Introduction

Welcome to this tutorial on digital pencil art. In this lesson, we'll focus on using the pencil tool within Clip Studio Paint, texture brushes and textured backgrounds to create detailed pencil-based artworks.

Throughout this tutoreal, my goal is to guide you in achieving a realistic touch in your digital pencil art. Whether you're experienced or new to digital art, these insights will help you capture the essence of subjects.

Stroke Types and Shading Techniques

Studying traditional methods of applying strokes on papper helps to better understand the principles of the process, and this in turn will allow you to apply those principles digitally. Strokes and shades are the basics of pencil art.

 

Here are some ways to apply strokes and shading:

 

 

• Hatching and Cross-Hatching:

Hatching involves creating parallel lines to shade an area, while cross-hatching adds another layer of lines in a different direction. This technique can create depth and texture in your artwork.

 

• Contour Hatching:

Contour hatching follows the contours of an object, emphasizing its form and three-dimensional appearance. It's particularly useful for depicting rounded surfaces.

 

• Stippling:

Stippling involves using small dots or points to create shading. By varying the density and size of the dots, you can achieve different levels of tone and texture.

 

• Smudging and Blending:

Using your finger, a blending stump, or a soft cloth, you can smudge pencil lines to create a smooth transition between shades. This technique is great for achieving soft gradients.

• Back-and-Forth Stroke:

The basic back-and-forth or back-and-forth-cross-hatching stroke involves short strokes in alternating directions. It's versatile for rendering various textures.

 

• Scumbling:

Scumbling is a technique where you create a layer of scribbled lines or shading, often in a random pattern, to achieve a textured effect.

 

• Layering and Gradation:

Layering involves gradually building up layers of pencil strokes to achieve darker values and smoother transitions. Gradation is the art of transitioning from light to dark gradually.

 

• Circular Stroke:

Circular strokes involve creating small circular motions with the pencil. This technique is effective for adding depth and texture to objects.

These are just a few examples of pencil stroke types and shading techniques that can be applied to both traditional and digital pencil art. To see more references, you can search online for each technique individually.

How this techniques looks in my works:

Textured background

To make your digital art look more realistic, like traditional pencil drawings, starting with a textured base can greatly enhance the final result. If you prefer a clean background, you can add texture only to the drawing area. This way, the details of the page will affect how your drawing looks, while keeping the rest neat and tidy.

 

There are two ways to create a background with a sheet structure: using high-resolution reference photos of the sheets or creating brushes that mimic the texture, and manually creating the background. Both methods reach the same result.

 

 

Using high-resolution reference photos

The method involving photographs of the sheets also requires processing to achieve an aesthetically pleasing final appearance. For instance, I will now describe how I created the background for an artwork. It's important to note that the artwork itself will be analyzed in an upcoming subsection where I'll show the stages of creating it using CPS pencil tools.

The method of drafting the background is individual and depends on the preferences of the artist, his vision of how it would look better and which background will ensure the best final result. However, my advice will be to adjust the exposure during image processing, so the details of the sheet will be more visible and clearer.

 

Here's a general guide on how to adjust exposure in Clip Studio Paint:

• Open the Artwork: Launch Clip Studio Paint and open the image you want to adjust.

• Layer Menu: On the "Layer" menu, select "New Correction Layer," and then choose "Brightness/Contrast."

• Brightness/Contrast Settings: A dialog box will appear, offering sliders for both brightness and contrast adjustments.

• Brightness: Drag the slider to the right to increase brightness and to the left to decrease it.

• Contrast: Adjust the contrast by moving the slider to the right for higher contrast and to the left for lower contrast.

• Preview: As you adjust the sliders, you'll see the changes in real-time on your image. Experiment until you achieve the desired exposure level.

• Layer Blend Mode: Depending on your artwork and desired effect, you can further refine exposure adjustments by experimenting with different layer blend modes.

• Save and Export: After making the adjustments, save your modified image by going to "File" > "Save As" and choosing the appropriate format.

Keep in mind that Clip Studio Paint offers multiple ways to adjust exposure, and the steps provided are just one method. The specific adjustments you make should be guided by your artistic vision and the unique qualities of your artwork.

 

To create an accurate background, it's important to blend the sheet's details for uniformity. However, adjust exposure retains subtle textures and details after blending. A final touch involves enhancing them through contrast adjustments. Starting with the original sheet can lead to excessive contrast between the drawing and background. Blending the details unifies the artwork, as the same pencils and brushes are used, resulting in a harmonious and complementary composition.

Using texture brushes

When utilizing brushes with texture, the desired outcome is achieved by gently applying color onto the canvas to maintain the texture. Incorporating additional textures into the shaded areas of a sheet will yield an improved result. For this method you must know very well the properties of the brush you use.

* To keep the texture, I recommend increasing the sensitivity levels of your pen and applying the shade softly.

In this approach, working with multiple layers is important. During the application of lighter shades, alter the layer's blending mode to 'Lighten' and adjust its opacity (if you wish to make the texture more subtle, decrease the opacity accordingly). If certain textures appear too pronounced, they can be easily removed.

The final step involves adjusting the canvas's brightness and blending the shades once again to minimize the details on the sheet. Unlike the initial blending achieved with texture brushes, this process employs soft brushes, either with gradient transitions or using a pencil texture. This action is performed on a separate layer, followed by fine-tuning the layer's visibility.

The mentioned methods can be combined with each other to obtain a wide variety of backgrounds. Using photos as a base and adding details to them with texture brushes greatly increases the variety of backgrounds you can get.

Process of creating a digital pencil artwork

In this subsection I'll use an actual example to explain the process of how to create a digital pencil art.

Creating a digital pencil artwork involves several stages, each contributing to the final artwork.

The initial stage encompasses deciding what to draw and creating the sketch.

Begin by conceptualizing your artwork. Define the subject, composition, and mood. Sketch out a rough idea of how you want the final piece to look. In my case, I like to use many reference pictures to create the image of the person I will draw.

Working with the pencil tool facilitates the process, as its properties closely resemble those of a real pencil.

The technique I employ to create the sketch doesn't matter, as I'll eventually remove the sketch in the final result, leaving only the artwork itself.

 

In the specific example under analysis, I decided to apply color to each detail separately.

For drawings with lots of details, I like adding color this way. But for artistic sketches with textures and shading, coloring the whole surface gives a better look.

 

Here are the brushes and pencils I utilized during the coloring process:

 

 

The selection of the pencils you will use is very important. Clip Studio Paint offers a wide variety of tools that will help you achieve the result you want. To choose the desired tools, click on the ‘Pencil’ tool and then on the ‘Add sub tools’ button:

In the window that pops up, click on 'Search for Materials on ASSETS’. Here, you can select your preferred tools from a wide array of options available.

Starting to add color to the sketch with the ‘Pencil’ tool:

Following the traditional method of adding color to the sheet helps achieve a lifelike result. You can easily layer color to darken or lighten specific areas. As you add color in layers, the pencil texture becomes less noticeable.

 

 

After coloring, in that case, I use different pencil tools on a separate layer to bring back texture.

Here are the refined steps for accentuating texture:

• Make a new layer.

• Use a pencil tool that imitates the effect you want. A big pencil works better for a strong effect.

• For dark parts, use a darker color than the area and a much lighter color than the same area.

• To add the lighter color, make another layer. This helps if you want to erase parts you don't like or make color transitions smoother by making the layer less visible.

 

Below, you can find a video example of the process demonstrated on a darker section of the drawing.

One more tip for finalizing your work: as you near completion, gently blend certain areas to mimic the effect of erasing with a soft eraser. This subtle touch can enhance the vividness of your drawing.

 

For this you need to:

• Select the Blending Tool: Choose the appropriate blending tool from the toolbar. The most commonly used blending tools are the "Watercolor" and "Mixing" brushes, which you can find in the "Brush" tool options.

• Create a New Layer (Recommended): To blend without affecting your original artwork, it's advisable to create a new layer for blending. Click on the "New Raster Layer" icon at the bottom of the "Layer" panel.

• Choose Blending Mode (Optional): Before you start blending, you can experiment with different layer blending modes to achieve various effects. This is particularly useful when blending colors.

• Start Blending: Begin blending by using gentle, sweeping strokes with the chosen blending tool. Depending on your desired effect, you might want to adjust the size and opacity of the brush.

• Gradual and Controlled: Blend gradually, allowing colors to merge smoothly. This technique works well for transitioning between different shades, tones, or textures.

• Experiment and Preview: Experiment with different blending modes to see how they change the appearance of your artwork. Different modes will create various blending effects, altering colors, tones, and textures.

• Select a Mode: Once you find a blending mode that achieves the desired effect, click on it to apply it to the layer.

• Adjust Opacity (Optional): After choosing a blending mode, you can also adjust the layer's opacity to control the intensity of the blending effect. Lowering the opacity can make the blending subtler and more natural.

• Save Your Work: Remember to save your artwork after making any adjustments.

*Utilize reference photos for accurate shapes, lighting, and details. They help ensure realism and enhance your observational skills.

1. Seamless Transition: Achieve a smooth transition from the drawing to the sheet texture.

2. Hatch Lines: Utilize hatch lines to enhance the artwork's aesthetic appeal.

3. Contrast and Transition: Incorporate darker areas and ensure a seamless transition from shadows to lighter sections.

4. Varied Texture: Apply more pronounced hatching with distinct textures in specific areas.

The final result:

Details

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Wrapping Up: Final Reflections and Remarks

Digital tools allow us to recreate traditional styles while keeping their beauty and details. In this post I managed to include only a small part of the processes and possible methods of imitating the traditional style in digital art. There are many more styles I want to discuss, such as oil paint, charcoal, watercolors, and more. This is my first post in which I try to explain the nuances of the styles I have acquired, so I will be very grateful if you leave in the comments opinions about how I could improve the process of explaining the information and if you have any questions about what I've shared, please feel free to ask. Your feedback means a lot to me!