How to Draw Trees in Procreate

2026-06-25

Trees trip up a lot of artists — they end up flat, lollipop-shaped, or a green blob. The fix is thinking in structure and light, and letting foliage brushes do the busywork. This guide shows how to draw believable trees in Procreate: trunk and branches, foliage clumps, and light.

Think in masses, not leaves

The biggest mistake is drawing individual leaves. Instead, see a tree as a few clumps of foliage catching light, sitting on a branch structure. Get the big masses and their light/shadow right and it reads as a tree instantly — detail is secondary.

1. Build the trunk and branches

Start with the trunk, tapering as it rises, then branches that get thinner and split as they reach out and up. Branches alternate and reach toward light. Even hidden branches inform where foliage clumps sit. Use a textured brush for bark.

2. Block the foliage masses

Block the overall silhouette of the canopy as a few overlapping clumps, not one round blob. Leave sky holes (gaps you can see through) — they make foliage believable. Use a foliage brush from the nature category; see the best free nature brushes.

3. Light the clumps

Pick a light direction. Shade each foliage clump like a rounded form — light on top toward the sun, shadow underneath. Three values is enough: shadow, mid, light. This is what turns flat green into a dimensional canopy.

4. Add highlights and detail

On the lit side, dab brighter highlight leaves with a foliage brush; keep the shadow side simpler. A few individual leaves on the silhouette edges read as detail without drawing them all. Don't over-detail the shadow areas.

5. Color the foliage

Trees are rarely one green — vary warmer greens in light, cooler/darker in shadow, with hints of yellow or red. A flat single green is the giveaway of a beginner tree. Color on layers or with Alpha Lock over your value blocks.

Different tree types

Deciduous — rounded, billowing clumps.
Pine/conifer — layered triangular tiers drooping outward.
Palm — long fronds radiating from the top.
Distant trees — simpler, lighter, just a lit silhouette (see atmospheric perspective).

Brushes and next steps

Draw trees with free foliage and bark brushes from the nature category or any free brushset. Fill a whole scene with them in how to draw a forest, or set the tree in a full landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click a question to expand the answer

How do you draw a tree in Procreate?

Build the trunk and tapering branches first, block the canopy as a few overlapping foliage clumps (not one blob) with sky holes, then light each clump like a rounded form with shadow, mid and light values. Add highlight leaves on the lit side and vary the greens for a believable tree.

Why do my trees look flat or like lollipops?

Usually because the canopy is drawn as a single round blob in one flat green. Instead, break it into several overlapping clumps with gaps (sky holes), light each clump as a rounded form with three values, and vary the greens warm-to-cool. Structure and light fix the flatness.

How do I draw foliage fast in Procreate?

Use a foliage scatter brush from the nature category — one stroke lays down many leaves at varied sizes and angles. Block the canopy masses dark-to-light, leave sky holes, and add highlight dabs on the lit side. The brush handles the repetitive leaf detail.

How do I draw different types of trees?

Deciduous trees are rounded billowing clumps; pines are layered triangular tiers drooping outward; palms are fronds radiating from the top. Distant trees should be simpler, lighter and lower-contrast. The trunk and branch structure plus the canopy shape define the species.