How to Draw Something Cool on Procreate

The Procreate app gives you powerful tools you lot can use in your digital analogy, even if you're just a beginner. In my opinion some of these tools, including the Procreate symmetry tool are especially useful for beginners.

For example, using a drawing app instead of newspaper allows you to:

• Erase or delete without eraser marks
• Use tools to stabilize your lines
• Employ tools such every bit quickshape or cartoon guides to create perfect shapes.
• Employ layers to build upon your artwork, reducing whatever worries about making mistakes

Another peak tip for beginners is utilise symmetry in Procreate to improve your line work and drawings.

After all, wouldn't information technology be easier to draw something once and have information technology mirrored instead of having to depict the aforementioned things twice?

That's what the symmetry tool does in Procreate!

What is the Procreate Symmetry Tool?

The Procreate Symmetry tool is an option inside cartoon guide that allows you to create symmetrical drawings easily.

Recall of information technology as kind of like a mirror paradigm, but more powerful because there are and so many ways you can create symmetry in Procreate!

But to put it simply, depending on which symmetry selection you option, Procreate will copy what you depict on one side of a symmetry line onto the other side of the symmetry line.

The example that comes to mind for me is when yous're drawing butterfly wings. When you apply the symmetry tool in Procreate you tin can draw one wing while having that wing automatically fatigued on the other side of your sail at the same time.

One time y'all showtime thinking of ways to use this, things get heady.

The first thing I used this for was to create optics on a graphic symbol I was cartoon. Information technology was super cool that I just had to describe i eye and the other eye ended up in the perfect place and was an verbal replica of the middle I drew.

Cartoon eyes is difficult as a beginner. Using the Procreate symmetry tool helped me to create the same center on both sides and in the same identify on a face.

To make things even better, that middle was flipped horizontally, which is exactly how you'd want it. You wouldn't want the tear ducts to both be on the left side of the center for case.

(If you lot did, you'd just desire to turn on rotational symmetry because that will actually do an exact replica).

But I'm getting ahead of myself!

How to Use Symmetry in Procreate

Let's get into Procreate so we tin can commencement playing with symmetry. It's and so fun.

Over the next few weeks I'll create a few Procreate tutorials to show yous just how fun this can exist 🙂

Simply start I'll bear witness you how to notice the symmetry settings.

Open a new sail. At the meridian of your screen on the left, y'all should see a wrench icon. Click on that.

Within the driblet downwardly menu, you'll see a menu item called "Drawing Guide." Plough drawing guide on.

Next, select "Edit Cartoon Guide" in the aforementioned card.

You'll see a new screen that shows your canvas equally well as some colors on the height of the screen and a bill of fare on the bottom of the screen.

There are a lot of features in this drawing guide section merely today we will only be focusing on the symmetry options.

Look at the menu on the bottom of your screen. You'll see an item on the right paw side called "symmetry." Tap on that.

Y'all should see a vertical line on your sail. This is a vertical symmetry line. When you use this on your canvas, anything you describe on one side of the canvass will be mirrored on the other side of y'all canvas.

Other options on this screen that are relevant:

• Colour of the line: At the tiptop of your screen there is a colour bar. Yous can change the color of the guide lines on this bar. For instance, if yous're working on a blackness canvas, y'all probably desire a lighter colour.
  • Hint: One problem that I take with Procreate a lot is that right nether the Done button is the colour white. If you're using symmetry and your symmetry line is invisible on your canvass, it's likely you accidentally changed the color when pressing done.
• Opacity and thickness: At the bottom of your screen you'll run into the option to change the opacity and thickness of the symmetry line. Utilise this if you want to make it stand out more than or less. Y'all'll often encounter the teacher in a tutorial increment both of these to make sure that the line shows up on camera.
• Options: The options bill of fare is an important one because that's where you're going to choose which kind of symmetry you want to use for your projection. (Y'all tin can apply different types of symmetry in a project as well, but but 1 at a time).

Symmetry Options in Procreate

I've already talked well-nigh vertical symmetry. What other options are there?

So many!

So let'due south have a expect at some examples of dissimilar options!

On the cartoon guide screen to the right of symmetry at that place is section called "options." Click on options to open up up your drawing guide option screen to show the different types of symmetry.

1) Horizontal Symmetry Line – The first drawing guide choice is horizontal. This type of symmetry creates an exact horizontal reflection across the centerline of the canvas. This ways that whatever you depict above the line will be reflected beneath the line and vice versa.

2) Vertical Symmetry Line – The vertical symmetry line mirrors everything vertically downward the middle of the canvass. this means that any y'all draw on 1 side will be mirrored onto the other side.

3. Quadrant Symmetry Lines –  This symmetry line is actually both a vertical and a horizontal line. What happens with this one is that whatsoever you lot draw in one quadrant will be mirrored in each of the other quadrants too.  So, if I draw a circle in the upper correct paw corner, there will exist a circle in all 4 corners.

4. Radial Symmetry Lines – This is similar to quadrant symmetry but gives you eight areas where your item is repeated. Think mandala. Y'all'll be creating a symmetrical item that is reflected throughout each of the eight sections. Or you could call up of it as a pizza. When I put a slice of pepperoni on 1 slice, all eight slices will have that pepperoni.

Along with the four options on the menu, there are other options that modify the symmetry setting for your projection.

Nether the types of symmetry, you lot can choose to toggle on rotational symmetry. Rotational symmetry makes information technology so that the item is reflected exactly every bit you draw it instead of equally a flipped reflection.

If I plough on rotational symmetry and draw an arrow facing to the left, all of the viii sections will have an arrow facing to the left.

If I don't utilise rotational symmetry (and instead apply mirror symmetry which is the default), my arrow will exist reflected instead, so the ends of the arrow will bear upon and the pointy ends volition face in opposite directions, similar in the example under "radial symmetry lines.

Are Y'all Stuck with Simply The Four Symmetry Options?

Nope!

That would be a bummer.

You might non want your illustration to be exactly in the middle of your canvas.

You might be working at a diagonal and need your symmetrical objects to be on a diagonal instead of exactly vertical or horizontal.

Y'all might desire your radial symmetry to be in an area of your canvas other than exactly in the middle.

The cool affair is you lot tin can admittedly do all of this. At that place are and so many different ways you can adapt your symmetry lines on your sail.

Click the wrench tool and go back to your cartoon guide. When yous look at your canvas, you'll encounter in that location is a blue dot in the middle of your screen and then there is a light-green dot at the bottom of your screen (or on the side if using the horizontal option).

The blue dot tin can be moved anywhere on your screen, essentially putting the center of your symmetry line anywhere you want it.

The light-green dot affects the rotation of the line, assuasive you to make it on the diagnol instead of horizontal or vertical.  Here's an example:

If y'all wish to put the line dorsum in the default position, the easy fashion to practise so is to click the dot and and then click on reset.

How to Use Symmetry on Your Canvass

When you want to use symmetry, it'south important to select "cartoon aid." You lot can practise this right in the edit drawing guide screen when choosing your symmetry settings.

Drawing help makes information technology and so that the symmetry kicks in. If assisted drawing is non on, you volition not go the symmetry effect.

This is a proficient thing.

I turn symmetry manner on and off while creating a project.

When you click done from inside the edit cartoon guide screen, you will be back in your canvass and should see the symmetry lines on your canvass. This does not hateful that drawing help is on.

Open your layers panel.

The word "assisted" should show upwardly underneath the name of your layer. If it doesn't, click on the proper name of your layer and then select Drawing Assist on the carte that pops up.

This is how you turn drawing assist on and off.

You'll want to call back to select drawing aid on each separate layer you create if you lot want to continue to use symmetry on your other layers.

When you create a new layer inside your drawing, information technology will not take drawing help on.

I remember this is really helpful considering there are times when you don't desire things to exist exactly the aforementioned on both sides.

There are also times when you're creating something that crosses the line and sometimes it's just easier to brand that work when drawing guide is off since the way the lines overlap at the symmetry line tin sometimes exist wonky.

Hint: you'll accept more success with making the lines friction match up nicely at the symmetry line if you lot use a monoline brush.

Of form, you can also fix any line across the symmetry line by keeping your pencil on the page after cartoon the line (using quick shape) and and so using the edit shape function at the tiptop of your screen to arrange your lines.

Keep in mind that when you lot do this with drawing assist on, what you suit on i side will also exist adjusted on the other side.

Things to Create with Procreate's Symmetry Tool

When creating this post, I decided to begin some things that could be created using each of the symmetry tools.

Here are some ideas of what you can create:

Vertical Symmetry:

• Christmas Tree
• Face
• Butterfly
• Vase
• A edge on the sides of the canvas

Horizontal Symmetry

• Shadow for lettering
• Something reflected on water
• A Fish
• A border on the top and bottom of the canvas

Quadrant Symmetry

• Create a pattern that's reflected in all iv areas
• Decorate a box so that each side is the same

Radial Symmetry

• Mandalas!!!!

Remember for each of these you can move the center bespeak so you lot tin put your symmetrical drawing on unlike parts of the canvas.

For example, if you were drawing a butterfly, you could make the butterfly in the upper right hand corner flight diagonally across the screen.

If you enjoyed this post, you lot'll also love my other posts on Procreate, including:

How to Use Layers in Procreate

How to Import Brushes in Procreate

How to Color an Developed Coloring Page in Procreate

How to Create a Colour Palette from an Image in Procreate

Also, exist sure to check out the Procreate website for more information!

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Source: https://apenandapurpose.com/procreate-symmetry-tool/

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