The art of the line

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freetodecide1

freetodecide1

 

Many manga artists using Clip Studio Paint make a sketch on paper, scan the sketch, and finish the drawing from there. Others do all the work, from start to finish, in Clip Studio Paint. And then there are those who prefer to ink pencil, pen, or brush on paper, and use Clip Studio Paint only for tones, lettering, and other graphic effects.

Those in the first two fields will find this chapter helpful. Here, we are going to focus on the sleeve line; in other words, the inking step. You have already sketched the drawing, either on paper or in the study of manga with a mouse or a table. Now, you are ready to ink it. Since most manga are colorless, the inking step (along with the tones) is where manga art takes on its depth of field, emotion, and full power.

 

One of the most important concepts to master when inking in Clip Studio Paint is line weight. Simply put, objects in the foreground should have a thicker, more defined line than objects in the background. Objects in the background have less line weight. This creates a three-dimensional effect by bringing objects in the foreground closer to the viewer.

To achieve this weight, a variable line with a brush or pens, thicker pens, or different ink techniques would be used. In Clip Studio Paint, it all comes down to the choice of pens or brushes. There are several preset pens that mimic the traditional calligraphy nibs or brushes used by manga artists. These pens can be modified in the Pen Options window once you are familiar with your answer.

 

SOFT LINES

 

Manga creators often stick with a particular drawing method and stick with it throughout their careers. Sometimes that means drawing on paper and scanning; some take a mouse and never leave it; others buy their first graphics tablet and fall in love. It is up to you if you want to stick with the tools that got you where you are today, or if you want to experiment, as each approach has advantages and disadvantages.

 

Among digital manga creators, there are stellar examples who have followed any of the three approaches above and made it work well for them. You should use whatever tool you feel most comfortable with, be it a pen and paper, a mouse, or a graphics tablet. Whatever gets you the smoothest line.

 

Clip Studio Paint comes with many pen options, including an auto-smoothing feature for those who want help creating that ultra-smooth ink line.

This feature may need to be turned off or adjusted at times to create a more "natural" feel to the artwork. To turn it off and on, go to Pen - Tool Options and click Correction.

You can also adjust this correction value from 0 to 20. This value controls the severity with which you want the program to correct your line.

 

Here's an example of a line drawn without and with Clip Studio Paint's pen correction option, followed by a screenshot of the pen tool options, turning anti-aliasing on and off. In the first image, the one without antialiasing, you notice that the lines are more wobbly and vary in their weight or thickness. Using the Correction option dramatically reduces these lines in the second image.

 

 

THICK LINES

As mentioned above, thick lines are used for foreground objects to distinguish them from the background. It is even possible to have more than two planes in your art - foreground objects can have a thicker line than middle foreground objects, and background objects can have an even thinner line. An example of this is a panel in which a man is clearing some brush in a jungle to reveal a lake. The camera is deep in, and the arms and foliage are in the extreme foreground. Elements of the forest between the hands and the opening have a middle line, and the lake a few meters has the thinnest line.

The pens that work well for thick lines in Clip Studio Paint EX are the Kabura pen and the Brush pen. The Kabura pen will give you a very smooth look, while the brush is good for times when you need a natural brush look for thick lines.

THIN LINES

Often the finer lines are reserved for facial details, especially when drawing women. Lines that are too thick achieve a masculine effect, or facial features blend into the hair and background. Also, fine lines are used for distant objects, such as elements of the sky and the horizon. Try the Mara pen or the School pen on the Clip Studio Paint EX for a nice thin line. The School pen is similar to the Kabura pen, but thinner; the Mara pen is designed for fine detail work.

COMBINED BRUSHES

Although the previous two pen examples specialize in thick and fine lines, the G pen is good for all types of work. This pen will create a thick or thin line depending on the pressure on a graphics tablet. When using a mouse, a few simple adjustments to the Tool Options settings will create the necessary effect.

 

The gray use ballpoint pen

The latest preset pen is called the Gray Use pen. It is a thick ballpoint pen used to aid in shading. Our shading techniques in the later chapters do not use the gray use pen; however, you can find some use for it by experimenting.

Here is a complete drawing, with thick and thin lines, done entirely with the G pen.

 

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