The iPad pencil allows you to draw, write, and color on your iPad with great precision. Whether you want to take notes, sketch, draw, or color, the iPad pencil provides an excellent digital drawing and coloring experience. In this article, we’ll walk through everything you need to know to get started coloring with your iPad pencil.
Get Set Up with your iPad Pencil
Before you can start coloring, you need to make sure you have the right tools. Here’s what you’ll need:
- An iPad that supports the Apple Pencil. This includes the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (all generations), iPad Pro 11-inch (all generations), iPad Air (3rd and 4th generation), and iPad mini (5th and 6th generation).
- An Apple Pencil (1st or 2nd generation).
- A coloring app that supports the Apple Pencil. Some popular options include Procreate, Adobe Fresco, and Pigment.
Make sure your iPad pencil is paired and connected to your iPad via Bluetooth. To pair, just plug your pencil into the iPad’s lightning port until pairing is complete.
Once paired, your iPad pencil will be ready to start drawing and coloring whenever you open a compatible app. No need to plug it in again!
Choosing a Coloring App
There are many excellent coloring apps available for the iPad that support the Apple Pencil. Here are some top options to consider:
| App | Key Features |
|---|---|
| Procreate | Extensive brush options, layers, filters, pre-made backgrounds and templates, community access |
| Adobe Fresco | Realistic brush options, loads Adobe Photoshop brushes, layers, live brushes that blend and smear |
| Pigment | Adult coloring book templates, ability to import own images to color, layers, wide brush selection |
A few key factors to consider when selecting a coloring app include:
- Brush selection – Look for a wide variety of realistic brushes like pencils, markers, crayons, and more.
- Coloring tools – Options like layers, symmetry, grids, and different color palettes allow for more advanced techniques.
- Canvases – Pre-made backgrounds, templates, and imported images give you more to color.
- Community features – Some apps let you share and get inspired by other users’ artwork.
Try out a few to see which interface and features appeal most to your coloring style. Many have free versions so you can test drive before purchasing.
Basic Coloring Techniques
Once you’ve downloaded your preferred app and paired your iPad pencil, you’re ready to start coloring! Here are some basic techniques and tips:
Choosing and Changing Brushes
Your brush is one of the most important tools for coloring. Test out the different brushes in your app to find ones you like. Look for options like pencils, markers, crayons, and airbrushes. Tap on a brush to select it. You can typically adjust size, opacity, and other settings. To change brushes, just tap on a new one.
Filling in Sections
Use your pencil to color by stroking back and forth, just like you would on paper. For larger solid sections, tap and hold in the section to activate fill color. Lift your pencil at the edges so it doesn’t spill outside the lines.
Varying Pressure
One of the coolest iPad pencil features is pressure sensitivity. Press lightly for faint strokes, and harder for bolder color. Try shading from light to dark by slowly increasing pressure.
Blending and Smoothing
Use lighter pressure and fast strokes to blend and smooth colors together. Some brushes will automatically blend as you color. You can also ‘smear’ colors by selecting a smudge tool.
Using Layers
Layers allow you to color different elements separately, which is useful for complicated designs. Tap the layers button, then tap + to add a new layer. Switch between layers by tapping them in the layers panel.
Saving your Work
Make sure to save periodically as you color! Most apps will autosave, but tap the save or export button to save versions along the way. You can always come back and continue coloring later.
Advanced iPad Coloring Techniques
Once you’ve mastered the basics, there are more advanced techniques to take your iPad coloring to the next level:
Using Selection Tools
Make precise selections with selection tools like lassos and wands, then color only within the selected area. Great for coloring intricate designs.
Color Dropper
Sample colors from your canvas using the color dropper. Select the dropper, tap a color you want to sample, then apply that color to your brush.
Masking
Masking involves using transparency to color selectively. Add a black and white mask layer, then paint to hide and reveal different parts of the layer beneath.
Locking Layers
Locking freezes a layer to protect key parts of your coloring while you work on layers above it. Tap the lock icon on a layer to lock.
Filters and Effects
Enhance your artwork with filters like blurs, lighting adjustments, textures and more. Great for creating dimensional effects.
Symmetry Drawing
Some apps allow you to turn on symmetry lines and draw mirrored images automatically. Fun for creating mandala-type designs.
Time-Lapse Recordings
Many apps can record your entire coloring process and replay as a video. Cool for showing your techniques.
Sharing and Printing iPad Coloring
When your coloring is complete, you have several options for sharing and printing:
- Share directly to social media from your coloring app.
- Take a screenshot, then share the photo.
- Export as an image file or PDF, then share or print.
- AirDrop your artwork to other Apple devices.
- Connect your iPad to a printer and print directly.
- Save your art to services like Dropbox or Google Drive to access from other devices.
With the right tools and techniques, coloring on the iPad with your Apple pencil opens up a world of digital art possibilities! Don’t be afraid to experiment and find methods that work for you. Coloring is meant to be relaxing and fun. The more you practice with your iPad pencil, the more comfortable you’ll get with its capabilities. Let your inner artist shine and create beautiful colored works from the convenience of your tablet.
Conclusion
The Apple Pencil combined with a robust coloring app turns your iPad into a portable digital coloring book and art studio. With an immense variety of brushes, tools, canvases and integrations, you can create dazzling works of art. Mastering pressure sensitivity, blending techniques and layers gives you the skills to color intricate designs. And sharing or printing your iPad pencil drawings is as easy as tapping a few buttons. Unleash your inner creative genius and unwind with the soothing, meditative joys of iPad pencil coloring.
