Action, romance, fantasy, you name it. Today I’ll be sharing key tips in starting a webtoon using Clip Studio Paint.

 

Hi guys, I’m an aspiring webtoon author, who uses the program Clip Studio Paint Ex and has found helpful tips for other artists when starting a webtoon.

 

The idea of creating a webtoon can be intimidating, but I guarantee the tips you’ll learn today will make you feel more at ease with taking that start.

 

(I HIGHLY recommend watching my YouTube WEBTOON TIPS video above as you read through these :D)

YOUR Dimensions for WEBTOON

~~~Now, let’s create our WEBTOON episode file!~~~

 

           -Click “File”, then “New”.

           -Click the “Webtoon” icon. From there, you’ll want to label the file your webtoon’s title and episode number. 

 

(Personal Advice:)

           -Clip Studio Paint offers several canvas size presets, but I prefer to set my webtoon pages to 1900 by 16000, with a DPI of 350

 

^^Working initially with larger dimensions allows you to produce better quality work, so that even when Clip Studio Paint resizes our canvases, the art isn’t as pixelated!

PAGES for WEBTOON!

The amount of pages you choose to work with is completely up to you, but 60 panels is the typical amount an episode contains.

           -Using my dimensions, that would lead us with 8 pages. 

           -But again, depending on spacing and how much you decide to put, you can always add or subtract by clicking “Story” then “Add Page” or “Delete Page”.

Helpful Screen HACK (On-Screen Area!)~

Clip Studio Paint provides an “On-Screen Area” view for webtoon making, in order for artists to see how much of their art is being displayed on screen as readers scroll.

 

           -To access it, click “View”, then “On-Screen Area (webtoon)”. 

           -Most smartphones’ aspect ratio is 19.5:9, so I’d make the width 1 and height 2.17 by clicking “On-Screen Area Settings (webtoon)”.

 

I’ve recognized webtoons either have a single panel shown on screen or two panels.

You really want to avoid putting more two panels per screen area (unless the scene calls for it) mostly because along with the added speech bubbles, it makes the screen too full or busy.

QUICK Sketching and Panel DYNAMICS!!!~

When drawing the base sketch of your episode, draw the entire thing on one “Sketch Layer”.

 

           ^Not only does this keep things all in one place, but it prevents you from going overboard, as this is just the sketch.

           -Use a thicker brush and bold color to prevent getting stuck on details. 

           -Sometimes skipping the sketch process and just drawing directly on top of Clip Studio’s 3D models can save you a lot more time. 

 

How you arrange panels certainly affects the dynamics of a scene.

 

           -For example, if you have a fast paced scene, you may want to use less panels to promote the idea of things moving from one place to another. 

                          -Adding larger panels will also promote dramatic effect.

           -An intense scene, however, might have more panels of similar shots or actions, slowly but surely building up the suspense!

Coloring Characters!~

For each relevant original character, I create their own color palette.

           -Click “Color Set”, then the tool icon.

           -Click “Create New Set” and label the palette your original character’s name. 

           -Press any empty cube, and with the color already selected, click this icon. 

Another method for staying consistent with color is using the “Sub View” tab.

This allows you to access and view files to reference.

           -Click “Window”, then “Sub View”. 

           -By clicking the “eyedropper” icon, you will automatically be able to acquire the color you click on. 

 

^This tool helps artists easily eyedrop between colors, making the coloring process faster and more efficient.

           -You can also flip through files if you import more, by clicking these arrows. 

 

I highly recommend using Clip Studio Paint’s included “Enclose and Fill” tool for fast coloring.

You can find it in the “Fill” section.

           -Make sure your lineart is set as a reference layer, and have the following settings applied. 

^Now, you can color quickly and even use this tool to erase any accidental overflow!

 

Keep your coloring simple, you don’t want to burnout fast in your process when readers will only be spending less than five seconds on a panel, mostly reading the text.

3D Models for Drawing!!~

Clip Studio Paint provides a multitude of 3D material for artists to use.

The 3D content ranges from backgrounds, items, and even models to help with anatomy and posing.

 

~~~For each of my original characters, I create customized 3D models in case I need to work faster.

           -Go to materials, clicking “Body Type” under 3D, and then choose one of the four model options. 

           -By clicking the “Tool” icon and going to “3D Drawing Figure”, you can alter the height, head to body ratio, the body type, and by clicking specific parts of the body, alter those proportions as well.

Free Resources (Clip Studio Asset Store)~

Clip Studio Paint’s asset store provides even more resources for artists.

Creators upload different 3D model poses, items, backgrounds, and even custom brushes which you can download.

           -Click this Clip Studio Paint icon, and click “Open CLIP STUDIO”.

           -You’ll be brought to this page, where you can press the “CLIP STUDIO ASSETS” service. 

 

^I definitely recommend checking out the store, especially when starting out, because there can be several assets you might need for your story.

Webtoon Speech DOs and DONTs!!~

!!! Always remember, when starting a webtoon, you should prioritize easy readability! While good lettering easily goes unnoticed, it can also make OR break your comic. !!!

-----“AKA, some people may not continue reading if it’s too hard to read or understand.”-----

(Speech) Here are some DOs:

           -Make sure your text is in a “diamond” shape.

           -Avoid having a word by themselves at the end, but in certain circumstances it’s okay. 

           -Always make sure there is space between the text and the bubble’s wall. It’ll make things seem less cramped and increase easy readability.

^^

           -The font many webtoon artists use is “WILD WORDS”. 

           -For general text, the pixel size is around 14, but it really depends on the scene. 

(Speech) The DONTs:

-Difficult to read or “quirky” fonts. While a story may have that dramatic vibe, sometimes these dramatic fonts are tiresome to read.

           -Avoid doing the “Pancake Bubble”.

           -Avoid doing tight bubbles. You want your text to “breathe” and not be too compact. 

           -Avoid the “Text Wall”. Unless a scene calls for this to add some comedic effect, I promise you not many will be willing to read all of that. 

Thank you for your time and I hope these tips help you efficiently create your story!