Foolproof Shading Techniques with Blend Modes in Procreate

Do you love textural digital illustrations as much as I do? Foolproof Shading with Blend Modes in Procreate is the perfect class for beginner artists just getting into the wide world of texture. We will draw a textured digital illustration of a stylised butterfly from start to finish. In this class, you’ll learn how to use layered texture and color to add depth and visual interest to your illustrations, but we will be doing it with a foolproof method utilizing blending modes. We’ll look at how to create overall background textures, how to use texture to create highlights and shadows, and how to use blending modes to add details in your illustrations.

With this class you are entitled to the set of the texture brushes I have created to help you add multi-dimensional texture to your work. The set is comprised of 10 different textures that range from my dry ink brush to subtle crackles and rust stains. First, we’ll create a simple leaves and butterflies illustration, and then we will look at how to use texture and blending modes to add highlights and shadow to shapes. Throughout the class I will demonstrate how super simple flat shapes can easily be turned into illustrations with depth and contrast. With my techniques you cannot be go wrong!

You can find the downloads and resources here:

In this class I’ll walk you through:

• my step-by-step method for making a textural illustration

• tips for creating compositions with a simple and appealing background

• my workflow for use of layers and other great features like clipping masks

• adjusting blending modes to create perfect shadows and highlights

• methods for filling the background and adding texture

The project for this class is a textured butterfly illustration using processes we covered in the class. This class will benefit anyone who wishes to simplify creation highlights and shadows that are never wrong.

The key concepts I will include:

• Procreate blending modes

• use of clipping masks

• approaches you can take in your creative work

If you are striving to become a better illustrator, this class will give you tons of strategies. My goal is to make it as foolproof as possible with techniques you can use over and over again.

Intro to Easy Watercolour Seamless Patterns in Procreate using Brushes

This short intro will give you an overview of the class.

Lesson 1: Overview and Document Set Up

In this lesson, I will give an overview of the document set-up. I explain the merits of using a rough sketch, which I demonstrate creating. We will look at the use of my favorite original ink brush, Del’s Dry Inker. I also show you quickly how the blending modes will help you to create shading.

Lesson 2: Blocking in the Initial Color

In this lesson, I will break down the complete process of how to do a super fill of the butterfly and flower shapes. I show you painting the leaves, stems and flowers as I explain the reasoning behind the choices I make with layers.

Lesson 3: Experimenting with Blend Modes

In this lesson, I will explain the use of the multiply blending mode which allows us to use the exact color we have on the main flower or leaf paintings as our shadow color. It takes the guesswork out of the whole process and ensures we have a cohesive color palette.

Lesson 4: Adding Screened Highlight Details

This is the lesson in which I show you the use of the screen blending mode to add details to the flowers and leaves. Again, we will use the exact color we used on the base. I explain more details about the use of the clipping mask, and I explain some of the idiosyncrasies of the Dry Ink Brush.

Lesson 5: Final Details on Motifs

In this lesson, we will be finalizing all the flower and leaf details and we will also work on the background. I show you some texture brushes I am giving you as well as showing you a couple of Procreate built-in brushes. We continue to use blending modes and experiment with the use of the curves filter. We are one step closer to finalizing our design now.

Lesson 6: Final Texturing and Finishing

Adding all the finishing touches is the focus of this lesson. We start by duplicating our stems and leaves to help fill in the background. We experiment with blending modes there and talk about opacity. We employ sizing and compositional strategies. I will be adding all the textures into the piece and then further enhancing all the foreground items as well. I show you my original piece and compare it to the one we produced in class.

Lesson 7: Conclusion, Mockup and Next Steps

We will conclude everything in this lesson. I show you a couple of quick mock-ups with the pattern and we end with a chat about next steps.

Concepts covered:

Concepts covered include but are not limited to Procreate, Procreate brushes, filling with the recolor tool, layering, blending modes, Procreate brush stamps, Procreate symmetry guides, adjusting Procreate brushes, adding texture with brushes, procreate brushes for adding other interesting details, workflow best practices, painting best practice, Procreate composites, techniques with paints and blending, use of blending modes to assist in shading and dimension, and much more.

You will get …

• 52 minutes of direction from an instructor who has been in graphic design business and education for over 40 years

• knowledge of multiple ways to solve each design challenge

• an outline with links to further research

  Project Description

What I would like to see you do for this project is a combination of plants and a flying creature. It can be a butterfly, a dragonfly, a bee or a flying beetle of some sort. Remember, the technique is loose and casual, and texture is the finishing touch. Use the color palette provided or create one of your own but remember to keep it limited. The star of the show is using the exact same color for the highlights and shadows, along with lending modes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course materials?

You can view and review the lecture materials indefinitely, like an on-demand channel.

Can I take my courses with me wherever I go?

Definitely! If you have an internet connection, courses on Udemy are available on any device at any time. If you don’t have an internet connection, some instructors also let their students download course lectures. That’s up to the instructor though, so make sure you get on their good side!