Compatible with Clip Studio Paint Ver.3.1.0

 

Use the clipping function to add fine details to the hair in the illustration created in the Basic Guide.

 

Preparing the Layer (Setting the Clipping Mask)

Set a [Clipping Mask] for the new layer you have created.

 

1 Click the [Layer] palette → [New Raster Layer]. Double click the layer name of the layer you have created and change the layer name to "Retouch hair".

 

2 Change the stacking order on the [Layer] palette so that the "Retouch hair" layer is immediately above the "Hair" layer.

 

[Memo]

· Move any layers by dragging the grip on the right side of the layer when using the tablet or smartphone versions.

 

Hide the "Highlight" layer so that the line drawing can be easily seen when coloring.

 

3 While the "Retouch hair" layer is selected on the [Layer] palette, click [Clip at Layer Below].

 

The "Retouch hair" layer is clipped to the "Hair" layer and a red vertical line appears next to the thumbnail.

 

Tips: What Is Clipping at Layer Below?

Clipped layers reference the drawn area on the layer immediately below so that the selected layer is only displayed within this area. The content drawn on the clipped layer is not displayed in undrawn areas (transparent pixels) on the layer below. This is useful when you want to add shadow or touch up the drawn area on another layer. If the layer set as the reference for clipping (the "Hair" layer in this example) is hidden, the content drawn on the clipped layer (the "Retouch hair" layer in this example) is also not displayed.

 

<Preparing the Drawing Tool>

Three main tools are used for hair touchups: the [G-pen] sub tool of the [Pen] tool, the [Round mixing brush] sub tool of the [Brush] tool and the [Soft] sub tool of the [Airbrush] tool. Change the [Brush Size] setting as needed while drawing.

Note: Depending on the version you are using, one of the sub tools stored in the Brush [Sub tool] palette will differ.

Use the [Soft] sub tool of the [Airbrush] tool to apply a smooth gradient in some areas. Set a large brush size, as you will be blurring a large area.

 

Use the [G-pen] sub tool of the [Pen] tool to create a sharp division between two colors. Set a slightly large brush size as you will be coloring.

 

The [Round mixing brush] sub tool of the [Brush] tool creates a comparatively clear division between colors, but gives a softer impression than the [Pen] tool as you can vary the darkness of the color according to the pen pressure and mix the painting color with the ground color. Mixing the colors creates uneven color distribution, allowing you to intentionally leave brush strokes.

 

<Touching Up Shadows 1>

Touch up the hair by using the different tools to create different touches.

 

1 Select the [Airbrush] tool on the [Tool] palette and select [Soft] from the [Sub tool] palette.

 

2 Obtain a slightly more purplish color than the shadow color of the hair on the [Color Wheel] palette.

 

[Memo]

This can be done easily by using the [Eyedropper] tool to acquire the shadow color of the hair and then changing the color on the [Color Wheel] palette.

 

3 Using the large brush size that you set for the [Soft] sub tool of the [Airbrush] tool, apply a gradient throughout the area, paying attention to the curved lines of the hair.

 

This will not appear outside the drawn area of the hair as this layer is clipped.

 

4 To create clear border lines for areas such as tufts of hair, draw with the [Pen] tool and erase with the [Eraser] tool to add distinctions.

 

5 To smooth a border line added to create a distinction, use the [Brush] tool to blur the border line.

 

Tips: Using [Transparent color]

Setting [Transparent color] as the drawing color allows you to erase or lighten drawn content by touching the area with the current drawing tool. Use this along with the [Eraser] tool for smooth correction of illustrations.

 

<Touching Up Shadows 1>

Draw over the shadow areas of the hair in purple again to deepen the color. To confine the touchup to an even smaller area than the clipped area, use the [Auto select] tool to create a selection and then draw inside the selected area.

 

1 Select purple on the [Color Wheel] palette.

 

2 On the [Tool] palette, select the [Auto select] tool → [Refer to all layers].

 

3 Click the area of the canvas on which to draw.

To color multiple areas at once, hold down the [Shift] key while clicking each area of the canvas to create additional selections.

 

4 Set the desired darkness of the color (degree of mixing) by drawing with the [Brush] tool, adjusting the pen pressure to obtain the desired darkness.

 

After you have finished drawing, click the [Selection] menu → [Deselect] to deselect the selected area.

 

5 Adjust the drawing color slightly and repeat the steps above to add color to other areas.

 

Tips: Adding Depth to a Color

One way of adding depth to a color is to add similar colors in different hues instead of simply adding lighter and darker shades of the same color. Another method is to pay attention to ambient light in the character's surroundings and light reflected off nearby objects and mix these colors into the other colors throughout the image.

 

Tips: If Problems Occur When Creating Selections

The [Refer to all layers] sub tool of the [Auto select] tool also refers to the content on layers currently being drawn. This may cause problems when selecting areas that have already been drawn. In this case, temporarily hide unnecessary layers before creating a selection. In the example shown below, the "Retouch hair" layer is hidden as it is currently being drawn.

 

You can also configure the settings on the [Tool Property] palette of the [Auto select] tool so that edited layers are not referenced.

 

<Touching Up the Highlights>

Increasing the shadow areas will make the illustration look a little dark. Add another layer and add light areas to balance the illustration out.

 

1 Click [New Raster Layer] on the [Layer] palette to create a layer.

Double click the layer name of the layer you have created and change the layer name to "Luster of hair".

 

2 While the "Luster of hair" layer is selected, click [Clip at Layer Below] on the [Layer] palette.

 

The "Luster of hair" layer is clipped to the "Hair" layer along with the "Retouch hair" layer and a red vertical line appears next to the thumbnail. In this case, the "Luster of hair" layer is clipped to the drawn area of "Hair" layer, not the "Retouch hair" layer immediately below the "Luster of hair" layer.

 

3 Select a yellowish white on the [Color Wheel].

 

4 Using the [G-pen] sub tool of the [Pen] tool, draw highlights along the hair.

 

5 Add light purple highlights in areas where light would be reflected, including in the shadow areas.

 

<Touching Up the Reflected Light>

Add blue light reflected from the wings to the hair. Rather than drawing the reflected light realistically, add this touchup so that the color of the hair is not obtrusive when looking at the overall picture.

 

1 Select the [Brush] tool from the [Tool] palette, and then select [Round mixing brush] or [Dense watercolor] from the [Sub tool] palette.

Set the brush size to around "170" on the [Tool Property] palette, etc.

 

2 Select light blue on the [Color Wheel] palette and draw on the "Luster of hair" layer.

 

3 Like in the previous processes, use the [Soft] sub tool of the [Airbrush] tool to make the color soft and blurry in some areas.

 

4 Touchup of the hair is now complete.