5 Steps to Draw a Digital Jellyfish in Procreate

Drawing a digital jellyfish in Procreate is easier than paper because layers let you fix anything and a glow effect is just a blend mode away. In five steps — sketch, line, base color, glow, and details — you can make a jellyfish that looks like it’s lit from within. This guide walks through the exact layers and settings, then shows variations to try. You don’t need to be a pro; you just need to know which layer does what. Open Procreate and follow along.

Step by step

Sketch on a low-opacity layer. On a new layer over a dark background, rough in the jellyfish — a bell and flowing tentacles — with a pencil brush. Keep it loose, then lower the layer’s opacity to about 30 percent so you can trace over it cleanly.

Ink the line art. Add a new layer on top and draw clean lines over your sketch with a hard brush or Monoline. Vary the line weight — thicker where forms turn, thinner at the tentacle tips. Then hide or delete the sketch layer.

Add base color under the lines. Make a new layer below the line layer and block in the jellyfish’s base color (a mid blue or purple). Because it’s under the lines, your outlines stay crisp. Add a second, darker shading pass on the same or a clipped layer.

Paint the glow on an Add layer. Create a new layer, set its blend mode to Add (or Screen), and airbrush soft light in the center of the bell and along the edges in a bright color. Build it up slowly. The Add mode makes it glow against the dark background.

Add highlights and finishing details. On a top layer, use a small round brush to add bright highlights on the bell and sparkle dots around the tentacles. Add a few tiny stars or bubbles, then flatten a copy and adjust brightness or add a subtle Bloom for the final glow.

1 The Finished Glowing Jellyfish

A finished glowing digital jellyfish drawn in Procreate

Step 1 follow all five steps. Step 2 keep the glow on an Add layer. Step 3 finish with highlights and a subtle bloom.

This is the result of the five steps — a glowing digital jellyfish on a dark background. It’s the base you’ll vary. Once you can make this, the effects are easy to remix.

AvoidDon’t merge your layers early; keep them separate until the very end.

Pro tipDuplicate and flatten a copy before adding Bloom so you keep an editable version.

2 Blue Neon Digital Jelly

A bright blue neon digital jellyfish glowing on black

Pushing the glow bright blue gives a neon, electric look. The Add layer does the work. It’s bold and eye-catching.

Step 1 draw the base jellyfish. Step 2 airbrush bright blue on an Add layer. Step 3 add a thin bright rim light on the edges.

Add a thin bright edge line so the neon outline glows sharply.

Don’t overdo the Add layer; too much glow blows out the shape.

3 Purple Galaxy Digital Jelly

A digital jellyfish with a purple galaxy bell and stars

Step 1 color the bell deep purple. Step 2 add a nebula airbrush and a star brush on top. Step 3 glow the edges on an Add layer.

Filling the bell with a purple galaxy and stars is stunning and easy digitally. A star brush finishes it fast. It looks cosmic.

AvoidDon’t cover the whole bell in stars; keep some dark space for depth.

Pro tipUse a star brush stamp to scatter stars instantly across the bell.

4 Pastel Digital Jelly

A soft pastel digital jellyfish on a light background

Step 1 use a light background. Step 2 color the jellyfish in soft pastels. Step 3 add a soft shadow instead of a glow.

A pastel jellyfish on a light background is soft and cute, no dark canvas needed. The gentle colors feel sweet. It’s a calm alternative to the glow style.

AvoidDon’t use an Add glow layer here; it won’t show on a light background.

Pro tipOn a light background, add a soft shadow rather than a glow for depth.

5 Clean Line-Art Digital Jelly

A clean digital line-art jellyfish with no color

Stopping at the line-art stage gives a crisp, clean digital drawing. The smooth vector-like lines look professional. It’s quick and versatile.

Step 1 do steps 1 and 2 only. Step 2 refine the line weights. Step 3 leave it on a plain background.

Use the Monoline brush and QuickShape for perfectly smooth curves.

Don’t add color; the clean line art is the finished look here.

6 Watercolor-Brush Digital Jelly

A digital jellyfish painted with soft watercolor-style brushes

Step 1 sketch and line lightly. Step 2 color with watercolor brushes, letting edges vary. Step 3 add soft texture and a light glow.

Using watercolor-style brushes gives a digital jellyfish a soft, painted look. The textured brushes mimic real media. It feels handmade.

AvoidDon’t use a hard fill; the soft brush texture is the whole look.

Pro tipLet the watercolor brush edges stay uneven for an authentic painted feel.

7 Digital Jellyfish Swarm

A swarm of glowing digital jellyfish drifting in the dark

Duplicating your jellyfish makes a glowing swarm in seconds — a huge digital advantage. Resizing and fading copies adds depth. It fills a canvas fast.

Step 1 finish one jellyfish. Step 2 duplicate it several times, resizing each. Step 3 lower the opacity of the far ones for depth.

Duplicate and scale your finished jellyfish instead of redrawing each one.

Don’t keep them all the same size and brightness; vary them for depth.

8 Phone Wallpaper Digital Jelly

A tall glowing digital jellyfish sized as a phone wallpaper

Step 1 start a phone-sized vertical canvas. Step 2 draw a tall glowing jellyfish with long tentacles. Step 3 add a gradient background and export.

Setting up a tall canvas makes a glowing jellyfish into a custom phone wallpaper. The vertical format and glow look premium. It’s a satisfying finished use.

AvoidDon’t fill the whole screen; leave room so it works as a real wallpaper.

Pro tipLeave some empty space at the top and bottom for your clock and app icons.

Quick answers

How do you make a jellyfish glow in Procreate?

Paint soft light (in a bright color) on a new layer over the jellyfish, then set that layer’s blend mode to Add or Screen. On a dark background the light will appear to glow. Use a soft airbrush and build the glow up gradually for the best effect.

What layers do I need for a digital jellyfish?

At minimum: a sketch layer, a line-art layer, a base-color layer (under the lines), a glow layer set to Add, and a highlights layer on top. Keeping them separate lets you adjust the color, glow, or lines without redoing anything.

What brushes are best for a Procreate jellyfish?

A pencil brush (like 6B) for sketching, a clean hard brush or the Monoline for crisp line work, a soft airbrush for the glow, and a small hard round brush for highlights. That small set covers the whole process.

Do I need an expensive app to draw a digital jellyfish?

Procreate is the popular choice on iPad, but the same five-step method — sketch, line, color, glow with a blend mode, and highlights on layers — works in any app that has layers and blend modes, including free ones.