The longer a project takes for me to complete, the more anxious I am about how it will be received.
Over the last 13 months, I was focused on one singular task: designing the new library of 180 brushes for the (free!) Procreate 5.4 update that was released last week.
At first, I was excited to play with new toys; in this case, the ‘toys’ were the Procreate brush settings, which were different, exciting, and powerful. I spent a couple of months experimenting, learning, and trying to break things, as well as collaborating with the brilliant engineers in the home offices to add some new capabilities to Procreate’s Brush Studio, thus expanding the possibilities for my work, and the work of all brush-makers.
Then, I settled into the more intentional work of brush development for specific categories (we decided on 18 categories for the final update, including natural media like Oils, Pencils and Inks, as well as diverse sets like Comics, Lettering, and Street Art).
It was during this phase of the project that I started to feel some real pressure to deliver something extra special to Procreate artists. After all, a full brush library update had not happened for nearly a decade.
After about six months, I visited the Procreate offices in Tasmania and we looked at my rough draft for the full library. The brushes were feeling good, but I knew (and so did the team) that we could do more. So, after two weeks of close collaboration, I flew back home to begin the challenging job of making each brush the best it could be.
From January through April, I worked through every brush category and made over a hundred new brushes in the process. Dozens of my first passes at many brushes were deleted in favor of newer and better versions. And a couple of months later, the same thing happened again. By mid-July, only about a third of the original library remained and nearly all of those remaining brushes had also been improved with small refinements. Amongst the ten pencils that made it into Procreate 5.4, there were easily 25 other contenders. Same with the oils, inks, etc.
The final two weeks were spent on micro-adjustments — some brushes were being fine-tuned right up until a few hours before our submission to the App Store.
And now the brushes are done, and I’m excited and proud. And relieved.
And nervous.
When I’m busy designing the brushes, I can enjoy the safety of knowing that only my colleagues and I can judge the results. It’s comforting to wake up every day with the knowledge that I still have time to tweak things, experiment, and change my mind.
That all ends with the public release. While I’m confident we are giving artists the best library of default brushes they could ever want, I’m also now open to criticism from strangers. Millions of them.
No matter how many years I have spent in the world of product development, there is still an uneasy feeling that comes with knowing I can’t please everyone. And the internet is not the kind of place where people hold their tongues.
Over the last week, I have taken screenshots of a lot of the positive comments I have seen from Procreate artists who are being introduced to the new brushes. As these screenshots pile up, it helps me, mentally, to refer back to them whenever I’m confronted with a negative or nasty message.
I have been using this simple device since I first started making brushes in 2013 and was confronted, for the first time, with the aggressive or mean-spirited comments of internet strangers. It may sound like too simple a thing to collect all the good stuff to drown out the bad, but it works for me. So, try it if you find yourself on the receiving end of mixed comments. It might help.
From what I have seen so far, the majority of artists like the new brushes a lot, and a good number are quite thrilled with them. This is wonderful and I’m encouraged by all the love. Thanks, sincerely, to all of you who have reached out to me on Instagram or email and written such kind words. Every single message really makes my day.
Now that the brushes are in artists’ hands all over the world, I will be creating demos in numerous forms to help everyone make the most of their new tools. You can come see me in person at the View Conference in Turin on October 12th and October 14th, or at Lightbox Expo in Pasadena, October 25th. More to come.
Meanwhile, check out my Instagram stories each week for drawings that show off specific brushes from the collection. I will also be creating short videos with brush tips and tricks. And you can follow the official Procreate channels on Instagram and YouTube for more info on the release and the brushes.
Expect issues of this newsletter to come a bit more frequently. I hope you understand why I have been absent for a while.
Finally, if you update Procreate and realize just how fun custom brushes can be, then please do yourself a big favor:
Buy some brushes!
Yes, the brushes I have designed are a well-rounded collection and there is a lot to explore there. But, there are dozens of incredible and inventive independent brush-makers out there creating some truly mind-blowing stuff. And, when you support these makers, you support fellow artists who are contributing great things to our community. Without that kind of support in the early days of my brush career, I never would have wound up here at Procreate. Check out the links below for just a few excellent brush-makers.
Resources
Brush-making friends: Max, Lisa, SnoozeOne, True Grit, Vegalia
An overview of Procreate 5.4 with Mr. Smooth-Voice himself, Will Robinson.
I collected 375 of my favorite drawings into an E-Book. You can get it here.
Until next time, take care of yourselves, take care of each other, remember to be kind, and I’ll say, Ciao for now.
I'm glad you recommended other brush makers. Shout out to Lisa Bardot and Max Ulichney, creators of some of my favorite gouache brushes.
I love the new brushes! In particular the pencils and the watercolors. I think I’ve purchased nearly every set of watercolor brushes, but your new brushes just flow the way I want them to. And I’m really excited to get to read you more often here as you come up for air. Thank you!!