To color behind a layer in Procreate, add a new layer, drag it below the layer you want to sit in front, and fill or paint on it. For a solid backdrop, tap the new layer and choose Fill Layer. For a fill that follows the shape of your linework, set the line layer as Reference and drag a color onto the empty layer with ColorDrop. Because the color lives on its own layer, you can recolor, hide, or export it separately from the art in front.

The Basic Method: A New Layer Underneath

This is the answer for most cases, and the one to learn first.

1. Open the Layers panel (the two overlapping squares at the top right).
2. Tap + to create a new layer.
3. Press and hold the new layer, then drag it below the layer you want to color behind. A blue highlight shows where it will land.
4. Pick a color from the color circle.
5. Tap the new layer and choose Fill Layer. The whole layer fills with your active color.

If you only see white, check the Background color layer at the bottom of the panel. Procreate's default canvas has a white background layer that sits beneath everything. Your new layer should sit above it and below your artwork. Turn the background off if you want transparency (more on that in the export section).

Fill Layer is the fastest way to get a flat backdrop. It doesn't handle shapes, which is where the next methods come in.

Coloring Behind Linework Without Filling the Gaps

The common problem is a drawing that is mostly outlines. If you fill the layer beneath, the color shows through every open area, including parts that should stay white or be colored differently. A reference-based approach solves this.

Use Reference and ColorDrop

1. Tap your linework layer and choose Reference.
2. Create a new layer and drag it below the linework.
3. Make sure the new layer is selected, not the linework layer.
4. Drag a color from the top-right circle and drop it inside a closed area. Hold your pen or finger in place after dropping.
5. Slide left or right to adjust the fill threshold, which changes how the color fills the area.

Because Reference makes ColorDrop read the line layer rather than the empty layer, the fill respects your outlines while landing on the layer behind them. Once you're done, turn Reference off if you no longer need it.

Reference only works well when your shapes are closed. A tiny gap in a line lets the fill leak across the whole drawing. Zoom in and patch the gap with a brush on the linework layer, or adjust the fill threshold and try again. If the fill leaves a thin halo of white next to the lines, adjust the threshold or paint over the edge on the color layer.

Fill Between Overlapping Shapes

When shapes overlap and you want different colors for each, create a new layer per shape and stack them under the linework. It's more layers, but it lets you change one shape's color or position without touching the others. Name them as you go; once a file hits 30 layers, "Layer 17" is useless.

Painting Only Inside a Shape: Selection, Alpha Lock, and Clipping Masks

Sometimes you don't want a flat fill. You want to paint texture, gradients, or multiple colors behind a layer while staying inside a specific silhouette. Procreate offers three ways to do this, and each makes a different tradeoff.

Selection From a Layer

Tap the layer that defines the shape, choose Select, then switch to a new layer and paint. Strokes appear only inside the selected area. This keeps the paint on a separate, independent layer that you can move, erase, or merge without touching the original shape. For most illustration work, it's the most flexible option. The cost is that you have to re-create the selection if you need to come back later, and selection edges can look slightly hard.

Alpha Lock

Two-finger swipe right on a layer to turn on Alpha Lock (the thumbnail shows a checkerboard). Now you can only paint on pixels that already exist on that layer. This works well if you've dropped a flat base color, because you can then add shading and texture without spilling over the edges. The downside is that the paint and the shape are now the same layer, so changes affect both.

Clipping Mask

Create a new layer above the base layer, tap it, and choose Clipping Mask. The clipped layer shows only where the layer below has pixels. The base layer stays untouched, and you can change blending modes on the clipped layer. It's powerful but a little harder to keep track of in a busy file. If you move the base layer, you need to check what's clipped to it.

A rule of thumb: use Selection when you want independence, Alpha Lock when you want speed, and Clipping Masks when you want non-destructive control over shading.

Keeping Black Lines Visible: Blend Modes

If you paint on a layer above your linework, the color covers the lines. Two fixes:

• Put the color below. Everything above in this article does this.
• Set the color layer to Multiply. Tap the N on the layer to open Blend Modes. Multiply darkens through the lines so they remain visible, which is useful for loose, marker-style coloring.

Placing color beneath the line layer is cleaner when you need to export or hand off the art, since the line layer stays fully opaque and untouched.

Brush Choice Matters

If you are painting behind a layer and the background keeps showing through your strokes, the brush may not be fully opaque. Many Procreate brushes build up gradually and leave translucent areas. Try a brush with a solid core, like Monoline from the Calligraphy set, or increase the brush's opacity and flow in its settings. For the cleanest result, use ColorDrop or Fill Layer for the base and save brushes for texture and shading on top.

Locking In the Result: Export for Motion Work

If your Procreate art is headed for After Effects, Premiere Pro, or a 3D tool, how you structure the layers matters as much as how you color them.

• Keep separate layers. Export a layered file such as a PSD so your color layers, linework, and shading stay separate. That lets you animate backgrounds and line art independently in your compositing app.
• Hide the background color layer before exporting a PNG if you need transparency. A visible white background will flatten into the image.
• Name and group layers before export so the file is easier to work with in your compositing app.
• Check resolution early. If you plan to scale in motion, start with a large canvas, or plan for an upscale step later.

Layered files are the safest handoff because you can still change the color behind the line art in your compositing app without going back to the iPad.

Where Styleframe Fits After Procreate

Procreate is where many artists draw and color their key art. Taking that art into motion is a different job, and Styleframe is one tool you might look at for that step. Your layered Procreate files, your comps, and your color pipeline can stay as they are.

Quick Troubleshooting

• The color fills the whole canvas instead of a shape. Make sure the line layer is set to Reference and that you've selected the empty layer below, not the line layer.
• The fill leaks. There's a gap in the line. Close it, or adjust the threshold.
• A white outline remains between color and line. Adjust the ColorDrop threshold or paint a bit under the edge.
• The color covers the lines. The color layer is above the linework. Drag it underneath, or switch it to Multiply.
• The color won't stay inside the shape. Use Select from the shape layer, or turn on Alpha Lock on a pre-filled layer.
• You see white when you expect transparency. Turn off the Background color layer before exporting.

Summary

Coloring behind a layer in Procreate is a layer-order problem first: create a new layer, drag it under the one in front, and fill it. Add Reference and ColorDrop when you need the fill to respect linework, and use Selection, Alpha Lock, or Clipping Masks when you need to paint inside a shape. Export a layered file when the art is going into motion, so you can keep adjusting the color behind your lines in your compositing app.

To color behind a layer in Procreate, add a new layer, drag it below the layer you want to sit in front, and fill or paint on it. For a solid backdrop, tap the new layer and choose Fill Layer. For a fill that follows the shape of your linework, set the line layer as Reference and drag a color onto the empty layer with ColorDrop. Because the color lives on its own layer, you can recolor, hide, or export it separately from the art in front.

The Basic Method: A New Layer Underneath

This is the answer for most cases, and the one to learn first.

1. Open the Layers panel (the two overlapping squares at the top right).
2. Tap + to create a new layer.
3. Press and hold the new layer, then drag it below the layer you want to color behind. A blue highlight shows where it will land.
4. Pick a color from the color circle.
5. Tap the new layer and choose Fill Layer. The whole layer fills with your active color.

If you only see white, check the Background color layer at the bottom of the panel. Procreate's default canvas has a white background layer that sits beneath everything. Your new layer should sit above it and below your artwork. Turn the background off if you want transparency (more on that in the export section).

Fill Layer is the fastest way to get a flat backdrop. It doesn't handle shapes, which is where the next methods come in.

Coloring Behind Linework Without Filling the Gaps

The common problem is a drawing that is mostly outlines. If you fill the layer beneath, the color shows through every open area, including parts that should stay white or be colored differently. A reference-based approach solves this.

Use Reference and ColorDrop

1. Tap your linework layer and choose Reference.
2. Create a new layer and drag it below the linework.
3. Make sure the new layer is selected, not the linework layer.
4. Drag a color from the top-right circle and drop it inside a closed area. Hold your pen or finger in place after dropping.
5. Slide left or right to adjust the fill threshold, which changes how the color fills the area.

Because Reference makes ColorDrop read the line layer rather than the empty layer, the fill respects your outlines while landing on the layer behind them. Once you're done, turn Reference off if you no longer need it.

Reference only works well when your shapes are closed. A tiny gap in a line lets the fill leak across the whole drawing. Zoom in and patch the gap with a brush on the linework layer, or adjust the fill threshold and try again. If the fill leaves a thin halo of white next to the lines, adjust the threshold or paint over the edge on the color layer.

Fill Between Overlapping Shapes

When shapes overlap and you want different colors for each, create a new layer per shape and stack them under the linework. It's more layers, but it lets you change one shape's color or position without touching the others. Name them as you go; once a file hits 30 layers, "Layer 17" is useless.

Painting Only Inside a Shape: Selection, Alpha Lock, and Clipping Masks

Sometimes you don't want a flat fill. You want to paint texture, gradients, or multiple colors behind a layer while staying inside a specific silhouette. Procreate offers three ways to do this, and each makes a different tradeoff.

Selection From a Layer

Tap the layer that defines the shape, choose Select, then switch to a new layer and paint. Strokes appear only inside the selected area. This keeps the paint on a separate, independent layer that you can move, erase, or merge without touching the original shape. For most illustration work, it's the most flexible option. The cost is that you have to re-create the selection if you need to come back later, and selection edges can look slightly hard.

Alpha Lock

Two-finger swipe right on a layer to turn on Alpha Lock (the thumbnail shows a checkerboard). Now you can only paint on pixels that already exist on that layer. This works well if you've dropped a flat base color, because you can then add shading and texture without spilling over the edges. The downside is that the paint and the shape are now the same layer, so changes affect both.

Clipping Mask

Create a new layer above the base layer, tap it, and choose Clipping Mask. The clipped layer shows only where the layer below has pixels. The base layer stays untouched, and you can change blending modes on the clipped layer. It's powerful but a little harder to keep track of in a busy file. If you move the base layer, you need to check what's clipped to it.

A rule of thumb: use Selection when you want independence, Alpha Lock when you want speed, and Clipping Masks when you want non-destructive control over shading.

Keeping Black Lines Visible: Blend Modes

If you paint on a layer above your linework, the color covers the lines. Two fixes:

• Put the color below. Everything above in this article does this.
• Set the color layer to Multiply. Tap the N on the layer to open Blend Modes. Multiply darkens through the lines so they remain visible, which is useful for loose, marker-style coloring.

Placing color beneath the line layer is cleaner when you need to export or hand off the art, since the line layer stays fully opaque and untouched.

Brush Choice Matters

If you are painting behind a layer and the background keeps showing through your strokes, the brush may not be fully opaque. Many Procreate brushes build up gradually and leave translucent areas. Try a brush with a solid core, like Monoline from the Calligraphy set, or increase the brush's opacity and flow in its settings. For the cleanest result, use ColorDrop or Fill Layer for the base and save brushes for texture and shading on top.

Locking In the Result: Export for Motion Work

If your Procreate art is headed for After Effects, Premiere Pro, or a 3D tool, how you structure the layers matters as much as how you color them.

• Keep separate layers. Export a layered file such as a PSD so your color layers, linework, and shading stay separate. That lets you animate backgrounds and line art independently in your compositing app.
• Hide the background color layer before exporting a PNG if you need transparency. A visible white background will flatten into the image.
• Name and group layers before export so the file is easier to work with in your compositing app.
• Check resolution early. If you plan to scale in motion, start with a large canvas, or plan for an upscale step later.

Layered files are the safest handoff because you can still change the color behind the line art in your compositing app without going back to the iPad.

Where Styleframe Fits After Procreate

Procreate is where many artists draw and color their key art. Taking that art into motion is a different job, and Styleframe is one tool you might look at for that step. Your layered Procreate files, your comps, and your color pipeline can stay as they are.

Quick Troubleshooting

• The color fills the whole canvas instead of a shape. Make sure the line layer is set to Reference and that you've selected the empty layer below, not the line layer.
• The fill leaks. There's a gap in the line. Close it, or adjust the threshold.
• A white outline remains between color and line. Adjust the ColorDrop threshold or paint a bit under the edge.
• The color covers the lines. The color layer is above the linework. Drag it underneath, or switch it to Multiply.
• The color won't stay inside the shape. Use Select from the shape layer, or turn on Alpha Lock on a pre-filled layer.
• You see white when you expect transparency. Turn off the Background color layer before exporting.

Summary

Coloring behind a layer in Procreate is a layer-order problem first: create a new layer, drag it under the one in front, and fill it. Add Reference and ColorDrop when you need the fill to respect linework, and use Selection, Alpha Lock, or Clipping Masks when you need to paint inside a shape. Export a layered file when the art is going into motion, so you can keep adjusting the color behind your lines in your compositing app.