Let's Draw Various Decorations with X-mas Brushes

Drawing elaborate Christmas decorations one by one requires a lot of time and effort. However, if you use Clip Studio, you can draw them very easily and quickly.

 

While there are many diverse and wonderful Christmas materials available, today I'll be drawing using a brush set I created myself. Before starting this TIPS, it is recommended to download the 'X-mas Brush Set' material from the Asset Store below. Additionally, I will introduce one more material used in this TIPS.

 

+(12.26 Update) The recommended material has been deleted and cannot be downloaded at present. We introduce other similar materials. Please refer to the 3rd URL.

 

 

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1. Brush Introduction and Preparation

The 'X-mas Brush Set' material consists of a total of 16 brushes. Each brush is designed with easily combinable elements, allowing you to effortlessly design decorations.

 

Open [Window]-[Material] from the top bar, then click the 'Download' folder to check your downloaded materials. Drag the 'X-mas Brush Set' downloaded above into [Sub Tool] to install it.

 

Each brush is set to draw in the direction you draw the line. Let's try using them to easily understand.

 

 

2. Drawing the Basic Shape of a Christmas Tree

Let's create the basic shape of a tree for our Christmas tree. Select the 'tree' brush and draw the top part of the tree. Then, add a new layer below this layer and draw downwards as well. Repeat adding a new layer below and drawing 4-5 times.

 

 

Add a new layer at the very bottom and draw additional leaves in the empty spaces. You don't need to worry too much about the direction and size.

 

However, don't fill all the empty spaces! It's better to leave some empty space.

 

 

Let's add shadows to create a sense of depth. Add a new layer above the layer where you want to add shadows. Check 'Clip to Layer Below' and set the blending mode to 'Multiply'. Then, use an airbrush to thickly paint the inside of the tree with a dark color.

 

 

3. Decorating the Christmas Tree

Add a new layer at the very top. Use other decoration brushes to adorn the tree. You can add ribbons to bells or hats to stars. Decorate beautifully to create your own unique tree!

 

 

Let's draw light bulbs using brushes. Reduce the size of the 'ball(D)' brush. Add a new layer below the decoration layer so that the decorations are not hidden, and draw the light bulbs. Then, duplicate the layer. Apply [Filter]-[Blur]-[Gaussian Blur] to about 7px.

 

Check 'Lock Transparent Pixels'. Select a color between gray and light orange. Click [Edit]-[Fill] from the top bar to fill the blurred layer. Set the blending mode to 'Screen' to make it glow. If the light is insufficient, duplicate the layer one more time.

 

 

 

The tree is complete! Draw a stand or gift boxes according to your preference.

 

 

4. Applying Christmas Brushes

Let's draw various Christmas decorations in the same way as the tree. You can design Christmas wreaths, ceiling decorations, and more.

 

To create a Christmas wreath, draw a circle with the 'tree' brush. Add leaves to refine any incomplete parts for a round shape.

You can create richer objects by combining decoration brushes. Let's attach the completed decorations onto the wreath one by one.

Complete it by adding light bulbs and shadows in the same way as in the <3. Decorating the Christmas Tree> section. Feel free to draw in other forms as well!

5. Designing a Christmas Card - Background

Now, let's design a Christmas card. Create a new canvas. I will create it based on a postcard size of 104*154(mm). Feel free to create it to fit the size of the card you want to make.

 

 

Paste the pre-drawn Christmas decorations onto the new canvas. You can also draw new ones. Create a new layer below the Christmas decoration layer. Then, paint the background with your desired color.

 

 

Create a new layer above the background-colored layer. Set the drawing color to sky blue. Click [Edit]-[Fill] from the top bar to fill the entire screen. Then, click the 'Tone' icon in the Layer Property to generate dots. I set the tone line count to 8.0. A pattern of black dots on a white background is excellent. Right-click on the layer to select and rasterize it.

 

 

Set the blending mode of the rasterized pattern layer to 'Color Burn'. Reduce the opacity until the dots are slightly visible.

 

 

Create a new layer above the pattern layer. Now, let's create the card's border. Use the 'Selection Area' tool to select a rectangle inside the card. Click [Selection Area]-[Invert Selected Area] from the top bar. Set the drawing color to white, and execute [Edit]-[Fill]. Is your white border complete?

 

 

This time, let's draw one more thin border. Select the 'Figure' tool. Choose 'Rectangle' and set the brush size to 6px. Once everything is set, drag to draw a box.

 

 

Now, let's paint the inside of the Christmas wreath. Create a new layer below the wreath and paint it with a bright color using a brush. Use a basic brush like 'Spoon Pen'. Once painted, copy the dot pattern layer from the background layer and paste it onto the newly painted layer. Then, adjust the opacity.

 

 

6. Designing a Christmas Card - Text

Now, let's add text to the card.

 

To download a font suitable for a Christmas card, access dafont.com. Type the phrase you want to write in 'Preview' and click 'more options'. Check '100% free' and click the 'Submit' button. '100% free' shows fonts that can be used commercially without issues. Therefore, be sure to check it!

 

Once you find a font you like, download and install it. You may need to restart Clip Studio to activate the font after installation.

 

(12.23 Update) Update Clip Studio to the latest version. You can directly add font files as shown below to apply them immediately, without having to install fonts separately or restart Clip Studio!

Use the 'Text' tool to enter text in the center of the wreath. You can change the text color by dragging the written text.

 

 

Create a new layer above the text layer and check 'Clip to Layer Below'. Then, set the blending mode to 'Multiply'. Use a basic brush to draw a shadow below the text with a dark color.

 

Next, select both the text layer and the shadow layer together and 'Rasterize' them.

 

 

Let's add a border to the text. Select the rasterized text layer. In [Layer Property] - [Border Effect], select Border. Set the border thickness to 3-5px and the border color to white.

 

 

 

Let's add a shadow to the entire text. Duplicate the text layer. Then, uncheck the border in [Layer Property] - [Border Effect] to remove the white border. Select a dark color for the drawing color and execute [Edit] - [Fill]. If the text has become darker, drag the layer order downwards. Use the 'Move' tool to shift it slightly to the bottom right so the shadow is visible.

 

Adjust the opacity, and your text is complete!

 

 

7. Designing a Christmas Card - Completion

Select the 'vine' brush from the 'X-mas Brush Set' to decorate the empty space on the card. Open [Window] - [Material] and check the 'Golden Brown' material downloaded earlier. Drag the image with the finest particles among the 6 images onto the canvas.

 

 

Adjust the size of the material to fit the card with Ctrl+T. Then, check 'Clip to Layer Below' to composite the material. To brighten the color further, create a new layer and fill the entire card with a very light orange. Check 'Clip to Layer Below' and set the blending mode to 'Screen'. Adjust the opacity to create your desired gold color.

 

 

Adjust the overall position and design. Additional Christmas decorations were added to the bottom. The golden line was moved upwards for overall balance.

 

Now, your wonderful Christmas card is complete.

I hope you like it too!

Conclusion

The explanation became quite long, and I regret that some techniques might have been omitted.

However, I hope this TIPS was helpful enough for you.

 

How was your 2021?

 

To be honest, Christmas isn't a particularly meaningful holiday for me. However, it was great to be able to create a card using Clip Studio, produce materials myself, and design it this time. In particular, it felt like decorating a real Christmas tree, which was very fun. (lol)

 

I recommend that you also try making Christmas cards for your loved ones, or for yourself ♥

 

 

 

 

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