Introduction

Hello!

In this tutorial I will be showing you how easy it is to draw with your finger (No stylus needed!) using Clip studio on your phone.

I will share my favorite tools and some of my tricks while drawing an illustration from start to finish.

If you’re familiar with the mobile version of Clip Studio and how to navigate it, please skip to Chapter B Where I will give you my tips & shortcuts while demonstrating how my favorite tools work, all to make to make the process of drawing on a phone easy & fun.

You don’t need any extra material (no stylus - Just Fingers) besides your phone.

A. Everything you need to know about Csp Mobile Version

1. Download The App

Android Users :

Go over to the “App Store” Type Clip Studio Paint and Download the app.

iOs Users :

Go over to the “Apple Store” Type Clip Studio Paint and Download the app.

Ps : From here on out I will be putting screenshots (Better Quality) instead of phone images (except when needed) so that you can easily follow along.

The following screenshots were taken on an android mobile but I used the app on an Iphone 13 as well there was practically no difference between the two : So Iphone users can follow this tutorial as well.

2. Open Canvas

Once you open the app, you will have three options :

- Try for Free : It allows you to draw for 30 hours for free with no ads.

- Sign Up : For this you will have to create an account and purchase a plan (monthly or yearly). If you already have an account, you can directly access it on : Use existing plan.

I will be using “Try for Free” to explore the app for beginners from start to finish.

After you choose your plan : This following window (HOME) will open :

It’s the main (landing) page where you can access the menu, settings, materials, announcements and everything from the app.

I will explain what each icon refers to by numbers as illustrated in the image.

1-Projects : Here you can find your saved or imported projects in App or in Cloud.

2-Draw : this will lead you to open new canvas or access your saved files.

3-Notice : a red dot will appear on this icon when you have new notifications about contests, tutorials, or announcements related to the app.

4-Log In : you can log in to your existing account from here or create a new one and then you’ll have settings related to your account.

5- Search : this will lead you to a chrome or safari page with a search bar where you can type what you’re looking for relating to or about clip studio.

6-Assets : this one will lead you to a chrome or safari page full of materials that can be downloaded (The library)

7-Settings : This icon will open a tab of settings including Light/Dark Mode, Companion Mode, Cloud, Privacy settings, Manage or Download materials, and plans.

8-Related to Clip Studio : Here you can see and access Tutorials, share your work, search for materials and get support.

To start drawing : make a new canvas or access saved files & Projects : click on 2 (Draw)

Once you click on “draw” you will have this following window :

 

 

1-To open an image/photo from your gallery, storage or files to a new canvas.

2-Create a new canvas with custom size.

3-A ready made canvas with a phone screen size .

4-If you scroll to the right you can find more ready-made canvas (square, landscape..)

5-See all projects saved in app or in cloud.

6-Import a Csp file or Image from your storage and open in new canvas.

7-You can change the canvas depending on whether you’re drawing an illustration webtoon, comic or animation.

8- Canvas settings : resolution, size, color, background, title, canvas type (illustration or animation) and the option to Record a Timelapse (see following image to the right)

9- Go back to menu.

 

 

4. Simple Mode

There are two modes in Csp mobile version :

Studio mode which is similar to the Pc version and simple mode which minimizes the number of tools and settings to have a larger drawing area.

simple mode can be more convenient when sketching or making line art because it gives you more space and less distractions.

Let’s see all there is to know about simple mode :

1-Quick switch between the eraser and the drawing tool.

2-Drawing tools : the 10 main tools you might need when drawing (see following image to the right)

 

 

3-Drawing tool settings (see following image to the right)

4-Choose color from the color wheel or color set or slider (see following image to the left).

5-Open layers tab.

6-Options : switch to studio mode, export, flip canvas & preferences (See middle image above).

7-Material tab.

8-Undo and redo.

9-Go back to menu.

10-Time bar : This will show you how much time you’ve used from your free plan.

11-Brush size.

12-Brush Opacity.

I took screenshots of all of the tabs that open when clicking on these icons so please see a bit further down for a clear insight.

If you click on 3 (drawing tool settings) you will have the following image to the right : you can click on the three dots to change stabilization or click on the plus sign to duplicate, import or add new brushes.

 

 

Again about 3 (drawing tool settings) :

If you click the small arrow next to the brush you will open the following tab/image : brush settings size and opacity (which can be accessed directly on screen like we saw earlier)

If you open layer tab, you will have the following image :

1-make layer visible or invisible if the eye is crossed.

2-Delete layer.

3-Layer Mode (Blending Modes).

4-clip to layer bellow.

5-Lock layer.

6-Layer settings (see following image to the right)

7-Layer opacity

8-Add new layer

5. Studio Mode

While the simple mode gives you more space and less distractions, the studio mode has more tools & features that you will probably need.

I personally alternate between the two on the same illustration.

Let’s see everything you need on studio mode :

so first click on simple mode options (three dots) and switch to studio mode.

The following image to the right will then open :

1-Menu (with all settings and access to filters, edit, save, expirt, import…..etc)

2-Quick switch between Two tools (eraser mostly and drawing tool).

3-Brushes.

4-Drawing tools.

5-Object operation.

6-Tool size.

7-Tool Opacity.

8-Free Time bar.

9-quick access to Functions : change canvas size, quick share, pose scanner….etc

10-Layer tab.

11-Layer property.

12-Object operation.

13-Color wheel.

14-Default Color set.

15-Color Set.

16-Materials tab.

17-expand screen (hide bars)

Icons following numbers on the following image :

1-Go back to menu.

2-Save.

3-Undo.

4-Redo.

5-Delete.

6-Scale/rotate.

7-copy.

8-cut.

9-paste.

10-keyboard keys.

11-Choose color/Color wheel.

If you click on the tool icon to the side, a tab with all tools will appear (following image to the right)n there you can choose which tool to work with, and once you click on it, you can see it’s settings.

6. Touch gestures

You can make quick shortcuts to some options using your fingers with simple gestures.

-Tap once with two fingers (index & middle) (at the same time) to Undo.

-Tap once with three fingers (index, ring & middle) (at the same time) to Redo.

-Put Finger & hold on screen to use eyedropper (pick color from screen)

 

-Put (not tap) two fingers (index & thumb) on screen and spread outwards to Zoom in.

-Put (not tap) two fingers (index & thumb) on screen and pinch inwards to Zoom out.

-Put two fingers on screen & hold to move and rotate.

B. Tools And Tips That That I Use To Make The Process Easier

In the Second Chapter (B) : I will show you the tools, tricks and shortcuts that I use to make the process easier on a smartphone.

I will first explain how each tool works and then apply it to my own drawing going back and forth between simple mode and studio mode.

 

 

Ps : I already explained with screenshots what all symbols & Icons in the app refer to so please refer to Chapter One (A) if you find it difficult to find any tool or option.

 

1. Grid Tool

One of the best tools you can have while drawing on your phone is the “Grid”, not only does it help you draw in correct proportions but once you activate “snap to grid” it won’t matter whether your finger is shaky or not because the lines will come out smooth and straight according to the grid.

This tool is best suited for drawing shapes that are based on straight lines squares and rectangles.

You can’t access the grid from simple mode so you first have to switch to studio mode like i explained in chapter One.

Once you do that : Click on the Menu (Three Horizontal lines) → View → Click on Grid to activate it (You can adjust the grid settings and squares on the same window by accessing “Grid/Ruler bar Settings”)

Scroll down the “view” window again to find “snap” option : Click on it and activate “snap to Grid”

Then simple pick up the brush (adjust the size and opacity to your liking ) and draw.

as you can see the lines stick to the grid lines so you can zoom in without fear that you’ll stray away from the line.

we’ll explore more of the grid tool along the process.

2. Figure Tool

The Figure tool is also one of the most convenient tools if you’re making a “figure” drawing (lines, squares, circles…etc).

It has several options from simple straight lines to circles and polygons.

This tool allows you to make clear and defined shapes regardless of your precision.

Click the first (to the left) figure icon to chose figure.

Click the second figure icon to choose :

Lines only : a figure made of lines, empty inside like the top square.

lines and fill : the lines will have the primary color and the inside fill will have the secondary color.

Fill : Both the lines and inside will have the same primary color.

Ps : it’s the same thing in studio mode.

 

 

If you switch back to studio mode and activate the “grid+snap to grid” : The figures you make will also snap (stick) to the grid lines making it even easier to draw.

3. Move & Transform

This tool allows you to “move” the drawing by holding the figure and moving it to where you’d like it.

It also allows you to “transform” your drawing by making it bigger or smaller by pulling in or out on the blue dot icons if it’s in the “scale/rotate” option.

Hold the scale/rotate window and pull up to see more options : flip, rotate, and maintain scale ration (this means the figure will have the same ratio whether it gets bigger or smaller).

 

 

Free transform : This allows you to pull on the edges altering the ratio.

This one is more suitable for altering the shape into perspective as you’ll see me do later.

Mesh transform it : This allows you to completely alter the shape to your liking : the more small blue dot icons there are the more you can pull on them and transform the shape (you can choose the number of your dots in window options).

This option is more suited for free shapes when drawing landscapes and trees.

 

 

In studio mode :

instead of choosing the move/transform tool : you have the The scale/rotate tool icon down the screen :

You can move the drawing by holding the figure and moving to where you’d like it.

You can increase size (make it bigger) by pulling out on one of the angles or small square icons.

You can decrease size (make it smaller) by pulling in on one of the angles or small square icons.

To Free transform the drawing :

1-Click Scale/Rotate

2-Click on the keyboard shortcut icon

3-Click Ctrl

4-Transform

 

 

4. The Three Tools put into action

Instead of one or the other, these three tools work best combined when drawing buildings, rooms and overall line based illustrations.

I will be a drawing a Store Front so this combo made the process 10 times smoother, faster and easier.

 

 

Activate (check) grid & Snap to Grid → Figure Tool & Move/Transform

Add Extra Details with Figure tool (lines) or a pen brush.

If you’re zoomed out : the lines will sticks perfectly to the grid lines/squares so it can be difficult to align the shapes sometimes so make sure to zoom in and adjust it if that happens.

Ps : if you want to move/transform each section/square/line on it’s own, you should draw them on separate layers.

Then merge all layers (layers settings) and transform/adjust the final drawing.

I drew this store front using only the three tools I explained! And as you can see from the time line, it only took me 15 mn (while taking screenshots and extra steps for the sake of the tutorial).

5. Selection & Lasso Tool

One of the tools I find to be most convenient is the (selection) lasso tool.

You can find it in both simple & studio mode.

The selection Tool had several shapes : circle, triangle and lasso (free form).

It allows you to make a selection of your choice (where you want it/the entire drawing or just a portion of it).

then you will be able to draw,move or transform that selected area without going over the rest of the canvas/drawing.

The following image to the left shows you where to find the selection tool in simple mode.

The +/- sign allows you to add (make several selections) or remove (delete from selection).

the following icon allows you to inverse selection : the entire canvas will be selected except the initially selected area (we’ll see an example next).

The “move” icon allows you to move that selected area.

You can also copy or cut and paste like shown in the following image to the right (only the selected area was copied and moved while the rest of the drawing remained untouched).

 

 

The following image to the left is where to find the selection tool in studio mode.

If you click on it, you will open setting (image to the right) from which you can click (+) sign to add selection.

Here’s how I use this tool :

I use it to select a specific area to color.

with the phone screen being so small, it’s hard to color without going over the edges so I use the selection tool & I activate the (+) add option to make several selections as I zoom in till I get my entire area selected.

I use the lasso for free forms and messy objects like this tree.

And the triangle one for buildings and line-based drawings.

it saves you a lot of time and is practical.

In my store front illustration, i found that some lines went over the edge a bit so instead of redoing my lines, i used the selection tool to select that part and then switched to the eraser and erased the excess. without worrying that i might touch or alter the rest of the drawing.

A similar tool to this one, is the selection area tool.

This tool can only be found in studio mode.

The only difference is that the selection tool allows you to make a selection anywhere you want unbound by lines. But the selection area only selects areas that are limited by lines like shown in the following middle image.

if the area you selected is not fully closed (the lines don’t touch) : the selection will go over the rest of the canvas like shown in the following image to the right.

I use this tool to color areas limited by lines like the following image.

Sometimes small area like the image to the left.

Or other times to fill the entire drawing :

I select the canvas the inverse selection : this way my drawing will be selected (the reason i didn’t selected from the get go is because it has many lines so that would be a hassle).

Now that my drawing is selected, i fill in a monotonous color and then start coloring smaller parts from there using the clipping mask (we’ll see it later).

This tool saves a lot of time & is convenient while using the phone because you don’t need to zoom in or out or strain your eyes.

you already did the work while sketching, now you can simply make a selection and fill in, it’s that easy!

6. Sketch & Line Art

Sketching on phone is quite challenging.

The more you zoom in the more you trail off the road because you’re not sure where your line is heading so there three ways for an easy sketching & line art drawing.

One : For line-based drawing (buildings and rooms…etc)

One : If you have already made the sketch using the grid like I explained earlier, you can now freely zoom in because you won’t stray from the lines too much.

-Lower the opacity of the sketch layer.

-Make a new layer.

-Select you brush/pen and zoom in.

-Draw your line art by tracing the initial sketch.

 

 

I used the rough pen because I like it’s texture.

With this method, the final line art might not be as straight as the initial sketch, so this method is preferred for a loose drawing, or if you want an air of “sketch” to your work or maybe it’s your style.

The second method : if you want straight crispy lines : simply using the grid again.

You can finish your drawing within 3 minutes.

As you can see, I drew my line art using the grid without repeatedly zooming on or out or straining my eyes. I simple glided my finger and lines were made.

This allowed me to make some changes to the initial sketch as I was seeing the whole picture.

 

 

we’ll see third method (for free forms & landscapes) in a separate chapter further down the tutorial.

7. Liquify Tool

The liquify tool allows you to make adjustments to your drawing by pulling/pushing the part you want to fix.

It can go from simple fix to a complete altercation depending on how you use it.

This tool is available on both simple & studio mode.

I find this tool convenient when drawing on the phone because it allows you to fix mistakes without redrawing.

as you can see in the following image, there was one line that I didn’t like (it felt bumpy) and i wanted it to bend inwards.

Instead or erasing and trying to get it correct. I simply used the liquify tool to push that line inward making it into the shape i wanted.

One small gesture fixed it so this tool is valuable for smart phone drawing.

And this was my final line art using only 5 tools/features in a few minutes without straining my eyes.

8. Bucket Tool

Moving on to coloring on phone :

My favorite tool is the bucket tool.

When you select the bucket tool and click on the canvas on a certain area/shape, it fills the area limited by lines with the selected color. (see following mage)

keyword is “limited by lines”. Don’t just drop it on a loose sketch with non connected lines.

If you do have a loose sketch or or a drawing with lines that aren’t connected, use the lasso/selection tool that we explained earlier to create a selection, then use the bucket tool to fill it. That way you won’t need lines.

If the gap in lines is not too big, you can turn on the “close gap feature” and will only fill that selected space (with some extra depending on how big the gap is).

In my drawing (following images) :

I used the bucket tool (fill) to fill in most of the drawing.

And as some lines weren’t thick enough and not properly connected, some of the color leaked.

So I simply switched to the pen or eraser, zoomed in and fixed it.

It wasn’t much trouble because it’s usually very minimal.

So overall the coloring process is very fast and smooth with no need to zoom in on every part.

9. Free forms (no Lines)

Going back to sketch & line art : I will show you

How I go about sketching Landscapes and free forms :

If your drawing is not “lines based” it can be a bit challenging to sketch since the screen is too small and zooming in can deviate you from the initial shape.

In this case it is better to first make a silhouette of the object or the landscape.

1-Use a simple G pen : lower the opacity : increase size : zoom out and draw a silhouette.

2-It can take several attempts to get a perfect silhouette but it will get better with practice.

3-alternate between the pen and the eraser to get a better shape.

4-Lower the opacity of the silhouette layer : make a new layer and zoom in to make a sketch.

5-Then finally (like earlier) lower the opacity of the sketch layer and create a new layer to make line art then delete sketch layers.

10. Layer Modes & Clipping

Back to coloring :

Layer modes is an easy shortcut to make new colors.

I use the blending mode “multiply” to make the shadows.

How it works :

I drew two spheres on separate layers with the same color.

when both layers are in normal mode, they seem to blend together.

but if I turn one layer (the top one) to multiply, it will create a darker shade of that color.

In order to work without zooming in too much or worrying about the color going over the lines, I use the clipping feature.

This feature makes the clipped layer limited by the layer beneath.

As you can see in the following image, once i activated the clipping feature, only part of the sphere appears and that is the part that is apparent in the drawing of the layer beneath while the rest disappeared.

11. Text & Layer Border

Text is only available in studio mode.

you can access it from tools bar and click on it to select size, font and placement.

An easy tool to type with no need to manually write.

after you’ve typed your text, you can change color on the color when or move it/transform through scale/rotate.

Another feature I love to use on phone is “border” :

you can access this feature in layer settings.

This creates a border to you drawing (on that layer).

You can choose the thickness of your border and its color from settings.

I mostly use this feature combined with text because it’s fast and easy to add depth to the text without having to go over it.

12. Don't Get stuck on small details : Blur

One of the things I tend to do when drawing on the phone is “loose” details by blurring them out.

Again, the screen is too small and too many details can strain your eyes so it’s better to focus on the overall view and blur unneeded details (like the inside of the store in this instance).

You can access this feature through studio mode only :

-Go to menu bar

-Filter

-Blur

-Gaussian Blur

it will then open a window where you can adjust blur strength.

Then I made some extra details using the previous tools (figure tool & Free Transform).

I kept going back to the first three tools which proves that you don’t need a lot of tools to draw on phone.

13. Assets (Materials)

A great way to save time and avoid several attempts of making a perfect drawing despite having shaky fingers is : materials.

It can go from brushes to full houses.

Materials are a great way to add details with ease when drawing on phone.

Clip studio has a large library of materials (brushes, 3d forms….etc) which you can access from phone.

In order to download anything, you have to be logged in.

 

 

You can access it from simple mode as follows :

once you click on “add recommended materials” the following tab to the right will open showcasing some suggested materials.

-If you click on one of those materials , it will open a window where you can download the material.

-If you scroll down that tab you will find a “search other materials” button which will lead you to a chrome or safari page of the library.

 

 

Once you’re in the library page, you can search for any material and download.

If you open settings and go over to data transfer, you can find which materials are being downloaded and how fast the download is going.

On the same settings tab, you can find “manage materials” which leads you to existing materials in app or in cloud.

In studio mode, you can find your downloaded materials in the material tab (I explained where to find them in chapter A).

-Select your material

-click on the three horizontal lines

-select : paste material to canvas

 

 

-If the material is an image it will pass to the canvas, but if not, the following image will appear (registered to sub tool palette) which means you can find in in your sub tools window and use it as a brush.

I downloaded another material (bricks)to fill the wall and repeated the same steps to get this outcome.

Then I used the clipping option (the one I explained earlier) to color the line art.

so as you can see, i keep using the same tools but for different purposes every time.

The more you explore, the more you find out that you can draw fine illustrations with limited tools on a phone.

Materials I used :

14. Filters

“Filters” Feature is another great way to create unique vibes without the need to manually add them (all for the sake of not straining your eyes).

-Merge all layers or flatten image from layer settings.

-Go to the menu bar

-Select Filters.

I used the “retro film” for this specific illustration because I wanted it to appear a bit antique.

once you choose your filter, a tab will appear where you can adjust strength & other details depending on your filter.

And this is the final result! all drawn on a smart phone.

15. Save & Export (Share)

Once you’re finished, in simple mode, click the options icon and Export.

A tab will appear : click on save to device and choose your image format then click ok.

If you want to directly share your work to social media, select share instead of save to device and choose the app you want to share it on.

in studio mode : go to menu : file : save to save file & export to photo library to save image.

16. Time lapse

Apply the same steps but choose “export time lapse” to export a video of your process.

Studio Mode : Menu : File : Time lapse : Export

A tab will then appear with options of video length, resolution & logo.

Conclusion

In the end, drawing on the phone is quite easy but since the screen is small, you should be smart about choosing your tools, and use them to your advantage for a quick and not-eye-straining process.

As you saw, my illustration is rather minimalist but also beautiful.

I could’ve made a lot more details but since the screen is small, one should be mindful of their eyes.

I have demonstrated over a dozen of tools for you to use smartly on phone. I hope it was helpful.

To see more of my art check out my Ig @cherrzart