How to Get Clean, Smooth Lineart in Procreate

2026-06-25

Shaky, wobbly lines are the most common frustration for new digital artists. The good news: clean lineart in Procreate is mostly about two things — the StreamLine setting and how you move your hand. This guide shows exactly how to get smooth, confident lines every time.

Why your lines look shaky

Wobbly lines almost always come from drawing too slowly. When you inch along a line, every tiny hand tremor shows. Fast, committed strokes are naturally smooth. Procreate's StreamLine then cleans up whatever wobble remains. Fix both and your lineart transforms.

1. Turn up StreamLine

StreamLine adds smoothing to your strokes. Tap your brush to open Brush Studio → Stroke → StreamLine and raise the amount. For lineart, a moderate-to-high setting gives clean curves. Too much adds lag and makes the line "catch up" after you lift — find the sweet spot for your hand.

2. Draw fast and from the arm

Move from your elbow and shoulder, not just your fingers, and draw each line in one quick, confident motion. Ghost the stroke — hover and practice the motion a couple of times — then commit. Speed is your friend: a fast line is a smooth line.

3. Use QuickLine for straight lines

For perfectly straight lines, draw a stroke and hold the pencil down at the end without lifting — Procreate snaps it straight. Hold and you can rotate it to an exact angle. QuickShape does the same for circles, ellipses and rectangles.

4. Build long lines from confident segments

You don't have to draw a long curve in one breath. Make it from a few overlapping confident strokes, then erase the overshoots. Overlapping where strokes meet hides the joins better than trying to start exactly where the last one ended.

5. Work bigger, then scale down

Lines look cleaner when you draw at a larger size and zoom level and reduce later. Zoom in to ink detail comfortably; small shakes shrink away when the art is scaled down. Use a high-resolution canvas so nothing softens.

6. Choose the right brush

A crisp, opaque liner with no fuzzy edge makes clean lineart far easier than a soft or textured brush. Grab one from the inking category — see the best free inking brushes.

7. Refine with the eraser

Set your eraser to the same brush as your ink so erased edges match. Clean up overshoots, tidy intersections, and taper line ends by erasing into them. This last polish is what separates rough from professional lineart.

Practice that actually helps

Fill a layer with smooth curves, ovals and parallel lines for a few minutes before you draw. It warms up the confident, fast motion that clean lineart depends on. It's the digital version of an inker's warm-up.

Brushes and next steps

Clean lineart needs only a good free liner from the inking category or any free brushset. Put it to use in the full inking workflow, then add depth with line weight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click a question to expand the answer

How do I get smooth lines in Procreate?

Raise StreamLine in the brush's Stroke settings to smooth wobble, and draw with fast, confident strokes from your elbow rather than slow careful ones. Ghost each stroke first, use QuickLine for straight lines, and work zoomed in at a larger size, then scale down.

What StreamLine setting is best for lineart?

A moderate-to-high amount works well for clean lineart — enough to smooth wobble without the line lagging behind your pencil. The ideal level depends on your hand, so test on a scratch layer and adjust until curves come out clean but responsive.

Why are my lines shaky in Procreate even with a good brush?

The most common cause is drawing too slowly, which lets every small hand tremor show. Speed up: draw each line in one quick committed motion from the arm. Combine that with StreamLine and the shakiness largely disappears.

How do I draw a perfectly straight line in Procreate?

Use QuickLine — draw the stroke and hold the Apple Pencil down at the end without lifting, and Procreate snaps it straight. Keep holding to rotate it to an exact angle. QuickShape does the same for circles, ellipses and rectangles.