《Let's Create a Postmark-Style Watermark!》
This time, the theme is to create a watermark design that matches the style of your illustrations.
I've always been thinking about what kind of watermark design could be used for illustrations of different styles.
Recently, I was inspired by Japan's 'seal culture,' where 'stamping a seal = signing,' and wanted to design my own seal to use as a watermark. However, since I wanted to include more information in the watermark than a typical Japanese seal, I decided to try designing it in a postmark style this time.
Below, I will explain each step in detail, and I welcome you to follow along and try it out!
【Different Postmark Designs】
Although I chose the most traditional 'circular' postmark in the demonstration, you actually have many more options! This section will briefly explain common postmark shapes, and you can combine different elements to create your own unique watermark when designing!
I've broken down general postmark designs into three parts:
1. Basic Shape:
The most common is circular. Additionally, ovals and polygons (such as squares, diamonds, hexagons, etc.) are also common shapes. You can further add double lines of varying thickness or fills for variation. There are also composite shapes, such as circles combined with rectangles, etc.
2. Icons:
These are usually simple patterns, such as dots, stars, parallel lines, etc. Some frequently added graphics include wavy parallel lines. You can add any shapes you like, primarily those with simple outlines and not overly complex lines.
3. Text (to be explained further in a later section)
1.【Decide the Text to Include in Your Watermark】
Let's get started!
First, please decide what text to include in your watermark. The number of words will be inversely proportional to the number of images.
You can also decide on the content first, and then change the wording (to adjust the length of the phrases) based on the composition during the drafting stage.
Here are some common text examples for watermarks, for your reference:
Pen name
Personal SNS account or website information
Year of drawing
'Do not repost'
'Prohibit AI learning'
'Commission'
'Example'
Other...
2. 【Drafting and Preparation】
After creating a new file, first freely sketch out your draft with a brush.
Since we will be using vector layers to complete this later, and vector layers are not very intuitive to operate for creators who are not proficient with them, I recommend freely drawing your design first as a blueprint, and then creating the watermark file according to that blueprint.
Regarding file size, although theoretically vector layers do not lose quality when magnified, there's a chance that raster layers might be used depending on individual designs. To prevent raster images from losing quality when enlarged, I recommend starting with an A4 size, 300dpi file.
【Background Knowledge Supplement】While not significantly impacting the practical steps in this article, readers interested in the difference between 'raster' and 'vector' can refer to the following official explanations:
Before officially starting, please enable the grid function.
🔧Method
Software top menu bar → View → Grid (toggle on/off at the same location)
After enabling the grid, you may notice that some brushes and tools shift when used during the drawing process. This is because the tool properties are set to 'Snap to Grid'. You can toggle it on or off in the brush or tool's property panel as needed.
I recommend keeping this function enabled during the creation process.
If you need to draw freely, please turn it off, otherwise it will look like the image below:
3. 【Drawing the Watermark Outline】
Let's officially begin!
The following demonstration will be based on this sketch:
✧Basic Use of Vector Layers
🔧How to Add a Vector Layer
Click the following icon on the Layer panel:
🔧Drawing a Basic Circle
Select the Circle figure tool → Choose black → Set the tool to 'Start from center' → Drag to create a circle on the canvas.
🔧How to Draw a Perfect Circle
Method ①: Hold down the 【Shift key】 while drawing.
Method ②: Before drawing, set 'Specify width and height' and 'Specify ratio' to 1:1.
(If you can't find this setting, click the wrench icon in the bottom right to look for it.)
💡TIPS - How to make it look more like a postmark?
Using concentric circles of different thicknesses can create a more postmark-like design!
In addition to setting different brush sizes when drawing circles, you can also adjust them using the vector layer's functions.
✧Adjusting Line Width and Position of Shapes
🔧Changing Line Width - Method
Use the 'Object' selection tool → Select the shape on the canvas → Change the brush size in the tool panel.
🔧Changing Shape Position - Method
Use the 'Object' selection tool → Select the shape on the canvas → Drag the blue border.
While dragging, hold down the 【Shift key】 (to maintain the shape's aspect ratio) and the 【Alt key】 (to maintain deformation from the center).
The order of operation is: Click the blue dot (and hold) → 【Shift key】 + 【Alt key】 → Drag.
✧Using Shape Tools to Achieve Designs
Next is creating the dots for the border.
🔧Creating Border Dots - Method
Use the 'Object' selection tool → Select the shape on the canvas → Change the brush shape to 'Dot' in the tool panel.
🔧Adjusting Border Dots
Adjust dot size: Increase or decrease 'Brush size'.
Adjust dot position: Adjust the 'Gap' value in the 'Brush' panel.
✧Creating Concentric Shapes ① - Using the Grid Function
Now let's move on to how to ensure the center positions of the shapes are consistent.
From the beginning, we have already enabled the grid and set the shape tool to 'Start from center' and 'Snap to grid'.
So, as long as you start drawing shapes from the same position, they will be 'concentric'.
✧Creating Concentric Shapes ② - Using the Alignment Function
Although we used the grid to help draw multiple circles, there's still a chance they might accidentally shift during adjustment. In such cases, you can use the 'Align' function to ensure their positions remain concentric.
🔧Method
Use the Object selection function → Select all objects on the canvas (hold down the 【Shift key】 while selecting) → Click the following two icons on the 'Align' panel^.
^The 'Align' panel can be opened from 'Window' at the top of the software.
✧Creating Wavy Parallel Lines
In the sketch, I added a section of wavy parallel lines to simulate a postmark design.
Here's how to draw them using vector layers.
🔧Method
1. Select the 'Continuous Curve' tool, and click on the marked points^ on the canvas. For the final point, instead of clicking, move the mouse to that position and then press the 【Enter key】.
^Use the grid to mark relevant reference points at fixed positions. For example, in the demonstration image below, it's one point every two horizontal grids; one or two vertical grids per point. The start and end points of the curve can also be the midpoints of the wave's high and low.
2. If you place the curve on another vector layer, you can directly adjust its shape, rotate it, etc., using the 'Free Transform' function.
3. Duplicate the curve and move it vertically downwards.
Method ①: Duplicate the layer. Select the duplicated layer and drag it down with the Move Layer tool.
Method ②: Select the object, press Ctrl+C, then Ctrl+V. Drag it down with the mouse.
4. Select all wavy lines → Click the following icon on the 'Align' panel.
5. Adjust the line thickness. I adjusted the top and bottom lines to be thicker.
(Because I thought a few more parallel lines would look nicer, and also repeated the above steps to get the fifth and sixth lines)
6. If you want the start and end of the lines to not be curved, you can select the line with the object tool, then in 'Brush Tip', set 'Thickness' to '1'.
For horizontal lines, apply 'Horizontal' direction; for vertical lines, apply 'Vertical' direction.
4. 【Adding Text】
💭Font Selection
It is recommended not to use fonts that are too thin, as seals inherently cannot achieve very fine lines.
If using characters with complex strokes (such as Traditional Chinese or Japanese Kanji), since the text cannot be too fine, please ensure sufficient space is reserved for the text portion in your design.
Before using a font, please verify if its license allows for personal or commercial use.
🔧Demonstration of functions to be used
Kerning adjustment
Align function / Evenly distribute function
📝TIPS
Creating a new text layer for each line of text makes it easier to adjust positions.
When selecting a font, after inputting text and selecting the text layer, you can hover your mouse over the font (without clicking) and use the scroll wheel to move up and down for a quick preview effect!
【Background Knowledge Supplement】
Readers who have never used the text tool can refer to the following official text tool tutorials:
✧Adding Circular Text ①
The Circular Text function is a new feature added after Clip Studio Paint Ver 3.0. Let's try adding text to the watermark design!
🔧Method
1. Select the 'Circular Text' function → Tap on the canvas, and a text box will appear.
2. Use the control points on the box to adjust the size, then input text.
3. Use the text box rotation to control the text position.
4. Use the Object selection function to adjust the text display start and end points to show all text.
5. Set to 'Evenly Distribute'.
6. Adjust text size and kerning to form a circle with the text.
7. Use the alignment function mentioned above, select both the text and shape layers, to unify the center positions of the text and shapes.
✧Adding Circular Text ②
Although it looks good now, it's a bit difficult to read the lower half of the circular text. So, I decided to make adjustments and change the direction of the bottom text.
🔧Method
1. Duplicate the circular text layer.
2. Change the text orientation of the new layer to 'Counter-clockwise'.
3. Hold down both the 【Shift key】 and 【Alt key】 and drag the new circular text box to an appropriate size.
4. Hide the original text layer.
5. Adjust the text position and spacing of the new text layer. (Please keep the font size consistent)
6. Create a layer mask and erase the upper part of the text with an eraser.
7. Show the original text layer, create a layer mask, and erase the lower part of the text with an eraser.
Finished adding text!
5.【Other Uses of the Text Tool】
✧Using the Text Tool to Create Radial Designs
After adding text, let's create the central pattern!
For the focus line pattern in this design, besides using existing materials and drawing with the Radial Ruler, I will provide a method to obtain the pattern using only the text tool!
🔧Method
1. Add a new circular text layer.
2. Input multiple 'i' characters until they fill the circle.
3. Adjust text size, kerning, and other settings, and enable 'Evenly distribute'.
4. Additionally, you can change settings such as italic (Italic), horizontal and vertical scale, clockwise or counter-clockwise distribution, etc., to suit your needs.
5. Other text symbols like '*', '-', ']' can also be tried!
✅Advantages
Convenient and intuitive; easily mastered if you know how to use the text tool.
No need to spend extra time searching for materials.
Does not degrade when magnified, so no worries about insufficient material resolution.
🆖Disadvantages
Limited choice of text symbols.
Sometimes selecting a font can inadvertently take a lot of time.
Cannot create connected patterns (see supplement below).
✧Using the Text Tool to Obtain Shapes
Besides radial patterns, we can also use the text tool to obtain other shapes.
🔧Method
1. Add a new regular text layer.
2. In the Text tool property panel, click 'Character List'.
3. Depending on the font you choose, various supported symbols will appear.
4. Symbols like '©' and '®' can be found under 'Latin Extended'; other symbols like '★' and '☆' can be found under 'Geometric Shapes'.
✅Advantages
No need for extra searching for symbols like '©'.
Does not degrade even when magnified.
🆖Disadvantages
The number of supported symbols varies greatly among fonts.
The character list is very long, requiring time to find suitable symbols.
After adding the star pattern, the design is almost complete.
Next, I will explain some supplementary steps.
6.【Adding Patterns】
What if the pattern you want to add cannot be input using the text tool?
This section will explain other steps for adding patterns.
✧Drawing Straight Vector Shapes
🔧Method
1. Add a new vector layer.
2. Select the 'Polyline' tool.
3. Turn off the grid or turn off the tool's snap function.
4. Draw according to the sketch.
5. For the last stroke, make sure there is an 'o' shape on the cursor to connect the vector path.
✧Drawing Curved Vector Shapes
🔧Method
1. Add a new vector layer.
2. Select the 'G-pen' or another brush without pen pressure settings.
3. Turn off the grid or turn off the tool's snap function.
4. Draw according to the sketch.
5. You can add symmetry rulers or other special rulers as needed for assistance.
6. You can also obtain patterns by combining different shapes; for example, the rabbit's head in the image below was drawn with the shape tool.
✧Filling Shapes with Color
However, as of CSP Ver3.0, vector layers do not support fill functions, so we need to add a separate raster layer for filling. But don't worry, since the outline of the shape is a vector path, the design will still not degrade or show jagged images when magnified.
🔧Method
1. Add a new raster layer below the vector shape layer.
2. Set the shape layer as the 'Reference layer'.
3. Select the 'Refer multiple' tool.
4. Set 'Scale area' to '-1', and for 'Refer multiple layers' setting, select the second icon.
5. Enclose the shape on the raster layer, and you're done.
✧Drawing Inverted Shapes, Final Alignment Check
You can also add white lines to your shapes as needed for your design.
Aside from setting the color to white, the other steps are the same as adding shapes above.
Finally, you can re-check if the pattern is centered:
🔧Method
Place the rabbit-related layers into the same layer folder (you can select multiple layers and then press Ctrl+G) → Select both the text layer and the vector layer of the shape outline → Use the alignment function.
Rabbit pattern obtained!
7.【Stamp Texture Processing】
Let's do the final processing!
To make the watermark look more like a stamp, I added some white dots to simulate an ink-deficient effect.
🔧Method
1. Place the existing layers into the same folder.
2. Add a new raster layer above the folder and 'Clip to layer below'.
3. Use the following brush to apply white smudges.
4. Erase excessive white dots as needed.
8.【Export】
Done! Now we can export the image file.
🔧Method
1. Hide the paper layer.
2. Right-click any layer, then select 【Duplicate combined visible layers】.
3. Click 【Edit】→ 【Convert brightness to opacity】.
4. Select the new layer (Ctrl-click the layer thumbnail simultaneously).
5. Click 【Fit canvas to selection】.
6. Hide the original vector layers.
7. Save as a new PNG file, and you're done.
Conclusion
After obtaining the PNG file, you can add the watermark to your other illustrations once they are complete!
Additionally, CSP also has a function to add watermarks when exporting files; please refer to the following official tutorial:
Thank you for reading this far!
What do you think of this tutorial?
Feel free to leave a comment and let me know! I hope this tutorial was helpful to you.
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