Background Textures in Procreate

Hello Creative Friends,

Today, I’m sharing a fun experiment I recently embarked on with acrylic ink.

This technique also provides a playful way to reuse marks in various forms, allowing you to unleash the same materials in creative and unexpected ways.

So, let’s dive into a super simple yet magical method for incorporating traditional mark-making into the background of a Procreate illustration. Once you’ve scanned in your background (of any material of your choice), you can import it into Procreate and start drawing right on top of it. For this illustration, I used the free bushes supplied with Procreate.

Below is the digital art added to the background.

Below you can see I added contrast to the final scene (this was done in Lightroom).

But wait, there's more! You can also scan multiple backgrounds and cut out your illustrations digitally (see below samples using acrylic ink only). Here’s a little secret: blending everything together might need a pinch of contrast dusting in Lightroom or Photoshop. If you’re curious, I’d be happy to share some Lightroom preset tips for artwork with you.

Example of how this can be used for a editorial project:

Above word samples by John R Platt

Now, I must admit, this technique may feel a bit unconventional if you're accustomed to traditional methods, and it took me some time to ensure the top layer doesn’t come off as overly digital. However, I enjoyed the process. Navigating tight book deadlines can make it challenging to produce fully traditional pieces, especially since most illustrators don’t enjoy the luxury of a year devoted to a single book project. If you find yourself in a similar situation, this could be a fun way to achieve that cherished traditional look and feel in your digital work.

Have you tried this approach before?

Happy creating!

Dom