hi! i wouldn't say i'm completely new to procreate, but i'm definitely new to blending 😭 i've been a fan of your art for a long time and i've always admired how smooth and painterly your colors look. i was wondering if you'd be willing to share anything about how you use the smudge tool? like, what brush do you use for smudging, what settings do you keep it on, and are there any techniques you rely on? whenever i try it, everything just ends up looking blurry and muddy, and i can't seem to get the colors to blend naturally into each other. honestly i'd love any advice you're willing to give, even if it's just "don't use the smudge tool like that" 😭 thank you for your time!!
Hi there! Thank you so much for the kind words and support, it means a ton 🖤
Hmm that's a good question... I don't particularly have a technique, to be honest I use the smudge tool at 100% or 90% strength I wanna say, but other than that I just use the brushes as is! I do share my favorite brushes here and talk about my general process (timelapse included) here.
I will say though, I feel like I'm not the right person to really ask for tips on how to help blend your colors together because of how little coloring I incorporate in my pieces 😭 90% of my work is done in grayscale (rendering included), I find that it just helps my brain figure out the proper values. I then apply gradient maps and, if necessary, tweak the colors through color/overlay/multiply layers! And tbh my gradient maps are just trial and error, I've made like 50 of them and keep creating more...
With that being said, here's something i've learnt through my art journey: rough/messy brush strokes add flavor and character to an artwork. i used to smooth the crap out of all my pieces, and unfortunately still find myself doing so sometimes... but i found out that the less smooth my blending it, the more happy i tend to be with the end result! I also know it's tempting to use very smooth brushes to blend, but I highly recommend using textured ones. Worst case, start with a smooth one and then go over everything with a textured brush after! Here's an example of a piece i consider too "smooth" vs a "textured/messier" one (ofc, it's just personal preference ultimately).
I don't know if this really answers your question or helps at all, hopefully it does!!