Procreate and how it helped me get into Digital Art as a Student

   Procreate is changing the game for digital artists by having an interface that is simpler and more portable than Photoshop. The shortcuts are super efficient and it’s refreshing to use a software that is exclusively for digital art.

   Getting an iPad and deciding to download Procreate was one of the most pivotal points for me as an artist. Something that had always stopped me in high school from using Photoshop and diving deep into digital work was how complicated the interface was. It took me forever to get used to the shortcuts and drawing either on a Intuos or a Cintiq or even a mouse. It was very frustrating to me because not only was I trying to learn how to draw and paint digitally and just technically getting my skills up, but I was also having to learn a whole new interface which was seeming much more complicated than pencil and paper.
    Then low and behold, Christmas of 2018, I got an iPad and that night I sat criss-cross on my bed and downloaded Procreate. I stayed up all night toying around with the brushes and all the tools. While Procreate has less tools than Photoshop It actually made me feel less creatively smothered and caused me to experiment more with the limited tools at my disposal.
    YouTube tutorials were starting to pop up and I would spend hours watching videos of artists mastering alpha lock, clipping masks, and layer modes. When I moved to college, my roommate and I would stay up all night exploring the new features that would drop with every new update.
    Through using Procreate to explore digital art in a more tangible and casual format, it seemed the pressure was off and I was free to explore whatever I wanted to create. This gave me a newfound confidence in my digital work and finally gave me the courage to try and conquer the beast of Photoshop. It ended up being a very smooth transition, and now I use both interchangeably in my work.
    There are clear areas where Photoshop soars ahead and it will always be an industry standard, but I think Procreate is especially perfect for the budding artist or anyone who loves to draw anywhere and everywhere!