This tutorial is all about watercolor style illustrations in Clip Studio Paint!

I'll be using simple mode in the tablet version of Clip Studio Paint (for Android), however I think you'll find this helpful no matter what version you use.

Beginners often choose to work with watercolor, but it has some unique challenges compared to other mediums. Thankfully Clip Studio Paint has eliminated several of those challenges and I'll explain how to overcome those that are left.

I'll be walking you through a few illustrations step by step as well as going over some general tips that will help you use watercolor with confidence.

Below is a screen grab from simple mode. The general layout is very similar, it's just simplified as the name implies. Simple mode is great for tablet or smartphone use and easy for beginners to navigate. To access the watercolor brushes tap on the brush icon highlighted in blue and a menu will appear. I've made strokes with a variety of watercolor brushes to show you the different looks that are available. My personal favorite is wet wash in the top left corner. It looks and feels like a real watercolor brush to me.

All of the brushes we will be using come standard or can be found on the Clip Studio Paint Official page in assets, with one exception that I created myself.

Layering and Stroke Techniques

One of the challenges I mentioned before is the opacity of watercolor. For example, if you were to paint a flower with a separate stroke for each petal, you'd get the overlap with different saturation as shown below. There are ways to solve this. One way is to paint the entire flower in one stroke. The same would apply to any shape you're working with.

Another way to solve the problem is by using layers to your advantage. This is one of the reasons I love Clip Studio Paint so much. Using layers is not an option with real brush and paper watercolor.

In the example below, I've used a separate layer for each petal, and I've erased any overlap. I've also gone back and added shading on a different layer so that the watercolor texture isn't lost when I use the blender. When I'm satisfied with my flower I'll go back and merge all of the layers for that particular flower. I do recommend keeping separate objects in separate layers until you're completely sure that the illustration is finished. There have been many occasions that I was so glad I could move an object or correct it without damaging other layers.

I've used this technique with most of the flowers below.

I also adjusted the pen pressure settings on the brush temporarily when I painted some of the leaves so that I could complete them in one stroke. This makes the brush size vary more or less depending on the amount of pressure applied.

You can do this in the brush settings, there's a small icon to right of the brush size slider in my version. This tip can be helpful with a variety of brushes in Clip Studio Paint.

The final solution is using a textured or specialized brush. In the example below I've used the transparent watercolor brush by CSP official. You'll notice that the difference in saturation in the overlap is more subtle. The texture also helps the overlap look more “natural”.

In the bottom right corner I've also used the concept brush by CSP official. I don't know that it's a watercolor brush but it's certainly a similar style and I really enjoy using it.

In the illustration I'm working on below, I've used the transparent watercolor brush to create a rocky effect in the background. In this case the overlap actually helps.

The layer technique is my favorite, but it's up to you to decide what works best for each of your illustrations.

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Illustration 1

Let's begin our first illustration! I've chosen to start with something very simple and abstract. Only three brushes are used and you should already have them. Feel free to follow along or add your own personal style with different colors or shapes.

The first step is to outline the shapes. Select the line tool and set the width to 20-50 depending on the canvas size you've chosen. If you want to use white like I have, you can use the fill tool to add a layer of color over the paper but under the lines and then delete it when you're finished, or just delete the paper temporarily as I did.

Start and end each line just a bit off the canvas so that the round edges of the line do not show. After you cross a few lines some triangles should start to appear.

Next let's start to fill in the base colors. Select the round watercolor brush from the menu and adjust the size so that you can fill each shape easily. Don't worry about staying within the lines perfectly. It's easy to go back and erase. I recommend keeping each color on a separate layer at the very least, or you can keep each triangle separate.

The next step is using the watercolor splash brush to add some detail so that each triangle isn't just a solid color. I've used splash brush in the same color as the base color for each triangle. Because of the opacity it still creates variation in the color.

To create more variety I left two triangles white and only used the watercolor splash. Another option would be to create a completely different design in one of them.

One of the reasons I chose to share this is because it's easy to add your own style to it!

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Illustration 2

The next illustration I want to share is still abstract but it will build on the skills you learned with the previous illustration. You'll need your line tools again, plus your wet wash brush and a blender.

The first step is to create the outlines for the shapes. Remember to put your color layer behind/below your line layer so that the lines show up properly.

My line width is set to 4-5. I started with the central piece which was the large pink circle. I used the wet bleed blender quite heavily to create a different texture and help it stand out. I've also shaded in a way that helps it appear more like a sphere than a flat circle.

From there I added some shapes that would build onto it and compliment it. I also added some separate shapes which I could move and play around with later on thanks to using separate layers.

As I was painting this I realized it needed something more. I decided to add more detail and variety within the shapes. To add the extra lines I created a new layer and simply erased the overlap with the original outline, then I merged the layers. When I went back to add the color I also used separate layers so that I could erase overlap and merged later on.

You'll notice that the color in some shapes is more saturated on one end. I did this with my wet wash brush simply by using different pen pressure within a single stroke. This brush really does behave like real watercolor in many ways. You may have to practice a few times but it should be easy to master. You'll also see what almost looks like a design in the yellow rectangle below. This was done by painting very lightly and then increasing pressure while the pen is stationary in random places.

To make the wavy lines use your continuous curve tool. It will be in the same category as the line tools we've already used. I recommend placing the points close together in tight curves for a smoother effect.

In the finishing process I added some more detail by using a watercolor bubble brush that I made and the watercolor dot brush by Clip Studio Paint official. If you don't want to download these you can easily get a similar effect by hand with the round watercolor brush. Just erase along the outline as shown below.

I chose to leave the background open for the most part, however feel free to add more to yours if you prefer. Just make sure it doesn't take away from your central piece.

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Illustration 3

Let's move on to our seascape illustration!

This one was the most fun for me. I love using so many bright colors. We're also going to learn how to use watercolor with a background color.

Let's start by getting out the round watercolor brush and painting the whole canvas light blue. Next add a layer of watercolor splash to create some variation in the blue. If it is too pronounced you can alter the layer opacity by tapping on it and using the slider.

Let's start working on the sea life next. For the jellyfish you're going to use the layer technique you learned before and erase any overlap where the tentacles touch the body. You'll notice that I decreased pressure on the pen towards the end of each stroke as well. I find that I get better results when I go from hard pressure to light pressure rather than the other way around.

For the sea grass remember to use slightly different colors to create some variety.

Later on you may need to use the eraser to clean up a bit and make the ends more tapered as I did.

When painting the coral use a single stroke and then add layers for the

dots or details when applicable. For some you may need to backtrack the

brush and then paint the next "branch" to keep from starting another

stroke. If you find this difficult, don't worry. Just use the layer technique instead.

 

 

Helpful Tools

Simple mode makes it very easy to access some helpful tools that I want to discuss briefly. I used the flip and rotate tool several times to help everything fit together perfectly. To use this tool simply tap on the icon with four arrows in the left margin of your screen in simple mode.

It's also possible to stretch or compress the layer by dragging the dots on

the blue outline. The size can be adjusted by dragging the corners. I used

this to adjust the height of the grass in the background. Notice that I used

light blue instead of green. This is because an object that far off can sort of

fade into the background color, particularly with underwater scenes. I used the same technique for the smaller fish in the background as well.

I also used the border tool to help some things stand out a bit more or just create more variation in the colors. The thickness and color can be adjusted. Just tap on a layer and scroll down the menu to find this tool.

Now let's get back to watercolor techniques. As with any medium, feel free

to create a sketch or draft layer that can be deleted later on. It really helps

to have a guide. You can even use multiple draft layers to keep refining as

you go.

To paint the fish you're going to use the same layer and erase technique

used with the jellyfish. When you start adding details try them out below

or above the base color layer. I put the eye and gills above, while putting

the stripes on the fins and body below to help them appear more blended

with the base color.

Using Watercolor With a Background Color

You'll notice that the blue of the background comes through the yellow of

the fish in some areas. Because I'd used some green on the fish anyway it

was okay but there were several objects in which I did not want the

background color to show through. Let's learn how to fix this issue!

You could erase the background color, however you wouldn't be able to

move or adjust the object later on. The most effective and efficient way is

to create a layer of white under the object. I recommend using the g-pen at

an increased size. Don't worry about matching the image perfectly, you can

go back and erase around the edges. In the example below I've moved the

top layer away a bit so that you can see how each layer looks and the

difference in the orange on the white vs. the blue.

I also used this technique with several of the plants or coral on the sea floor

because many of them overlap.

Our final illustration is now complete!

I hope you found these tips helpful and enjoyed the illustrations I chose to

demonstrate. Remember that everyone was a beginner at some point, just

keep practicing!