✽ Introduction ✽

Hello!

My name is TeddyLemon. I am a long time creator on Webtoon Canvas and a Clip Studio Paint Pro user. ( ´ ω ` )

 

Disclaimer! This is my first time making a tutorial but I'll do my best to explain the comic process from my usual workflow. This tutorial is also beginner friendly. We shall be covering almost all of the steps from start to finish. Experienced creators may take a peek, as I'll also share hacks you may or may not already know.

 

I will be going through a lot of the steps. So feel free to skip to the topic section your most interested in.

 

You can also check out the video version in the link above if you prefer!

 

✽ Goals ✽

This is the first step much may already know.

Our ideals are here, inspiration, motivation, and the initial thought of - "I want to make a comic".

 

However different our goals may be, that is for self-improvement, seeking to share stories, or even for earning money. This is a good starting point for most of us.

 

When I began making comics, it was because of impulse. I head on straight into it without plans and had no idea what the future held. I don't think it was a bad thing, I don't regret it. I've very much learned that comics is very tedious work. Based on my years of experience here are the things you should consider when making your webtoon.

 

✧ Devotion. How many hours, days are you willing to give and work on your comic?

✧ Time management.

✧ Schedule. How many chapters do you plan to post? Will you upload weekly? monthly?

✧ A shorter story may be ideal if its your first time. It's better to accumulate first hand experience.

✧ ALWAYS have buffer episodes made before hand. If you are on a posting schedule and need a break, this will come in handy.

 

Lastly, my favorite tip - Work Smarter, Not Harder.

✽ Writing ✽

Writing is one of the most crucial points in comics. The art may be an important aspect too but the story is what urges readers to stay and keep your characters alive.

 

I admit story writing is not my forte, I still have a lot to improve upon so I won't go too much into depth about this.

 

Laying out the plot and basic foundation is the most important as it is the sprout grown from your "initial" story idea. Then comes after your character backgrounds, world building, arcs and so on that's needed. Plan and organize the important events of your story first.

 

Here may be one of the ways to exercise your plot:

✧ Make a basic timeline consisting of the beginning, middle and end of your comic.

✧ Mark out the sub-main points which would slowly head towards one of the important timelines.

✧ Add in the transitions as well, the small events happening in between the sub-main points.

 

Having a completed story would be ideal and be a good reference as the comic progresses.

 

But if you're like me who can't wait to get started, there is no need to go into too much detail. Because as long as you have main points written down, it's enough to give yourself an idea to where the story is headed.

 

✦ Script✦

 

Scripts don't need to look all pretty as long as you understand the context.

Except if your working with someone else, do be a good teammate and try to be more organized.

 

When I get ideas, I simply write them down in a phone app. Here's a sample of mine:

(Okay, it's a BIT messy).

One of the things comics(well I guess stories in general), tend to do is eagerly plan and polish up the first few chapters. Think of it like a fish and hook. Make your intro chapters interesting enough to captivate readers and reel them in. That's why the first chapters always hold a lot of importance. Place a "boom" impact to make the readers curious on what's to happen next.

✽ Character Design ✽

 

Note that you will be drawing your character multiple times! Having an overly complicated character design would not be ideal as it'll take a whole lot of time for you to draw them in every panel. (Unless your in a team I guess. Villainess isekai webtoons I respecc (″ロ゛))

 

This is why in comics, characters and art style are often simplified.

 

Make character reference sheets as you'll often get back to them. Especially if you've been on vacation for too long and forget how to draw. (or maybe that's just me)

I very much recommend drawing multiple head angles of your character. Trust me, it saves a ton of time.

 

Here's how to easily access the head angles you've drawn:

 

✦ Prepare either a sketch or a lined version of the head angles you need. Make sure they're in their own respective layers and properly named.

✦ Next, go to [Materials] tab and right-click to make a [New Folder].

✦ Now all you have to do is drag the individual layers into the [New Folder] to turn it into a Material.

 

You can do this same technique with anything you want to turn as Materials.

 

Now every time, your wrist is almost dying you could simply just drag out the pre-made drawing from before and use that to save you time and your life! It's up to you how to use it. Either trace or connect it to a headless body you've already drawn before.

✽ Comic Format ✽

Check out the Webtoon requirements. Their max size per page is 800x1280px.

Let's head into it and open your CSP.

 

✦ Go to [File] > [New]. Choose the [Webtoon] project format and scroll down through [Presets] and click your desired webtoon size.

It's best to go with a size above 800w px, the size is a bit too small if you want your art looking crisp and smooth. Don't worry about it later because [Export] can resize your canvas size back to it.

 

For me personally, I like to use 2000x20000px with 350dpi (350 is good enough for print).

The height doesn’t matter since it could be split later on.

 

✦ If you have a custom size like me which you'll be using often, save it as a [Preset] by simply pressing the button with the little arrow on the side.

✽ Layer Template ✽

Create a layer template for your future episodes and you don’t need to repeat and rename the same layers over and over again!

 

✦ Make a new Canvas Project, it doesn't matter which kind. [File] > [New]

✦ Head to the Layers tab and start creating your desired folders and layers. You could also add color to the layer by clicking the encircled button.

✦ Next, make sure to remove any layer you don’t need, like the [Paper] layer at the very bottom.

✦ Now that you’ve created it all, head to [Edit] > [Register] > [Template] and choose where you’d like to save your layer template.

Now you can simply drag and drop your template to the [Layer] Tab whenever you start on a new episode.

✽ Storyboard ✽

It’s time to take out your script and make some sketches!

 

When I draft my storyboard, I usually use a different kind of canvas size. It's easier for me to just compile them first rather than do it page by page. I use a size like 500x50000px or an even lower width size. But we'll go with the usual size for this tutorial.

 

✧ There's no need to make your storyboard look nice, even simple stickmen or an amoeba is fine. What's important is sketching your idea of the character's placement and dialogues.

 

✧ Plan out where your dialogue bubbles will be placed, you wouldn't want some of your hard worked art to be covered under a bubble.

✧ Unlike manga and usual comic book pages, webtoons have a different way of flow that you could play around with. For example, pacing out your panels which gives you the kind of tension and dramatic effect you want to portray. As well as allowing you to play with scene transitions.

✽ Sketch ✽

There are times I would rather skip the sketch process and just head straight to line art. It saves time and also serves as good practice to challenge my skills.

 

✦Layer Color✦

 

✧ Go to [Layer Property] Tab and select [Layer Color].

✧ This will turn turn the layer you've selected to a default blue. I often do this when I start sketching or line art to differentiate more clearly the layer I'm currently working on from the one below.

✦3D Models✦

✧ A life savor when your anatomy skills is in artblock!

✧ You can use the default models and easily adjust the body proportions, matching your oc.

✧ You can edit the model to achieve the pose you like or you could get from the asset store, or use the [Pose Scanner].

 

✦BG First✦

 

✧There are times you may need to place your background first in a panel. Imagine you’ve already drawn out a character, colored and all but can’t seem to find the right bg perspective, thus the struggle. This is especially true with full body scenes so you may need to be more prepared beforehand. You wouldn't want your character looking out of place like this one here.

✽ Panels ✽

It’s time to start making boxes!

 

✧ I use the [Frame Border] tool often. It automatically creates a mask for your panels. This way, any line art will not pass through outside line.

 

✧ Here is my setting, under [how to add] I have [add to selected folder] selected. So all the panel I create is only under one folder.

✧ If you plan to print out your comic or just prefer it organized to easily move the panels,

[Create a New folder] selection may be your pick.

 

✧ The shape of panels also determine the mood of the scene.

Like action scenes for example. Add personality to your frames.

✧ You could even make a character pop out from a panel.

✧ Or just put nothing at all.

✽ Lineart ✽

I used to think that lineart should always look neat and tidy, so I hated the process because of how long it takes. But in the end it really is up to the artist and their artstyle.

 

So what if my lines are messy? Since it's just me, myself and I, I'll let myself suffer with the flats and let the color shading carry the art! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

 

But in most cases, I do agree line art should look clean so the rest of the process can go smoothly.

 

✦Pen Tool✦

 

✧ Most artists use the g-pen tool as their default lineart pen. In my case, I usually like to use the kind with rough texture, though I am fond of trying out new pens and switch tools which cause obvious changes to the art. ;;

✧ Make sure your line art pen is something your happy and comfortable with, you'll be using that a lot.

 

✦Vector Layer✦

 

✧This is great for line art! The resolution will be retained even if you scale it to a bigger or smaller size. You can edit if you have a mistake but personally, I prefer using the [Vector Eraser], which makes it easy to remove lines.

✦Line Weight✦

✧ Use the [Correct Line] tool to give weight to your lineart make your drawing more 3 dimensional. Use it on the corners of your drawing where shadow is most easily formed. I also use this to correct mistakes if I made a line too thick or thin.

✦Liquify Tool✦

✧ Got an oopsies and it's hard to fix up your drawing? The liquify tool can readjust your lines to your preference. But you can't use this on a [Vector layer] so make sure to [Rasterize} it by right clicking on the layer.

✽ Flats ✽

There's many ways to have your color palette saved in clip studio paint.

The two methods I use the most is the [Color Set] and the [Sub view]. You can access them from the [Window] Menu.

 

✦Color Set✦

✧ It already has a wide array of color arranged and displayed for your picking. You can also create your own set and add in your color palette.

 

 

✦Sub View✦

✧ Sub View is very useful when it comes to taking colors directly from another file or image. Your character reference sheet will come in handy here. When you hover your cursor over it, it automatically becomes an eyedropper tool for your convenience. Not only could it serve as your color palette but you can also display your reference images here for use.

 

I use two tools for filling base colors: Default [Bucket Fill] tool and my favorite ice cream man.

The ice cream man tool is really great because it colors even under your line art and covers most of tiny corners of your drawings.

 

Here is how to use it:

✦ Set your Line Art layer/folder as [Reference Layer]. Make sure the tool you’ll be using are set to the reference layer as well. This technique allows you to only fill or draw on the referred specific layer.

 

✦ Now feel free to place your flats on your different color layers.

 

Sometimes, I add another extra step here to make sure that every drawing is properly filled with no empty spot.

 

✦ Create a [New Layer] above your color folder and clip it.

 

✦ Either use a bucket tool or any gradient with dark color and fill it up.

 

✦ Now you can recheck and more easily see the empty areas. Like here, I could see I missed a couple of corners.

✽ Color Render ✽

✦Lasso Fill Tool✦

✧ I recommend using this tool for coloring, I find it easier to use and saves time. But it may be more suitable for a more simple style of shading.

Every artist has a different style of shading their art. For my process:

✧ I use [Alpha Lock] on my skin and hair layers.

✧ For clothes, I place them inside a folder and create a [Multiply] blending mode layer above. My cloth layers are often separated, e.g, shirt, pants, etc. So if I need to color only one part of clothing, I simply right-click the layer and select [Create Selection]. This creates a selection only from the drawn parts of the current layer.

 

 

✽ Background ✽

 

✦3D BG Models✦

✧ You probably already know, 3d backgrounds is one of the less time-consuming ways to help speed up your work. Check out the asset store and default 3D models in the program, as well as Acon3D which sells a lot of different good designs.

✧ You might want to learn how to use 3D programs if you'd rather save(like me). I recommend SketchUp, Blender and hd3d for creating backgrounds.

 

✦Pre-made BG✦

✧ There are a lot of default pre-made backgrounds in the [Materials] tab. From school classrooms to cute patterns, you could simply drag and drop to use them.

 

✧ Don't forget that you can also make your own backgrounds if you prefer originality.

Turn them into Materials by going to [Edit] > [Register Material] > [Image].

Check the [Paste Operation] how you'd like it to be when it's dropped onto your canvas.

✦Accent✦

You want your characters to pop out and lead the eyes of your reader. Blur the bg!

 

✧ Select the BG layer you want to blur. [Filter] > [Blur] > [Gaussian Blur]

✧ I like to place the [Strength] around 20-30.00. It depends on your preference.

 

✦Here is another way to separate your character from the BG.

 

✧ Create [New Layer] above your BG layer and change Blending Mode to [Screen] or [Add Glow].

 

✧ Choose a white or light color and use an [Airspray] brush just behind the head of your character. If it's full body go ahead and lightly spray most of it. It is subtle change but overall it does the job.

✦ You could also make your character glow with this process:

 

✧ Create a duplicate layer of your character, including the line art and color. Merge and place them underneath the original character layer.

 

✧ Go to [Layer Property] Tab and select [Layer Color]. Select the first box and change the default blue color to white. Now select [Border Effect] too and determine the range of your glow. Then right-click and [Rasterize] that layer.

✧ Now use [Gaussian Blur]. It's up to you next if you'd like to lower the opacity or change the [Blending Mode]. Play around with it!

✦ Let me show you my usual process of editing backgrounds with normal panels.

 

✧ Blur the BG with [Gaussian Blur]. Use [Gradient] tool > [Foreground to Transparent].

Pick a white color and pull it down from the top of the panel.

 

✧Create a [New Layer] above and clip it. Change [Blending Mode] to [Glow Dodge]. Use [Air Spray] tool and choose a slightly saturate orange color. Spray the upper sides of the panel from each direction.

✽ Dialogue ✽

You can add dialogues even before the Sketching phase so you can get a good grasp of where it's located and you don't need to draw unnecessary parts that'll get covered up by the dialogue box.

 

✧ Make sure you use a good readable font and size that's comfortable to read.

 

✧ Please do not insert a 5-paged essay inside a single dialogue bubble. Break them up to at least 3-4 sentences in a single bubble. There is no need to give too much information right off the bat. My fish brain memory cannot keep up with it.

 

✧Dialogue bubbles are a good way to emphasize emotions of the text. CSP already provides a number you can choose from narrative boxes to the spiky looking ones for angry dialogues.

 

✧ Don't forget to add your written sound effects! There may be some onomatopoeia that don't exist in the english language, you'll have no choice but to make up your own. (Probably)

✽ Export and Publication ✽

Hallelujah to CSP for making an auto-slice function for webtoons!

 

Before exporting, double-check your episode to see if it's good enough to publish. Take a look how it looks like on mobile.

 

✧ Go to [View] > [On screen area(webtoon)]. The highlighted part is the display of your phone screen.

 

 

There's two ways to export your webtoon.

 

✦First Option✦

 

✧ Go to [File] > [Export Webtoon] and you'll see this box pop out. Follow this format.

 

Go with PNG format (PNG is best for retaining pixels and keeping your resolution high). Webtoon has 20mb file limit, so if your files don't fit, just go for JPEG. Once you click [OK], it'll automatically splice the episode for you and saved in your folder.

 

✦Second Option✦

 

✧Go to your webtoon account and to your series title, which leads you to this page. Select [Upload from Clip Studio Paint].

✧ It will lead you to the CSP menu with all your previous saved works. Simply click the file you want to upload and go back to the webtoon page after it finishes loading.

 

This is an easy way to export with just a few clicks. It automatically downsizes and splices your webtoon for you.

✽ Other Tips ✽

✦ Anything that you are sure you'll use in the long run- Always turn them into materials and custom brushes!

✦ When drawing, there is no need to focus on zoomed-in details all the time because you'll find that these details are not noticeable at all. Practice drawing while zoomed out. It makes it easier to spot mistakes quicker, too.

 

✦ Use companion mode! This feature allows your phone to be used as a handheld shortcut device.

✦ If you have too many layers and can't find the one you need, hold onto [Ctrl] + [Shift] and click on that area. It'll direct you to the layer it corresponds.

 

✦ A creator once told me, "Most readers will only stay on one panel for 2 seconds." So keep that in mind.

 

✦ Don't push yourself too hard. Remember to take breaks from time to time.

✽ Afterword ✽

Phew! That sure was long wasn't it?

I wanted to include as much as I could in this article.

 

I hope I was able to help! (´ ω `♡)

If you'd like to check out my works, here is my webtoon creator page~