Making realistic acrylic pour cells in Procreate is one of the most requested tutorials I've had, and for good reason: it's surprisingly tricky to get right.

In this tutorial, I'm showing you a layer mask technique that changes the whole approach. You fill a layer with color, mask it completely, and then paint with pure cells to reveal the color underneath. It gives you a much more realistic result than adding cells on top of a texture, and once you've tried it this way, you probably won't go back. This is approachable for anyone who's comfortable with Procreate layers, and if you're new to layer masks, this is a great low stakes way to try them out.

Canvas Setup

• Canvas size: Screen size (or any size you like)
• Brush set used: Acrylic Pour brushes for Procreate
• Color palette: Fluid Acrylic Pastels (included with the Acrylic Pour brush set)

Step 1: Fill a Layer with Color

Make a new canvas and fill the background layer with black. This dark base will make your colors pop later when they're revealed through the mask.

Create a new layer above the background and name it Color. Switch to the Acrylic Pour brush set and choose Paint Splat Dual Color Tilt. This brush lets you load two colors at once, with one color coming through when the pen is upright and the other when it's tilted, which can be handy for creating natural looking color variation across the canvas.

Brushes used (Acrylic Pour set):

• Paint Splat Dual Color Tilt

Pick a handful of colors and work across the whole canvas, varying your tilt to blend different hues together. Bright, high contrast colors work well here. The Fluid Acrylic Pastels palette is a good starting point. You're just building a reservoir of color that will be uncovered in the next steps, so it doesn't need to look like anything yet.

Optional: once the canvas is filled, you can lay a second texture brush over the top in black for extra depth. Try Fluid Pour No. 1 for a more textured result. This is not essential, but it does add interest if you want a denser look.

Step 2: Add the Layer Mask

Tap on your Color Layer in the Layers panel, then tap Mask. A white layer mask will appear connected to your color layer. White in a mask means the layer content shows through; black means it's hidden.

Tap the mask thumbnail to select it, then go to your colors and double tap black to select it. Tap the mask thumbnail again and choose Fill Layer. The mask goes completely black, which hides all the color you just painted, and that's exactly what you want.

Now you're working in the mask. When you paint in white on this mask, you'll reveal the color layer in whatever shape you paint. That's the whole trick.

Step 3: Draw Cells in the Layer Mask

Make sure the mask is selected (it will appear highlighted in light blue in the Layers panel) and double tap white on the color disc to confirm you're painting in white.

Switch to the Dynamic Cell brushes in the Acrylic Pour set and choose one to start with. Dynamic Cells No. 4 is a good option to start with. Paint across the canvas and watch the color start to appear in a cell pattern beneath your strokes. Because you're painting white onto a black mask, you're essentially cutting windows through which the color shows.

Brushes used (Acrylic Pour set):

• Dynamic Cells No. 4
• Dynamic Cells No. 1 (for smaller accent cells in between the bigger cells)

Vary your pressure. Heavier pressure creates bigger cells, lighter pressure creates smaller ones. Work across the canvas building up a cell structure you like. A mix of large and small cells together tends to look the most natural.

The key is not to overdo it. If cells are overlapping too much, it can start to look muddy and unrealistic. Work in patches and stand back regularly to check the overall balance.

Step 4: Optional Adjustments

- Duplicate the layer for a stronger effect Swipe left on your Color Layer and tap Duplicate. This stacks two copies and makes the cell pattern more vibrant and saturated. You can also experiment with blend modes on the top copy. Color Burn gives rich, deep tones; Add creates an almost photocopied effect. Tap the N on the layer to access blend modes and adjust opacity.

Add a color background layer If you delete the mask from the bottom copy, you can reduce its opacity so the plain color layer sits softly behind the cell layer. This gives a bit of depth and stops the cells looking like they're floating on black.

Add veins with Liquefy Create a new empty layer above everything. Paint loose lines of color along some of the gaps between cells — use colors that already appear in your painting. Then go to Adjustments > Liquefy and use Pinch to tighten the lines and Push to move them around the cells. Work small for the most realistic result. You can also change the blend mode of this layer to Difference blend mode for an unexpected color shift that still lets the cells show through.

Step 5: Add More Color in a Difference Layer

• To take it further, you can try the follow steps:
• Add a new layer above everything
• Change the blend mode to "Difference"
• Sparingly add color to that layer with various "Fluid Pour" brushes from the the Acrylic Pour brush set.
• See how the cells vividly peek through the texture, and experiment with different colors and brushes.

This technique is really about trusting the process. The color layer looks like nothing much to begin with, and the masked version covers it up entirely. But the moment those cells start appearing, it comes together fast. There's no wrong way to place cells, and every canvas will come out differently depending on your color choices and pressure.