A Beginner‘s Guide to Tracing in Procreate: Tips, Techniques & Reasons to Try It

Tracing is an essential skill for any digital artist looking to work efficiently, capture precise details, and rapidly improve their iPad illustration abilities. In this expert-level guide, we‘ll dive deep into the tracing tools and techniques available in the powerful Procreate app for iOS. Whether you‘re a beginner looking to learn the ropes of drawing on a tablet or a seasoned pro searching for workflow optimizations, this article will provide the knowledge you need to take your tracing skills to the next level.

Tracing in the Digital Art Workflow

Many new digital artists are hesitant to use tracing, fearing it‘s "cheating" or that it will hold back their drawing abilities. However, tracing has a long tradition in art, from Renaissance painters using camera obscuras to trace compositions, to modern comic book artists using lightboxes to pencil consistent characters panel after panel.

In the digital era, tracing is an indispensable tool that allows artists to:

• Work from precisely-posed photo references for complex subjects like human anatomy, animals, vehicles, and architecture
• Quickly generate variations and iterations in the ideation phase of a project
• Accurately represent a client‘s products, logos, or licensed characters
• Create digital stencils for coloring intricate designs like mandalas or patterns
• Convert raster images to vector line art for logos, fonts, and infinitely scalable designs

According to a survey by digital artist platform Cubebrush, 72% of professional illustrators, concept artists, and character designers reported using tracing in their workflow, whether from their own photos or reference images.

Setting Up Your Procreate Canvas for Tracing

To begin tracing in Procreate, start by creating a canvas at the dimensions you need for your final artwork. While you can always resize a traced image later, you‘ll get the cleanest, sharpest results by drawing it at the size and resolution you‘ll use in the end. For most digital illustration work, a canvas between 2000-4000 pixels on the long side at 300 DPI will provide flexibility for printing and display at a range of sizes.

If you know you‘ll be using your tracing in a layout with specific dimensions, such as a book cover, poster, or social media post, set your canvas to those exact pixel dimensions. For example, an 8.5×11" print at 300 DPI would be a 2550×3300 pixel canvas. By tracing at the final output size, you avoid the blurriness and artifacts that can occur when resizing up or down.

Importing and Preparing Your Reference Image

With your canvas ready, navigate to the Actions menu (wrench icon) and select "Add." Tap "Insert a photo" and choose the image you want to use as a tracing reference from your iPad‘s photo library. This places the image on a new layer in your canvas.

To resize the image, use a two-finger pinch-and-zoom gesture. To reposition it, simply tap and drag with one finger. I recommend sizing your reference image to fill the canvas as much as possible, so you‘re tracing at a 1:1 scale or larger. This will give you the most detail to work with.

If needed, you can rotate the image using the arrow icon in the top left corner of the transform box. You can also flip it horizontally or vertically by tapping the Actions menu again and choosing "Flip Horizontal" or "Flip Vertical."

To make the image easier to trace, you may want to adjust its opacity, brightness, and contrast. In the Layers panel, tap the "N" next to the image layer. This will open a popover with sliders for these properties.

Lower the opacity to 20-50% to allow your tracing lines to show clearly on top of the image. Increasing the contrast or lowering the brightness can also help make edges and details more visible. Experiment with the adjustments until you have a clear, easy-to-follow template for tracing.

Choosing a Brush for Tracing

With your reference image prepared, it‘s time to choose a brush for tracing. The Procreate Brush Library offers hundreds of options, but for crisp, clean tracing, I suggest starting with a simple inking brush like Technical Pen or Studio Pen.

These brushes create thin, even, sharp lines that are perfect for outlining shapes and details. You can adjust the brush size to control your line thickness – I find keeping it between 2-5% works well for most tracing.

If you want to add some line weight variation for a more hand-drawn look, try the Brush Library‘s Inking folder. The Round Brush and Dry Ink brushes introduce subtle pressure-based width changes without being too unpredictable.

Avoid brushes with too much texture, opacity variation, or uneven edges, as these can obscure the details you‘re trying to trace. You can always add texture and style to your lines after you‘ve traced the basic shapes.

Tracing Your Image Step-by-Step

Create a new layer in the Layers panel, and make sure it‘s positioned above your reference image layer. This is where you‘ll draw your tracing.

Now, using your chosen brush, begin carefully tracing over the lines, edges, and contours of your reference image. Here are a few tips for getting the best results:

• Work zoomed in: Don‘t be afraid to zoom way in to capture small details precisely. Procreate supports up to 2000% zoom, so take advantage of it!
• Trace in short segments: Rather than trying to trace a long, continuous line in one stroke, work in shorter sections, 1-2 inches at a time. Lift your Apple Pencil or finger frequently to avoid wobbles and keep your lines clean.
• Optionally, lower your pen pressure: If you find your lines are coming out shaky or uneven, try lowering the pressure sensitivity of your brush in the brush settings. This will make your strokes more consistent and require less precision.
• Take breaks and undo as needed: Tracing can be tedious work! Give your eyes and hands a rest every 20-30 minutes. If a line isn‘t coming out quite right, just tap the Undo button in the top left corner to try again.

As you work, periodically hide the reference image layer to check your tracing. Tap the check box next to the layer in the Layers panel to toggle its visibility. This will help you spot any areas where you may have strayed from the original lines, or details you might have missed.

If you need to make corrections or edits to your tracing, avoid erasing on the tracing layer itself. Instead, create a new layer on top and draw your corrections there. This preserves your original tracing in case you change your mind or make a mistake. Once you‘re happy with the fix, you can merge the edit layer down by pinching the two layers together in the Layers panel.

Refining Your Tracing with Procreate Tools

In addition to the basic brush and eraser tools, Procreate offers several powerful features that can help you refine your tracing:

Alpha Lock for Clean Edges

If you want to add shading, texture, or color to your tracing without going outside the lines, try using the Alpha Lock. With your tracing layer selected, tap the "Alpha Lock" checkbox in the Layers panel. This will restrict any further drawing on that layer to areas where pixels already exist – in other words, you won‘t be able to color or paint outside of your traced lines.

Selections for Precise Edits

If you need to make changes to a specific part of your tracing, the Selection tool can help. Tap the ribbon icon in the top left corner, then choose "Freehand" or "Automatic" to select an area of your drawing. You can then move, delete, copy, fill, or otherwise edit just the selected portion.

This is especially handy for moving or transforming individual elements of your tracing, like a character‘s arm or an object in the background.

Symmetry for Mirrored Tracing

Drawing symmetrical objects freehand, like faces, architecture, or vehicles, can be challenging. Luckily, Procreate‘s Symmetry tool makes it easy. With your tracing layer active, tap the Actions menu and toggle on "Drawing Guide." Choose "Symmetry" from the options, and set the axis and number of segments you need.

Now, anything you trace on one side of the canvas will be mirrored on the other, creating a perfectly symmetrical image. You can even add multiple axes for radial or mandala-style designs.

Tracing Ethics & Best Practices

While tracing can be a valuable tool for artists, it‘s important to use it ethically and legally. Here are a few guidelines to follow:

• Trace your own photos: Whenever possible, take your own reference photos to trace. This gives you complete ownership and control over the final artwork.
• Use copyright-free/CC0 images: If you need to trace a reference image you didn‘t create, make sure the source is either in the public domain, free of copyright restrictions, or has a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license allowing unrestricted use.
• Obtain a license or permission: If you want to trace copyrighted images, such as stills from films or celebrity photos, you must secure a usage license or explicit permission from the rights holder.
• Credit your sources: Always disclose when your artwork incorporates tracing, and credit the original creator of the reference image if it‘s not your own. This can be as simple as a footnote reading "Traced from a reference photo by [Photographer Name]."
• Combine tracing with original elements: Tracing can be a starting point, but challenge yourself to interpret, stylize, and add to the source material. Use it as a jumping-off point for your creativity, not a crutch or substitute for original work.

As with any tool, tracing is open to abuse. But when used responsibly and in moderation, it can be a powerful addition to your artistic arsenal.

Alternatives & Next Steps

While Procreate is a best-in-class iOS app for tracing and illustration, it‘s not the only option. If you‘re looking to explore other software, here‘s how some leading contenders compare:

App	Platforms	Tracing Tools	Ease of Use	Price
Procreate	iPad, iPhone	Extensive brushes, powerful layering and selection, perspective guides, symmetry tool	Very intuitive, helpful tutorials	$9.99 one-time
Adobe Fresco	iPad, iPhone, Windows, Surface	Customizable brushes, basic layering, no symmetry tools yet	Similar interface to Photoshop	Free with premium features for $9.99/mo
Concepts	iPad, iPhone, Surface, Windows, Android	Infinite canvas, shape guides, customizable brushes	Focused on vector/CAD drawing	Free with pro version for $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr
Autodesk Sketchbook	Windows, Mac, iOS, Android	Perspective guides, basic symmetry, huge brush library	Desktop-first UI, but very powerful	Completely free

If you‘re hungry to learn more about digital tracing and illustration, here are some great resources to explore next:

• Procreate‘s official Handbook and Learn portal
• YouTube channels like Tiptopbrush, JelArts, and Art with Flo that share Procreate tutorials and time-lapses
• Skillshare classes on Procreate and digital illustration like Procreate for Beginners and Learn to Use Procreate
• Illustration and character design courses from industry pros on Schoolism and LearnSquared
• Tracing challenges and practice exercises on art community sites like Line of Action and Draw a Box

With practice, patience, and the techniques covered in this guide, you‘ll be well on your way to elevating your art with tracing in Procreate. So pick up that Apple Pencil, pull up a reference photo, and happy tracing!