Creating a Custom Brush Tip in Clip Studio Paint

Clip Studio Paint is a powerful digital painting and comic illustration tool that offers a wide range of features to help artists bring their creativity to life. One of the most exciting features of Clip Studio Paint is its ability to create custom brushes, which can be tailored to suit specific artistic styles and needs. In this tutorial, we will explore the steps involved in creating a custom brush tip in Clip Studio Paint.

Step 1: Create a New Illustration

To create a custom brush tip, we need to start by creating a new illustration in Clip Studio Paint. Go to File > New and create a large square illustration with dimensions of 1200 x 1200 pixels. Uncheck the Paper Color option to make the image transparent, and set the Basic Expression Color to gray. Click OK to create the new illustration.

Step 2: Draw the Brush Tip Shape

On the provided layer, draw the shape of your custom brush tip in black. This shape will determine the shape of your brush tip, so be creative and experiment with different shapes and designs.

Step 3: Register the Material Image

Once you have drawn the shape of your brush tip, go to Edit > Register Material. Give your brush tip a name, and make sure to check the Use for Brush Tip Shape box. Choose a safe location in your Clip Studio materials to save the file, and add descriptive tags to make it easier to find later on. Click OK to save the changes.

Creating a Custom Brush

To create a new brush, duplicate an existing brush that has properties you like. For example, you can create a scatter brush by going to Decoration and clicking on the Sparkle Brush that comes with Clip Studio Paint. Click Create Copy of Currently Selected Sub Tool to create a new brush based on the original, and give it a name. Customize the properties of your new brush as needed.

Creating a Custom Icon

You can also create a custom icon for your brush tip. Go to User Settings and select an existing icon from the drop-down menu, or create a new one. Alternatively, you can change the background color of the icon.

Tool Property Panel

To access the tool property panel, click the Wrench icon in the bottom right corner. This will open the Sub Tool Detail Palette, where you can customize the properties of your brush.

Brush Tip Settings

In the Sub Tool Detail Palette, click Brush Tip to access the brush tip settings. Make sure the Tip Shape is set to Material instead of Circle. If there is already a material selected (e.g. Sparkle), select it and click the Trash Can icon to delete it. Click Add Brush Tip Shape, and in the search box, start typing to find the desired brush tip shape.

Finding Your Custom Brush Tip

To find your custom brush tip, type the name of your brush tip or one of the search tags you added to it. You don't need to type the entire name, simply select the brush tip and hit OK. Close the Subtool Detail palette, and you now have a brush with your own custom tip. You can adjust all the settings as you like, and your new brush is set up to paint with whatever color you choose in the Color Picker.

Future Videos and Feedback

This is the first video in a series on Clip Studio Paint brushes. Let the creator know what you'd like to see covered in future videos, and stay tuned for more tutorials on customizing your brushes in Clip Studio Paint.