If you don’t want your photo to show up as part of your final time-lapse video you’ll want to choose a private photo when inserting reference images.

You have two options when inserting a photo in Procreate - inserting a photo or inserting a private photo. The first step is to insert a photo of your reference image onto your Procreate canvas. And the best part? Procreate has a tool that allows you to trace over an image without the image showing up in the final time-lapse video of your art process. It can be a huge help in speeding up your workflow.

Now it’s time to talk about my favorite way to use reference images in Procreate - tracing! As I mentioned above, there is no shame in tracing over reference images in your artwork. You can learn more about working within strict layer limits in my class, Blooms & Shrooms: Draw Fun & Funky Artwork in Procreate!) One thing to note about this is that the reference box counts as a layer, so keep this in mind if you’re working under a tight layer limit! (P.S. Now you can start to sketch from your reference image on your canvas! I also use this to reference color palettes when I’m inking my artwork. The stylization of the characters, the colors, and the composition all make it unique, even though I used reference images as a jumping-off point. For example, in this illustration, I used reference images to trace the bunnies to make sure I was getting the proportions correct, but everything else about this image is unique to my style. This doesn’t mean that I’m stealing or copying from a photo, but instead, I’m using it to get a solid starting point for my sketch. There is no shame in using reference photos for your artwork - I use them all the time to help me make sure I’m getting proportions correct and that what I’m drawing is recognizable.

And bonus! I’ll share a tip for how to insert a photo in Procreate so that it doesn’t show up in your final illustration timelapse!īeing able to trace directly over reference photos is one of my favorite things about using Procreate. You’ll learn how to place a reference image to the side of your canvas to reference as you freehand draw, and you’ll also learn how to sketch directly on top of a reference image.

When it comes to sketching in Procreate, I love that you have so much flexibility! In this tutorial, you’ll learn two ways to use reference images in Procreate.

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