Procreate for iPhone

Quick summary

Procreate is a professional digital-art application that lets creators sketch, paint, illustrate, and animate on the go. Originally developed for iPad, it later expanded to iPhone as Procreate Pocket. The mobile edition packs many of the same high-end tools found on the tablet app, enabling everything from charcoal-style sketches and full-color illustrations to expressive animations and time-lapse recordings.

How Procreate helps artists

Think of Procreate as a modern, digital sketchbook built for contemporary creatives. It provides a natural-feeling drawing experience plus a toolkit of advanced capabilities:

• Layered editing and export options for complex compositions
• High-fidelity brushes, including options to import or build custom sets
• Shape tools and snapping that tidy up geometry quickly
• Transform and liquify controls to push or pull artwork with precision
• Recording tools that capture your process as a time-lapse video

Using Procreate Pocket on an iPhone

When you open Procreate Pocket you’re first asked to choose a canvas — either start fresh or use an existing file or image from local or cloud storage. New canvases can be resized and configured with resolutions up to 8K on supported devices.

The Pocket interface centers on the canvas itself: many controls stay hidden until you bring them up with touch gestures. Swipe, pinch, and tap gestures reveal options for switching brushes, selecting colors, adding text or calligraphy, mirroring strokes, and using the drawing assistant for cleaner lines.

Notable tools and functions included

• A vast selection of brushes plus the ability to create or import brushes
• Precision tools such as QuickShape to perfect geometric lines and forms
• Liquify controls (pinch, expand, twirl) for fluid distortions
• Full layer support with export capabilities and perspective guides
• Undo/redo and fine-edit tools to correct tiny mistakes quickly
• Warp and distortion utilities for targeted adjustments

Cost and update policy

Procreate Pocket is paid software available via a one-time purchase rather than a recurring subscription. Historically, users of the app have received subsequent feature updates at no extra charge.

Other drawing apps to consider

• Sketch Club
• Adobe Illustrator Draw
• ibis Paint X

Why artists choose it

Procreate Pocket is designed to get out of your way so you can focus on creating. The hidden, gesture-driven menus make tools accessible without cluttering the canvas, the brushes mimic real media closely, and exports can reach gallery-quality resolutions. The time-lapse recording is a useful way to showcase the entire creative process, from the first mark to the final polish.