“Color is a power which directly influences the soul,” said Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian painter and pioneer of abstract painting. He’s not wrong – we use colors to influence, empower, control narratives, represent key ideas… the list goes on.
So, before you pick up your Apple Pencil and create a new canvas in Procreate, you need to find the right colors. We’ve found monochrome, portrait, bright, nature-centric, and more Procreate color palettes for every type of artist.
But before we look at color palettes for Procreate, let’s try to understand the theory behind colors.
how important is color?
Humans are visual creatures, so it’s no surprise that color is an important part of our day-to-day lives.
“Color increases brand recognition by 80%,” said Dr. Ellen Hoadley of Loyola University, Maryland. Even though some critics say this statistic isn’t entirely correct, we can all agree that color plays an important part in our perception of and response to visual stimuli.
Outside of the marketing world, artists use color to evoke specific emotions, convey ideas, and represent concepts. Of course, colors are open to interpretation. On a poster for a horror film, red means murder. But on a poster for a romance film, it means something different entirely.
Context is vital. According to researchers at MIT, humans can process visual information in as little as 13 milliseconds. So, if you choose the wrong color, your illustrations, logos, and characters will cause confusion rather than curiosity.
color theory explained
Whether you want to create a color palette for Canva, Photoshop, or Procreate, you need to understand color theory. It explains how colors contrast and complement each other. And although we definitely can’t sum it up in a few paragraphs, we can highlight some of the most important parts.
In color theory, colors are represented in a color wheel and placed into three sections: primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Primary colors are the building blocks from which all other colors are derived. Secondary colors are created by an equal mixture of two primary colors, and tertiary colors are combinations of both, like blue-green, red-orange, and yellow-green.
Tertiary colors are complementary, which makes them a great starting point for color palettes.
For practical advice, check out our tips for using Pantone’s 2024 color of the year.
where to find color palettes
You can either make your own Procreate color palette or look for a digital download. Artists create downloadable color palettes and sell them online, mainly on sites like Etsy and DesignCuts.
how to make a cohesive color palette on procreate
There are lots of ways to create color palettes on Procreate.
You can create a color palette from a new photo:
- Open the Palette menu and select +.
- Press New from camera.
- Snap a picture.*
*For a more contrasting color palette, choose Indexed mode.
You can also create a Procreate color palette from a saved photo:
- Open the Palette menu and select +.
- Press New from photos.
- Select an image.
And finally, you can import colors from swatch files:
- Save your swatch file to your Files app.
- Go to Procreate, open the Palette menu, and press +.
- Press New and choose your swatch file.
Procreate will automatically generate a name for any color palettes made like this. To rename your palette, simply tap it once and type a new name.
If you want to take a shortcut, you’re in luck. We’ve compiled a list of all the best color palettes for Procreate, including the price for each.
nature-themed procreate color palettes
Nature is the gift that keeps on giving. For thousands of years, artists have taken inspiration from fire, water, earth, and air, with all the elements representing different facets of the human experience.
Now, you can buy a snapshot of that experience and use the color palette to create art that really speaks to others.
nature lover procreate palette
Price: $9
A lot of color palettes focus on bright colors, but what about the darker months? This palette contains hand-selected swatches that really reflect the gloominess of winter, complete with blues, grays, browns, and greens.
touch of nature bundle palette
Price: $6.55
This bundle comes with four palettes and a total of 120 color swatches! The colors are separated into Earthy, Calming Wind, Homey, and Nature-inspired hues. Calming Wind is my favorite; it has a wide range of colors, but they perfectly harmonize to create a seasonal palette.
woodsy color palette
Price: $3.60
If you’re looking for a classic Procreate color palette for nature illustrations, graphics, and doodles, you’re in the right place. The Woodsy color palette only contains 30 color swatches, but it perfectly represents the duality of nature. Calm blues are paired with deep, mossy greens and a pop of mustard yellow to create an impressive array of colors.
artist-themed procreate color palettes
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and, if you sincerely want to imitate some of the best artists ever to have existed, you need the right colors.
van gogh classic color palette
Price: $2.10
In a recent survey, 72% of Americans said they liked Van Gogh, making him only slightly less popular than Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. And now you can get a Van Gogh Procreate color palette for less than the price of a coffee!
This digital download comes with blue tones from Starry Night, yellows from the Wheatfield series, and greens straight out of The Green Vineyard.
salvador dalí color palette
Price: $1.80
This Spanish painter’s surrealist paintings are renowned across the globe. And although the concepts and compositions might seem the most important bits, Dalí was brilliant at choosing moody, atmospheric colors.
claude monet procreate color palette
Price: $2.10
Searching for a soft, nature-centric color palette for Procreate? You need a Claude Monet color palette. Imbued with soft pastels, rich greens, and bold purples, these swatches make a delightful addition to any artist’s toolkit.
bright procreate color palettes
Sometimes, all you need is a pop of color. Lucky for us, there are plenty of bright color palettes to choose from.
vibes bright color palette
Price: Free
This bundle doesn’t have the largest number of swatches, but since it’s free, it’s worth mentioning. Besides, some of the colors are really unique. Turquoise, magenta, and bright orange hues are sure to brighten up your art.
neon procreate color palette bundle
Price: $5.99
Bring your characters to life with this neon color bundle! It comes with five files, including Neon, Cyber, Fluorescent, Brights, and 80s Brights. Think neon yellow, futuristic green, and glowing blue. This bundle is perfect for sci-fi landscapes, dystopian characters, party invites, and more.
It even comes with a free glow brush! Not bad for $6.
electric vibes procreate palette
Price: $1.99
Vivid is the only word to describe this bundle. 30 red, blue, green, yellow, pink, and orange swatches create a vibrant, vivid palette best suited to positive paintings and illustrations. Illustrations for children’s books, eye-catching posters, block-color characters… the only barrier is your imagination.
portrait procreate color palettes
We can’t explore color palettes for Procreate without mentioning portraits! Whether you’re creating surreal or candid self-portraits, you need a stash of skin tones.
procreate portrait color palette
Price: Free
We’ve found another free color palette for Procreate, and it doesn’t disappoint! This palette contains a range of skin tones, including porcelain, olive, brown, and plenty of pink hues to make your characters blush. You can use a single color to create block-color cartoon figures or layer complementary hues to create realistic skin tones.
procreate skin tone swatches palette
Price: $14
This bundle is on the expensive side, but it’s sure to streamline your creative process. For $14, you get six skin files, each with 30 complementary colors. Think of each individual file as a separate person. So, when it’s time to add color to your characters, you can simply open a file and get started.
miscellaneous procreate color palettes
We’ve covered plenty of color palettes for Procreate, but there are still so many out there! Here are a few extra palettes to expand your toolkit.
360 procreate colors
Price: $14.40
Monochrome palettes offer different hues of a single color. They’re great for creating cohesive, aesthetically pleasing illustrations. You’ve probably seen monochrome color schemes in fashion adverts, logos, and art.
Don’t be deterred by the price; this palette is the ultimate option for monochrome fans. 360 custom colors are sorted into 12 palettes, and each palette has 30 variations of a single color.
This Procreate color palette is a great investment for people who want to spend less time choosing colors and more time creating art. It’s pretty extensive, so it might help to think of it as a few palettes rolled into one.
studio ghibli-inspired color palette
Price: $2.10
Who doesn’t love Studio Ghibli films? The fantastical creatures, heartwarming storylines, and iconic illustration style are instantly recognizable. But what about the colors?
This Procreate color palette contains 30 Studio Ghibli-inspired colors, including the deep greens found in My Neighbor Totoro and the darker hues in Spirited Away.
witchy goth color palette
Price: $3.35
For less than $4, you can get 150 swatches that range from the darkest blacks to light, fanciful purples. Even if you’re not creating witchy characters or landscapes, these colors can still create atmospheric illustrations.
Now that you’ve got enough Procreate color palettes to last you a lifetime, download the 10 best free Procreate brushes and start creating!
Rock Paper Pencil: A Pen-On-Paper Experience for iPad
Rock Paper Pencil is the best iPad drawing accessory for artists who are looking to ditch their slippery glass screen and get a realistic pen-on-paper feel for their iPad.
This product includes a reusable, paper-feel iPad screen protector and two ballpoint Apple Pencil tips. Built with nano-texture technology, Rock Paper Pencil adds subtle friction between your screen and Pencil, giving you more control while drawing or writing.
- NanoCling Screen Protector: Securely bond your screen protector to your iPad using static cling. Easy application, non-adhesive, removable and reusable.
- Matte Texture: Subtle friction mimics the feel of paper (no more slippery glass!)
- Precision Apple Pencil Tips: Smoother, more controlled strokes
