Writing & Illustrating Tools

Bring the elegance of nature into your digital sketchbook with this ash leaf botanical illustration tutorial—designed especially for Procreate and created using my Realistic Watercolour Minimalist Brush Set. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist exploring digital watercolour, this guided lesson will help you develop a clean, minimalistic style with botanical charm.

This step-by-step tutorial is available as a downloadable PDF from our Etsy store, perfect for following along at your own pace within the Procreate app.

Why Paint an Ash Leaf?

The ash leaf is a beautiful subject for botanical illustration thanks to its elegant structure and distinctive details. Composed of multiple slender leaflets arranged in pairs along a central stem (or rachis), the ash leaf has a graceful, feather-like form that naturally lends itself to minimalist design. Each leaflet tapers to a fine point and often features gently serrated edges and a delicate central vein, providing just the right amount of detail for watercolour texture to shine through. This combination of symmetry, variation, and organic flow makes the ash leaf both visually striking and meditative to paint—perfect for practicing layering, brush control, and subtle colour blending in digital watercolour.

What You’ll Need

To complete this illustration, you’ll need:

An iPad with the Procreate app
Apple Pencil or compatible stylus
My Realistic Watercolour Minimalist Brush Set (available in my Etsy shop)
The PDF Tutorial, available for purchase and download (available in my Etsy shop)

What’s Included In The Purchase?

Here’s a preview of what you’ll receive:

x1 Step-by-Step PDF Tutorial
x1 Full Extracted Timelapse Video from Procreate
x1 Colour Palette
x1 PNG Sketch Outline

About the Brush Set

This tutorial was created using my Realistic Watercolour Minimalist Brush Set—designed to mimic the unpredictable charm of real watercolour paint, with built-in texture, flow, and soft pigment edges.

See an exported timelapse of the illustration here:

Ready to Get Started?

The step-by-step tutorial is available for purchase here:

👉 [Buy the PDF Tutorial Here]
👉 [Get the Realistic Watercolour Minimalist Brush Set]

For artists who love the organic feel of watercolour but crave the flexibility of digital tools, my latest brush set for Procreate delivers an exceptional experience—with just four brushes and one canvas.

Whether you’re a beginner exploring the basics of watercolour or a seasoned illustrator looking for efficiency and realism, this set is designed to offer a seamless and inspiring workflow.

A Minimalist Set with Maximum Impact

Rather than overwhelming you with dozens of brush options, I have honed it down to four versatile tools—each crafted to emulate the natural flow, texture, and transparency of traditional watercolour paint.

1. Outline Brush

Start your artwork with clean, expressive lines. This brush mimics the feel of a fine watercolour/drawing brush on textured paper, giving structure to your compositions while preserving a hand-drawn feel.

2. Main Brush

The hero of your watercolour toolkit, this brush offers fluid strokes, rich pigment, and subtle texture. Perfect for layering colours, creating gradients, or filling larger areas with lush, painterly washes. This brush works with pressure, so the more pressure you apply to your pencil the more concentrated the watercolour effect will be, and if you ease off on the pressure then the more diluted watercolour effects will be achieved.

3. Blend/Wash Brush

Mimic the soft diffusion of wet-on-wet watercolour with this brush. It allows colours to bleed and blend naturally, helping you achieve those beautifully unpredictable transitions that define the medium.

4. Subtle Bleed Effects Brush

Add realism and depth with gentle feathering and edge bleeds. This brush is perfect for finishing touches that make your artwork look like it was painted with real water on paper.

One Canvas, Endless Possibilities

Included with the brush set is a high-quality watercolour canvas designed to respond beautifully to each brush. This custom Procreate canvas recreates the texture and absorbency of real watercolour paper, making every stroke feel authentic and dynamic.

Designed for Every Artist

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a professional illustrator, this set allows you to focus on creativity without being bogged down by complexity. The intuitive brushes and responsive canvas work together to simulate traditional watercolour techniques—without the mess or setup.

Why Artists Love This Set:

Authentic textures and flow
Beginner-friendly and professional-grade
Efficient and uncluttered
Natural blending and layering effects
Perfect for detailed botanicals and more

Where to Buy

This watercolour brush set is available for purchase exclusively through our Etsy store, making it easy to download and start creating right away. With instant digital delivery, you can add these carefully crafted brushes and canvas to your Procreate toolkit in just a few clicks.

Buy Here

See My Illustrations On YouTube Using This Brush Set

Watercolour Green Ash Leaf Botanical Illustration in Procreate (PDF Tutorial)
Bring the elegance of nature into your digital sketchbook with this ash leaf botanical illustration tutorial—designed especially for Procreate and created using my Realistic Watercolour Minimalist Brush Set. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist exploring digital watercolour, this guided lesson will help you develop a clean, minimalistic style with botanical charm. This step-by-step tutorial … Read more
Procreate Realistic Watercolour Minimalist Brush Set
For artists who love the organic feel of watercolour but crave the flexibility of digital tools, my latest brush set for Procreate delivers an exceptional experience—with just four brushes and one canvas. Whether you’re a beginner exploring the basics of watercolour or a seasoned illustrator looking for efficiency and realism, this set is designed to offer … Read more
116 Free Floral Procreate Colour Palettes
I have put together a collection of floral Procreate colour palettes that can be used with the Procreate colour picker tool. To use them in Procreate, click on any palette from below to open a new tab with the image. Then save it on to your iPad, and add it as an image to your … Read more

Category: Writing & Illustrating Tools

Watercolour Green Ash Leaf Botanical Illustration in Procreate (PDF Tutorial)