Resume
Procreate deep dive
Procreate
deep dive
Procreate deep dive
I was 6 years old when my teacher said “Your art is great, you should go to the National College of Arts when you grow up”. Although I hated the still life I had drawn on paper that day, but this moment was special - so special, that art became close to my heart forever.
For a long time I figured it was really cool to be the ‘artist’ of the class but I now believe that every human deserves a moment like this once in their lifetime when someone comes along - pats them on the back and encourages them to touch base with their innate urge to express regardless of the outcome.
اپنے من میں ڈوب کر پا جا سراغِ زندگی -تو میرا نہیں بنتا نہ بن اپنا تو بن
Dive deep into the ocean of your own soul, there discover the hidden compass of life. You need not belong to me. But do, at least, belong to yourself.
Every human is special. Every human is a universe inside. And what makes this world beautiful is the co-existence & collaboration of unique universes, contributing their own flavour to this recipe we call life. Art, alongside hundreds of other forms of expression, requires devotion, time, and space to develop. For many, Procreate has offered that space and steady companionship that affirms - art belongs to everyone.
As a designer, I became increasingly curious: How does a tool not just get used, but feel beloved? Digging deeper revealed how truly rare it is, a company thriving without VC funding or subscriptions, built on respect for artists and community. That’s what inspired this deep dive, to understand that philosophy and bring its lessons into how I design, lead, and collaborate.
Table of contents
Table of contents
Table of contents
🏛️
Ethos & Story
Ethos & Story
Ethos & Story
Rich History, Core values & principles
🤩
Team, Culture & Surroundings
Team, Culture & Surroundings
Team, Culture & Surroundings
Team & culture
🎨
The Products
The Products
The Products
Procreate, Procreate Dreams, Procreate Pocket
👨🏻🎨
Artists, Community & Art
Artists, Community & Art
Artists, Community & Art
Respect & Admiration for Art
🫰🏼
How I can contribute to this journey
How I can contribute to this journey
How I can contribute to this journey
A bigger picture
Ethos & Story
Ethos & Story
A product is only the outcome; beneath it lies an ocean of experiences, transitions, ideas, and principles. What truly makes something special at its core is the foundational intention with which it was created. Intention gives rise to principles and values. Over time, these principles and values translate into a living tradition and a story, one that manifests in countless forms.
Backstory
James started a design agency, which he loved, but he found the client model to be disillusioning, eventually shifting focus towards building software for quality and purpose. He started experimenting with a sketching app alongside his wife Alanna - an artist whose raw feedback was crucial and Lloyd - an engineer driven by excellence. The iPad providing the ideal platform was an essential catalyst. Above all, what stands out is that all of this was fueled purely by passion and the urge to create something amazing.
Principles & Values
At its heart, Procreate's philosophy is a quiet rebellion - not just against industry norms, but for something greater. It champions the timeless human act of creation, building tools that serve the artist, not the algorithm. These values can be distilled into five core convictions about craft, community, and purpose.
Artistry over commerce
Human centered craft
Joyful, collaborative creation
Accessibility & empowerment
Purpose driven philosophy
Team, Culture & Surroundings
Team, Culture & Surroundings
What I see in Procreate’s culture is a team that never separates the artist from the maker. They balance deep craft with playful invention, fearless work and pursuing the exceptional - building not just software, but a legacy.
From Ollie and P.Mak fostering connection in the kitchen to the creative craft of Jess, Elena, Stan, Gabs, Anna, Zeth, and Cheryl, every person adds a distinct note to Procreate’s harmony. This isn’t just a team - it’s a collective of diverse universes, syncing beautifully around the shared purpose of making art belong to everyone.
They all create from Hobart - a choice that is fundamental, not incidental. The island’s distance isn’t just a stunning backdrop; it’s part of their DNA, providing the focus and perspective needed to build something that could never have come from the Silicon Valley.
They all create from Hobart - a choice that is fundamental, not incidental. The island’s distance isn’t just a stunning backdrop; it’s part of their DNA, providing the focus and perspective needed to build something that could never have come from the Silicon Valley.
The Products
The Products
The products’ design approach is like Porsche's with the 911 - protect what works, refine what matters, and never lose the core experience. This means building interfaces that are so intuitive they feel invisible, making powerful tools simple for everyone to use. This same philosophy shapes Procreate, Procreate Dreams, and Procreate Pocket. Each one is different, but they all share the same goal: to be a flawless, responsive tool that gets out of the artist's way.
Procreate
Procreate refines its core with purpose - where powerful features like the fluid ColorDrop, intuitive QuickShape, and seamless gestures feel like extensions of the artist's intent. Updates like the 5.4 brush engine and the upcoming 6.0 layer expansion are driven by this same craft.
Each evolution is grounded in relentless performance and shaped by one of the most involved creative communities, whose feedback through open beta testing ensures the tool grows in the direction of true artistic need.
Procreate Dreams
Procreate Dreams 2.0, as the latest release, grounds its major updates—like the Lasso tool, a redesigned timeline, and animation brushes—in a singular, fluid experience. These features collectively answer a core philosophy: that animating should be about the story, not the software. It's built on the belief that high performance, beautiful design, and deep flexibility must remain accessible, making professional animation both intuitive and profoundly affordable.
Procreate Pocket
Procreate Pocket distills the essence of its larger sibling into a mobile studio, proving that a powerful canvas can thrive on an intimate screen. Its interface maintains the same responsive gestures and focused toolset, ensuring the creative process remains fluid wherever inspiration strikes.
Artists, Community & Art
Artists, Community & Art
Procreate’s relationship with its users is a profound pact of respect. It doesn’t just sell a tool - it champions the artist, taking a firm, public stand against generative AI to protect human creativity. The company builds in the open, sharing roadmaps and priorities, while featuring user art on a massive scale - treating every shared sketch or animation not as content, but as a masterpiece to be relished. This creates more than a user base, it nurtures a true community where anyone can contribute to the tool’s evolution and where conferences feel like celebrations of the craft itself.
Art is treated with deep reverence, a principle embodied by their #youmadethis campaign and Human Made YouTube series. These initiatives matter and they don't just feature artwork - they elevate it, framing each creation as a vital piece of human expression in the digital age. This isn't marketing; it's a consistent, public celebration of the artist's hand, reminding that the true masterpiece is the human behind the work.
How I can contribute to this journey
How I can contribute to this journey
I’ve had the liberty and freedom to make mistakes, experiment and learn for the last six years as a founding designer, while helping a product grow from 6 to 25 million users. There’s no teacher quite like hearing directly from people trying to use what you’ve built. That experience feels close to the spirit of my current role at PosterMyWall - a company that, much like Procreate, started as a passion project 12 years ago. A husband and wife trying to make a poster maker for the web during their Masters, without VC funding.
Working closely with our CEO, Jaffer, in an open environment with no red tap and maximised brainstorms and jam sessions has distilled my craft to focus on what truely matters: craft, clarity, and human connection.
As both a designer and an artist, I feel a deep personal alignment with Procreate’s mission. I know firsthand the creative highs and lows, moments of frustration, delight, procrastination and bursts of creativity. More than anything, I believe in art as a fundamental form of human expression, and I care deeply about protecting and nurturing the spaces where it thrives.
If given the opportunity, I would be honoured to bring not just my skills, but this perspective and care, to their team.
Hi 👋🏼. Thank you for your time.
Hi 👋🏼. Thank you for your time.
Procreate deep dive
Procreate
deep dive
Procreate deep dive
I was 6 years old when my teacher said “Your art is great, you should go to the National College of Arts when you grow up”. Although I hated the still life I had drawn on paper that day, but this moment was special - so special, that art became close to my heart forever.
For a long time I figured it was really cool to be the ‘artist’ of the class but I now believe that every human deserves a moment like this once in their lifetime when someone comes along - pats them on the back and encourages them to touch base with their innate urge to express regardless of the outcome.
اپنے من میں ڈوب کر پا جا سراغِ زندگی -تو میرا نہیں بنتا نہ بن اپنا تو بن
Dive deep into the ocean of your own soul, there discover the hidden compass of life. You need not belong to me. But do, at least, belong to yourself.
Every human is special. Every human is a universe inside. And what makes this world beautiful is the co-existence & collaboration of unique universes, contributing their own flavour to this recipe we call life. Art, alongside hundreds of other forms of expression, requires devotion, time, and space to develop. For many, Procreate has offered that space and steady companionship that affirms - art belongs to everyone.
As a designer, I became increasingly curious: How does a tool not just get used, but feel beloved? Digging deeper revealed how truly rare it is, a company thriving without VC funding or subscriptions, built on respect for artists and community. That’s what inspired this deep dive, to understand that philosophy and bring its lessons into how I design, lead, and collaborate.
Table of contents
Table of contents
Table of contents
🏛️
Ethos & Story
Ethos & Story
Ethos & Story
Rich History, Core values & principles
🤩
Team, Culture & Surroundings
Team, Culture & Surroundings
Team, Culture & Surroundings
Team & culture
🎨
The Products
The Products
The Products
Procreate, Procreate Dreams, Procreate Pocket
👨🏻🎨
Artists, Community & Art
Artists, Community & Art
Artists, Community & Art
Respect & Admiration for Art
🫰🏼
How I can contribute to this journey
How I can contribute to this journey
How I can contribute to this journey
A bigger picture
Ethos & Story
Ethos & Story
A product is only the outcome; beneath it lies an ocean of experiences, transitions, ideas, and principles. What truly makes something special at its core is the foundational intention with which it was created. Intention gives rise to principles and values. Over time, these principles and values translate into a living tradition and a story, one that manifests in countless forms.
Backstory
James started a design agency, which he loved, but he found the client model to be disillusioning, eventually shifting focus towards building software for quality and purpose. He started experimenting with a sketching app alongside his wife Alanna - an artist whose raw feedback was crucial and Lloyd - an engineer driven by excellence. The iPad providing the ideal platform was an essential catalyst. Above all, what stands out is that all of this was fueled purely by passion and the urge to create something amazing.
Principles & Values
At its heart, Procreate's philosophy is a quiet rebellion - not just against industry norms, but for something greater. It champions the timeless human act of creation, building tools that serve the artist, not the algorithm. These values can be distilled into five core convictions about craft, community, and purpose.
Artistry over commerce
Human centered craft
Joyful, collaborative creation
Accessibility & empowerment
Purpose driven philosophy
Team, Culture & Surroundings
Team, Culture & Surroundings
What I see in Procreate’s culture is a team that never separates the artist from the maker. They balance deep craft with playful invention, fearless work and pursuing the exceptional - building not just software, but a legacy.
From Ollie and P.Mak fostering connection in the kitchen to the creative craft of Jess, Elena, Stan, Gabs, Anna, Zeth, and Cheryl, every person adds a distinct note to Procreate’s harmony. This isn’t just a team - it’s a collective of diverse universes, syncing beautifully around the shared purpose of making art belong to everyone.
They all create from Hobart - a choice that is fundamental, not incidental. The island’s distance isn’t just a stunning backdrop; it’s part of their DNA, providing the focus and perspective needed to build something that could never have come from the Silicon Valley.
They all create from Hobart - a choice that is fundamental, not incidental. The island’s distance isn’t just a stunning backdrop; it’s part of their DNA, providing the focus and perspective needed to build something that could never have come from the Silicon Valley.
The Products
The Products
The products’ design approach is like Porsche's with the 911 - protect what works, refine what matters, and never lose the core experience. This means building interfaces that are so intuitive they feel invisible, making powerful tools simple for everyone to use. This same philosophy shapes Procreate, Procreate Dreams, and Procreate Pocket. Each one is different, but they all share the same goal: to be a flawless, responsive tool that gets out of the artist's way.
Procreate
Procreate refines its core with purpose - where powerful features like the fluid ColorDrop, intuitive QuickShape, and seamless gestures feel like extensions of the artist's intent. Updates like the 5.4 brush engine and the upcoming 6.0 layer expansion are driven by this same craft.
Each evolution is grounded in relentless performance and shaped by one of the most involved creative communities, whose feedback through open beta testing ensures the tool grows in the direction of true artistic need.
Procreate Dreams
Procreate Dreams 2.0, as the latest release, grounds its major updates—like the Lasso tool, a redesigned timeline, and animation brushes—in a singular, fluid experience. These features collectively answer a core philosophy: that animating should be about the story, not the software. It's built on the belief that high performance, beautiful design, and deep flexibility must remain accessible, making professional animation both intuitive and profoundly affordable.
Procreate Pocket
Procreate Pocket distills the essence of its larger sibling into a mobile studio, proving that a powerful canvas can thrive on an intimate screen. Its interface maintains the same responsive gestures and focused toolset, ensuring the creative process remains fluid wherever inspiration strikes.
Artists, Community & Art
Artists, Community & Art
Procreate’s relationship with its users is a profound pact of respect. It doesn’t just sell a tool - it champions the artist, taking a firm, public stand against generative AI to protect human creativity. The company builds in the open, sharing roadmaps and priorities, while featuring user art on a massive scale - treating every shared sketch or animation not as content, but as a masterpiece to be relished. This creates more than a user base, it nurtures a true community where anyone can contribute to the tool’s evolution and where conferences feel like celebrations of the craft itself.
Art is treated with deep reverence, a principle embodied by their #youmadethis campaign and Human Made YouTube series. These initiatives matter and they don't just feature artwork - they elevate it, framing each creation as a vital piece of human expression in the digital age. This isn't marketing; it's a consistent, public celebration of the artist's hand, reminding that the true masterpiece is the human behind the work.
How I can contribute to this journey
How I can contribute to this journey
I’ve had the liberty and freedom to make mistakes, experiment and learn for the last six years as a founding designer, while helping a product grow from 6 to 25 million users. There’s no teacher quite like hearing directly from people trying to use what you’ve built. That experience feels close to the spirit of my current role at PosterMyWall - a company that, much like Procreate, started as a passion project 12 years ago. A husband and wife trying to make a poster maker for the web during their Masters, without VC funding.
Working closely with our CEO, Jaffer, in an open environment with no red tap and maximised brainstorms and jam sessions has distilled my craft to focus on what truely matters: craft, clarity, and human connection.
As both a designer and an artist, I feel a deep personal alignment with Procreate’s mission. I know firsthand the creative highs and lows, moments of frustration, delight, procrastination and bursts of creativity. More than anything, I believe in art as a fundamental form of human expression, and I care deeply about protecting and nurturing the spaces where it thrives.
If given the opportunity, I would be honoured to bring not just my skills, but this perspective and care, to their team.
Hi 👋🏼. Thank you for your time.
Hi 👋🏼. Thank you for your time.
Procreate deep dive
Procreate
deep dive
Procreate deep dive
I was 6 years old when my teacher said “Your art is great, you should go to the National College of Arts when you grow up”. Although I hated the still life I had drawn on paper that day, but this moment was special - so special, that art became close to my heart forever.
For a long time I figured it was really cool to be the ‘artist’ of the class but I now believe that every human deserves a moment like this once in their lifetime when someone comes along - pats them on the back and encourages them to touch base with their innate urge to express regardless of the outcome.
اپنے من میں ڈوب کر پا جا سراغِ زندگی -تو میرا نہیں بنتا نہ بن اپنا تو بن
Dive deep into the ocean of your own soul, there discover the hidden compass of life. You need not belong to me. But do, at least, belong to yourself.
Every human is special. Every human is a universe inside. And what makes this world beautiful is the co-existence & collaboration of unique universes, contributing their own flavour to this recipe we call life. Art, alongside hundreds of other forms of expression, requires devotion, time, and space to develop. For many, Procreate has offered that space and steady companionship that affirms - art belongs to everyone.
As a designer, I became increasingly curious: How does a tool not just get used, but feel beloved? Digging deeper revealed how truly rare it is, a company thriving without VC funding or subscriptions, built on respect for artists and community. That’s what inspired this deep dive, to understand that philosophy and bring its lessons into how I design, lead, and collaborate.
Table of contents
Table of contents
Table of contents
🏛️
Ethos & Story
Ethos & Story
Ethos & Story
Rich History, Core values & principles
🤩
Team, Culture & Surroundings
Team, Culture & Surroundings
Team, Culture & Surroundings
Team & culture
🎨
The Products
The Products
The Products
Procreate, Procreate Dreams, Procreate Pocket
👨🏻🎨
Artists, Community & Art
Artists, Community & Art
Artists, Community & Art
Respect & Admiration for Art
🫰🏼
How I can contribute to this journey
How I can contribute to this journey
How I can contribute to this journey
A bigger picture
Ethos & Story
Ethos & Story
A product is only the outcome; beneath it lies an ocean of experiences, transitions, ideas, and principles. What truly makes something special at its core is the foundational intention with which it was created. Intention gives rise to principles and values. Over time, these principles and values translate into a living tradition and a story, one that manifests in countless forms.
Backstory
James started a design agency, which he loved, but he found the client model to be disillusioning, eventually shifting focus towards building software for quality and purpose. He started experimenting with a sketching app alongside his wife Alanna - an artist whose raw feedback was crucial and Lloyd - an engineer driven by excellence. The iPad providing the ideal platform was an essential catalyst. Above all, what stands out is that all of this was fueled purely by passion and the urge to create something amazing.
Principles & Values
At its heart, Procreate's philosophy is a quiet rebellion - not just against industry norms, but for something greater. It champions the timeless human act of creation, building tools that serve the artist, not the algorithm. These values can be distilled into five core convictions about craft, community, and purpose.
Artistry over commerce
Human centered craft
Joyful, collaborative creation
Accessibility & empowerment
Purpose driven philosophy
Team, Culture & Surroundings
Team, Culture & Surroundings
What I see in Procreate’s culture is a team that never separates the artist from the maker. They balance deep craft with playful invention, fearless work and pursuing the exceptional - building not just software, but a legacy.
From Ollie and P.Mak fostering connection in the kitchen to the creative craft of Jess, Elena, Stan, Gabs, Anna, Zeth, and Cheryl, every person adds a distinct note to Procreate’s harmony. This isn’t just a team - it’s a collective of diverse universes, syncing beautifully around the shared purpose of making art belong to everyone.
They all create from Hobart - a choice that is fundamental, not incidental. The island’s distance isn’t just a stunning backdrop; it’s part of their DNA, providing the focus and perspective needed to build something that could never have come from the Silicon Valley.
They all create from Hobart - a choice that is fundamental, not incidental. The island’s distance isn’t just a stunning backdrop; it’s part of their DNA, providing the focus and perspective needed to build something that could never have come from the Silicon Valley.
The Products
The Products
The products’ design approach is like Porsche's with the 911 - protect what works, refine what matters, and never lose the core experience. This means building interfaces that are so intuitive they feel invisible, making powerful tools simple for everyone to use. This same philosophy shapes Procreate, Procreate Dreams, and Procreate Pocket. Each one is different, but they all share the same goal: to be a flawless, responsive tool that gets out of the artist's way.
Procreate
Procreate refines its core with purpose - where powerful features like the fluid ColorDrop, intuitive QuickShape, and seamless gestures feel like extensions of the artist's intent. Updates like the 5.4 brush engine and the upcoming 6.0 layer expansion are driven by this same craft.
Each evolution is grounded in relentless performance and shaped by one of the most involved creative communities, whose feedback through open beta testing ensures the tool grows in the direction of true artistic need.
Procreate Dreams
Procreate Dreams 2.0, as the latest release, grounds its major updates—like the Lasso tool, a redesigned timeline, and animation brushes—in a singular, fluid experience. These features collectively answer a core philosophy: that animating should be about the story, not the software. It's built on the belief that high performance, beautiful design, and deep flexibility must remain accessible, making professional animation both intuitive and profoundly affordable.
Procreate Pocket
Procreate Pocket distills the essence of its larger sibling into a mobile studio, proving that a powerful canvas can thrive on an intimate screen. Its interface maintains the same responsive gestures and focused toolset, ensuring the creative process remains fluid wherever inspiration strikes.
Artists, Community & Art
Artists, Community & Art
Procreate’s relationship with its users is a profound pact of respect. It doesn’t just sell a tool - it champions the artist, taking a firm, public stand against generative AI to protect human creativity. The company builds in the open, sharing roadmaps and priorities, while featuring user art on a massive scale - treating every shared sketch or animation not as content, but as a masterpiece to be relished. This creates more than a user base, it nurtures a true community where anyone can contribute to the tool’s evolution and where conferences feel like celebrations of the craft itself.
Art is treated with deep reverence, a principle embodied by their #youmadethis campaign and Human Made YouTube series. These initiatives matter and they don't just feature artwork - they elevate it, framing each creation as a vital piece of human expression in the digital age. This isn't marketing; it's a consistent, public celebration of the artist's hand, reminding that the true masterpiece is the human behind the work.
How I can contribute to this journey
How I can contribute to this journey
I’ve had the liberty and freedom to make mistakes, experiment and learn for the last six years as a founding designer, while helping a product grow from 6 to 25 million users. There’s no teacher quite like hearing directly from people trying to use what you’ve built. That experience feels close to the spirit of my current role at PosterMyWall - a company that, much like Procreate, started as a passion project 12 years ago. A husband and wife trying to make a poster maker for the web during their Masters, without VC funding.
Working closely with our CEO, Jaffer, in an open environment with no red tap and maximised brainstorms and jam sessions has distilled my craft to focus on what truely matters: craft, clarity, and human connection.
As both a designer and an artist, I feel a deep personal alignment with Procreate’s mission. I know firsthand the creative highs and lows, moments of frustration, delight, procrastination and bursts of creativity. More than anything, I believe in art as a fundamental form of human expression, and I care deeply about protecting and nurturing the spaces where it thrives.
If given the opportunity, I would be honoured to bring not just my skills, but this perspective and care, to their team.
Hi 👋🏼. Thank you for your time.
Hi 👋🏼. Thank you for your time.