Tips to Fix Residual Color Fill in Procreate
Have you found yourself frustrated by pesky residual color that lingers after filling in your Procreate sketches? You’ve perfectly dropped a vibrant hue into your design, only to see some leftover color creeping along the edges. Annoying!
This occurs when ColorDrop interacts with the previous color—causing some color to “stick” where you don’t want it. The good news? There’s a simple workaround that ensures your color fills stay clean and crisp, with no residue.
Here’s how to easily fix it:
Use the Reference Layer Feature: Tap on the sketch/outline layer and select “Reference” from the side menu. This tells Procreate to treat your outline as a guide, while keeping it separate from your fills.
Create a New Layer: Add a new layer above your sketch layer. This will be where your color fill happens.
ColorDrop on the New Layer: Now, when you use ColorDrop, drop it onto this new layer. Your color will fill the area neatly, and since it’s isolated from your linework, any residual color issues will be a thing of the past.
Pro tip: Always remember to keep your linework and fills on separate layers for a smoother design process, especially when adjusting colors later on.
Residual color occurs when the fill "remembers" some of the previous color from the same layer. Separating linework from color fills and using empty layers for new color fills is the most effective solution to prevent this interaction.