Welcome to this tutorial!

My name is Maria and I'll be guiding you on how to build your comic's world with backgrounds.

 

We'll be extracting lines from 3D materials using the LT layer conversion function, as well as learning how to edit background work.

 

Let's begin!

Using 3D Materials

【WHERE TO FIND MATERIALS】

 

3D Materials can be acquired through the following methods:

• Under Clip Studio Paint's Asset Store's [MENU] > [3D]

• By searching "Background" / "背景" in Clip Studio Paint's Asset Store

• Importing third party 3D data [.obj, .fbx, .lws, etc...]

【BUILDING YOUR OWN BACKGROUNDS】

 

However, you have to be clever and resourceful with what you've got. Sometimes, you can't find the exact kind of background you're looking for and you're not great building 3D tools for yourself.

 

▼ You'll have to Frankenstein your way in order to get your ideal background! ▼

For this scene, I need a party hall to host a wedding reception. There are wonderful assets available for purchase, but I only plan to use this setting once! Decide for yourself if materials are worth investing in.

Instead of spending over 4000 G on a single-use background for my story, I instead use the following materials to create my own 3D space for only 50 Clippy.

There's also a number of great pre-installed materials that come with Clip Studio Paint. A simple search through your downloaded materials can reveal what you've been searching for all along!

 

▼ Here, I repurposed a school chair ▼

Converting 3D > Lines

▲ Let's get to know the LT Conversion of Layer ▲

 

You can access this function through either:

① [LAYER PROPERTY] > [EFFECT] > [EXTRACT LINE]

② [EXTRACT LINE] > [CONVERT LAYERS TO LINES AND TONES]

or;

① [LAYER] > [CONVERT LAYERS TO LINES AND TONES]

【SOME NOTES ON LINE CONVERSION】

 

You're free to experiment with whatever settings best fit the style you're currently using. There is a "Preview" option that's always available to reflect your edits.

 

That being said, please note the following:

 

• [Enhancement degree of outer line] will change the line thickness of objects "closer" to the camera. Use this if you are trying to highlight what is in the foreground.

• On the [Line Width] Graph, the difference of the [Front] upper limit and [Back] lower limit is directly proportional to the depth of the extracted lines.

• The [Posterization] slides adjust the density of the tones. If you prefer to use your own screentones, set them low.

Cleaning Up

After isolating the vector layer that [LT Conversion] has given me,

▼ I'm left with the following lineart ▼

[LT Conversion] will provide you with a monochrome vector layer with no anti-aliasing. As such, the lines will be harsh and jagged.

 

If you prefer smoother lines, you must do the following:

① Select your entire vector layer

② [LAYER PROPERTY] > [COLOR EXPRESSION] > [GRAY] or [COLOR], depending on you

③ [TOOL PROPERTY] > [SUB TOOL DETAIL PALETTE] > [ANTI-ALIASING] > [WEAK]

With that, you can employ the use of screentones / colors as you like!

With all the characters, effects, dialogue boxes sorted, my comic page looks like this!

Remember, creativity is key in any pursuit! I hope you learned something!

If you're interested in the comic that you see here, feel free to read GHOUL CRUSH for free online!