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5 Procreate Mistakes You're Making and What To Do Instead

Updated: 6 hours ago

Designing nails in Procreate is super fun and rewarding once you learn how to use the app correctly. Today I'll share with you 5 common Procreate mistakes I usually get questions on so you can jump in feeling confident right away.


  1. Filling your nails on the templates themselves.


A red X to indicate incorrect way of using nail templates. Dont fill your nails on the template layer.

Green check to indicate correct way of using nail templates. Fill nails on a separate layer from the templates.

The reason we fill them on a separate layer is so that we can easily draw inside the nail shape. If they're on the templates, your next layer will still draw all over the templates.


  1. Having Page assist turn on doesnt work because every time you add a new layer, the screen will go white.

Toggle off page assist. Go to Actions > Canvas > Toggle off Page Assist. This avoids screen going white.
Page assist is toggled off and nail templates are revealed again!

When you import PDF's with multiple pages, it'll automatically turn on. Page assist is great for people who make sketchbooks or comics in Procreate but not for us who design nails.


  1. Having the wrong layers on clipping mask.

Clipping mask turn on for the wrong layer. Its circled and indicated as incorrect with a red X.
Clipping mask starts on the correct layer. Correction is indicated with a green check and everything you draw fits into the nails.

Here are how the layers should be from top to bottom.

3.Design (Clipping Mask)

2.Fill Layer

1.Nail Templates Don't put the fill layer on clipping mask. If you do that, the tiny arrow will point to the templates and what you draw will go all over the templates.


  1. Thinking your nail templates need to be transparent to use them.

Purple nail art design showcase with floral patterns, swirls, and abstract textures on a white background. Indicates that your templates don't have to be transparent to use them easily.
Set of artistic nail designs with floral, chain, and palm tree motifs in sunset hues. Indicates your nail templates don't have to be transparent to use them easily.

They don't, you just need to set them to Reference by clicking on the layer and tapping Reference. Procreate will 'read' them so any time you drag and drop colour into the screen (even if its on another layer), it will be in respect to the reference.


  1. Not turning the template layer off reference when you want to fill something else.

When Nail templates are still set to reference. Colour drop filled shapes end up filling the entire nail.
The nail template layer is highlighted to show that reference is turn on and you can now easily fill shapes using colour drop.

Just like we learned above, Procreate will read any layer you have set to reference. If you go to fill any shape with reference toggled on the template layer, you'll most likely fill the entire nail and not just the shape you want. Turn reference off to fill something else using colour drop.


Now you know the most common mistake I see people making when they need help. I hope this pre helped you :)



 
 
 

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