How to Draw a House in Procreate

2026-06-25

Drawing a house is the perfect first architecture exercise: simple shapes, clear perspective, and quick results. This beginner guide walks through drawing a house in Procreate step by step — the box, the roof, windows and door, and easy shading — using nothing but free brushes.

What you'll need

Just Procreate, an Apple Pencil, and two brushes: a pencil for sketching and a clean liner for final lines. Grab both from the beginner brush set or any free brushset. New to the app? Read how to start drawing on iPad first.

Step 1: Set up the canvas

Create a canvas around 2732 × 2048 px. Add three layers: sketch, line, and colour (keep colour at the bottom). Working in layers means you can ink over your sketch and then delete the rough lines — see Procreate layers explained if layers are new to you.

Step 2: Draw the basic box

A house is a box with a roof. On the sketch layer, draw a simple cube seen from the corner — two walls meeting at a vertical edge. Keep the top and bottom edges angling gently toward your eye level. This is informal two-point perspective; if you want it exact, turn on the Perspective Drawing Guide.

Step 3: Add the roof

Put a triangular gable on the front wall and extend the ridge straight back to meet the rear wall. The roof's slope sits above the walls and shares the same vanishing points, so its edges angle the same way as the floor lines. Add a little overhang past the walls for a realistic eave.

Step 4: Place windows and the door

Divide the walls into a simple grid for windows and a door. Remember that on the side wall, windows get narrower and closer together as they recede. Keep them aligned in rows so the house reads as orderly. A door is just a tall rectangle with a step.

Step 5: Ink the clean lines

Lower the sketch layer's opacity, and on the line layer trace the final drawing with a no-taper liner from the inking category. Use QuickLine — hold the pencil at the end of a stroke to snap it straight — for crisp walls and roof edges. Then hide or delete the sketch layer.

Step 6: Easy shading and colour

Pick one light direction. On the colour layer, flat-fill the walls and roof, then add a slightly darker tone to the wall facing away from the light and a soft cast shadow on the ground. That single value step instantly makes the house look solid. Add a tree or two for life — see how to add entourage.

Next steps

Once a single house feels easy, try a street scene or step up to the full architecture workflow. For tidy perspective every time, practise with the buildings in perspective guide. Need brushes? Browse the architecture brushes tag.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click a question to expand the answer

How do you draw a house in Procreate for beginners?

Draw a simple box seen from the corner, add a triangular roof that shares the same angles, divide the walls for windows and a door, then ink clean lines with a liner and QuickLine. Finish with one light direction: a darker shaded wall and a soft ground shadow.

What brushes do I need to draw a house?

Just two: a pencil brush for the rough sketch and a clean no-taper liner for the final lines. Both come in any free beginner brush set. Add a soft brush later if you want to shade and colour.

Do I need perspective to draw a house?

Only loosely. A house drawn from the corner uses informal two-point perspective — the two walls angle toward your eye level. You can eyeball it, or turn on Procreate's Perspective Drawing Guide to keep every edge accurate.

How do I make my house drawing look 3D?

Shade it. Pick one light direction, keep the lit wall light, make the opposite wall a step darker, and add a soft cast shadow on the ground. That single change in value makes a flat box read as a solid, three-dimensional house.