Symmetry Tool in Procreate

The Symmetry tool in Procreate is one of my favorites. It lets you create fun and interesting illustrations and designs super quickly. In this tutorial, I will go over the symmetry tool and how to use it to create a mirroring effect in Procreate.

Symmetry

Symmetry guides mirror your art across multiple planes for beautiful and impressive effects. The tool is especially useful when you draw mandalas or faces.

Step 1: To access the Symmetry tool, go to Actions > Canvas > Drawing Guide > tap Edit Drawing Guide. This will take you to the Drawing Guides screen.

Step 2: Tap the Symmetry button on the bottom of the screen. When you first open Symmetry, the Vertical Symmetry Guide is shown by default, no worries, but you can change it.

When Symmetry is active, the thin guideline will appear in the middle of the screen and overlay your artwork. You can adjust the look and behavior of your symmetry guide with some of the additional options.

Drawing Guide Appearance

Color: to adjust the color of the guideline, use the hue bar at the top of the Drawing Guides screen. You can drag a little node to the preferred color section, and the guideline will change its color.

Opacity: to adjust the transparency of the guideline, drag the Opacity line at the bottom of the screen.

Thickness: to adjust the thickness of the guideline, drag the node on the Thickness line at the bottom of the screen. I usually set the thickness to 30-40% to ensure that my line is not too thick to create art.

Position

To rotate and adjust the guideline, drag the green and blue nodes. The blue Positional node moves the whole grid over the canvas and lets you easily adjust the guideline’s position. The green Rotational node rotates the guideline.

Vertical Symmetry

To access Vertical Symmetry go to Options at the bottom of the screen. This symmetry mode puts a guideline vertically in the middle of your canvas, and anything you draw on one side will be duplicated on the other.

Horizontal Symmetry

Horizontal Symmetry mode puts a guideline horizontally across your canvas, and anything you draw on the top half of your canvas will be duplicated on the bottom half.

Quadrant Symmetry

Quadrant mode divides your canvas into four equal quadrants, and anything you draw in one quadrant will appear in all the others well.

Radial Symmetry

Radial Symmetry mode breaks your canvas into eight equal parts using, and anything you draw in one part will also appear in all the others.

I hope this tutorial was helpful and will inspire you to create more fun and beautiful illustrations in Procreate. Please consider checking out my other Procreate tutorials and subscribing to Procreate Member Area, where you will find the biggest Procreate Resources Library.