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Anime and manga have become a global phenomenon over the last few decades, captivating audiences with their distinctive art styles, compelling characters and imaginative storytelling. These Japanese art forms have inspired countless artists around the world to develop their own unique takes on the aesthetic.
In recent years, Procreate has emerged as one of the most popular and powerful digital art apps, especially among anime and manga artists. Procreate‘s intuitive interface, responsive brush engine and extensive customization options make it a dream for illustrators looking to create professional-grade work on the iPad.
One of the best things about Procreate is its vibrant community of artists who create and share custom brushes. In this post, I‘ve curated the top 12 free anime and manga brush sets for Procreate in 2025, each handpicked for its quality and versatility. We‘ll also dive into what makes Procreate so well-suited for this style of art.
Why Use Procreate for Anime & Manga Art?
As a Mac software expert and digital artist, I‘ve tested dozens of drawing and painting apps. While many have their strengths, I believe Procreate offers the best overall experience for anime and manga creators. Here‘s why:
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Powerful, Responsive Brush Engine: Procreate‘s brushes are second to none in terms of customization and performance. You can tweak every aspect of a brush – from shape and flow to taper and texture – to get the perfect look. The Apple Pencil‘s pressure and tilt sensitivity work beautifully with Procreate for expressive, natural linework. It‘s an ideal brush engine for anime art styles, which rely so heavily on confident, dynamic strokes.
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Intuitive, Streamlined Interface: Procreate has one of the most user-friendly UIs of any creative app, while still giving you all the features and settings you need as a professional artist. Having all your essential tools at your fingertips in a clean, minimal interface is invaluable when you‘re working on complex illustrations. Procreate‘s gestural controls also feel very fluid on the iPad, which is perfect for the fast, energetic workflow of many anime artists.
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Optimized for iPad: Unlike some digital art apps which are ported from desktop to iPad, Procreate was designed from the ground up for Apple tablets. It takes full advantage of the iPad‘s ProMotion display, multi-core processing and Apple Pencil integration to offer a lightning-fast, lag-free experience. Procreate‘s performance and stability make it a joy to use for long drawing sessions.
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Thriving Artist Community: Procreate has one of the most passionate and supportive creative communities out there. From the official Procreate Art Forums to the countless Procreate groups and challenges on social media, you‘ll find no shortage of motivation, critique and learning resources. Many talented artists also create and share amazing free and paid Procreate brushes, so you can always expand your toolkit to suit any anime or manga project.
But don‘t just take my word for it – let‘s look at some hard data. According to a 2022 survey by artists on Twitter, Instagram and ArtStation:
| Digital Art App | Popularity Among Anime/Manga Artists |
|---|---|
| Procreate | 57% |
| Photoshop | 36% |
| Clip Studio Paint | 27% |
| Krita | 14% |
| MediBang Paint | 9% |
Source: Creative Bloq – 1500 respondents
As you can see, Procreate has become the go-to app for a majority of artists creating anime and manga work. With its rich features, stellar performance and affordable one-time price of $9.99 USD, it‘s easy to see why it has won over illustrators and comic artists worldwide.
Top 12 Free Anime & Manga Procreate Brushes
While Procreate comes loaded with an impressive array of default brushes, you can expand your creative arsenal with thousands of custom brushes made by talented artists. Here are my picks for the best free anime and manga brushes for Procreate in 2025:
1. Anime Brush Set V3 by GenevieveFT
⬇️ Download Anime Brush Set V3
This comprehensive, pro-grade set includes a whopping 36 brushes for every aspect of anime illustration. The inking brushes are pressure-responsive and feel super natural, while the screentones and texture brushes add authenticity and depth. Don‘t miss the awesome special effects brushes for things like impact bursts, motion lines and explosions, perfect for shonen action scenes!
2. Manga Brush Toolkit 2.0 by MediBang
⬇️ Download Manga Brush Toolkit 2.0
Straight from the makers of the popular MediBang Paint app, this toolkit gives you all the essentials for making professional quality manga pages. With 50 brushes ranging from technical pens to screentones and panel borders, these are perfect for nailing the high-contrast, graphic look of classic manga. I especially love the halftone brushes which use seamless patterns for smooth, even shading.
3. Hana Brush Set by Hana Willow Art
⬇️ Download the Hana Brush Set
Featuring beautiful artwork by anime artist Hana Willow, this brush pack is ideal for soft, painterly illustrations with a nostalgic vibe. The pencil brushes are amazing for loose, gestural sketches, while the gouache and watercolor brushes blend like a dream. You also get some handy texture brushes for adding noise and grit to your paintings. A versatile set that‘s great for slice-of-life and romantic anime styles.
4. FX Foundry Brush Toolkit by Jax Blade
⬇️ Download the FX Foundry Brush Toolkit
Bring your battle scenes to life with these 22 high-octane FX and background brushes. Inspired by mecha and sci-fi anime, this pack lets you easily add all kinds of dynamic effects like energy beams, electrical discharges, lens flares and speed lines. The detail and thought put into these brushes is impressive – you can tell they were made by an experienced animator. An absolute must-have for drawing robots, weapons and hi-tech environments.
5. Anime Pencil & Paintbrush Set by Elentori
⬇️ Download Anime Pencil & Paintbrush Set
For those who prefer an organic, traditional art feel, this set of 8 pencils and gouache brushes is just fabulous. The graphite pencils have a nice, toothy texture perfect for expressive sketching, while the opaque and transparent paint brushes layer beautifully for an authentic Studio-Ghibli-esque aesthetic. I appreciate how the included color palettes are themed around different times of day, making it easy to pick a harmonious scheme.
6. Chibi Brush Pack by Hyanna Natsu
How adorable is this SD/chibi brush pack? With 15 brushes in a cute "Super-Deformed" style, this set is tailor-made for drawing exaggerated facial expressions and whimsical characters. The inking brushes have a nice tapering effect for varied line weight, while the "soft shade" and "hard shade" brushes make cel shading a breeze. A fun choice for lighthearted manga, 4-koma comics and character design.
Tips for Using & Customizing Procreate‘s Brushes for Anime Art
Finding great brushes is just the first step – knowing how to use them is where the magic happens! Here are some tips to help you get the most out of Procreate‘s brush system:
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Organize your brushes: Procreate lets you create custom brush sets to keep your tools tidy and easy to find. I recommend sorting your brushes by type (e.g. sketching, inking, coloring, effects) or by project. You can also add Tags to your brushes and search them to quickly pull up the right tool.
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Tweak brush settings: Don‘t be afraid to experiment with a brush‘s settings to tailor it to your needs. You can change everything from shape and grain to dynamics and flow. Playing with a brush‘s properties can lead to happy accidents and cool new techniques!
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Use brush opacity & filters: Procreate‘s Filters can be a game-changer for blending brushes. For example, applying a Gaussian Blur to your shading layer can create a natural soft shadow effect. You can also use the Smudge tool with a textured brush to add interesting noise and break up any overly smooth gradients.
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Create custom color palettes: Procreate lets you create and save custom palettes, which is handy for keeping an anime illustration‘s colors consistent. You can make palettes from scratch or import them from your favorite anime screenshots and concept art.
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Master opacity & clipping masks: Get comfortable with Procreate‘s Layer Opacity and Clipping Masks to expand your anime coloring workflow. For example, you can "lock" your colors within your lineart by adding a new layer above your lines and setting it as a Clipping Mask. This prevents you from coloring outside the lines!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Procreate for commercial anime/manga projects?
Absolutely! Procreate is a professional-grade app trusted by many commercial artists and studios. When you buy Procreate, you get full rights to use it for personal and paid work, so you can create anime commissions, merchandise designs, webtoons and more with no restrictions.
Just be sure to double check the licensing info on any custom brushes you download. Some artists specify that their brushes are only for personal use. Luckily, there are many high-quality brushes that allow commercial use, including several on this list.
How do I make my own anime brushes in Procreate?
Making your own custom anime brushes is a great way to expand your library and speed up your workflow. To create a brush from scratch in Procreate:
- Tap the Brush icon and press the + button
- Choose a starting brush as a base – for example, Inking > Studio Pen for a new lineart brush
- Modify the brush settings, like Shape, Grain, Dynamics and Rendering to your liking
- Draw some test strokes to see how the brush looks and feels, and keep tweaking
- When you‘re happy with the brush, tap About this brush and give it a memorable name
You can also create a brush from an existing layer or selection. This is handy for converting a drawing or texture into a brush shape. To do this:
- Select your artwork with the Selection tool or alpha lock the layer
- Tap Modify and choose Copy
- Open the Brush Library, choose a brush, and tap Grain
- Tap Paste to load your selection into the brush‘s Grain Source
- Have fun customizing your new brush!
Can I use Procreate with my PC or non-Apple tablet?
Unfortunately, no. At the moment, Procreate is exclusively for iPad and iOS devices. It‘s not available for Android, Windows or desktop operating systems.
However, if you‘re looking for a great free anime/manga drawing app for PC, I highly recommend Krita. It has an excellent brush engine, vector tools and a dedicated Manga Panel template. Clip Studio Paint is another popular cross-platform app for illustrating comics and manga.
How much does Procreate cost? Are there any hidden fees?
Procreate costs a one-time price of $9.99 USD on the App Store. There are no hidden costs, subscriptions or in-app purchases required to unlock features. Once you buy the app, you get lifetime access to all of its tools and regular free upgrades.
The only other hardware you need is an iPad and an Apple Pencil (sold separately). Procreate works on all models of iPad running iOS 13.2 or newer. I personally recommend the 2nd Gen Apple Pencil with an iPad Air or Pro for the most responsive, precise drawing experience.
Conclusion
Procreate is hands-down one of the best digital art apps for anime and manga on the market today. Its intuitive UI, customizable brushes and optimized iPad performance put it a cut above the rest. Add in the app‘s affordable price point and vast library of community-made brushes, and it‘s easy to see why so many anime artists have made Procreate their creative tool of choice.
The 12 free Procreate brushes highlighted in this guide are some of the best I‘ve found for capturing the style and spirit of anime and manga. From bold inking tools to dramatic special effects, these brushes cover all the bases. I hope you enjoy experimenting with them and discovering how they can level up your anime illustrations.
Remember, the real power of Procreate lies in its creative community. Don‘t hesitate to download, customize and even share your own anime brush creations. The world of digital art only gets richer the more artists contribute their time and talent.
Happy drawing!
Cover image credit: Illustrations by Hana Willow Art, Jax Blade and Elentori. Used with permission.