#alexanderskeeper

It’s not a secret per se. XD I bought Manga Studio 5 (or Clip Studio) less than a year ago when it was on sale and I only recently started to kick my butt into using it. Lineart is really, for me, a BIG problem as I NEVER like any of my lineart. But after reading a couple of real good tutorials, I understand I had to search for my own way to lineart, something that fitted my style.

There are various different ways to lineart. Some people use the vector tools, others use the stabilizer in Paint Tool Sai, couple of others use nothing but the default tools... The magic isn’t in the tools, but how you use them.

I tried using the G pen on its default settings, turning the canvas and using only one stroke to do my lines. It does make smooth and pretty lines, but I found that I couldn’t quite achieve the curves correctly, especially for the expression and the side of the face. It ended up with a face well executed, but lacking any emotions or fluidity. It was stiff and boring (kind of NOT the point since I’m supposed to make icons that EXPRESS the character’s EMOTIONS). Plus, making corrections made the line ugly beyond words because you only need to erase one tiny bit too much and IT’S HORRIBLE.

I experimented on the vector layer. I suppose, with time, I would come to love that tool for certain uses. But again, I couldn’t quite work the line the way I wanted it because of all the anchors and the effort required to correctly a simple thing while I could just draw and erase a bit to get the effect I wanted.

I went back the website of Clip Studio and checked out the video of renown mangakas using the software and how they did their lineart. None gave their settings, but I noticed they were, in most cases, using small strokes to make the shapes, which is more natural to me as I sketch that way already. Shortly after buying the software, I checked the step-by-step of some artists (below the videos) and I spotted one whose lineart seemed simple and soft coloring. She gave specs of her tools and I put them in my software.

I LOVE her draft/sketch custom tool. A real charm. But I didn’t use the lineart tool correctly the first time. I recently used it again, but by applying my own style: short multiple strokes to get the line the way I wanted. AND IT WORKED. I just need to erase very little to make the line look good and I have it the way I want it to be.

Why am I telling the WHOLE story behind this? Because just like searching for your style, learning to draw is a quest to find what’s right for you.  I have found something that, for now, works for me, but it might not work for you. There is no magic tool (-snif-) or magic software (-double snif-) that will make things “easier”. It’s all about trials and errors, taking bits of what you like among the many tutorials you read and daily practice. Because it won’t do you much good to practice once in a while. It has to be, in the best of worlds, every day. No more than 5 to 15 minutes is needed, especially if you focus on ONE aspect you want to improve.