Using Procreate to Trace and Print a Drawing (revised)

  1. Start a new project in Procreate

  2. Hit “Actions” (wrench) and select the “Add” category - Choose Insert a photo and select a photo from your Photos albums. Make sure your photo has been cropped in Photos to get rid of unwanted picture information surrounding your subject.

  3. Click the Layers icon (upper right corner - looks like two squares on top of each other). Tap the ‘N’ and adjust the blue slider to about 60%. (This lightens your reference photo so you’ll be able to see the tracing lines)

  4. Now click the plus sign (in Layers) to add a layer on top of your reference.

  5. Make sure the tracing layer that you just added is the one that is selected (it will turn blue when selected).

  6. Click on the color icon in the upper right corner of the screen. Select “Palettes” at the bottom and pick a light brown color. (that way - when you print the drawing - the lines won’t be as harsh)

  7. Click on the brush library and pick the Sketching category. I use the 6B Pencil. Use the sliders on the right to reduce the pencil line size and even reduce the brush opacity if you want.

  8. Trace just the lines you need on your drawing. Any stylus will work, but the Apple Pencil is best.

  9. Click on Layers and uncheck the box next to your reference layer.

  10. If your drawing looks the way you want it to, click the “actions” (wrench) and select Share. Share image as a JPEG. You can send it to your computer or print it from the screen that appears (if you have a printer that can work wirelessly).

  11. 140 or 90 lb watercolor paper works well with most ink jet printers.