In this tutorial, we’ll be painting a bubble using basic tools and brushes from Procreate. Please download the tutorial files before you begin. It will include the swatch palette and brushes used in this project.
Once downloaded, go to your Downloads Folder on your Files App. Tap on the zip file and it will create an unzipped folder. From there, just tap on the .brushset file and the .swatches file and they should import automatically to Procreate. You’ll find the brush set in your Brush Library and the Palette in your Palette’s tab inside the Color Panel.
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Let’s start by creating a 3000 x 3000 pixel canvas. A tip before we start drawing, you can adjust the Selection mask visibility settings for more translucent selections. It’s easier to see what you’re doing when the selection mask is more visible. Go to Actions (the wrench icon on the top left menu bar), go to Prefs. At the bottom of the menu, you’ll see a slider for Selection mask visibility. I like to keep mine at around 50-60%.
Step 1: Now tap on the Selection Tool and choose “Ellipse” from the options. Then select a round shape in the middle of your canvas by pressing and moving the Pencil without lifting it. To get a symmetrical circle, tap and hold one finger as you move the Pencil to adjust the shape.
Step 2: Do not deselect. Simply tap on the Paint tool (brush icon on the top right menu bar) and choose the Freya Round Airbrush. Then paint the four colors provided in the free palette swatch as illustrated.
Step 3: Again, be careful not to deselect. Tap on the Adjustment tool (the wand icon in the top left menu bar) and then choose Gaussian Blur. Press the Pencil on the selected area and keep the tip connected to the screen as you move it left and right to adjust the blur percentage. You’ll see a percentage bar on top. Set it to 30%. This will blur the colors together.
Step 4: Now tap on the erase tool and choose the default Soft brush from the Airbrushing brush group. Gently erase the middle of the selected circle.
Step 5: Again, remember not to deselect. Go to Adjustments and choose Bloom. Press the Pencil on the selected area and keep the tip connected to the screen as you move it left and right to adjust the bloom percentage. You’ll see a percentage bar on top. I’ve set mine to 30% but this might look different for you. So adjust it so that you get a small yellowish circle.
Step 6: Now we’re going to add more light using the Soft brush and then blurring as we go. I suggest changing the background color (layers) to something darker so that you can see the adjustments better.
Step 7: We’ll continue to add highlight. Add a layer, set it as a clipping mask, and set the layer mode to Add. Then using the Soft brush, add more highlights around the edge. You can even add sections to the light, to make it look more like reflected light. Then use the default Flare brush from the Luminance brush group to add some light flares.
And we’re done! You’ve just made a bubble illustration using Procreate’s basic tools! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I did. If you would like to learn more and master Procreate’s tools and improve your digital art skills, please check out my Procreate Masterclass. It’s a beginner-friendly course that covers all everything about Procreate.
