Procreate is an iPad app built for artists and designers. Combined with the Apple Pencil, it’s one of the best apps on the market for artists amateurs, and professionals.

I received my iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil as Mother’s Day gifts in 2010. At that time, there were not many apps that could be used with the Apple Pencil, Procreate was one of them so I bought it without much hesitation. Today it costs $9.99 $12.99 (Updated on July 21, 2024) in the Apple store and is still considered one of the best.

There are many reviews about Procreate on the internet, I just wanted to share my personal opinion, you may not agree with me but they are what I think based on my experience, so here we go.

Pros:

1. Save money. It is a lot cheaper than Photoshop.

2. It has many essential features that Photoshop provides and artists love, such as masks, layers, etc.

3. Combined with the Apple Pencil, it simulates real-life painting experiences that many artists love.

4. Other than the built-in brushes, you can create your brush or customize the existing ones. In addition, there are many third-party brushes online for purchase.

5. Stimulating creativities. Digital art is comparatively new and there are fewer established techniques than traditional mediums like oil painting, etc.

6. Easy to share online. You don’t need to figure out how to take a good picture of your painting because the exported image is always clear.

7. The end product can be printed onto various sized paper or canvas, with limit though, see the cons below.

Cons:

1. My biggest complaint about Procreate is that it can not create high-resolution (300+ dpi) images in large print (20+ inches). When you increase the pixel numbers the available layers reduce. I'm pleased to say that Procreate has since made significant improvements in this area. It now supports image creation up to 36 inches with a resolution of 300 dpi, making it an excellent tool for creating large, high-quality prints (updated on March 18, 2023).

2. It gets slower when you have created more paintings in the app. It simply stops working at some point. I have also found some workarounds. Let me know if you are interested to learn more.

3. The simulated brushes for watercolor, oil painting, or acrylic painting do not work like the real thing, even though they are reasonably close. However, they have their charms in my opinion.

Overall I love using Procreate and I will keep playing with it and share my experience with you. Check out the paintings I created using Procreate and Apple pencil on my website or my Instagram account.

Update 1 (2022/07/07): I have got very good results by using Procreate for my artwork. Several were selected for exhibitions and awards in the US and internationally. Check them out on my Instagram account to find out more!

Update 2 (2023/10/1): I have been exploring AI along with Procreate to create exciting artworks. Check out my latest project in this blog post: “AI in Contemporary Art: A Collaborative Approach”.

Update 3 (2024/3/3): Last year, I took a nine-day residency trip in Jingdezhen, China. It inspired me to create a new set of digital artwork, using the latest version of Procreate and Midjourney. Check them out in this blog post.