ClipStudioTips2026

Introduction

In this TIPS article, I will introduce tips for impasto painting with a sense of translucency that I usually focus on, as well as how to use colors to bring out the charm of your characters.

Brushes to Use

The brushes I use are:

Impasto brush (Any one you like is fine. I am using the "Maou Impasto Brush." You can download the Maou Impasto Brush from the Assets.)

G-pen

Airbrush

 

 

What are Saturation and Brightness?

Saturation is the vividness of a color. The higher the saturation, the more vivid the color becomes; the lower it is, the more grayish it appears.

Brightness (Value) is the lightness of a color. The higher the brightness, the lighter it is; the lower it is, the darker it becomes.

First, Roughly Paint the Base!!

First, separate the layers into skin, eyes, hair, and clothes. Using layer colors will help you avoid getting confused later.

Paint roughly like this; it's okay if you go outside the lines. I try to paint with relatively dark colors.

Since this is the process of creating the base, it's fine even if you go outside the lines a bit, as you'll tidy it up later. I often use the G-pen here.

How to Paint Hair

Painting Highlights

First, paint a high-brightness color on top of the base. You can use either an impasto brush or a G-pen here, but I recommend the G-pen.

Then, place white on top of that. I use an impasto brush for this part.

Adding Skin Tones

Use the eyedropper to pick the skin base color and paint it as shown in this image.

Painting Shadows

For shadows, paint with a high-saturation color while lowering its brightness.

By using high-saturation colors for shadows, they won't look grayish, and it creates a sense of translucency.

After painting, pick the surrounding colors with the eyedropper and apply them over the shadows; this creates a feeling of the surrounding colors being reflected, increasing translucency. Tidy it up like that, and it will look like the image.

Painting the Skin

Painting Shadows

For the skin, start painting from the shadows. The shadow color should be slightly lower and to the right on the color circle (square) compared to the base color. Use that to add shading.

It looks good if you put the same color as the shadow under the eyes and add a few highlights.

The key point is to pick the surrounding colors with the eyedropper after painting the shadows and then paint them into the shadows.

Painting Highlights

For this part, it's fine just to paint while keeping the light source in mind.

Painting the Cheeks

Add a slight redness to the cheeks with an airbrush. Adding a healthy complexion creates a more translucent impression.

This completes the skin.

Painting Clothes

First, paint with a color that has high saturation and low brightness.

After that, it will look good if you add white.

By layering white, it gives the impression of light hitting the surface, further increasing translucency.

How to Paint Eyes

First, paint a dark color for the base as shown in the image.

Then, keep adding more and more shadows. Once painted, use the eyedropper to pick the base color and place a bit of it on the dark areas. Next, paint the pupil. After painting, pick the base color with the eyedropper again and paint it.

Then, paint the cheek color up to about halfway and add white further down.

Finally, draw the highlights with a G-pen, and the eyes are finished.

Creating the Atmosphere

First, paint blue over the whole area, red on the skin areas, and purple on the shadow areas.

Then, go to Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur. After that, make various adjustments.

It is recommended to apply Gaussian blur until the whole thing blends slightly. I use it at the maximum value.

Then, change the layer blending mode to Overlay and adjust the brightness to your liking, and it's done.

Afterword

The painting method introduced this time is a way to express the "translucency" that I usually focus on.

In particular, by picking and layering surrounding colors onto shadows and choosing colors with saturation and brightness in mind, it becomes easier to create a natural atmosphere throughout the illustration. Of course, there is no single correct way to paint, so please find your own style!

I would be happy if this could be of some help in your illustration process. Thank you very much for reading until the end!