This article is based on the tablet version of Clip Studio Paint.

The layout of menu commands may vary in the smartphone version.

You cannot use the specific features for manga and comics introduced in this article in Simple Mode. Please switch to Studio Mode to use them.

 

The Tool palette under the Comic tool contains a variety of sub tools that can be used to draw speech bubbles and focus lines when creating comics.

 

Creating Frames

Before dividing the frames, first create a basic border using the Frame Border folder.

 

Select Layer menu > New Layer > Frame Border folder.

Set the line thickness and anti-aliasing in the New frame folder dialogue box.

 

Once you have created a basic frame border, use the Divide frame border sub tool and Divide frame folder sub tool from the Frame border group in the Comic tool to divide the frame.

 

Note:

Frame templates can be found under Manga material in the Material palette. You can easily create frame divisions by simply dragging and dropping them onto the canvas.

 

Please refer to this article for more information on frames.

 

Please refer to this article for more information on how to divide frames.

 

Creating a speech bubble

Balloon (created with a tool)

Use the Balloon sub tool to create speech bubbles needed for dialogue.

Create the "tail" part sticking out of the speech bubble using the Balloon tail sub tool.

 

Note:

The size and shape of the speech bubble and tail can be adjusted later to match the amount of dialogue and positioning on the page.

 

Balloon (Material)

From the Material palette, select the balloon you want to use from the Manga material > Balloon section, and drag and drop it onto the canvas to use it.

 

After pasting it onto the canvas, the operations are the same as for speech bubbles created with the Balloon tool.

 

For more information on how to create a balloon and other useful techniques, please check this article.

 

Adding Focus lines

Using the Focus lines sub tool, you can create focus lines, which are one of the expressions used in manga. Easily create focus lines that would be time-consuming to draw by hand.

 

Select the Focus lines sub tool you want to use, and drag outward from the center to render them.

 

For more information on focus lines, please check this article.

 

Applying Tones

You can apply basic tones that are often used in comics and manga like dots and lines.

There are two ways to apply tones: “paint in gray and then apply a tone" and “create selection area and to apply a tone."

 

Paint in gray and then apply a tone

If you painted shadows on a layer that is separate from the line art, and then select Layer Property palette > Effect menu > Tone, for the contents of the canvas to be displayed in monochrome tones.

 

You can adjust the frequency and angles of the lines from the bottom of the Layer Property palette.

 

Create a selection area to apply a tone

After selecting the area you want to apply the tone to, tap the New Tone icon from the Selection Launcher at the bottom of the selection area. In the Simple tone settings dialog box, you can change the number of lines, density, type, and more, and apply the tone to the selected area.

 

After selecting the desired range, you can also paste a tone by dragging and dropping it from the Material palette > Monochromatic pattern onto the canvas.

 

For more information on tones, please check this article.

 

For more information on how to use Layer Properties, please check this article.