Compatible with Clip Studio Paint Ver. 5.0

Are you drawing an illustration for the first time in Clip Studio Paint? Then this tutorial is for you.

We’ll show you how to draw a mini character illustration that looks like it was drawn with paper and pencil while also explaining how to use Simple Mode in Clip Studio Paint.

In this tutorial, we’ll draw an illustration following the steps below.

1. Creating a canvas

First, let's prepare a canvas to draw on.

1. After launching Clip Studio Paint, tap Draw in the upper left corner of the screen.

2. We’ll draw on a square canvas, which is easy to post on social media.

Under New canvas, tap Square.

3. This will open a square canvas that’s ready for you to draw on.

2. Creating layers

What is a layer?

Digital drawing uses "layers".

Layers act like transparent film. You’ll draw all your lines and colors on these transparent "layers".

Layers are stacked in the order they appear on the Layer palette. Whatever is drawn on the upper layers will cover what’s on the lower layers.

It’s easier to make corrections later by separating lines, colors, characters, and backgrounds onto different layers. You can also hide specific layers.

Adding layers

Prepare the layers you’ll need to draw your illustration.

You can see detailed layer information by swiping left on the Layer palette on the right side of the screen.

Initially, two layers are provided: "Paper" and "Layer 1".

1. Since we’ll use 4 layers for this illustration, tap the "+" button twice to add 2 layers.

2. Change the layer names according what you’ll use them for.

Tap on "Layer 1" to display the edit menu.

Tap the pen icon in the menu and set the layer name to “Draft".

2. Let's rename the other layers so that they are "Line drawing", “Color", and “Draft" from top to bottom.

Changing the layer order

You reorder layers by long-pressing and dragging layer thumbnails.

You can tap the arrow marked as “A” to make the Layer palette more compact and show only the layer you are currently drawing on.

3. Sketch

It’s time to draw a rough draft on the canvas to serve as the base for the line art.

The Pencil tool

This time, we’ll draw the sketch using the Pencil.

The Pencil tool features changing line thickness and opacity depending on pen pressure and tilt.

1. Tap the Brush icon from the toolbar on the left side of the screen and then select Sketch > Pencil.

2. Use the slider bar at the bottom left of the screen to adjust the brush size to one that you’re comfortable with.

You can also tap on the numerical value to make fine size adjustments.

3. Change the brush color to blue so that it’s easy to tell that it’s a sketch.

Tap on the color icon on the toolbar to display the Color Wheel palette.

You can change the color with this palette.

Drawing the sketch

Try drawing the rough sketch while keeping the overall size and balance of the character in mind.

The trick is to roughly capture the shape before drawing the finer details.

Since we are drawing a character that’s around 3 heads tall this time, draw three circles of about the same size.

Drawing the head, body, and legs to fit each circle makes it easier to balance the proportions.

Drawing the eyes in the lower half of the circle for the head makes the character seem young and cute.

Correcting lines

You can Undo or Redo your actions, or use the Eraser tool to correct your drawn lines.

When you want to redraw a line, tap the canvas with two fingers to Undo.

You can tap the canvas with three fingers to Redo the actions you undid with Undo.

Use the Eraser tool from the toolbar to erase lines in detail.

Using the Figure tool

Let’s draw the basketball the girl will be holding.

When you want to draw a perfect circle or square, you can easily do so using the Figure tool.

1. Select the Figure tool from the toolbar, and then select the Ellipse tool.

2. Change the tool’s settings.

Tap on the Figure icon on the toolbar when it’s already selected to change its settings. Turn on Keep aspect ratio so you can draw a perfect circle.

3. Dragging the tool with this setting allows you to draw a perfect circle.

Tip: Draw clean shapes with Smart Shape

If you draw a rough circle and hold your pen on the screen without lifting it, the drawn line will automatically change into a clean circle.

This feature is called Smart Shape. It allows you to draw clean shapes without switching tools.

You can change it to a perfect circle or other shapes from the Edit button that appears when you lift your pen.

For a detailed explanation of Smart Shape, please see the following article.

Once your sketch is complete, let's lighten the lines to make it easier to draw the final line art.

Tap on the “Draft" layer and lower the opacity with the slider. Here, we set it to 50%.

4. Line art

Let’s draw the final lines using the sketch as a reference.

Drawing line art

1. Select the "Line drawing" layer in the Layer palette.

2. Change the brush color to black and draw the lines with the Pencil tool.

When erasing line art, the trick is to set the color to transparent and erase using a "transparent brush".

Since you can erase with the same thickness and feel of the pen you are already using, the finish will be cleaner.

3. Color in the shorts while leaving the brush strokes visible.

Tip:

You can rotate the canvas to a direction that makes it easier for you to draw.

Tap and hold with two fingers and rotate to adjust the angle of the canvas.

For detailed instructions on how to operate the canvas, please refer to the user guide.

Adjusting lines

We’re going to adjust the line art of the braids.

The Liquify tool is useful when you want to change the position or angle of lines you have already drawn.

Select the "Line drawing" layer and select the Liquify tool from the toolbar.

Trace over the line art with Liquify to change the angle of the braid.

Tip:

It’s easier to correct lines with the Liquify tool if you use a larger brush size.

Hiding the sketch

Once you finish the line art, you can hide the "Draft" layer as you don’t need the sketch anymore.

Select the “Draft" layer on the Layer palette and tap the eye icon to hide the layer.

You’re now done with the line art.

5. Coloring

Changing the background color

We want this illustration to feel like traditional media, so we’ll change the background color.

1. On the Layer palette, tap on the "Paper" layer, and tap Change paper color.

2. Choose a background color from the color wheel. We’ll select a warm cream color for this illustration.

Coloring the character

We’re going to create a loose illustration without worrying about going outside the lines or leaving unpainted areas.

1. Select the “Color" layer on the Layer palette.

2. Select the brush to use for coloring.

We’ll use the Round mixing brush from the Brush tool. It is a brush that allows you to blend colors with a light touch.

3. Paint while changing the color and brush depending on what you’re coloring.

• Color in the stripes on the clothes with white

• Color in the basketball with a circular motion

• Use a light color for the shorts to add texture

4. You can create a soft atmosphere by lowering the brush opacity and layering light colors.

You can adjust the brush opacity using the right slider at the bottom of the screen.

Color in all areas to finish this step.

6. Finishing touches

Once you finished coloring, it’s time to add the finishing touches.

Changing the line art color

Let’s change the line art color to create a brighter atmosphere. This time, we’ll choose blue.

1. Open the Layer palette and create a new layer above the "Line drawing" layer.

2. Select blue from the Color palette.

3. Select the Fill tool from the toolbar.

4. Change the Fill settings so that you can fill in the entire canvas.

Tap on the Fill icon when it’s already selected to display its settings.

You can fill the entire layer by turning off Refer all layers in the settings.

5. Tap the canvas with this setting to fill the entire canvas with blue.

6. Open the Layer palette and tap on the Clip to Layer Below icon.

This will apply the blue color only to the line art drawn on the layer directly below it.

With the new line art color, you’ve now completed your illustration!

7. Saving and sharing images

Exporting your image

Tap Export image from the "..." icon in the top right of the screen.

You can save your illustration to your device or share it on social media.

Exporting a timelapse

You can easily create a timelapse video by tapping Export timelapse from the "..." icon.

Select your preferred video length, quality, and ratio, then tap Share to save the timelapse video to your device or share it on social media.

For detailed instructions on how to use Simple Mode, please refer to the following article.