great for beginners, and comes with a huge selection of brushes already included! I do have a stash of "fancy" paid brushes with commercial licensing, but somehow I always find myself coming back to these 10 trusty brushes that Procreate includes for free. They're the unsung heroes of my creative toolkit - simple, reliable, and surprisingly versatile. Let's dive into my favorite brushes and why they deserve a permanent spot in your digital art arsenal!
10 - Glimmer
Uses: Glitter, stars, sparkles
The Glimmer brush is ideal for creating glitter effects and celestial designs. While I often use it as-is, I've also made a custom version with higher spacing (Edit brush > stroke path > set spacing to 99%) to spread the sparkles out a bit more. This tweak gives me a bit more control when adding that extra sparkle to my art.
9 - Monoline
Uses: Smooth outlines
When it comes to creating crisp, consistent outlines for stickers, Monoline is my ride or die. It maintains a steady size, ensuring even white space around my illustrations for die-cut stickers and kiss-cut sticker sheets. Even though there are different ways to create cut lines without doing them by hand, after six years of creating stickers, drawing them by hand with this brush remains my favorite method.
8 - Inking Rough
Uses: Gritty line art
For pieces that need an edgier vibe, I turn to the Inking Rough brush. It adds a raw texture to the line art, and I love how it kind of looks like a marker running out of ink.
7 - Oil Paint
Uses: Texture, fur
I adore using the Oil Paint brush for adding texture to evergreen trees, ocean waves, and especially to fur. One of my most popular files Trash Babies Tea Party, showcases this brush beautifully in the fur details on the raccoon, skunk and opossum.
6 - Gouache
Uses: Texture, shading
This brush is fantastic for adding soft textures and subtle shadows. I love its painterly feel, which can bring depth and more of a hand-drawn richness to digital pieces. I started out as a watercolor artist so I love when I can add some of that vibe into my seamless files!
5 - Noise
Uses: Glitter, highlights
If you love adding glitter to your art, the Noise brush is an underrated dream. I use it to create my highlights that add a magical touch to my work. Its texture is so subtle but who wants smooth highlights when you can make them sparkly? This is a staple in my collection.
4 - 6B Pencil
Uses: Sketching, shading, highlights, texture
The 6B Pencil is my go-to for sketching, it is all I have ever used! It's also incredibly versatile so I use it from everything from rough draft sketches to sharp shadows, crisp highlights, and if you use an Apple Pencil you can use the tip on its side to add some fun texture to your pieces. I use this brush as-is but I've also created a custom larger version (edit brush > properties > increase maximum brush size to 30%) for when I need larger brush strokes. This makes my sketches looser and more organic.
3 - Syrup
Uses: Flat Color
I know there are ways to auto-fill sections of line art with color to make the process faster, but as a coloring book collecting kind of girl, there is nothing more satisfying to me than coloring in my linework by hand. Using an Apple Pencil, Syrup's pressure sensitivity allows you to easily switch between covering large areas with firm pressure and filling in smaller details with a lighter touch. It's perfect for laying down all of the flat color in my pieces.
2 - Tinderbox
Uses: Lineart
For textured, dynamic line art, Tinderbox is my top choice. Ask any of my designer friends, I recommend it to everyone! Its pressure sensitivity creates varied line weights, adding life to my illustrations and it has a subtle texture so my line art isn't as stiff. Keep in mind that it is partially transparent, so I end up duplicating my line art layer when I'm finished to keep the lines opaque.
1 - DIY Custom Stamps
Uses: Sparkles, stars, moons, hearts, etc!
Here it is, my number one favorite free brush in Procreate - my own! Creating custom stamp brushes has been a game-changer for me. I used to draw every single star or sparkle by hand, which was exhausting. I have since discovered that you can easily DIY some stamp brushes and now I have a P&O specific set of stamps that I use on every single file, so all my shapes are consistent and I can finish things much faster. If you'd like to try this technique out yourself, here is my favorite (not sponsored) tutorial on creating these brushes - Click Here to Watch on Youtube These ten brushes have been staples for P&O for years, and I hope this list inspires you to experiment with them in your own work. Whether you're sketching, shading, or adding juuuust the write amount of sparkle (if there is even such a thing as too much glitter), these brushes have your back. And hey, they're already in your Procreate app - no need to spend a dime! So grab your favorite stylus, fire up Procreate, and get creating. Who knows? These brushes might just become your new favorites, too. I would love to see how you use these brushes so please feel free to share them by tagging me on Instagram @PeriwinkleOnyx ! Now, go forth and make some magic - your canvas is waiting!
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