Hello! Today I'm bringing you a digital art tutorial using Clip Studio's simple mode. The theme I chose was to illustrate a memorable meal. I'll share my process and tricks so you can apply them to your illustrations.

Get your ingredients ready because we're going to start cooking!

Step by step tutorial

Recipe of the day

Today we are going to illustrate some scrambled eggs with cherry tomatoes, cilantro and avocado accompanied by bread and a delicious hot chocolate. A few months ago I went to a restaurant for breakfast and the dish was too pretty not to draw it.

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Step 1: Setting Up the Canvas

1. Open Clip Studio Paint on your iPad.

2. Tap the “New File” button (the icon of a leaf with a “+”) in the top left.

3. Set the canvas size. To start, a size of 2388x 1688 pixels with a resolution of 300 dpi is ideal.

4. Make sure the color mode is set to RGB if you're working for digital media or CMYK if you're going to print.

The CSP application has two modes:

1. Study Mode: this is the most complete mode

2. Simple Mode: this is the mode that is perfect for tablets as it has the necessary tools in view

If you want to know how to use the simple mode, I have an article where I talk about how to use it if you are a beginner.

You can activate simple mode just by clicking on the CSP logo and selecting the option Switch to simple mode.

 

 

Simple Mode in Clip Studio Paint optimizes screen usage on tablets and mobile devices by offering basic features for creating artwork, ideal for beginners or those who want to take advantage of the entire screen. It includes easy-to-use tools such as 3D drawing shapes, “Close & Fill”, and “Liquify”.

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Step 2: Creating the Sketch

1. Select your sketch brush. You can choose either the “Rough Pencil” or “Darker Pencil” from the default brush set. I used the Rough Sketch from the Kyle’s Brushes brush pack.

2. Create a new layer for your sketch by tapping the “+” icon at the bottom of the layers panel.

3. Sketch out your illustration. Don’t worry about the details, just focus on the general shape, composition, and proportions.

It's important that your sketch is well defined as it is the first step. I always like to refine my sketches so that it is easier to paint the illustration.

 

1. “Dirty” sketch

2. “Clean” sketch

Step 3: Color Test

I like to do color tests to get a feel for how the illustration will look.

First, duplicate the sketch layer and put each one in Multiply mode to paint without altering the original. Then, apply colors quickly with the lasso tool; you don't need perfection, just test which palette works best.

 

2. Sketch

3: Color Test

Step 4: Applying Base Colors

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You have to touch the (+) button to create a layer where each element of the illustration will be.

Step 5: Shadows and Lights

Having each element on a separate layer allows us to apply shadows and highlights using the clipping mask.

1. Create a new layer (+) above the "Base Colors" layer and select the Clip at Layer Below option. This will allow you to paint inside the previously colored area.

You can change the layer mode to Multiply to add shadows just by selecting a darker color from the base color palette

 

To add highlights, create another layer and change it to Layer Mode: Dodge (Add Glow) and select a lighter color.

Use the light blue color to brighten up the illustration a bit. I chose that color because the background is blue and this color will bounce off different surfaces.

For the bread texture, use the splatter brush with a light brown color.

For the shadows, I chose a purple color and then changed the layer mode from normal to multiply. You can play with the opacity to see how intense you want the shadow (for me, between 40%-75% is fine)

Step 6: Details and Finishes

1.Add details such as textures, reflections, or special effects on new layers as needed

2.Using a hard, textured brush, draw several yellow scribbles to decorate the illustration a bit.

Step 7: Save and Export

When you’re happy with your painting, save your work by tapping the Save icon and we’ll export your artwork to share on social media. Simply select “File” > “Export (visible layer only)” and choose the format (PNG, JPEG, etc.).

Full illustration

And that's it! By following these steps, you'll be able to create a complete, colored illustration in Clip Studio Paint in single mode.

At the end I added a little smoke and that's it!

That's all for today! I hope you enjoyed it and learned something new. If you did, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel. Thanks for watching and see you next time!