Procreate 5.4 Beta Brushes Review

Pencils, Pens, Inks, Charcoals, pastels and Oils

New Procreate BrushSets

I am a beta tester for Procreate 5.4. On YouTube I have made several video’s about the new brushes that will come to Procreate 5.4. All of the 144 new brushes are made by Kyle T. Webster and Savage Interactive.

All of the brushes are named after places, plants or animals in Tasmania around Hobart. The headquarters of Savage Interactive, the producers of Procreate and Procreate Dreams. I am going to explore these new brush sets by drawing the first name in a BrushSet. It is almost like a wildlife documentary. Here are the video’s so far

Pencils Pens & Inks

Pencils
This pencil BrushSet set you can not really compare to the analog equivalent. Where you go from hard Pencils with H to softer pencils with B. The B pencils have more grid and you have a darker tone. With these pencils Kyle T. Webster has reversed it. You start of with pencils that are softer, but less defined, to pencils that are harder with more definition.

Pens
The Pens BrushSet is a nice addition to the default brushes in Procreate. They have a greater variety. They have some interesting grids and textures.

Inks
The Inks BrushSet is a continuation of the Pens BrushSet. Great new brushes with dry brush effects and even a washed ink brush.

Charcoals Pastels & Oils

Charcoals
I tested this new Charcoal BrushSet by painting an area near Molesworth. I compared them to the default Charcoal BrushSet that is in the Classic Procreate Brush Library. To be honest this new brushset is not a big approvement on the charcoal brushes. They are more or less the same. In the Classic Brushes the brushes are bigger. They have the same textures as this new set. But they are made with the new Brush engine. I have tested some of the brushes and changed the properties. But I don’t see a difference in creating the brushes, or what is new about this brush engine.

Pastels
This Pastel BrushSet has a finer grain than the Charcoal brushSet. The only brushes that really stand out are the Bandicoot and Meadowbank. Kyle T. Webster made this brushes. You can follow him on Substack. In one of his posts he talked about making brushes. He some brushes that really stand out, the other brushes he builds around it. But everyone has his own needs and taste for what brush should feel like. This Pastel brushSet is OK, but I will not be using it.

Oils
The Oil BrushSet I really like and it adds to all of the default Procreate brushes. Kyle T. Webster has used duo brushes in all of the oil brushes. They have a variety of textures and shapes. They are great for laying down the foundations of your painting with the broader brushes that have a lot of dilution and mix your colours on the canvas. The last brushes are more opaque and are great for adding details to your painting.