My Apple Pencil Pro Art

The Apple iPad has dominated the digital art market, and I think the main reason why is the Apple Pencil. No other digital drawing tablet has the responsive brush style that the Apple Pencil offers, and this has led to a surge of active online creators displaying their process specifically using the features of the Apple Pencil, and this has a broad network effect.

I've been using the Apple Pencil Pro for my figure drawing sessions for the past six months and am very happy with how these features are improving my digital figure drawings. There are workflow enhancements that make a difference when you're trying to capture a 5-minute gesture or work through a 20-minute pose.

New Features

Improved Pressure sensitivity. The improved pressure sensitivity is noticeable, especially in apps like HEAVYPAINT and Procreate. Light touches register more reliably, and the transition from light to heavy strokes lets you vary line weight for clean line drawings.

Squeeze gesture. The squeeze gesture is a nice new extra feature that you can bind to an additional action in Procreate. I have it set to toggle the visibility of the border frame tools.

Tilt detection. The pro supports tilt detection, so Apple Pencil brushes on Procreate can more closely mirror pencil work, as if you are shading with the side of the pencil lead.

Barrel Roll. This is another feature for certain directional brushes in Procreate, you can twirl the barrel as you hover the brush to see how it will mark the canvas.

Hover Detection. I don't remember when they added this exactly but my previous Apple Pencil did not have this feature, and it makes the workflow, particularly in Procreate much smoother. You can find the right brush size by hovering over the canvas and seeing how the brush will mark the page before tweaking it.

Examples

I use my iPad Pro 11" with the Apple Pencil Pro at weekly figure drawing sessions, both in-person and virtual.

Here are some recent drawings I've done using the Apple Pencil Pro.

Apps That I use frequently with the Pencil Pro

The Apple Pencil Pro works with any app that supported the previous generation, but I've used it personally with these.

• HEAVYPAINT
• Procreate: Has specific brush customization settings that are only supported by the newer Apple Pencil Pro.

Conclusion

I recommend the Apple Pencil Pro.

*Note: Purchases made from links on this site can earn the author affiliate revenue.

If you're coming from an older Apple Pencil or starting fresh, I recommend it. If you already have the 2nd generation Apple Pencil and are happy with your current workflow, the upgrade might be less urgent.

For me, the Apple Pencil Pro has removed small friction points that make my digital drawing sessions feel more fluid. When you're trying to capture a live model in a limited time, those small improvements add up to a better experience.