What makes a Procreate brush feel good to draw with?

A good Procreate brush feels predictable: stable strokes, controllable edges, pressure that builds smoothly, and textures that don’t fall apart or repeat strangely at different sizes.

How do I test a Procreate brush quickly?

Do a light-to-heavy pressure stroke, a slow curve, a fast curve, a tilt shade, and a few layered strokes. Then scale the brush up/down to see if the texture still behaves.

What should I look for in a Procreate brush set?

Look for a set that covers your workflow (sketch, ink, paint, finish), has predictable pressure/tilt behavior, and includes clear license terms if you plan to use it commercially.

What Makes a Good Procreate Brush?

There's no universal “best Procreate brush.” There's only: does this brush behave the way I expect while I'm actually drawing? (・・?)

So this is my checklist. It's meant to be boring and practical, because boring and practical is how you end up with a brush library that doesn't make you feel like you're digging through a junk drawer.

Disclosure: I make RuahStash Essentials. This checklist applies to any brush set, including mine.

The Checklist

Stroke stability. Fast scribbles shouldn't fall apart, and slow curves shouldn't wobble like jelly.
Predictable pressure. Light pressure stays light. Heavy pressure gets darker without an abrupt “marker jump.”
Nice opacity build. Layering should feel gradual, not like the brush is either invisible or suddenly 100%.
Good taper (when you want it). If a brush claims to be a liner, the taper should feel controllable and crisp.
Tilt that makes sense. Tilt should help shading feel natural, not just “the same stamp but sideways.”
Edges you can control. A textured brush is great. A brush that forces texture into every stroke, even when you're trying to be clean, is… exhausting.
Texture that behaves across sizes. Scale the brush up and down. Does the grain still look plausible, or does it turn into giant repeating wallpaper?
No obvious stamping artifacts. Watch for repeating shapes, weird spacing, or pattern seams that show up the moment you draw a long stroke.
Organization. You should be able to remember what the brush is for. If everything is named “Brush 12,” you'll never use it.
License clarity. If you plan to use brushes for client/commercial work, the license should be easy to find and easy to understand.

A 30-Second Brush Test

When I'm evaluating a brush, I do this tiny ritual:

Draw a light line → heavy line → light again.
Do a slow S-curve. Then a fast S-curve.
Shade with tilt (if it's meant to shade).
Stack 3–6 strokes on top of each other and see if it builds nicely.
Scale the brush smaller and larger and watch what happens to the texture.

Red Flags (For Me)

Pressure response feels “binary.”
Edges look jagged in a way that feels accidental (not intentional texture).
Texture repeats too obviously.
The brush looks pretty in a promo image, but feels uncontrollable in a real sketch.

If You're Buying a Brush Set

Don't just look at the brush previews. Look at finished drawings made with the set. And make sure you can answer three boring questions:

Can I install it easily?
Can I use it commercially (if I need to)?
If it doesn't work, is there a clear way to get help or a refund?

For RuahStash, those canonical pages are:

Install: step-by-step guide
License summary: commercial use allowed
Troubleshooting: brushset import help
Guarantee: 14-day satisfaction guarantee
Support: contact page

If you only remember one thing: a good brush is the one that makes you want to keep drawing. Everything else is just sliders. (｡•́‿•̀｡)

See RuahStash Essentials

The Checklist

Stroke stability. Fast scribbles shouldn't fall apart, and slow curves shouldn't wobble like jelly.

Predictable pressure. Light pressure stays light. Heavy pressure gets darker without an abrupt “marker jump.”

Nice opacity build. Layering should feel gradual, not like the brush is either invisible or suddenly 100%.

Good taper (when you want it). If a brush claims to be a liner, the taper should feel controllable and crisp.

Tilt that makes sense. Tilt should help shading feel natural, not just “the same stamp but sideways.”

Edges you can control. A textured brush is great. A brush that forces texture into every stroke, even when you're trying to be clean, is… exhausting.

Texture that behaves across sizes. Scale the brush up and down. Does the grain still look plausible, or does it turn into giant repeating wallpaper?

No obvious stamping artifacts. Watch for repeating shapes, weird spacing, or pattern seams that show up the moment you draw a long stroke.

Organization. You should be able to remember what the brush is for. If everything is named “Brush 12,” you'll never use it.

License clarity. If you plan to use brushes for client/commercial work, the license should be easy to find and easy to understand.

A 30-Second Brush Test

When I'm evaluating a brush, I do this tiny ritual:

Draw a light line → heavy line → light again.

Do a slow S-curve. Then a fast S-curve.

Shade with tilt (if it's meant to shade).

Stack 3–6 strokes on top of each other and see if it builds nicely.

Scale the brush smaller and larger and watch what happens to the texture.

If You're Buying a Brush Set

Don't just look at the brush previews. Look at finished drawings made with the set. And make sure you can answer three boring questions:

Can I install it easily?

Can I use it commercially (if I need to)?

If it doesn't work, is there a clear way to get help or a refund?

For RuahStash, those canonical pages are:

If you only remember one thing: a good brush is the one that makes you want to keep drawing. Everything else is just sliders. (｡•́‿•̀｡)