why is my apple pencil drawing faint lines

Hello, this is my first time using any apple product so excuse me if this is a dumb question. i’ve been drawing on my ipad air 11 (2025) for about a week. at the beginning there were some issues with the tilt sensor but that seems to have gone away completely. just a few hours ago, before i went to sleep i was drawing on procreate and the pen was working perfectly. now when i woke up i tried drawing with the same brush, same settings and the lines are lighter and when i draw a curve sometimes the line completely disappears. i rebooted my ipad, i even repaired the pen. the lines are still the same way and i don’t know what to do but it’s impossible to draw like this.

On the picture the two heads were drawn yesterday when there were no issues with the pen. the lines on the right were drawn this morning and as you can see they stop mid-line, and are much more faint, on the zig zag line i even pressed a bit hard to try to get it working but it only draws dark liner like on the left if i draw really slowly.


[Edited by Moderator]

iPad Air, iPadOS 18

Posted on Jun 28, 2025 3:55 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 28, 2025 12:59 PM

Based on the symptoms you're describing—faint lines, strokes dropping out mid-curve, and it only responding properly when moving very slowly—it sounds like the pressure sensitivity or Apple Pencil tip might be the culprit.


Some things you can try:

  1. Gently twist the tip counterclockwise to remove it.
  2. Check for debris or wear. If it looks even slightly worn or feels rough, swap it with the spare tip that came with your Pencil.
  3. Reattach the tip securely. A loose tip can cause inconsistent pressure detection.


Next, try testing the pressure in Procreate.

  1. Open a new canvas in Procreate.
  2. Try using the default “6B Pencil” or “Hard Airbrush”—these are sensitive to pressure by design.
  3. See if the pressure curve is still faint or cuts out.


Next, try resetting the pressure curve in Procreate.

  1. Go to Actions (wrench icon)PrefsPressure & Smoothing
  2. Tap "Reset Curve"
  3. Test drawing again.


Next, let's check your iPad's settings:

  1. Go to Settings → Apple Pencil
  2. Toggle "Only Draw with Apple Pencil" OFF and back ON again.
  3. If “Scribble” is enabled, try toggling that off temporarily as well.
  4. Make sure low power mode isn’t enabled, as it can sometimes affect accessory performance subtly.


Finally, make sure your Pencil is fully charged.

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1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 28, 2025 12:59 PM in response to johankadede

Based on the symptoms you're describing—faint lines, strokes dropping out mid-curve, and it only responding properly when moving very slowly—it sounds like the pressure sensitivity or Apple Pencil tip might be the culprit.


Some things you can try:

  1. Gently twist the tip counterclockwise to remove it.
  2. Check for debris or wear. If it looks even slightly worn or feels rough, swap it with the spare tip that came with your Pencil.
  3. Reattach the tip securely. A loose tip can cause inconsistent pressure detection.


Next, try testing the pressure in Procreate.

  1. Open a new canvas in Procreate.
  2. Try using the default “6B Pencil” or “Hard Airbrush”—these are sensitive to pressure by design.
  3. See if the pressure curve is still faint or cuts out.


Next, try resetting the pressure curve in Procreate.

  1. Go to Actions (wrench icon)PrefsPressure & Smoothing
  2. Tap "Reset Curve"
  3. Test drawing again.


Next, let's check your iPad's settings:

  1. Go to Settings → Apple Pencil
  2. Toggle "Only Draw with Apple Pencil" OFF and back ON again.
  3. If “Scribble” is enabled, try toggling that off temporarily as well.
  4. Make sure low power mode isn’t enabled, as it can sometimes affect accessory performance subtly.


Finally, make sure your Pencil is fully charged.

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why is my apple pencil drawing faint lines

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