Vital questions from a budding illustrator

[NightlyVagabond]

Hello again! So... I had bought Affinity Designer for one or two specific things. But as I started playing around, I noticed some major features that have led me to think it could very well replace Clip Studio Paint as my go-to illustration software. However, as is true of any new software, I'm finding some of the things I used to do on Clip Studio either missing (selection wand), changed (layer functions) or "hidden" to my CSP-trained eye (vector line pressure editing).

 

To that end, I'd like to ask if there are any general tips regarding illustration basics (draw and color) for a comic or manga-style illustrator - that is, someone who likes to make full-on paintings with clearly defined lines and crisp coloration - who's new to Affinity?

The key things I'm needing to know in the immediate:

• What's the best process for color filling within lines, without the fuzzy whitespace between the color and lines?
• Is there a way of separating color layers that's easier on Affinity than in other programs, or is it still just a matter of add-and-paint?
• Is there a way to modify vector line width dynamically, or is the curve tool the only method?

Note: I'm familiar with vector lines, but not very versed, and anything vector-related that's not a line tool is a bit arcane to me. So if there things I should know about those, assume I don't, haha! Most all of my work up to this point as been purely raster-driven.

Thanks for any help anyone can provide!

Edit: Did some screwing around RE: color fill and realized vector shapes can do this really well.

[Callum]

Hi Nightly vagabond,

Welcome to the forums

• If your paths are closed the best way to fill your shapes is using the fill button in the colour tab if they aren't closed I find it easiest to paint using the Paint Brush tools.
• You could create a new group for each area you would like to colour and only colour within those groups.
• You should be able to modify line width by selecting your line and adjusting the slider in the stroke panel.

Thanks

Callum

 

[gdenby]

Hi, NightlyVagabond,

I was unfamiliar w. Clip Studio, and so looked it up. I see that it has been in development for about 18 years now, and obviously has lots of feature focus on creating manga style art. In contrast, Affinity has only been in production for a bit more that 4 years, and is not specifically intended for comic product. There are users that have shown manga style artwork in the "Share your work" section of the forum. You might want to look them over.

There are many things still in development. As you noticed, there is no vector eraser. One can break up vectors, and trim them using subtraction, but many people have asked for a dedicated vector eraser. 

I was unable to see which features were included in the different versions. I suppose some things, like the posable 3D models are for the Pro version. I doubt Affinity has any plans at this point for anything like that. Likewise, there doesn't seem to be any intent to expand into animation.

If one is using a pressure sensitive tablet and stylus, or an iPad, Designers pencil tool will make lines with dynamic thickness and opacity. If one only has a mouse, both the pen and pencil tool can have the thickness adjusted by a pressure graph, similar to what I've seen in Clip Studio.

My daughter does use Photoshop extensively for art, much of which is manga influenced (She spent her childhood making Dragonball-Z cartoons.) She's tried out Designer, and noted right away that there were more blend layer options, and she was very impressed w. how quickly the software responded. She mentioned she was happy to know that there was something she could use for her work if she decides to stop the Adobe subscription.

[SrPx]

Glad to read from another illustrator/comic artist, welcome! The more the merrier [We are Legion ].... I'm also a Clip Studio Pro user.(the Ex full animation addition is interesting, but I tend to prefer the animation suite be sth apart with its entire dedicated UI....The only key thing it adds for me is importing multi-layered CMYK files (but as lately, I only convert from RGB at the very end, not a biggie, either). The epub production is surely important for many).

The feel of the brush in CSP , performance (also *key, for me and most digital painters*  in color picker), is very hard to match. Still, I can understand the migration, as an illustrator (and/or comic artist) who needs often other features. IMO is the case of most people doing this seriously, for a living, or serious side business.  I can understand that you feel attracted by  their vector solution, Designer, as Manga art gets a lot of benefit from vectors ( and probably you extensively use CSP's vector features). Anyway, I need to say I prefer a lot more the 1:1 you get with stroke made / stroke that shows up in Affinity Photo rather than in Designer. And if you have been using quite CSP, well, that's a raster solution, not a vector based  one. For me, for all my painting, illustration and comic works it makes a lot more sense to use Photo. But I believe Serif understands (not criticizing it) more that Designer is for drawing and painting, Photo for... photography (and general image editing). It happens that a crazy ton of comic artists, matte painters, concept artists, illustrators and digital painters prefer the raster approach. Reason why an overwhelming number of comic artists, very professional ones, use Photoshop (and other raster solutions), as well as tons of concept artists, illustrators, and matter painters (and many more profiles, leaving several out). The majority I know, use raster tools : Corel Painter, Photoshop, and Clip Studio Paint ! are the most used (well, a bunch use yet Open Canvas or Sai Paint Tool). So, even while I sense this focus here, for a collection of reasons, in my surely not very (or at all) popular opinion, Photo is a better choice for all of that. Now, illustration of modern style (less realistic/painterly, or comic where control over the line is less key) is more a case of Designer, very clearly.(yet you could do those styles with Photo!.... but quie a harder path to do digital painting with A. Designer). 

For comics, very specially Manga, I can see how Designer is quite a good path (pun intended). Still, as I say, I quite prefer the line control I get in Photo. (and IMO, the one in CSP is not beat yet by anything on this planet (Photoshop, Art Rage, Sketchbook, Rebelle 3 and Painter included), of all what I have been able to test, and I have some sort of OCD for testing new tools... The importance of certain features is such, for actual real scenarios (gigs, projects), that I am ready to not miss all those painterly features (which I can replicate with techniques based in core brush), in exchange for similar-to Photoshop functionality (even if they don't pursuit that, neither market it so) which is not subscription based, and which overall product and company approach I really prefer. Even ready to loose the divine line response in CSP, (not completely true, I don't see myself doing ink line art in other thing than CSP for a long time...:P ....But that's the magic of import/export, and the fact I don't care so much working with several products if the workflow is smooth.), as for digital painting is less of an issue not getting the crazily good brush feel/control you get in CSP.

I will never regret having purchased both Photo and Designer (I still work mostly with CSP, though). They complement each other, and are of extreme value and quality. Lately, even Publisher (while not recommended as is a beta) saved a complex situation for a project I'm in... Solved the situation there were seems the high end competitor does not cut it ! 

I found that using a combo of the 3 (AP, AD and CSP) is what works best for me...