How to create custom stickers for IG Stories and Reels (using your Procreate Artwork!)

Using stickers on your Stories and Reels is a great way to make your content stand out. If you're like me and focus on traditional or digital art, integrating your actual artwork, illustrations, and designs into your Instagram content will not only allow you to stand out in a ‘sea of same’ but will also allow you to show off what you do best: design.

In the past we were limited to the generic or special edition holiday stickers on IG or, if we wanted something else, GIFs, and while both of these can be great for adding something extra to your content, creating your own custom stickers really is the best way to keep your content cohesive and to show off your personal brand. Recently IG rolled out a whole suite of new story and reel sticker features, that make it easier than ever to create custom stickers from your own artwork. If you want to learn how, keep reading (or if you prefer a guided tutorial, scroll to the end of the post to want the YouTube video).

Getting Your Artwork Ready

First things first, you need to save your illustrations or artwork as PNG files that you can access from your camera roll:

1. Create Your Artwork: Make your designs in Procreate or your favorite design app.

2. Save as PNG: Ensure these files are saved with a transparent background.

3. Transfer to Your Phone: Use Airdrop to transfer these files from your iPad to your phone, or save them to your files and download them to your camera roll.

Method 1: Using the Photo Sticker

1. Open Instagram: Go to the app and start creating a new Story.

2. Select a base: Choose a photo or video from your camera roll as your background.

3. Add a Photo Sticker: Tap on the sticker icon at the top right, then select the ‘photo’ sticker option.

4. Choose Your PNGs: Your saved illustrations will appear with a transparent background in your camera roll. Select and place them on your Story as you like.

Method 2: Using the NEW Cutout sticker

Sometimes, PNG files might not keep their transparency or you may want to create a sticker from an artwork with a colour background (or that was saved as a JPEG). Here’s how to use Instagram’s NEW cutout feature to create stickers from other images in your camera roll:

1. Create a Story: Start by creating a new Story as before.

2. Create a new cutout: Tap on the sticker icon and then select the ‘cutout’ sticker option.

3. Choose Your Image: Select an image from your camera roll. Instagram will remove the background, turning it into a sticker. The cutouts you create will also be saved in your IG stickers so you can easily find and use them again.

4. Adjust and Place: Adjust the sticker on your Story.

Method 3: Copying and Pasting from Procreate

If you don’t want to save your artwork to your files and camera roll every time you want to create a new sticker, then use this quick trick with Apple continuity to copy and past your artwork from Procreate into IG:

1. Create in Procreate: Design your sticker in Procreate making sure you have the background of the canvas turned off so that it is transparent.

2. Copy Canvas: Tap on the wrench tool, then select “Canvas” and then "Copy Canvas".

3. Paste in Instagram: In your Instagram Story, tap on the text tool, then paste the copied canvas. Your artwork will appear as a transparent sticker which you can resize, adjust and place as you wish.

Method 4: Using iPhone’s Photos App to create cutouts

If you’re using an iPhone, the Photos app also offers a simple cutout feature to remove the background of your artwork and create a sticker that can be pasted into IG:

1. Open Photos App: Find your image in the Photos app.

2. Press and Hold: Press and hold on the part of the image you want to cut out.

3. Copy and Paste: Copy the cutout, then switch to Instagram and using the same method as before, paste it into your Instagram Story using the text tool.

Tips for Reels

Adding custom stickers to Reels works pretty much the same as with Stories, but here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Duration Control: If you paste a sticker using the text tool, you currently can’t adjust its duration. For stickers that need to appear at specific times, use the photo or cutout sticker options.

• Consistent Branding: Use your stickers consistently to keep a cohesive look across all your content.

• Text & Fonts: You could also use the copy and paste features or photo sticker to paste typography onto your reels that is consistent with your branding

watch the full tutorial on YouTube: