If you've been interested in Clip Studio Paint V 2.0 updates, you've probably noticed the new colour blending method for brushes, which promises more realistic results than the previous version. In this tutorial, I'll compare the new and old methods to understand their differences, share tips for adjusting the settings, and show you works created using the new blending method.
Where to find the color mix tab and the new mode [Perceptual]
How to find the [Color mixing] setting and the new [Perceptual] mode: To find the [Color mixing] setting and the new [Perceptual] mode, go to the [Toll Property] panel, then click the spanner icon in the lower right corner to open the [Sap tool detail] advanced brush settings. Next, go to the [Ink] group and turn on the [Color mixing] mode. The [Perceptual] mode appears at the bottom.
How to use [Ink brush]:
To understand how the Mixing brushes work in Mixing mode, it's important to understand all the other options in the [Ink] group. Not everyone understands how they work and how to adjust them.
Blend and Running color
Blending Modes: [Blend] Mode: Blends an existing colour with the colour to be added. [Running colour] mode: Blurs already used colours and then adds a painting colour. Creates a smooth colour transition effect. If you remove [Amount of paint] and [Density of paint], you can create a brush only to blur existing colours.
Amount of paint
[Amount of paint]: This is a parameter that determines the ratio of the paint colour components to the already painted colour on the layer. The larger the value, the more the paint colour is affected. [Density of paint]: This setting allows you to adjust the transparency of the paint colour. A higher transparency value means a less saturated colour.
Density of paint
[Density of paint]: This setting allows you to adjust the transparency of the colour when painting. A higher transparency value means a less saturated colour.
Color stretch
The [Color stretch] setting adjusts how long the colour is retained at the beginning of the movement when drawing. It is important when using colour mixing modes. A smaller value makes blending with the surrounding colour shorter, while a larger value will make it last longer.
[ Perceptual ]
The [Perceptual] mode is a more realistic mixing of colours than the [Standard] mode. The main advantage of this mode is the more natural blending of the two colours, as it happens with real paints. The differences between the modes may not be obvious in some cases, but in others they are noticeable.
In the example below we have an obvious difference in mixing two colours, blue and yellow and a barely noticeable difference in mixing pink and yellow.
How to maximise the effect of ''Preceptual''
Maximising the [Perceptual] effect: For obvious results with [Perceptual] mode, use colours that are spaced apart on the colour wheel, such as Complementary colour or Triad. The effect is also good when mixing primary colours. When mixing close colour combinations or monochrome combinations, the difference between [Perceptual] and [Standard] may not be noticeable.
Here is an example of a small number of colours, in the first group we can see the mixing of ''Preceptual'' in the second group the difference is not noticeable.
Brightness correction
The "Brightness correction" setting is located just below the "Mixing mode" setting and only works when "Preceptual" is on.
The [Brightness correction] setting affects the brightness of colours when blending. High brightness correction makes the colours lighter and gives them a pastel tone.
To be brief the [ Perceptual ] mode in my opinion is just a modified [ Standartl ] mode, reolising it as it should be from the beginning as an imitation of traditional drawing.
How to mix colours
How to mix colours: It is important to understand that there are primary, secondary and tertiary colours. Secondary colours come from mixing primary colours, tertiary colours come from secondary colours and so on. In this way, you can get all the colours of the circle.
· Primary colours are Red, Blue, Yellow. They are not received by mixing of other colours and are considered as a basis for all other colours.
· Secondary colours: Orange, Green, Purple. They are obtained by mixing two primary colours.
· Tertiary colours: Mixing secondary and primary colours results in tertiary colours.
Adding white or black to primary colours
Adding white or black: Adding white makes the colour lighter and pastel, while adding black makes it darker and more saturated. Different combinations of white and black create different shades of grey.
You can also combine light or dark colours to create a variety of shades instead of just black or white colours.
All of these effects can be realised with [Mixing brushes], as will be demonstrated in the usage examples below.
Brushes
First, let's add the standard brushes from Clip Studio Paint V2.
1 - Find the [Sab tull] panel and click on the small icon on the top left to go to settings. Then select the [Add from default...] tab and add the brushes you want from V2.
2 - Many brushes can be used as templates, modifying them to your liking. For example, [Round mixing brush] or [Chalk] are some handy brushes.
3 - If you don't have V2 brushes, make sure you have Clip Studio Paint V2 installed, and download brushes from the Clip shop if necessary.
Used brushes
In this tutorial, I mainly use the standard Clip Studio Paint V2 brushes such as 'Round mixing brush V2' and 'Chalk V2', as well as my own personal brush for painting without mixing. You can choose any brush you are comfortable with.
How will I use this information
Mixing and creating volume with [Color mixing]:
Once you've created a sketch, made line art on it and decided on a base colour, you can start working through it. At the very beginning, I apply dark rough spots with the 'Chalk v2' brush to create darkening.
After first sketching the spots, I blur them out. Then, using a regular coarse brush (I have a square brushstroke), I add light strokes and blur them to create lightening in the right places to a level I'm happy with.
Next, I cast the highlights using 'Chalk v2' and blur them.
In the last step, I finalise the work by painting lines and fixing small details. Usually, at this stage, I hardly use a blending brush at all. But if you're interested, you can watch these steps in the full version.
Pressure regulation
If you do not want to paint a colour and then blur it, you can adjust [Amount of paint] to make the stroke colour stronger or weaker. You can also adjust the pressure dynamics for [Amount of paint] to control the intensity of the stroke colour. If you don't want light pressure to change the thickness of the strokes, set 'minimym valve' to a larger value in the 'brush size' setting.
Full Version
Speed paint most of the armour
Mixing colours with [Color mixing]
Let's break down how I use colour mixing with the example of drawing a strand of hair
After creating the line art and applying the first colour, I immediately define the darker parts of the hair strand. For this I use a dark purple colour and the 'Mixing brush'. I make light strokes to find the right shade, then I use the dropper to copy the colour to the colour
Then I take a light colour and apply it lightly over the main colour to mix them and find the perfect shade. After that, I also copy it and paint other parts of the work with it.
Adding blending mode to the brush
To add an 'Overlay' effect to the brush, I first reduce the Opacity to get a softer effect. Then I go into the 'Ink' group and under 'Color mixing' I turn on 'Smear' mode to unlock the 'Blending mode' option.
Sometimes a lot of settings can slow down a brush, so I turn off stabilisation to fix this. Also in the 'Stroke' group, I set the 'Grap' setting to 'Wade' to achieve smoother and more natural lines.
Full Version
Another Speed paint drawn on the same principles
Tips for optimizing your work
[Tip!]
[Color mixing] can put a heavy load on your computer, especially when using large brush sizes. You can remove some settings such as [Stabilisations], [Post corrections], [Adjust by corrections] to cope with this load.
[Tip!]
To create the brush you want, experiment a lot and get the perfect result. Save your brush settings so that you can return to them when needed, or create copies of brushes to compare effects. To copy a brush, right-click on the brush you want and select [Duplicate sub tool...].
To improve usability, you can divide the brushes into two groups: regular and blending. Then set up different shortcut keys for each of them. For example, the group of basic brushes you use most often can be assigned to the "A" key, as it is easily accessible. And the blending mode and texture brushes can be assigned to the "4" key.
To do this, follow these steps:
1 - Open the "File" menu in the programme.
2 - Select "Shortcut settings".
3 - In the window that opens, select the "Tool" category.
4 - Find the "Brush" and "Blend" brush groups in the list of tools.
5 - Set convenient shortcut keys for each of these groups.
Now you can quickly switch between basic brushes and blended brushes, making your work easier and your painting process more efficient.
[Tip!]
As you can guess, using blending brushes usually involves painting on a single layer, which can cause some difficulties. However, to make it easier for you to paint, I'd like to share a few tips:
1 - Put the parts of your drawing into groups. For example, draw and blend shadows on one layer first, and then create a new layer for the elements that won't blend with the previous layer. When you're done, you can merge the layers.
2 - Many people, myself included, prefer to create all the elements on different layers so they can go back and make changes if necessary. In situations where you need to draw on one layer, just copy it before important changes, as if creating control points. Then, if necessary, hide the extra layers and draw on the new one. You can always go back to previous versions or compare results.
3 - Use the new Color mixing feature to mix and save colours. Often when mixing colours you can lose the original colour and it can be difficult to find it in the colour history. The function is available at [Windows] -> [Color mixing]. I recommend assigning a shortcut key for this function. (I have it available on the "5" or "%" key).
4 - If you don't want to experiment for a long time, use the standard brushes as templates. The standard brushes in Clip Studio Paint are really quite good. You can change or modify them to suit you, and they often show the perfect result for certain features.
5 - One last tip - enjoy mixing colours and brush settings. Spend a day or two on pure creativity and experimentation. This way you can improve your skills significantly. Explore different effects created by other artists and try to create brushes that allow you to recreate those effects.
Remember that painting is a process of constant development, and experimentation will help you find your unique style and take your skills to the next level. Be creative and don't be afraid to explore new ways to express yourself!
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we looked at the process of blending colours in Clip Studio Paint, and got acquainted with the various parameters that affect the result of blending. We studied the features of working with [Blend] and [Running colour] modes, as well as with [Perceptual] mode, which provides more realistic colour mixing.
An important tool for mixing colours is [Color mixing], which allows you to create smooth transitions between colours, adjust transparency and saturation, and control the length of blending with surrounding colours.
We also looked at how adding white or black to primary colours affects hues and brightness, and how combining warm and cool tones creates a variety of colours and atmospheres in your work.
We also reviewed some brushes such as the 'Round mixing brush' and 'Chalk' which help to achieve different mixing effects. Guidance was also provided on how to adjust the settings and use the modes to maximise the painting process.
It's important to remember that mixing colours is a creative process that requires experimentation and finding your unique style. Don't be afraid to try different settings, colour and brush combinations to enrich your work and grow as an artist.
I hope this guide will help you better understand the process of colour mixing and inspire you to create amazing works of art in Clip Studio Paint. Good luck with your artwork!
Users who liked this post
Comment