Yes — one small but crucial step is easy to miss. Here it is, clean and literal.

You have two correct ways to paint inside letters in Procreate.

Method 1 (fastest): Alpha Lock

Use this when you’re painting directly on the text layer.

Steps

1. Draw the letters on their own layer
2. Tap the layer → Alpha Lock
3. Paint

What happens

• You can only paint where pixels already exist
• Anything you paint stays inside the letter shapes

Visual cue

• The layer thumbnail shows a checkerboard background

Use this for:

• gradients
• soft color fills
• quick texture

Method 2 (cleaner): Clipping Mask

Use this when you want texture on separate layers.

Steps

1. Letters on Layer A
2. New layer above
3. Tap new layer → Clipping Mask
4. Paint on the clipped layer

What happens

• Paint is visible only where the letters exist
• You can turn textures on/off independently

Use this for:

• splatter
• grain
• sparkles
• glow accents

Which one you were missing

If painting was going outside the letters:

👉 Alpha Lock was not turned on
or
👉 The layer was not clipped

That’s it. No other hidden step.

One-sentence rule

Alpha Lock = paint on the letters.
Clipping Mask = paint above the letters.

If you want, I can give you a one-glance checklist you can keep next to your iPad.

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