Hi, in this tutorial you will learn how to create an image of a cartoon flower that can also be used as an Avatar using CLIP STUDIO PAINT. The version that I am using is CLIP STUDIO PAINT EX 3.0.4.

This tutorial can be for beginners or experienced users of CLIP STUDIO PAINT.

 

Note: The process and steps from this tutorial may take time and patience.

Setting Up the File

First, create a new file under “File, New…,”

A “New” window should appear with different settings.

 

Next, under project: choose Illustration.

 

Then under File name: create a title for the art. I titled my file “Flower”.

 

Then under Preset:, Unit:, and canvas, you can choose the unit type and any of the sizes that you want. I chose a custom size that has a width of 3508, a Height of 2480, Unit as pixels (px), and a Resolution of 300.

 

After that, for Basic expression color: choose color, for Paper color choose a grayish color (this will make it easier to see when coloring). Next, choose whether you want to record the timelapse for the painting or not. Then when done, press okay.

 

 

Here is how the settings look.

Note: As you go through the process of creating artwork in CLIP STUDIO PAINT, it is important to save your work. To do this you can manually go to “File”, then “Save” or “Save as”.

Which looks like this.

You can use the Auto-Recovery feature in Clip STUDIO PAINT to save and backup your files. This can be useful in case your file crashes, the computer shuts down, or the application closes.

 

To find the Auto-Recovery feature, go to “File”, then “Preferences…” then File and under Auto-Recovery, turn on the “Enable canvas recovery” box. Then select the box next to “Save recovery data every: and choose how many minutes it will take before CLIP STUDIO PAINT saves the file again.

 

Here is how the settings look.

We will be using layers in this tutorial. To learn more about layers here are some tutorials by ClipStudioOfficial.

After the file is created, there should be a layer above the Paper layer titled “layer 1”.

 

Rename the Paper layer to “sketch” by double clicking on the layer 1 name and typing in the word “sketch” on the keyboard.

After the sketch layer is created, select the “Ruler” tool.

Then under “Sub Tool: Ruler”, choose the “symmetrical ruler”.

 

Next, under “Tool Property: Symmetrical ruler”, for “Number of lines” choose 2,

then make sure “line symmetry” is turned on (the box has a checkmark),

 

“Snap angle” is unchecked (will not be using), and “Create at editing layer” is turned on.

Here are the settings that I have for the Symmetrical ruler.

For more information about the rulers in CLIP STUDIO PAINT check out these tutorials from ClipStudioOfficial.

Next, we will create a symmetrical ruler on the sketch layer. To do so, start from the top of the canvas, then click shift on the keyboard and drag the cursor down the middle of the canvas until it reaches the bottom. After that, a colored line for the ruler should appear. It does not have to be perfect. See the image below for reference.

Creating the Sketch Drawing

For the drawing, I will be using the default “Real G-Pen” found in the “Sub Tool: Pen” section of the CLIP STUDIO PAINT application. You can use whatever drawing tool that you want. 

I will also use a reference photo of a flower that I took outside as inspiration for the cartoon flower. You can use this photo that I provided in the tutorial if you want to or a photo of a flower that you took.

For more information about using photo references in Clip STUDIO PAINT, here is a tutorial from ClipStudioOfficial.

To begin, start by drawing a sketch of the flower on the sketch layer. Since the symmetrical ruler is turned on, we can draw on the left, right side, or in the middle of the canvas and the drawing will be joined together on both sides. Therefore, we do not have to draw each side separately, which makes it easier to create the sketch. 

Note: Not all flowers are or must be symmetrical. However, for this tutorial, I wanted to show how useful the symmetrical ruler can be when it comes to creating a drawing of a flower. 

This is what my sketch of the cartoon flower looks like. For this cartoon flower, I wanted to create a smiling expression and used simple shapes and lines to draw the facial features. Your flower design does not have to look exactly like the one that I drew. Be creative, expressive, and use your imagination.

After the sketch is created, lower the opacity of the sketch layer by at least 35%. This will make it easier to see when creating the line art.

 

Next, create a new raster layer above the sketch layer and rename it to “line art”.

Then select the ruler icon on the sketch layer and drag it to the line art layer.

This is needed so we can use the symmetrical ruler on the line art layer.

 

Here is a reference for how the steps should look for the layers.

 

 

1. select the ruler icon on the sketch layer.

2. Drag the ruler icon to the line art layer.

3. Release the mouse or cursor and this is how the ruler should look on the line art layer once complete.

Creating Line Art

Next, make sure you are on the line art layer and draw the line art by making it more refined from the sketch. You can add more details, make changes, and if needed, use the snap eraser tool to erase any stray or unwanted marks.

 

Here is what the Snap eraser tool looks like.

This is what my line art of the cartoon flower looks like.

After the line art is created, turn off the sketch layer (select the eyeball icon on the left side of the sketch layer). This will make it easier when coloring the flower.

 

Next, create a new raster layer above the sketch layer and rename it to “color”.

Then select the ruler icon on the line art layer and drag it to the color layer.

This is needed so we can use the symmetrical ruler on the color layer.

 

Here is a reference for how the layers should look.

Coloring the Flower

Next, we will use the “Fill tool” and pen tool if needed to fill in any tight areas that need color.

 

Here is what the Fill tool looks like and the settings that I have.

To learn more about the Fill tool, check out these tutorials from ClipStudioOfficial.

To learn more about using colors in CLIP STUDIO PAINT check out these tutorials by ClipStudioOfficial.

Before coloring, make sure you are on the color layer. I will be using some colors from the “Standard color set” to color the flower based on the photo reference. You can use whatever colors you want.

 

 

Next, select a color that you want to use for each part of the flower (the face, petals, leaves, stem, etc.) and use the Fill Tool to fill in each area on the left or right side of the canvas until the whole flower is colored. Use the brush or pen tool if needed to color in tight spaces.

 

Note: Since we have the symmetrical tool turned on for the color layer, areas of color will easily be filled in on either side of the canvas.

This is what the cartoon flower looks like colored.

After the colors are created, turn off the ruler on the color layer as it will not be used for the next steps. To turn off the ruler, select the “Set ruler range” icon at the top right of the “Layer” window, then select “Show Only When Editing Target”.

 

Here is a reference for how the steps should look for the layers.

1. Select the “Set ruler range” icon at the top right of the “Layer” window.

 

 

2. Then select the check mark box on the left side of the “Show Only When Editing Target” until the check mark is turned off.

3. This is what the layers should look like once the ruler is turned off.

Creating the Background

Next, create a new raster layer above the sketch layer and rename it to “background”.

We will use the Gradient tool to create the background.

 

 

Here is a tutorial by ClipStudioOfficial that explains the Gradient tool.

Here is a reference of how the Gradient tool looks and the settings that I have. I will be using the “Midday sky” gradient colors for the background. If you want, you can use the same one or a different gradient. 

Before coloring the background, make sure you are on the background layer and using the Gradient tool, start from the top of the canvas then drag the gradient tool to the bottom of the canvas until the colors are filled in.

 

This is what the image looks like with the background.

This is what the layers look like.

Creating the Shading and Lighting with Shading Assist

Next, we are going to create shading and lighting for the cartoon flower using the “Shading Assist” feature in CLIP STUDIO PAINT. 

 

Note: Please refer to this tutorial by ClipStudioOfficial to learn about Shading Assist and how to use it. 

 

 

To find Shading Assist, go to “Edit” then “Shading Assist”.

Here is an image to view.

Here are the settings and colors that I used for the Shading Assist.

Here are the layers that were created after the Shading Assist was applied.

This is how the image looks after Shading Assist is used. Your shading and lighting do not have to be the same. You can make changes suitable for your cartoon flower or background. 

For these next steps we will be working with layers. You can refer to these tutorials from ClipStudioOfficial for using layers.

After the shading and lighting is done, we will merge the image. To do so make sure the layer at the top is selected, which should be the line art layer. Then go to “Layer” and select “Merge Visible to new layer” until a new layer of the image appears. 

After that, Rename the new layer to “image”.

This is what the layers should look like.

Applying the Retro Film Filter and Gaussian Blur to the Image

Next, we will add a “Retro Film” filter to the “image” layer. 

Note: The “Retro Film” filter is available in the CLIP STUDIO PAINT 3.0 version and may not be compatible with earlier versions like 2.0 or less. 

Here is a tutorial that covers some filters. 

To find the Retro Film filter go to “Filter”, “Effect”, then select “Retro film…”.

This is how my “Retro Film” filter settings look.

This is how the image looks with the “Retro Film” filter applied.

After this, duplicate the image layer and apply the Gaussian Blur filter to it.

The Gaussian Blur filter is found at “Filter”, “Blur”, “Gaussian Blur”.

 

Here is the setting that I used.

Next, lower the opacity of the duplicated blurred layer to 27%.

This is how the image looks with the Gaussian Blur applied.

Applying Finishing Touches the Art and File

After this, create a signature on the lower right or left side of the canvas for the artwork using the text tool.

 

To learn more about the text tool and how to use it check out these tutorials by ClipStudioOfficial.

After the signature is added, create a group folder for all the layers that are above the Paper layer and rename it to “Flower”. This will help us keep each layer together in one place and be organized.

 

Note: Refer to the ClipStudioOfficial tutorials that I linked in this tutorial to learn more about layers and layer operations.

 

Here is how the layers look in the group.

Saving or Exporting the Final Artwork and Timelapse video

Lastly, if you are satisfied with the art, then save or export the final image. If you recorded a timelapse of the art, you could export that as well.

 

Here are some tutorials from ClipStudioOfficial that you can view to learn about saving or exporting images and timelapse videos.

 

 

Note: You can also add watermarks to the art and video if you want to upload them online or on social media accounts like Instagram or TikTok. It can be good to research the social media platforms for more information about creating posts, uploading files, the file formats, sizes, and time length for videos they accept.

 

CLIP STUDIO PAINT 3.0 and higher has watermark features for images and timelapse videos. The features are only compatible with certain versions of CLIP STUDIO PAINT like 3.0 or higher.

 

To learn about the watermark features and when posting work online, check out these tutorials from ClipStudioOfficial.

Here is the final image of the cartoon flower.

Thank you to CELSY’s for the opportunity, resources, software, tools, and to all of you who took the time to learn from this tutorial. Hope you were able to get something out of it and continue to be creative.