U S E R GU I D E
Thank you for downloading Pixel Art for Procreate by Bardot Brush! Are you ready
to make some pixel-y art in Procreate? In this user guide, you’ll find detailed
descriptions of each brush, plus tips about how to get the most from your new artmaking tools.
For installation instructions, please visit bardotbrush.com/installation
bardotbrush.com // @bardotbrush
Created by Lisa Bardot // @lisabardot
U SE R G U ID E CO N TE N TS
Tap a title to jump to that page
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Brushes Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Ready-To-Go Pixel Art Canvases . . . . . 6
Make your own Canvas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Tips for Making Pixel Art . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Convert Pixel Art to High-Res . . . . . . . . 9
Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
FO R PROCREATE
R E QUIRE M E NTS
Procreate App
(version 5.0 or higher)
iPad
Apple Pencil*
These brushes will NOT work in
Photoshop or any other software.
*Brushes are optimized for use with Apple Pencil. They will work
with another stylus, but will not have full capabilities and features.
BRUSHE S
1
This set includes 4 brushes to get you going
making some fun pixel art in Procreate.
P I X E L PA I N T E R
A continuous
line pixel brush
that allows you
to draw or fill in
areas of color by
painting them
in place. Use the
brush size slider
for a wider or
thinner line.
3
S O FT P I X E L S H A D E R
Use this brush
to add smooth,
soft-graded
shading to your
pixel art. This
brush is pressure
sensitive for
opacity.
2
D I G I P I X E L S H A D ER
Use this brush to
add "pixelated"
shading to your
pixel art. This
brush is pressure
sensitive for
opacity.
4
O N E - P I X E L S TA MP
Use this brush
to fill in a single
pixel with
color. Increase
the brush size
slider to fill in
a square shape
more than one
pixel large.
T HRE E RE A DY-TO- GO
CAN VASES I N CLUD ED
1. 30x 30 P I XE L S ( S Q UA R E )
2. 100x 100 P I XE L S ( S Q UA R E )
3. 100x 80 P I XE L S ( RE C TA NG L E )
Included canvases are set up to size with helpful grid guides to show you where each pixel is.
EX A M P L E O F 3 0 x 3 0 P I X E L CA NVAS
EXAMPL E OF 100x 80 PIXEL CA NVAS
OR MAKE YOU R OWN CA N VAS...
MA KE YOUR OWN P I X EL A R T CA N VAS
You can easily set up your own canvases for use making pixel art.
1
C RE AT E A NE W CA NVAS
T EM P L ATE
Set your width and height, somewhere
between 30-100 pixels across.
Please note you can go bigger, but the higher
resolution you make your canvas, the more
you will start to lose the "pixel art" look.
Give your Canvas Template a name and save
it to open the Procreate interface.
2
TUR N O N DR AWING GUIDES
Go to the Actions Menu > Canvas >
and toggle on the Drawing Guide
Tap "Edit Drawing Guide."
Turn the slider for "Grid Size" all the way
down to give you pixel-perfect guide.
You can also turn the "Thickness" slider
down if the lines are too distracting.
A L L DONE! TI ME TO MAKE SOME P I XE L A R T...
MA KI N G P I X EL A R T
Making Pixel art is Easy! You draw in very much the same way as fullresolution digital art, but on a smaller, less detailed scale. Use all your
normal Procreate tools: layers, alpha lock, clipping masks, etc.
IM PORTA NT T IP!
If you move anything around on your
canvas using the Transform tool, be
sure to set your Interpolation mode
to "Nearest Neighbor." This will
ensure that your pixel art stays sharp
and accurate by snapping into the
nearest pixel space. Using the Bilinear
or Bicubic modes may result in a
softening of your artwork edges.
Note: For your general Procreate work,
Bilinear is the interpolation mode I’d
recommend. Read more about interpolation
modes in the Procreate handbook.
CON VE RTI N G YO U R P I X EL A R T
FROM LOW R ES TO HI GH R ES
When you’re finished with your artwork, you’ll need to upscale it,
so it’s usable for things like printing and posting to the web.
YOU R PIXEL ART W IL L B E TEEN Y TIN Y AT AC TUA L S IZE
1. EXPORT AND SAVE
YOUR PIXEL ART
Actions Menu > Share > PNG
U SE PNG!
2. CREATE A HIGH-RESOLUTION CA NVAS
Create a new canvas in whatever high-resolution you
wish. Be sure to choose the same ratio as your orignal
pixel art canvas.
For Example, a 100x100 canvas is a 1:1 (square) ratio,
create a high resolution square canvas, such as
3000x3000 pixel canvas.
It’s important to use the
PNG file format so that
your pixel art does not
get distorted through
compression.
A 100x80px canvas is a 5:4 ratio, so a high-res canvas of
3000x2400 or 5000x4000 would be the same ratio.
Save Image to your
Camera Roll.
If you don’t get the math exactly right, no worries, you
can always crop and resize later.
CO N T I N U ED. . .
3. IMPORT YOUR PIXEL ART
Once the new canvas is open, Import the pixel art image you
just saved. It will look tiny on your screen!
Actions Menu > Add > Insert a photo
4. CHANGE INTERPOL ATION MOD E TO
"NEAREST NEIGHBOR"
Before doing anything else, you need to set your Interpolation
mode to "Nearest Neighbor." This will ensure that your pixel art
stays sharp and accurate by snapping into the nearest pixel space.
Note: For your general Procreate work, Bilinear is the interpolation mode I’d
recommend. Read more about interpolation modes in the Procreate handbook.
5. FIT TO SCREEN
Tap the "Fit to Screen" button in the toolbar. This will enlarge your
pixel art to the size of the canvas. It will look blurry at this point, but
don’t worry! Tap the Transform button to exit Transform mode. Your
artwork should be back to pixel perfect shape.
6. EXPORT AND SHARE!
Now you can export and share or print your work as you usually
would from Procreate.
R E S OU R CES
I’ve created a growing library of
tutorials and resources to help you
along in your art-making journey.
S H A R E YO U R A R T
bardotbrush.com/tutorials
Subscribe to the Bardot Brush
YouTube Channel
youtube.com/bardotbrush
I would love to see what you create!
Use and browse the hashtag to share
your art and see what other artists
have created with Bardot Brushes.
# B A R DOT B R USH
Check out featured work, tutorials,
news, and more. Follow along at
@ B A R DOT B R USH
J O I N THE CO M MU N I T Y
M AK ING AR T E V E RY DAY / / B AR DOT BRU SH
I created this Facebook group for participants of the Making
Art Everyday Challenge and all things Bardot Brush. Join this
supportive community of artists, share your work made with
Bardot Brushes or tutorials, and connect with others.
Join the ongoing art-making challenge! Making Art
Everyday is a series of drawing prompts, tutorials,
and motivation to help you overcome creative fears
and establish a daily art-making practice.
L E A R N MO R E AT
bardotbrush.com/joinMAE
PR OC R E ATE CO M U NITY : L E AR N / / DRAW // SHARE
I created this Facebook group as a space dedicated to
Procreate users. Post your Procreate work, share resources,
ask questions, and to give each other constructive and
supportive feedback. The group has quickly grown to nearly
30,000 members and is a wealth of knowledge.
AW ESO ME B RUS HE S F O R P ROC RE AT E
by Lisa Bardot // bardotbrush.com // @bardotbrush