Creating Ribbon Brushes in Clip Studio Paint: Tips and Tricks

When it comes to creating ribbon brushes in Clip Studio Paint, there are a few key requirements to keep in mind. First and foremost, the brush tips must seamlessly connect top to bottom to create a continuous ribbon effect. Additionally, multiple brush tips must have the same width to ensure a cohesive look. Finally, post correction must be enabled to make the brush work smoothly.

Creating a Vine Brush

To create a vine brush, start by creating a new brush tip with a short and wide shape (e.g., 1200px x 600px). Set the default expression color to gray to ensure the brush uses colors properly. Next, draw two short lines in the middle of the canvas to create the main stem, which must seamlessly tile top to bottom.

Creating a Seamless Pattern in Clip Studio Paint

To create a seamless pattern in Clip Studio Paint, follow these steps:

1. Select the whole canvas using Ctrl + A.
2. Right-click on the layer and select "Convert Layer".
3. Change the layer type to "Image Material Layer" and click "OK".
4. Deselect the canvas using Ctrl + D.
5. Go to the Operation tool and the Object sub tool.
6. Scroll down the properties and check "Tiling".
7. Drag the layer up to notice it's wrapped around to the bottom.
8. Right-click on the layer and select "Rasterize".
9. The top and bottom of the layer will now align perfectly.

Creating a Brush Tip

To create a brush tip, follow these steps:

1. Make a copy of the layer to use for the brush tip later.
2. Hide the copied layer to get it out of the way.
3. Draw anything desired in the middle of the layer, as long as the ends line up.
4. Create a copy of an existing brush with similar settings.
5. Select the Decoration tool and go to the Clothing tab.
6. Click on a similar brush (e.g. "Chain") and click "Create Copy of Currently Selected Sub Tool".
7. Give the new brush a name and select a more appropriate icon.
8. Click "OK".
9. Click the wrench to open the Subtool Detail palette.
10. Go to "Brush Tip" and adjust settings as needed.

Adjusting Brush Tip Angle

When replacing a brush tip, the angle may not be aligned correctly. To fix this, reset the angle to 0° in the Subtool Detail palette.

Ribbon Brushes and Post Correction

Ribbon brushes can be "janky" and may not work as expected. Enable Post Correction in the Subtool Detail palette to improve performance. Adjust the Post Correction setting to find a balance between smoothness and corner preservation (e.g. 3 or 4). Different brushes may require different Post Correction settings (e.g. Vine brush at 4 or 5). Ribbon brushes work by squashing and stretching the brush on curves, and may not perform well on tight curves.

Adding Multiple Brush Tips

Adding a second brush tip may not work as expected if done incorrectly. Drawing a second brush tip in the same way as the first may not align correctly in the brush. Note that transparency is removed when applying brush tips, which can cause alignment issues.

Creating a Ribbon Brush in Clip Studio Paint

Step 1: Create a Fix Layer

Create a new layer using a 1-pixel size pen. Make a tiny mark on the very left and very right of the canvas. Reduce the layer's opacity to 1% (this will make it almost invisible).

Step 2: Merge Fix Layer with Brush Tips

Duplicate the fix layer. Merge the duplicated fix layer with the first brush tip layer. Repeat the process, merging the fix layer with the second brush tip layer. Finally, merge the remaining fix layer with the final brush tip layer.

Step 3: Register New Brush Tips

Go to the ribbon brush and remove the existing brush tips. Replace them with the newly fixed brush tips (you can shift-click and select to add multiple brush tips at once).

Result

Your ribbon brush is now working as expected. You can combine this technique with other tricks to apply colors and more. Check out the Clip Studio brush tips playlist for more ideas and inspiration.

Additional Notes

This is a hacky solution, so if you know of a better fix, let me know in the comments! Don't forget to tag me (@M red nebula) on socials if you want to show off the brushes you made!