How to Add Entourage (Trees, People, Cars) in Procreate

2026-06-25

Entourage is the people, trees, cars and street life around a building — and it's what turns a flat architectural drawing into a living place. This guide shows how to add entourage in Procreate using stamps, how to get scale right, and how placement creates depth and realism.

What is entourage?

In architectural drawing, entourage means the supporting elements around the building: trees and plants, scale figures (people), vehicles, street furniture and sky. It does three jobs — it shows scale (a person tells you how big a door is), adds life and context, and creates depth by populating foreground and background.

The fastest way: stamps

Drawing every tree and pedestrian by hand is slow. Stamp brushes place a tree, figure or car in a single tap, then you scale and recolour it. Build an entourage library from the stamps category for people and vehicles, and the nature category for trees and foliage. Keep a few variations so the same silhouette doesn't repeat obviously.

Get the scale right

Wrong-sized entourage instantly breaks a drawing. Anchor everything to a human figure:

A standing person is roughly 1.7–1.8 m — use them to check door and storey heights.
Keep every figure's head near the horizon line when they stand on flat ground at your eye level — this is the “heads on the horizon” rule and it keeps a crowd consistent.
Size trees, cars and furniture against that figure, not against the building.

Use layers for depth

Place entourage on separate layers for foreground, midground and background so you can adjust each independently. Foreground elements are larger, sharper and higher in contrast; background ones are smaller, lighter and hazier. A large tree or figure partly in front of the building frames the view and adds instant depth. For the bigger picture, see how to draw architecture in Procreate.

Placement tips

Don't centre or line them up. Scatter figures in natural clusters; leave space around the building's focal point.
Vary poses and directions. A few people walking different ways reads as real movement.
Overlap for depth. Let a foreground tree cross in front of the building edge.
Match the light. Give entourage the same light direction and cast shadows as the building, or it looks pasted on.
Less is more. A few well-placed elements beat a crowded scene that competes with the architecture.

Match entourage to the style

Keep entourage in the same visual language as the drawing. For a line-and-watercolour sketch, use loose silhouettes; for a clean technical drawing, use simple flat figures. Greyed-out or outline-only people are a classic way to keep focus on the building.

Brushes and next steps

Build a free entourage kit from tree, figure and car stamps in free Procreate brushsets — start with the nature and stamps sets. Then apply it in a cityscape, an urban sketch, or a single house drawing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click a question to expand the answer

What is entourage in architecture drawing?

Entourage is the supporting detail around a building — trees, people, cars, street furniture and sky. It gives the building scale (a person shows how big a door is), adds life and context, and creates depth by filling the foreground and background of the scene.

How do I add trees and people to a drawing in Procreate?

The fastest way is stamp brushes: a tree, figure or car drops in with a single tap, then you scale and recolour it. Keep entourage on separate foreground, midground and background layers so you can size and adjust each for depth.

How do I get the scale of people right in a perspective drawing?

Use the 'heads on the horizon' rule: people standing on flat ground at your eye level all have their heads near the horizon line, regardless of distance — only their feet rise as they get closer. Size a figure to about 1.7–1.8 m and measure doors and floors against it.

How much entourage should I add?

Less is more. A few well-placed, varied figures and trees read better than a crowded scene that competes with the architecture. Scatter them in natural clusters, match their light and shadows to the building, and keep the focal point clear.