From Hand Sketches to Procreate: How to Visual Curtains in 20 Minutes

I’m going to be honest with you.

When I first heard about Procreate, I thought it was just another drawing app for artists. You know… for people who actually can draw. Not for someone like me who was just trying to show clients how their curtains would look.

I bought it anyway.

And then I didn’t open it for six months.

It just sat there on my iPad while I continued struggling with fabric samples, hand sketches, and long explanations about how the damask pattern would “probably” look in the living room.

Then one day I had a client who simply couldn’t see it.

I showed her the fabric sample — she nodded politely.

I made a quick sketch — she said, “Yes, but how will it really look?”

I opened Pinterest — she said, “But that’s not my window.”

So I opened Procreate on my iPhone right there in her living room. I took a photo of her window and started experimenting.

Ten minutes later, I had something rough but recognizable.

Her window. Her fabric. Her curtains.

She looked at the screen and said, “Oh. Now I see it.”

That moment changed the way I work

Before we start, let’s simplify things.

• iPad or iPhone with Procreate

• A photo of the real window

• A photo of your fabric sample

That’s it.

• A design degree

• Advanced drawing skills

• Photoshop

• Expensive software subscriptions

• Months of technical training

If you can take photos and use layers, you can do this.

Some people ask me if Apple Pencil is required. It helps on iPad, yes. But it’s not mandatory. I know decorators who work with their finger and create beautiful mockups. On iPhone, your finger works perfectly.

This is not about drawing talent.

It’s about understanding the process.

Stand directly in front of the window. Not at an angle. Not from the side.

If the photo is distorted, your curtain will be distorted too.

• The entire window frame is visible

• You can see wall space around it

•  Lighting is natural if possible

Evening yellow lighting will shift fabric colors. Morning or afternoon is better.

And don’t worry if the room looks messy. We’ll clean it.

Open the photo in Procreate.

Create a new layer above it.

• Old curtains or blinds

• Construction materials

• Visual distractions

• Objects blocking the window

Don’t aim for perfection. Remove major distractions. A slightly imperfect wall actually makes the mockup look more realistic.

If colors feel off, adjust Hue/Saturation/Brightness slightly. Subtle corrections only.

Now the interesting part.

You can draw the curtain shape manually. Or use ready-made templates.

When I started, I drew every fold by hand. It took forever. And honestly, it rarely looked natural.

• Speed matters during consultations. But realism matters even more.

• Create a new layer. Define the curtain shape using Selection. Fill it with a temporary color.

• Add another layer for shadows. Use a soft brush with dark gray. Set the layer to Multiply and lower opacity.

• Keep shadows soft. Real fabric doesn’t have harsh lines.

This part takes practice — not artistic talent, but observation. Watching how fabric actually falls.

Import your fabric photo.

Select the curtain shape layer.

Place the fabric layer above it.

Turn it into a Clipping Mask.

Now the fabric appears only inside the curtain shape.

At this stage it will look flat. That’s normal.

• A Multiply layer for shadows

• A Screen or Add layer for highlights

Soft brush. Low opacity. Build gradually.

The biggest mistake I see? Overdoing contrast.

Fabric is subtle. Let it stay subtle.

Curtain rods, tracks, finials, brackets — they complete the picture.

• Rod slightly above window frame

• Extended beyond window edges

Add a tiny shadow where curtain touches the wall. Very soft. Very light.

That small detail makes everything feel grounded.

If you’d like to see how this actually looks on screen, I recorded a short video where I demonstrate how I work with curtain brushes in Procreate — from placing the template to applying fabric and adjusting folds.

Watch the video here →

• Cleaning photo: 5 minutes

• Adding curtain template: 2–3 minutes

• Applying fabric and shadows: 5–7 minutes

• Hardware and finishing touches: 5 minutes

When I explain it step by step, it sounds technical.

But what really makes it efficient is not the tools.

It’s the system.

Understanding:

• how fabric reacts to light

• how folds behave

• how proportions influence perception

• how to structure your layers so you don’t get lost

That’s what transforms a mockup from “nice image” into professional presentation.

And this structured approach is exactly what I teach inside my courses — not just which button to press, but how to think when you visualize.

Because once you understand the logic, you can work with any window, any fabric, any style.

The biggest shift wasn’t technical.

It was mental.

Before visualization, consultations felt like persuasion. I explained, described, hoped the client would imagine what I saw.

Now I guide.

We look at the mockup together.

We test options.

We adjust fullness.

We compare fabrics instantly.

Clients feel safer making decisions.

You feel more confident presenting them.

And that confidence changes the entire dynamic.

If you want to build this skill properly, start with understanding the workflow step by step. Inside my courses, I teach the complete visualization method — from photographing the window correctly to presenting multiple fabric options professionally.

It  includes ready curtain templates, hardware elements and interior tools so you don’t have to build everything from scratch.

Understanding the system builds independence.

Both matter. But foundation comes first.

⸻

After 19 years in textile decoration, I’ve learned one thing very clearly:

Clients don’t resist buying curtains.

They resist buying something they cannot see.

When you remove that uncertainty, your work becomes clearer, faster and more professional.

And surprisingly — more enjoyable too.