ArtDeck
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ArtDeck and Procreate

Keep your references next to Procreate.

To keep several reference images in view while you draw in Procreate, put them on an ArtDeck board and open it next to your canvas. Procreate's own Reference Companion shows one imported image at a time.
The board works on its own, and the study tools are there when you want to check values, colors, or proportions.

By Alexandre Alves

Written by Alexandre Alves, the maker of ArtDeck. Procreate's copy, paste, reference, and color controls were checked on September 9, 2026. The linked iPad windowing documentation was checked on September 7, 2026. ArtDeck is not affiliated with or endorsed by Procreate or Savage Interactive.

ArtDeck open in an iPad Slide Over window over Procreate, holding koi photographs and a fish anatomy diagram next to two koi sketches in progress
Keep the board open in Slide Over while you draw in Procreate.

Put the board next to the canvas

  1. Create a board in ArtDeck. Add your reference images from Photos or Files, or drag them in from Safari.
  2. Arrange the images the way you need. A few pictures are enough to start; add notes or groups later if they help.
  3. Open Procreate next to ArtDeck using your iPad’s window controls. Zoom and pan the board as you draw.

On iPadOS 26, turn on Windowed Apps in Settings, under Multitasking & Gestures. With Procreate open full screen, drag ArtDeck from the Dock to the left or right edge of the screen. Apple’s current multitasking guide shows the controls.

On iPadOS 26.2 and later, Slide Over keeps ArtDeck in a floating window you can move aside when you need the canvas. On iPadOS 18, use the multitasking menu for Split View or Slide Over. Stage Manager also works on iPads that support it.

Pick a window size where you can read your references and still reach Procreate’s drawing tools.

What the Reference Companion already does

Procreate’s Reference Companion opens from Actions, then Canvas, then the Reference toggle. Canvas mode shows a live overview of your artwork. Image mode imports one image from Photos, and Face mode is for FacePaint on compatible iPads. You can zoom and sample colors in the Canvas and Image views.

Copy images into Procreate

Select your images in ArtDeck and choose Copy from the radial menu or menu bar, or press Command-C, then wait for the copy confirmation. In Procreate, swipe down with three fingers and tap Paste, or use Actions > Add > Paste. What you paste lands on a new canvas layer, not in the Reference Companion, and you don’t need to save it to Photos or Files first.

ArtDeck copies several images as a transparent PNG, 2,560 pixels on the longest edge. A single image keeps any crop or flip you applied in ArtDeck. The clipboard guide covers other item types and resolution options.

Copy an image or several items in ArtDeck, then paste into Procreate. A single image keeps its source resolution; multiple items become a PNG export.

Where one image stops being enough

Image mode in the Reference Companion shows one imported image at a time. To see more inside Procreate, you can import a collage of several references as one image, or place references on a layer of your canvas.

On an ArtDeck board, your Procreate reference images stay separate, so you can move and resize each one while you work. Add another photo, a link, a note, a video, or a GIF whenever you need it.

If you draw in another iPad app

The board doesn’t depend on Procreate, so it stays with the project if you change apps. The iPad workflow for drawing and animation covers Adobe Fresco and Clip Studio Paint, plus Procreate Dreams and ToonSquid for animation.

ArtDeck sits next to those apps in the same iPadOS windows. Copying images and colors across depends on what each app accepts, but keeping your references in view doesn’t need either.

Paste a sampled color into Procreate

  1. Use Pick Color in ArtDeck to sample your reference. ArtDeck copies the hex code automatically.
  2. In Procreate, tap the active color at the top right, then choose Value.
  3. Touch and hold the Hexadecimal field and choose Paste.

The color clipboard tip shows how to reuse a recent sample.

The other way works too: paste a six-digit hex color from Procreate or another app on the ArtDeck canvas, and it becomes a labeled swatch on the board with its reference.

ArtDeck on iPad showing a koi reference, the Color Picker panel with two recent colors, and two large labeled color swatches on the board
Reuse a recent sample from the Color Picker panel. A pasted hex color becomes a labeled swatch on the canvas.

Answer the question before you draw it

ArtDeck’s study tools are five lenses that open over an item without changing the source. For the koi in the screenshot above, the question is which shapes are left once the detail goes. With the Read lens, the complicated pattern comes down to four or five patches.

ArtDeck's Read lens showing a koi photograph reduced to grouped color masses, with the Squint and Shape Grouping controls open in the panel
Use Shape Grouping to simplify the koi into big shapes, and save the result on the board next to the photograph. The photograph itself doesn't change.

The other four lenses cover the rest: Values for light and dark, Color for palettes and temperature zones, Composition for structure and crops, Measure for proportion and angle.

Save a result on the same board as the original, so you don’t have to work it out again next time.

Use both, and know which is which

Which window holds what

Reference Companion inside Procreate

  • A live view of your own canvas while you work zoomed in.
  • One imported image floating over the artwork.
  • Picking a color from that zoomed-out overview of your piece.
  • FacePaint on supported iPads.

An ArtDeck board next to the canvas

  • Reference images you can arrange and resize separately.
  • Source links and your notes belong with the images.
  • Built-in study tools when you want to examine a reference.
  • The same board has to open on your iPhone or Mac later.

Both can stay open while you draw: the Reference Companion for the overview of your canvas or a single image, and ArtDeck as the reference app for Procreate when you have several references to arrange and come back to.

Common questions

Can I use ArtDeck as a plain Procreate reference board?

Yes. Put your images on a board, open it next to Procreate, and that’s it. The study tools are included, and you only open them when you want to.

Can Procreate show more than one reference image at a time?

Not in the Reference Companion’s Image mode, which imports one image at a time. A flattened collage can hold several references, and anything you place on your canvas shows in Canvas mode too. To arrange and resize each reference on its own, open ArtDeck next to Procreate.

How do I move a color from ArtDeck into Procreate?

Pick the color off a reference in ArtDeck and its hex value goes to the clipboard. In Procreate, open the Value tab in the color panel and paste it into the hexadecimal field. The other way, paste a six-digit hex onto an ArtDeck board and it becomes a labeled swatch that stays with its reference.

Does this work with drawing apps other than Procreate?

Yes. The windows come from iPadOS, so ArtDeck shares the screen with other drawing and animation apps the same way. The app examples and windowing notes have the setup for each one.

Do I have to close Procreate to check a reference?

No. Keep both apps side by side, or put ArtDeck in Slide Over where it’s available, and give each app the room it needs.

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