As an illustrator, I also work on exterior sketches — and over time, I’ve learned how important it is to capture the beauty of greenery and water in a way that feels alive and natural.

I’m sharing some of my favorite tips, techniques, and tools for sketching plants, trees, and water on the iPad using Procreate. You’ll also find more examples from my videos and lessons. These methods are part of what I teach in my course for designers and illustrators who want to create expressive and atmospheric scenes.

I use a combined approach when it comes to adding greenery:

🌱 Inserting pre-made elements — trees, bushes, or lawns can be dropped in from your photo library. But the key is to blend them into the scene by adjusting lighting, shadows, and color tone so they feel like part of the sketch — not just something pasted on top.
I recommend using the FREE library with trees: meye.dk

✍️ Drawing with custom brushes — I use a set of brushes that has been created specifically for greenery. They help add leaves, grass, and foliage quickly and naturally while keeping the sketch lively and expressive.

👉 In some cases, drawing plants by hand gives you more control over how natural and vivid they appear. Brushes help speed up the process while still giving a personal touch.

Tips for making greenery look organic:

• Follow the direction of the light
• Add shadows under foliage
• Mix cool and warm greens for depth and vibrancy

To draw water, I use Standart brushes Water and Ocean from Elements Set. These help to capture:

• the movement of water,
• light reflections,
• soft ripples caused by wind or light.

These techniques — from trees and water to night scenes — are all part of my full course From Idea to Sketch: Procreate for Design Projects, where you'll learn how to create sketches like these step by step.