330+ Free Fur Brushes to Enhance Your Procreate Drawings

If you‘re a digital artist who loves drawing animals and creatures in Procreate, you know that realistic fur can make or break the final result. While Procreate comes with a handful of default hair and fur brushes, let‘s be honest—they barely scratch the surface of what‘s possible.

To truly capture the look of downy fluff, wiry guard hairs, sleek coats and everything in between, you need professional-grade fur brushes in your toolkit. The good news is, there is an incredible selection of fur brush packs out there, many of which are completely free!

I‘ve rounded up over 330 of the best free fur brushes for Procreate in 2024. Whether you want to render a majestic lion‘s mane, a shaggy wolf pelt, or a fluffy cartoon bunny, these brushes will help you achieve the look you‘re going for. Let‘s dive in!

Why You Need Professional Fur Brushes

So what makes professional fur brushes so special? Can‘t you just use Procreate‘s smudge tool or existing hair brushes to paint fur? While you can certainly make do in a pinch, custom fur brushes open up a whole new world of possibilities by allowing you to:

• Build up realistic fur texture in layers. Animal fur isn‘t uniform—it‘s made up of several layers, from the dense, downy undercoat to the stiffer, thicker guard hairs on top. Having brushes that mimic each layer allows you to paint fur with depth and dimension.
• Control the direction and flow of the fur. Fur doesn‘t just lay flat—it grows in a specific direction, with swirls, tufts, and flyaway hairs that catch the light. Directional fur brushes make it easy to paint fur following realistic growth patterns for different areas of the body.
• Depict different fur lengths and textures. From sleek and short to long and shaggy, there‘s an incredible variety of fur types out there. With a range of brushes designed for different coat lengths and textures, you can capture them all convincingly.
• Add finishing details. Little details like whiskers, ear fluff, and brows can add so much character and realism to your creature drawings. Specialty brushes for fur details allow you to paint these finishing touches with just a few taps.

In short, professional fur brushes give you way more control over the final look of your creature‘s coat compared to using generic hair or texture brushes. And luckily, there are tons of high-quality fur brush packs available for Procreate at the very attractive price of free.

The Best Free Fur Brush Packs for Procreate

To save you hours of scouring the web, I‘ve curated a list of the top free fur brush sets for Procreate in 2024. All of these brushes are free for personal use, with many allowing commercial use as well.

I‘ve included a description of the brushes in each pack, screenshots straight from Procreate, and my tips for how to get the most out of each set. Let‘s fluff it up!

1. Fur & Fluff by Bardot Brush (2 brushes)

Bardot Brush consistently puts out some of the best free Procreate brushes, and their Fur & Fluff set is no exception. With a soft, fluffy brush for short coats and a bristly brush for wiry fur, this petite pack packs a punch. I especially love the Wiry brush for painting scruffy terriers and sheep wool.

2. Animal Textures by Envato Elements (8 brushes)

If you want to branch out beyond the standard cat and dog fur, check out the Animal Textures pack from Envato Elements. It‘s got a great assortment of brushes for exotic animal patterns like zebra stripes, giraffe spots, and reptile scales. The Cowhide brush is also super versatile for mottled fur.

3. Furry Brushes by Fatimah Al-Marhoon (20 brushes)

For a wide variety of realistic fur brushes, look no further than Fatimah Al-Marhoon‘s Furry Brushes set. With 20 brushes ranging from delicate undercoats to dense, shaggy fur, this pack has you covered for all your furry friends. The Rough Round Fur brush is my go-to for fluffy manes and tails.

4. 40+ Fur Brushes by Elena (42 brushes)

If you can‘t tell by the name, Elena‘s 40+ Fur Brushes pack is an absolute unit, weighing in at a whopping 42 brushes. With everything from short fuzz to long, flowy coats, this set could be your one-stop shop for fur. I‘m a big fan of the Fur Tuft brushes for adding realistic flyaways.

5. Animal Skin Set by MyPrintsCollection (8 brushes)

The Animal Skin Set focuses on brushes for patterned fur and exotic animal prints. It‘s a lifesaver when you need to quickly render a cheetah‘s rosettes, a tiger‘s stripes, or a python‘s scales. I love layering the Cheetah Dots brush to build up a realistic coat.

Tips for Painting Realistic Fur in Procreate

Now that you‘ve armed yourself with some top-notch fur brushes, let‘s talk about how to wield them for maximum fluff factor. Here are my top tips for painting lush, lifelike fur:

1. Build up the fur in layers. Just like in real life, digital fur looks best when painted in multiple layers. Start with a solid base coat, then layer different shades, textures and lengths of fur on top, using a lighter touch with each layer.
2. Paint in the direction of fur growth. Fur doesn‘t grow randomly—it follows specific directions based on the animal‘s anatomy. Painting in the correct direction will make your fur look much more natural. Use references to study fur growth patterns on different species.
3. Use short, tapered strokes. Long, smooth brush strokes will read more like human hair than animal fur. For a realistic furry texture, use short, quick strokes that taper at the ends. The more you vary the thickness and opacity, the more natural it will look.
4. Sample colors from references. Don‘t just wing it when it comes to color—sample hues directly from real animal photos to nail those subtle highlights and lowlights. The eyedropper tool is your best friend for color accuracy.
5. Step back and assess. It‘s easy to get caught up in painting individual hairs and lose sight of the overall form. Periodically zoom out to check your progress and make sure the fur is laying right on the body. If something looks off, don‘t be afraid to erase and try again.

Here‘s a quick demo of these tips in action. In this timelapse, I used Bardot‘s Wiry Fur brush to quickly block in the fur texture following the growth direction. Then I came in with a shorter Round Fur brush to add finer details, sampling colors and varying the pressure as I went.

The key is to build up the fur slowly in multiple passes, using references to guide you. It takes some trial and error, but the more you practice these techniques, the more natural it will become!

Creating Your Go-To Fur Brush Toolbox

Once you‘ve downloaded a few fur brush sets, you‘ll want to organize them so they‘re easy to find when inspiration strikes. Here‘s how to import ABR brushes into Procreate:

1. Download the ABR file to your iPad
2. In Procreate, tap the brush icon to open your brush library
3. Tap the + icon to create a new set
4. Tap Import and select the ABR file
5. The brush pack will appear in your imported brushes

I recommend creating a dedicated "Fur Brushes" set in your library to keep all your furry friends in one place. You can also tap the heart icon to favorite your most-used brushes for quick access.

Over time, you‘ll naturally gravitate towards a few go-to fur brushes that fit your painting style. Maybe you‘ll fall in love with the Wiry Fur brush for short coats, the Fur Tuft brush for frizzy details, and the Cheetah Spots stencil for exotic patterns.

Experiment with different brushes and techniques until you land on a "toolkit" of 5-10 tried-and-true fur brushes that cover all your bases. With a reliable fur brush lineup in your corner, you‘ll be able to paint any furred, feathered, or scaled critter that comes your way.

Fur-spiration: Examples and Resources

Still feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the fur-sibilities? Here are a few of my favorite creature artists absolutely rocking the fur brushes for Procreate:

• Neytirix – Illustrator Neytirix uses custom fur brushes to render enchanting fantasy creatures, from fluffy dragons to majestic gryphons.
• Elioli – Artist Elioli‘s cute critters, from red pandas to raccoons, show off impressively detailed fur coats and textures.
• MregFX – Concept artist MregFX takes a more painterly approach to animal fur, blending realistic strokes with stylized details.

For more tips on painting realistic fur and incorporating fur brushes into your creature workflow, check out these handy tutorials:

• How to Paint Fur in Procreate by Art with Flo
• Drawing Fur in Procreate by Frankentoon
• How to Paint Animal Fur Texture by Aaron Blaise

I also recommend browsing the #furbrushing and #creatureart hashtags on Instagram for an endless stream of fluffy motivation. Don‘t be afraid to analyze pieces that catch your eye and try to reverse engineer how the artist used fur brushes to achieve the final look.

Conclusion

As you can see, a well-stocked fur brush library is an absolute must-have for any aspiring creature artist on Procreate. With the right tools and techniques in your arsenal, you‘ll be able to render any fluffy, furry, fuzzy, or feathered friend your heart desires.

The 330+ free Procreate fur brushes on this list are a fantastic starting point, but don‘t be afraid to experiment and mix them up to find what works best for you. The "right" fur brush is the one that helps you communicate your unique artistic vision.

And remember, as with any new skill, painting realistic fur takes practice. But the more you use these brushes, the more natural it will feel. Before you know it, you‘ll be fur-rociously fluent in Procreate creature art!

So what are you waiting for? Download some of these free fur brushes and get to fluffing up your Procreate art. And I‘d love to see what you create, so be sure to share your furry masterpieces in the comments or tag me on Instagram (@yourname).

Let‘s paint some fur babies together!