To add clipart to Procreate, save the PNG to your Photos or Files app, open your canvas, tap the wrench (Actions), choose Add, and pick Insert a photo or Insert a file. Procreate places each import on its own layer, so you can scale, rotate, and reposition it immediately. For repeatable stamping, you can also turn a clipart shape into a custom stamp brush, though that brush paints a single color only.

The rest of this guide covers each method, how to prep files so they import cleanly, and how to take the finished artwork into an After Effects or Nuke pipeline.

Before You Import: Prepare the Clipart

Most import problems come from the file, not from Procreate. Check these first:

• Use PNG with a transparent background. A JPEG arrives with its white (or colored) background baked in, which means extra erasing. A transparent PNG drops in as a clean cutout.
• Check the resolution. Procreate is a raster app. If you scale a small clipart file up on a large canvas, edges go soft. Import clipart at or above the size you plan to use it.
• Convert vector formats. Clipart sold for cutting machines often ships as SVG, EPS, or DXF alongside PNG and JPEG files. Use the PNG version when the bundle includes one. If it only offers vector formats, export a high-resolution PNG from Illustrator or another vector editor first.
• Read the license. Many clipart packs allow personal use and limited commercial use only. Some cap commercial use at a unit count, and many forbid reselling or redistributing the files. Motion work for clients counts as commercial use, so confirm before you animate it.

Method 1: Insert a Photo

This is the fastest route when the clipart is already in your Photos library.

1. Save the clipart PNG to your device's Photos app (AirDrop, iCloud, or a download).
2. Open your canvas in Procreate.
3. Tap the wrench icon (Actions) in the top left.
4. Tap Add, then Insert a photo.
5. Select the image from your library.

The image appears on its own new layer with the Transform tool active. Drag to move it, pinch to scale, and use the corner handles for proportional resizing. Tap the Transform tool (arrow icon) again to confirm.

Because every import becomes a separate layer, you can bring in as many pieces as you need and arrange them independently. The practical limit is your layer count, which depends on canvas size and device memory. As a reference point, a 3000 × 3000 px canvas at 300 DPI gave one tutorial author a maximum of 55 layers, which they found plenty for most pattern designs. If you hit the cap, reduce the canvas size or merge finished elements.

Method 2: Insert a File

If your clipart lives in the Files app, iCloud Drive, or a cloud folder, use the file route instead.

1. Tap the wrench icon, then Add.
2. Choose Insert a file.
3. Browse to the PNG and tap it.

This is usually better for organized asset libraries. Keep a "Procreate Clipart" folder in iCloud Drive and sort by subject, such as florals, icons, textures, and frames, so you never dig through your camera roll. It also keeps your Photos library free of production assets.

Method 3: Drag and Drop or Copy and Paste

On iPad, you can use multitasking to speed things up:

• Drag and drop: Open Files or Photos in Split View or Slide Over next to Procreate. Press and hold the clipart, then drag it onto your canvas. It lands as a new layer.
• Copy and paste: Copy an image from Safari, Photos, or another app. In Procreate, tap the canvas with three fingers and choose Paste, or use the wrench menu's Add > Paste option when it appears.

Dragging in a batch of files is useful when you're building a scene from a sticker pack. Just keep an eye on layer naming. Imports arrive generic, so rename key layers or group them as you go, especially if the file is headed for After Effects later.

Method 4: Make Clipart into a Stamp Brush

If you want to stamp a shape repeatedly, such as scattered leaves, stars, or small icons, a stamp brush is faster than duplicating layers. A community forum thread on this topic describes the approach: create a stamping brush and use your image as the brush shape, keeping the grain plain white.

Here is the general workflow:

1. Prepare the clipart as a black-and-white or grayscale image on a plain background.
2. Open the Brush Library and create a new brush (the + icon).
3. In Shape, tap Edit, then import your image (via Photos, Files, or a copy/paste) as the shape source.
4. In Grain, keep it plain white so no texture interferes.
5. Under Stroke Properties, raise Spacing so each stroke produces distinct stamps instead of a smeared line.
6. In Properties or Apple Pencil settings, tweak size jitter and rotation jitter for a natural scatter.

The key limitation: stamp brushes paint in whatever single color you've selected. They can't reproduce a multicolor illustration. Gray tones inside the shape image affect opacity, not hue. So stamp brushes work well for silhouettes, line icons, and single-color textures, while full-color clipart should go in as a layer using Methods 1 through 3.

Editing Clipart After You Import It

Once the clipart is on a layer, you have the full range of Procreate tools:

• Transform and Warp: Use Warp or Liquify to bend a flat illustration so it fits a character or scene.
• Erase and trim: If you only need part of an illustration, such as a character's head without the body, use the Eraser with a hard or textured brush to remove the rest. Zoom in for clean edges.
• Recolor: Turn on Alpha Lock for the layer and paint over it, or use Adjustments > Hue, Saturation, Brightness to shift color across the whole piece.
• Duplicate: Swipe left on a layer and tap Duplicate. Rotate and scale copies to build up patterns or crowds.
• Group and name: Select multiple layers and group them so related pieces move together.

If you're creating a repeating pattern, remember to keep clipart elements fully inside or purposefully crossing the canvas edge when you use Procreate's drawing guide. Check your layer stack before exporting.

Build a Seamless Pattern from Clipart

A common use for imported clipart is a repeat pattern. A workable setup:

1. Create a square canvas, such as 3000 × 3000 px at 300 DPI.
2. Fill the bottom layer with a background color.
3. Insert your clipart pieces one by one.
4. Scatter, rotate, and duplicate them, keeping a consistent density.
5. Use the Drawing Guide and the Canvas settings to check where elements cross edges.
6. Export the finished tile as PNG and test it in your target app.

For motion work, a tile like this becomes a scrolling background, a texture on a 3D object, or a pattern layer in After Effects.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

The clipart has a white box around it. The file is a JPEG or a PNG without transparency. Remove the background in an editor first, or erase it in Procreate.

The image looks blurry after scaling. The source resolution is too low. Request or export a larger version rather than scaling up inside Procreate.

I can't find the file when inserting. Make sure it's fully downloaded to the device. Cloud files that haven't synced won't appear. Also confirm the file isn't still a ZIP; unzip bundles in the Files app first.

The SVG won't import. Procreate works with raster images, so convert vector clipart to PNG first.

I've run out of layers. Lower the canvas dimensions or merge completed groups. Keep a duplicate copy of the layered file before merging.

Taking Procreate Clipart Into a Motion Pipeline

Many motion designers use Procreate as a quick illustration and asset-prep surface, then do the real work elsewhere. A few habits keep that handoff clean:

• Keep elements on separate layers. Export as a layered PSD so After Effects can import each piece as its own layer, ready for puppet pins, parenting, and keyframes.
• Name and group before exporting. "Leaf_01" is far easier to find than "Layer 37."
• Export a flat PNG too. It makes a good reference frame and style target.
• Work at the final delivery resolution or higher. Upscaling a 1080p illustration to 4K softens it.

Quick Reference

Final Checklist

• Use transparent PNGs at adequate resolution.
• Confirm the license covers your use.
• Import through Insert a photo or Insert a file, or drag and drop.
• Use stamp brushes only for single-color shapes.
• Name, group, and organize layers before export.
• Export layered PSD and flat PNG for downstream motion work.

Once the import workflow becomes second nature, adding clipart to Procreate takes seconds, and the real time goes where it should: designing, animating, and compositing.

To add clipart to Procreate, save the PNG to your Photos or Files app, open your canvas, tap the wrench (Actions), choose Add, and pick Insert a photo or Insert a file. Procreate places each import on its own layer, so you can scale, rotate, and reposition it immediately. For repeatable stamping, you can also turn a clipart shape into a custom stamp brush, though that brush paints a single color only.

The rest of this guide covers each method, how to prep files so they import cleanly, and how to take the finished artwork into an After Effects or Nuke pipeline.

Before You Import: Prepare the Clipart

Most import problems come from the file, not from Procreate. Check these first:

• Use PNG with a transparent background. A JPEG arrives with its white (or colored) background baked in, which means extra erasing. A transparent PNG drops in as a clean cutout.
• Check the resolution. Procreate is a raster app. If you scale a small clipart file up on a large canvas, edges go soft. Import clipart at or above the size you plan to use it.
• Convert vector formats. Clipart sold for cutting machines often ships as SVG, EPS, or DXF alongside PNG and JPEG files. Use the PNG version when the bundle includes one. If it only offers vector formats, export a high-resolution PNG from Illustrator or another vector editor first.
• Read the license. Many clipart packs allow personal use and limited commercial use only. Some cap commercial use at a unit count, and many forbid reselling or redistributing the files. Motion work for clients counts as commercial use, so confirm before you animate it.

Method 1: Insert a Photo

This is the fastest route when the clipart is already in your Photos library.

1. Save the clipart PNG to your device's Photos app (AirDrop, iCloud, or a download).
2. Open your canvas in Procreate.
3. Tap the wrench icon (Actions) in the top left.
4. Tap Add, then Insert a photo.
5. Select the image from your library.

The image appears on its own new layer with the Transform tool active. Drag to move it, pinch to scale, and use the corner handles for proportional resizing. Tap the Transform tool (arrow icon) again to confirm.

Because every import becomes a separate layer, you can bring in as many pieces as you need and arrange them independently. The practical limit is your layer count, which depends on canvas size and device memory. As a reference point, a 3000 × 3000 px canvas at 300 DPI gave one tutorial author a maximum of 55 layers, which they found plenty for most pattern designs. If you hit the cap, reduce the canvas size or merge finished elements.

Method 2: Insert a File

If your clipart lives in the Files app, iCloud Drive, or a cloud folder, use the file route instead.

1. Tap the wrench icon, then Add.
2. Choose Insert a file.
3. Browse to the PNG and tap it.

This is usually better for organized asset libraries. Keep a "Procreate Clipart" folder in iCloud Drive and sort by subject, such as florals, icons, textures, and frames, so you never dig through your camera roll. It also keeps your Photos library free of production assets.

Method 3: Drag and Drop or Copy and Paste

On iPad, you can use multitasking to speed things up:

• Drag and drop: Open Files or Photos in Split View or Slide Over next to Procreate. Press and hold the clipart, then drag it onto your canvas. It lands as a new layer.
• Copy and paste: Copy an image from Safari, Photos, or another app. In Procreate, tap the canvas with three fingers and choose Paste, or use the wrench menu's Add > Paste option when it appears.

Dragging in a batch of files is useful when you're building a scene from a sticker pack. Just keep an eye on layer naming. Imports arrive generic, so rename key layers or group them as you go, especially if the file is headed for After Effects later.

Method 4: Make Clipart into a Stamp Brush

If you want to stamp a shape repeatedly, such as scattered leaves, stars, or small icons, a stamp brush is faster than duplicating layers. A community forum thread on this topic describes the approach: create a stamping brush and use your image as the brush shape, keeping the grain plain white.

Here is the general workflow:

1. Prepare the clipart as a black-and-white or grayscale image on a plain background.
2. Open the Brush Library and create a new brush (the + icon).
3. In Shape, tap Edit, then import your image (via Photos, Files, or a copy/paste) as the shape source.
4. In Grain, keep it plain white so no texture interferes.
5. Under Stroke Properties, raise Spacing so each stroke produces distinct stamps instead of a smeared line.
6. In Properties or Apple Pencil settings, tweak size jitter and rotation jitter for a natural scatter.

The key limitation: stamp brushes paint in whatever single color you've selected. They can't reproduce a multicolor illustration. Gray tones inside the shape image affect opacity, not hue. So stamp brushes work well for silhouettes, line icons, and single-color textures, while full-color clipart should go in as a layer using Methods 1 through 3.

Editing Clipart After You Import It

Once the clipart is on a layer, you have the full range of Procreate tools:

• Transform and Warp: Use Warp or Liquify to bend a flat illustration so it fits a character or scene.
• Erase and trim: If you only need part of an illustration, such as a character's head without the body, use the Eraser with a hard or textured brush to remove the rest. Zoom in for clean edges.
• Recolor: Turn on Alpha Lock for the layer and paint over it, or use Adjustments > Hue, Saturation, Brightness to shift color across the whole piece.
• Duplicate: Swipe left on a layer and tap Duplicate. Rotate and scale copies to build up patterns or crowds.
• Group and name: Select multiple layers and group them so related pieces move together.

If you're creating a repeating pattern, remember to keep clipart elements fully inside or purposefully crossing the canvas edge when you use Procreate's drawing guide. Check your layer stack before exporting.

Build a Seamless Pattern from Clipart

A common use for imported clipart is a repeat pattern. A workable setup:

1. Create a square canvas, such as 3000 × 3000 px at 300 DPI.
2. Fill the bottom layer with a background color.
3. Insert your clipart pieces one by one.
4. Scatter, rotate, and duplicate them, keeping a consistent density.
5. Use the Drawing Guide and the Canvas settings to check where elements cross edges.
6. Export the finished tile as PNG and test it in your target app.

For motion work, a tile like this becomes a scrolling background, a texture on a 3D object, or a pattern layer in After Effects.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

The clipart has a white box around it. The file is a JPEG or a PNG without transparency. Remove the background in an editor first, or erase it in Procreate.

The image looks blurry after scaling. The source resolution is too low. Request or export a larger version rather than scaling up inside Procreate.

I can't find the file when inserting. Make sure it's fully downloaded to the device. Cloud files that haven't synced won't appear. Also confirm the file isn't still a ZIP; unzip bundles in the Files app first.

The SVG won't import. Procreate works with raster images, so convert vector clipart to PNG first.

I've run out of layers. Lower the canvas dimensions or merge completed groups. Keep a duplicate copy of the layered file before merging.

Taking Procreate Clipart Into a Motion Pipeline

Many motion designers use Procreate as a quick illustration and asset-prep surface, then do the real work elsewhere. A few habits keep that handoff clean:

• Keep elements on separate layers. Export as a layered PSD so After Effects can import each piece as its own layer, ready for puppet pins, parenting, and keyframes.
• Name and group before exporting. "Leaf_01" is far easier to find than "Layer 37."
• Export a flat PNG too. It makes a good reference frame and style target.
• Work at the final delivery resolution or higher. Upscaling a 1080p illustration to 4K softens it.

Quick Reference

Final Checklist

• Use transparent PNGs at adequate resolution.
• Confirm the license covers your use.
• Import through Insert a photo or Insert a file, or drag and drop.
• Use stamp brushes only for single-color shapes.
• Name, group, and organize layers before export.
• Export layered PSD and flat PNG for downstream motion work.

Once the import workflow becomes second nature, adding clipart to Procreate takes seconds, and the real time goes where it should: designing, animating, and compositing.