Okay, fellow Manga Studio users. I have a present for you.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kfnptgh7htne8uo/isometric%20template.lip?dl=0

That is a Manga Studio/Clip Studio Paint file. I have managed to jury rig the perspective rulers to make an ISOMETRIC perspective template. I can’t program a new perspective tool for you, but this is as close as you can get before the devs program one.

So if you wanna make some isometric drawings, just download the file in the link, open Manga Studio and draft up some stuff.

Get the program HERE.

Free Brushes for Manga Studio 5/ Clip Studio Paint by iridescentdelirium

Clip Studio Paint/Manga Studio Masterpost

 This post is dedicated to taeyangthesun, who asked for this! Thank you! 

Note: Clip Studio Paint = Manga Studio Any tuts you come across are compatible for both programs. 

CSP General tutorial  by Mangaka-Yoshiaru 

Specific

Setting up Clip Studio Paint / Manga Studio 5

I’ve been using Clip Studio Paint (aka Manga Studio 5) for the last 2 years and I really cannot recommend it enough. It has the smoothness and blending of SAI, a really good brush system and some of Photoshop’s capabilities without the heaviness of the software. I mean, what more could you want? 

Unfortunately I feel like the UI deters some people from using it (including my friends…). I can see why and I have to admit the default layout looks a little overwhelming in the beginning. On the bright side, CSP is incredibly flexible with its settings and there are many ways to adapt it to suit what you’re accustomed to. In my case, I wanted something more similar to SAI to make the software transition smoother (old habits die hard I guess).

I hope this helps people who feel somewhat lost when they open the program for the first time ><

First things first: Close everything you don’t want and drag panels around. Re-arrange everything however you want, even down to tool order. Actually, most of this post may come off as common sense, but I think it still helps to have a rough idea of what exactly you can do with CSP if you find yourself just not getting into it at all.

This is the default:

My current layout:

After that, there are four areas of settings you need to check on, under File:

Preferences

From the Preferences you can edit a lot of options regarding to how the software functions. From a UI and general ease-of-use standpoint, these are the key points you might want to look at: ► Interface tab: You can change the UI to have a light or dark colour using a slider, from a really light gray to really dark gray (almost black, similar to Photoshop CS6 default)

► Cursor tab: You can change what the cursor looks like when selecting certain tools. ► Layer/Frame tab: You can change the naming convention for when you duplicate a layer, and you can also set layer folders to [Through] layer mode as a default, instead of [Normal] layer mode. ► Ruler/Unit tab: For changing the guide lines for when you set rulers, also setting the default units you want to use (px or mm) ► Canvas tab: Under ‘Scale’ and ‘Angle’ you can set the zoom and rotate levels the zoom and rotate buttons snap to.

Shortcut Settings

This is pretty self-explanatory and if you’ve modified Photoshop hotkeys, the window might look familiar. If you use hotkeys heavily like me, I recommend you look through it thorougly since some hotkeys might be different from what you’re used to or don’t have a hotkey set to it at all. You can set hotkeys to anything on the main menu, various general options (like increasing/decreasing brush size and main>sub colour switching), specific tools (even custom brushes) and auto actions. Settings I recommend checking, mostly because these are what I personally care about:

Main Menu: Edit > Clear Edit > Fill Edit > Convert brightness to opacity (converts degrees of white to degrees of transparency, useful for things like lineart) Edit > Transform Layer > Duplicate layer Layer > Merge with layer below / Combine selected layer (these two are different, and unlike in PS where Ctrl+E works for both, it is separate for CSP) Layer > Combine copies of displayed layer (Merges all visible layers into a separate layer, aka PS’s monster shortcut of Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E) Selection > Select All Selection > Deselect Selection > Invert selected area View > Rotate > Flip Horizontal (mirroring)

Option: Drawing color > Switch main color and sub color Drawing color > Switch to transparent color … Or any of the different combinations they have, depending on what you want. Unlike PS and SAI, CSP has a third colour option available, which is ‘transparent’, so you can 'paint’ using transparency, which functions pretty much like the eraser without needing to change tools.

Modifier Key Settings

This is a pretty important part to stop by because it affects how you use your tools. Basically, for each tool, you can set what happens when you hold Ctrl, Shift, Alt, Spacebar or use the mouse wheel. With Photoshop and SAI, you may be used to normally having the colour picker / eyedropper when you hold Alt, and moving the layer’s contents when you hold Ctrl. Some of CSP’s default values of these shortcut keys are different, and I recommend getting a feel for the tools you use and changing these settings as you go.

To change a brush to eyedropper while holding Alt: ► Select 'Settings for each process of tool’, and under 'Sub Tool’ select which specific tool you want. ► Under the 'Alt’ dropdown, select 'Change tool temporarily’, then click the Settings button. Select 'Eyedropper’ and click OK. (You don’t have to go all the way down the list of settings, unless you want to refine it to a more specific function)

To change to move layer while holding Ctrl: ► Do the same except under 'Ctrl’, select ’ Change tool temporarily’ to 'Move layer’.

Other settings from the drop down: ► For Shift, you can go to 'Tool aux. operation’ on the dropdown, and check the 'Straight line’ box to make straight lines that connect clicks when you hold Shift.

There are more so please look at the list carefully if you find yourself needing something regarding those key holds.

Command Bar Settings

The command bar is the strip at the top with all the icons, just above the canvas tab. Basically you can put a bunch of shortcuts there of anything in the main menu. It’s really up to you. For mine, I keep the View > Rotate > Flip Horizontal icon on there so I can tell if my canvas is mirrored (because sometimes I forget the canvas is flipped and only realise when I’ve saved and looked at the pic). I also put the icons of all the correction layers I use the most, and the Layer > Combine selected layers icon since my Ctrl+E is already taken up by Merge with layer below.

Additional general notes on navigating and setting up CSP:

► I recommend checking out everything under the Window menu, you might find a really handy panel that isn’t normally open, or you can even disable the Command Bar if you want. I like to keep the Information tab somewhere on the side so I can see if I’ll start lagging any time soon because of big files (lol).

► The Sub View panel is also really useful that it works as a box to place reference images in. You can open an entire folder there and scroll through using the arrows. You can set it so that every time you hover over the panel, the eyedropper is automatically on (handy!)

► Brush settings are accessible through this little wrench here at the bottom right corner of the tool property panel.

► Speaking of brushes, you can select which options are visible in the tool property panel by enabling the eye button.

► Each panel has this menu button. You’ll find even more display options there such as enabling/disabling panel-specific icon bars, changing the size of brush tiles, etc.

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TL;DR: Anyways, if you are too lazy to do this all yourself, you can just download my workspace file and open it yourself. Everything I’ve written about here (shortcuts, modifier keys, etc.) I’ve set to suit habits I’ve formed from using PS and SAI over the years. If you are in the same situation then I hope this will come in handy as a base for your own settings!

Personal hotkey list that’s included in the file (that I can remember): A = Brightness to opacity D = Clear layer F = Fill Ctrl+J = Duplicate Layer Ctrl+K = Flip layer/selection horizontally (as in the Transform command, and not mirror) Ctrl+U = Hue/Saturation Ctrl+L = Levels Ctrl+Shift+I = Invert selection Ctrl+I = Invert colours Ctrl+E = Merge to layer below Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E = Merge all visible layers to a separate layer Ctrl+T = Transform Z = Main > Sub colour switch Shift+Z = Switch to transparent colour X = Mirror canvas 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0 = Change brush opacity in 10% increments End = Resets Rotate and Mirror

Things like Ctrl+Z / X / C /  V / A / D / W / O / S etc. remain the same as normal in other programs. Ctrl+Y is Redo.

Download link: SAI…ish

Instructions: Put the file in your Documents \ CELSYS_EN \ CLIPStudioPaintVer1_1_0 \ Workspace Folder. Then open CSP and go to Window > Workspace and select “SAI…ish”. Click OK to importing the settings. Hopefully that should work! (If nothing changes, you can try Workspace > Reset “SAI…ish” and click Yes)

* Make sure the file is named workspace_2.spws * If that clashes with another workspace in your files, you can just change the 2 to any number

I keep getting asks for my brushes so here they are!! I made a gumroad to upload them on and here’s the link.  It’s pay what you want but please download them for free if you want because I know that art stuff is expensive and a huge reason I use Manga Studio in the first place is because it only cost me $15.  And I really enjoy making brushes!!

The Spotty Inker brush family has been added to my Manga Studio 5 dry media and 200+ brush super sets. Reblog for a chance at a free set!

GET THEM HERE.

The Spotty Inker brushes were designed to give your digital comics analog flair. Soften the edges of your spotted blacks, create rough halftones, or ink the whole image—this update has you covered.

I’ve had these brushes in testing with comics and illustration professionals and the feedback has been universally positive. It’s time to let everyone else kick the tires.

If you’ve purchased my Dry Media or Super Sets before, this is a free update. Redownload the updated set using your previously supplied download link.

Pay What You Want: Braid Brushes

Available on Gumroad — Click Here!

So I decided to make my brushes available to download for a pay-what-you-want donation via Gumroad. 

There are 5 brushes included with 3 variants:

As someone who loves drawing detailed hair and is a perfectionist, I made these brushes to help expedite the process. These brushes do not replace being able to draw braids, and require a level of editing to look right. They are not meant to be slapped-down as is, unedited, into a final polished work - used alone they can render a drawing quite flat as they ignore light sources, and their level of detail my not match the illustration or your style. It is important to know how to touch them up and edit them. Another use for them is as sketches, guides and reference, which is what the Blueprint brush is explicitly for.

The blueprint brush in particular is meant to be used as a sketch or reference, not to replace drawing a braid.

Here are examples of the brushes being used with other brushes, as an example of how they can look with editing:

Below is a quick example used in conjunction with another natural hair brush set I’m working on as well. After putting the braids down with the brush, their details were simplified by drawing over them to match the level of detail of the rest of the drawing, and the start of the braid (where the hair is pulled in) was drawn in.

korra-naga asked about my process, so here’s a step by step for one of the pictures from here. (Whoops this got longer than planned. I am no good at being concise).

Brushes/Program: I used Manga Studio 5/Clip Studio Paint for this but you could probably follow these steps using any drawing program as long as you can find a good set of dry media brushes to use with it. For Manga Studio 5 I recommend Bri’s brushes (which are great and free!) and the Daub brush sets (these cost money but they’re amazing - most of my favourites are in the Joyful Bristle set but if you’re willing to spend money on professional brushes I think it’s worth getting the megapack so you can try them all out and see what works best for you).

Step 0: Go look at some gorgeous nature/landscape photos to get inspired! Step 1: I have three layers here - the background, middleground and foreground. I find it’s easiest to start with a pale, less-saturated background and a darker, more-saturated foreground. I try not to start with any really bright colours because I like to use overlay layers to develop the colour scheme and that really saturates the picture.

Step 2: Trees trees trees. I added a few new layers between the background and middleground Step 3: More trees! I added a layer between the middleground and the foreground. Step 4: Lighting. I airbrushed a bit of blue at the top of the background layer then added an overlay layer on top of everything, and airbrushed some yellow around the middle of the picture.

Step 5: Added a new normal layer on top of everything and added some detail. Step 6: Added a new overlay layer on top of everything and airbrushed on some reds.  Step 7: Repeat steps 5 and 6 as needed, to add more detail and strengthen the colours. I also added a glow dodge layer on top of everything and used a textured brush to add some lighting to the trees.

Step 8: I added a new normal layer and sketched in a Korra silhouette. Step 9: I added colour to the Korra silhouette, put a shadow underneath her and used another glow dodge layer for the lighting. Step 10: I added another glow dodge layer, trying to create that “light scatters through branches effect”, then messed around with the levels a bit. Tadah, done!

19 FREE TECH PEN INKING BRUSHES FOR MANGA STUDIO & CLIP PAINT

To thank you for the overwhelming response to my Inking, Painting, Wash, Marker, and Dry Media brush sets for Manga Studio 5, I’m giving away this set of 19 technical pens for free!

These pens match the real world size of Rapidograph and Pigma Micron pens when used at 600dpi in Manga Studio. If you want consistency between your analog and digital tech pen work, these are a great place to start.

Enjoy your Ray-pidograph and Pigman Mycon tech pens and check out my other Manga Studio brush sets.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE PENS HERE

Mirre's set of custom brushes for Manga Studio & Clip Studio Paint

First things first, download links for the brush packs:

These files should work both in Manga Studio AND CLIP Studio Paint.

The first brush pack contains what I usually stick to, the two other are optional (but pretty fun to goof around with).

now let’s take a look at some of the brushes:

This brush is what I use more or less for everything. The spacing is reduced in order to easier control the density using the pen pressure, which is very common for Photoshop brushes. But Manga Studio didn’t include this one in it’s default brush pack so I created my own!

I mostly use three blender tools and blender #1 is currently my fav.

Blender#2 has density set to pen pressure which makes it blend softer.

Blender#3 is sharp and very smudgy but is really nice once you get used to it. Good to use for rendering hair or “push around” colors to make the painting look cleaner.

There are a bit more brushes in the “main pack” but the ones shown in this post are tbh the brushes I usually stick to.

Forget your art block and begin your new life as an artist with this LITERAL HAIR BRUSH.

With this tool you can finally give your OCs the perfect Square Enix hairstyle - and it ALSO does your eyebrows and moustache!

TRUST ME the double line brush is your best friend and will always deliver shoelaces, cables, strings - ALMOST ANYTHING. Also stubble brush is cool.

Sparkle brush is so fantastic to use for any blissful situation; like for example when you realise that one cool artist on tumblr actually follows your askblog. Those kind of moments.

These brushes will easily replicate random hills and misty mountains, but don’t expect them to make you a cool concept artist in one night.