How To Make A Chain Brush In Procreate

Hey there, Procreate pal! Ever wanted to create a perfect chain in your digital art, but dreaded drawing each individual link? Yeah, me too. That’s where custom brushes come in, my friend! And guess what? We're gonna make a chain brush! Isn't that exciting?

Let's Get Started: The Foundation

First things first, open up Procreate! (Duh, right?). Now, create a new canvas. Size isn’t super important, but I usually go for something square-ish, like 2048 x 2048 pixels. Why? Just 'cause. Feel free to be a rebel and pick whatever size makes your artistic heart sing.

Next, grab your trusty Apple Pencil (or stylus, whatever floats your boat) and select a solid black brush. The Technical Pen works great, but experiment! We're making art here, not following a super strict recipe. Although, is this a recipe? Hmmm...

Now, for the magic. We need to draw a single chain link. Keep it simple. Just a nice oval or circle. Remember, this will be repeated, so make it look good! Make it iconic.

Here's a pro-tip: make sure the link doesn't touch the edges of the canvas. We need some breathing room, you know? Imagine a stressed-out chain link crammed against the wall. No bueno.

Brush Settings: The Secret Sauce

Okay, are you ready to dive into the slightly intimidating world of brush settings? Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it looks. Promise!

Tap on your brush icon to open the Brush Studio. Now, duplicate your existing brush (slide left on the brush and tap "Duplicate"). This way, if we mess things up (which we won't, probably), we still have the original. Safety first!

Now, tap on your newly duplicated brush to edit it. Buckle up!

Head over to the Shape tab. This is where the real fun begins. Under Shape Source, tap "Import" and select "Paste." This pastes your fabulous chain link in there!

Next, go to the Stroke Path tab. This is where we make the chain actually, you know, chain. The two big guys here are Spacing and StreamLine.

Crank the Spacing way down. Experiment here – somewhere between 5% and 15% usually works wonders. Lower spacing means closer links. Makes sense, right?

StreamLine is your friend! It smooths out your stroke, making the chain look less wobbly. Try bumping it up to around 70%. Adjust to taste, of course. Are you a wobbly chain enthusiast? I won't judge.

Now, for the Grain tab. We don't need anything fancy here, but make sure the Grain Source is set to "Blank." Why? Because we don't want any texture messing with our perfect chain links.

Finally, hop over to the Apple Pencil tab. Reduce the Opacity all the way down. This ensures that the pressure of your pencil doesn't affect the chain link's opacity, keeping it nice and solid.

Testing, Testing: Is This Thing On?

Alright, exit the Brush Studio and give your new chain brush a whirl! Draw a line. Is it a chain? Hooray! Is it a mess? Don't panic!

If it’s a mess, revisit the Spacing and StreamLine settings. Tweak them until you get the desired effect. Remember, art is all about experimentation (and happy little accidents!).

Want to add some variety? Try adjusting the Size Jitter under the Shape tab. This will randomly change the size of the chain links, making them look a little more realistic (and less like a robot made them!).

And there you have it! A custom chain brush in Procreate! Now you can draw chains to your heart's content. Imagine all the possibilities! Jewelry! Pirate ships! Chainmail armor! The world is your chain-link oyster!

Happy creating! And remember, if at first you don't succeed, tweak, tweak again!