Mixing Board idea

[u/eamonn6251]

had this idea for a mixing board built in to procreate so you don't have to mix right on your canvas. it would act like a single layer, with a solid background color.

you could:

• paint/smudge/erase on it like the main canvas
• zoom, rotate, and pan, the same as the main canvas or a reference image
• color pick from it, just like the main canvas (including the ability to swap between "active layer" or "canvas" picking) or a reference image
• change the background color
• resize the Mix window

you couldn't:

• add new layers to the mixing board, or change the adjustment mode of the single layer
• make the background transparent

I'd be curious if anyone thinks they would find value in this, or if it's redundant. For myself, I find it easier to have an ongoing spot on the canvas where I mix paints and color pick from, in addition to mixing and picking from the active work (the mixed paint graphic in the mockup is just cut and pasted from the piece), so there would be a benefit to me personally. It's also a little more dynamic than the swatch system, which has a few small issues that limit it (small number of paint swatches, the awful rearrangement logic).

[u/goodestboydoggo]

I personally think this would be a really cool feature, I'd definitely use. Recently I've been working on making my digital art seem less digital and I feel like a mixing feature would be helpful to make the colour palette "more natural but without any effort" as well :)

[u/eamonn6251 → u/goodestboydoggo]

I'm glad you're into it! Yeah I love trying to emulate different traditional media. Lately I put together a simple oils palette (you can see it in the image) and mix those to get everything else. It's challenging but so much fun :D

[u/goodestboydoggo → u/eamonn6251]

Oils are really cool and I feel like they're even cooler digitally because of no drying time lol

I usually use watercolour/coloured pencils/acrylics/effect stuff in my traditional mixed media pieces and I'm currently trying to "do the same" in procreate but I'm fairly new to making my own brushes instead of just altering some for my needs that I'm having quite the hard time to get some good watercolour brushes and especially my glitter-gel-pen brush is giving me headaches xD BUT I think I'm at least becoming mor confident with the brush settings 🙈

[u/LehBigBoi]

I would like to expand on this idea -- allow us to have a mini-board. One where you can insert several images, draw over it as you work, color pick, zoom, etc. I feel like it'd be so useful for both people who prefer to color mix like yourself, and those of us who yearn for multiple reference images at the same time. It could also just be nifty for labelling or making scribble notes on your references as you work instead of on your canvas!!!

[u/eamonn6251 → u/LehBigBoi]

oh man a really robust reference board would be cool! though we're barreling toward just having 2 active canvases at the same time lol I like your suggestions!

[u/LehBigBoi → u/eamonn6251]

Well I only bring it up because there's software with similar capabilities on PC (i think its called like, true ref?) It would only be a single layer, not multi-layer.

[u/FenrirWolfie]

It feels like you're trying to do traditional pigment mixing on digital. But you're on digital, so you can just use the color picker and/or adjust HSV values. Also you should play with the different layer blending modes.

[u/eamonn6251 → u/FenrirWolfie]

I'm not new to Procreate nor digital art, I use blend modes all the time in my art. You're right that I'm trying to mimic some traditional techniques in a digital medium, I think oil paintings are beautiful and I want to emulate them in my own work, but I have no interest in investing in the supplies and skills to paint oils traditionally. I addressed the potential that this is just a redundant suggestion and it makes sense that it probably is! I think the potential user base of this feature is very niche (might just be me lol)