How to Draw Mountains in Procreate

2026-06-25

Mountains are mostly about light hitting angular planes — get that and even simple shapes look majestic. This guide shows how to draw mountains in Procreate: the silhouette, the light and shadow sides, ridges, snow and rock texture, and how to push distant ranges back.

Mountains are planes of light

A mountain is a faceted form — a light side and a shadow side meeting at ridges. Decide your light direction first, because the whole sense of a 3D mountain comes from which planes face the sun and which fall into shadow. Detail comes after.

1. Draw the silhouette

Block the overall mountain shape against the sky — jagged and asymmetrical, not a symmetrical triangle. Vary peak heights and let ridgelines overlap. A slightly off-center main peak reads best.

2. Split light and shadow

Divide each peak into a lit plane and a shadowed plane with a clear value difference. Keep the division crisp where it follows a hard ridge. This two-value split is what makes the mountain pop into 3D — do it before any texture.

3. Carve the ridges and faces

Add smaller ridges, gullies and rock faces following the big planes. Cracks and crevices read as darker lines; sunlit edges as lighter. Keep detail concentrated near the focal peak and simpler elsewhere. Use a textured or rock brush from the nature and texture categories.

4. Add snow

For snowy peaks, add snow on the upper areas and ledges that face up, settling where it would naturally rest. Snow on the lit side is bright white; snow in shadow is cool blue-grey. The contrast of white snow against dark rock is dramatic and convincing.

5. Texture the rock

A light pass of rock or grunge texture on the faces adds realism — but keep it subtle and let the big planes dominate. Over-texturing flattens the form. See the best free nature brushes for rock textures.

6. Push back distant ranges

Layered mountain ranges create epic depth: each range farther back is lighter, cooler and lower in contrast (atmospheric perspective). Put ranges on separate layers, overlap them, and fade the distance toward the sky color — see atmospheric perspective.

Brushes and next steps

Draw mountains with free rock, texture and nature brushes from the nature category or any free brushset. Set them in a full landscape with a painted sky. Concept artists building environments should also see brushes for concept art.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How do you draw mountains in Procreate?

Decide your light direction, block a jagged asymmetrical silhouette, then split each peak into a lit plane and a shadowed plane with a clear value difference. Carve ridges and rock faces following those planes, add snow on upward-facing areas, and fade distant ranges lighter and cooler for depth.

Why do my mountains look flat?

Usually because there's no clear light-and-shadow split. A mountain reads as 3D when each peak has a distinct lit plane and shadow plane with a strong value difference, divided along the ridges. Establish that two-value structure before adding any rock texture.

How do I draw snow on mountains?

Add snow on the upper areas and ledges that face upward, where it would naturally settle. Make snow on the lit side bright white and snow in shadow a cool blue-grey. The contrast of white snow against dark rock gives peaks their dramatic, believable look.

How do I make a range of distant mountains look far away?

Use atmospheric perspective: put each range on its own layer, overlap them, and make each range farther back lighter, cooler and lower in contrast, fading toward the sky color. This layered fading is what creates the epic sense of distance in mountain scenes.