Oil Pastels Brushes for Procreate: is this $15 stack worth it for Drawing & Painting?

If you’ve ever stared at a blank Procreate canvas, frustrated that your digital lines look too clean, too vector, or just plain “iPad,” you know the specific pain of trying to capture the gritty, tactile feel of traditional media on a glass screen. You want the resistance of wax on paper, the dusty edges, and the way colors bleed into one another without needing a physical smudge stick. That gap between digital precision and analog texture is exactly what Oil Pastels Brushes for Procreate is built to close. It’s not just a folder of generic soft brushes; it’s a curated toolkit designed to mimic the physical behavior of oil pastels, giving you the ability to layer, blend, and scratch out details that feel hand-made rather than generated.

Oil Pastels Brushes for Procreate from school of illustration is a $15 investment if you want your digital illustrations to carry the weight and warmth of traditional art. Here’s what stands out, who it fits, and what to confirm on the brush set before you pay.

Quick answer

What you’re actually buying

At $15, you aren’t just getting a handful of soft-air brushes; you’re getting a full simulation of the oil pastel workflow. The core of the pack is the 74 oil pastel brushes, which are split into distinct families to handle different stages of your illustration. The Pastel Basic group covers your main areas, offering varying levels of softness and intensity so you can block in shapes that blend naturally. For when you need that dry, dusty look that traditional pastels are famous for, the Pastel Dry brushes provide a more granular, textured application that resists the overly smooth digital default. (Oil Pastels Brushes for Procreate)

What really elevates this set above a standard brush pack is the inclusion of Pastel Dual Colour brushes. These allow you to load a primary and secondary color, with the transition shifting based on your pressure. This is a massive time-saver for shading and creating depth without constantly switching between layers or manually blending. You also get Pastel Fork brushes, which mimic the irregular, scratched texture you’d get by dragging a fork through wet pastel. Each of these comes with a “Color Stroke” version that subtly shifts the tone with every stroke, adding an organic unpredictability that makes your work feel alive. (Oil Pastels Brushes for Procreate)

The set doesn’t stop at brushes. You’re also getting 3 textured papers that add a canvas-like grain to your background, ensuring the “wax” has something to grip onto. This is crucial for realism; oil pastels on smooth digital paper often look like they’re sliding around, but these textures ground your strokes. Finally, the 3 color palettes give you a curated starting point for that specific medium’s hue range, saving you from guessing which digital hex codes actually mimic real pastel sticks.

Why it’s on our radar

This pack is interesting because it solves a specific problem: the “digital clean” look. Many brush sets offer soft brushes, but they rarely capture the resistance and grain of oil pastels. The inclusion of fork-style textures and dual-color pressure dynamics in a $15 package is a strong value proposition. It’s not just a volume play (74 brushes is plenty), but a quality play where the mechanics are designed to replicate physical tools. For artists who want to move away from the “flat” digital aesthetic without buying expensive physical supplies or learning complex manual blending techniques, this is a focused, high-utility tool.

What actually matters

Before you buy, keep these three factors in mind to ensure this fits your workflow: (Oil Pastels Brushes for Procreate)

• Pressure Sensitivity is Key: The Dual Colour and Color Stroke brushes rely heavily on pressure dynamics. If you are using a stylus that doesn’t support pressure sensitivity (or if your Apple Pencil settings are off), you will miss out on the core value of these specific brushes. An Apple Pencil is strongly suggested in the listing for a reason. (Oil Pastels Brushes for Procreate)
• Layer Management: Because oil pastels are a blending medium, you’ll likely be working on multiple layers to build up texture. Ensure you’re comfortable with Procreate’s layer blending modes, as the Smudger Brushes will interact differently depending on whether you’re on a top layer or blending into a base.
• Texture Overlap: The 3 textured papers are great for backgrounds, but if you already have a favorite paper texture in your library, you might only use the brushes. That’s fine—the 74 brushes are the main event—but know that the paper is a bonus, not a replacement for your existing background workflow. (Oil Pastels Brushes for Procreate)

Mid-check

If you’re ready to add some grit and warmth to your digital illustrations, See current options.

FAQ

Do these brushes work on other tablets? No, this set is specifically designed for Procreate on iPad. The brush settings and pressure dynamics are tuned for the Procreate engine and Apple Pencil. (Oil Pastels Brushes for Procreate)

Can I use these for character design? Yes. The Pastel Tip brushes are thinner and ideal for sketching or adding intricate details that need to stand out. The Pastel Dry brushes can add texture to clothing or backgrounds to give characters a more grounded, illustrated feel. (Oil Pastels Brushes for Procreate)

Is this a one-time purchase? Yes, $15 is a one-time payment for the digital files. You get the 74 brushes, papers, and palettes to keep and use in your Procreate library indefinitely. (Oil Pastels Brushes for Procreate)

Bottom line

If you’re tired of your digital art looking too sterile and want to capture the tactile, messy beauty of traditional oil pastels, this is a no-brainer at $15. The combination of dual-color pressure brushes and fork textures gives you tools that actually mimic the physical medium, not just a soft blur. Grab the Oil Pastels Brushes for Procreate and start adding some real texture to your next piece.