braiding Backgrounds
Resource Perspective For Comic Book Artists How to Achieve a Professional Look in Your Art, by David Chelsea Watson-Guptill It's amazing to see comics from new artists where character drawings are spot-on but the backgrounds are either extremely sloppy, off kilter, or worse yet, not done at all. It's hard to get a feel for a scene when there's no scene to look at. It's understandable, actually. Most of the time when you're reading a comic, you're obviously going to focus your attention on the...
Tweaking the Pattern Brush tools advanced options
The Pattern Brush has a completely different set of advanced options, as shown in Figure 14-8, than the other drawing tools. As I mention in Chapter 10, it would almost take forever to go over the available options for each type of Pattern Brush, so I list all of the options you see on the palette. Keep in mind that not all of the options are available, depending on the type of Pattern Brush you're adjusting options you can't use will be grayed out. The Pattern Brush advanced options. There's a...
System Requirements
Make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements shown in the following list. If your computer doesn't match up to most of these requirements, you may have problems using the software and files on the CD. For the latest and greatest information, please refer to the ReadMe file located at the root of the CD-ROM. is A PC running Microsoft Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT4 with SP4 or later , Windows Me, or Windows XP. Manga Studio has some issues with Windows Vista at the...
The Marquee toot
You can use the Marquee tool to create basic rectangular or elliptical selections on the page. It's actually very similar to the Shape tool which I discuss in Chapter 8 , with the exception that you aren't automatically committed to a filled-in or outlined shape. See Figure 9-1. To get started, either click the Marquee tool button on the Tools palette or ,f press M. In addition, you can cycle between the rectangular and elliptical tool by either pressing and holding the Marquee tool button and...
The Lasso toot
Unlike the Marquee tool, which creates a basic shape, the Lasso tool helps you create a more specific selection on the page. If you're looking to create a more complicated polygonal shape, or maybe outline a character or object on your page, this is the tool to use. To select the Lasso tool, you can either click its icon on the Tools palette, or you can press L on your keyboard. Like the Marquee tool, you can cycle between the Lasso and Polyline tools by holding down the Lasso button until its...
Adding points to a panel ruler
Adding points to a panel ruler adds articulation it's an extra joint or joints you can use to create complex panel designs. It's certainly a good way to break out of your typical square panel boundaries. To add points to your panel ruler, follow these steps 1, Choose the Object Selector from the Tools palette. You need to select only one side of the panel to add a point, so you need to deselect the Select All Continuous Points on Ruler check box from the Tool Options palette, if it isn't...
Creating Word Balloons in Manga Studio EX
You Manga Studio EX users out there have things a lot easier than Debut users, as far as creating word balloons go. In fact, all you need to do is take advantage of the Word Balloon function, and you can use any of EX's prein-stalled balloons. If none of the default templates are to your liking, you can simply create your own, which you can re-use as many times as you want Or you can create them by hand see the Creating Word Balloons in Manga Studio Debut section, earlier in this chapter. After...
The Panel Maker toot
If you're looking for a bit more control in the settings for your panel layer, the Panel Maker tool should work perfectly for you. Unlike converting a selection into a panel layer, the Panel Maker tool lets you set up how the layer will look in its main image preview. See the sidebar Previewing your panel layer to find out how the panel preview works. Also, when you've finished drawing out the panel, it's done. If you need to redraw it, you have to undo or delete the panel layer. If you're...
Exporting Hour Work to an External File
Whether it's to send to friends or family, to post on the World Wide Web, or to colorize in Photoshop, sometimes you need to save your work in a file format that isn't Manga Studio-exclusive. Fortunately, you have that option. Using the Export function, you can export your work to one of several common image file formats, including the Photoshop PSD file. Even more, you can choose to export by either physical size in centimeters and resolution or by pixel size. Each has its own advantages over...
Computones
If you bought Manga Studio EX in a box, you've more than likely installed the first disc of Manga Studio EX otherwise, it'd be pretty difficult to use the program , as well as the second disc samples . However, that third disc may have you puzzled. What exactly are Computones Computones are sets of screen and pattern tones that were created by the company Graphic-Sha. Initially created for use in programs such as Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro, these sets can also be used by Manga Studio EX...
Creating Word Balloons in Manga Studio Debut
You've created all the dialogue for the page. Now it's time to add some word balloons so that the reader knows who's saying what to whom. First, the bad news Creating word balloons isn't the easiest thing to do in Manga Studio Debut. Fact is, it's a multistep process to create word balloons for your text. Manga Studio EX really shines here the process of making word balloons is much easier with this version. If you're using Manga Studio EX, skip ahead to the Creating Word Balloons in Manga...
Getting to Knout iour Lager Tgpes
Manga Studio provides a selection of layer types to use in your work. You're going to see them a lot over the next few chapters, so now is a good time to get to know them, j- Raster Layer This is the basic drawing layer that you use for roughing and inking your work, as well as adding various effects, like speed lines. Most of the drawing tools can be used on this layer. Vector Layer An option available to Manga Studio EX users, this layer is used primarily for inking. Unlike a raster layer, a...
Adjusting the brush settings
The default brushes work just fine as is. But there's the possibility that they don't feel right to you. Maybe you'd like to increase the pressure sensitivity of the Thin Pencil tool or remove the tapering from the brush Pen tool Well, there's nothing stopping you from customizing these tools to better suit your style of working. After all, you're going to be using them to create your next great masterpiece, so why not make them comfortable to use The good news is that it's quite easy to adjust...
Scanning in our Line Art
Some artists like to get their hands dirty with a good dip pen, India ink, and correction fluid and would rather just scan inked line art into Manga Studio for touch-ups and screentoning. 1 cover the scanning process in more detail in Chapter 5, but here's a quick run-through and a few suggestions for scanning your inked art preparing your new ink layer 1, If you haven't already set up your scanner in Manga Studio, choose File1 Import1 Select TWAIN Device and select your scanner in the Select...
Filters as Rulers Using the Parallel Focus and Perspective Line Rulers
I think the speed line, focus line and vanishing point filters introduced in Chapter 14 are a great way to create special effects or prepare drawing guides when you just want it done quickly. But what if you want something a bit more hands-on Manga Studio EX actually provides an alternative version to all three of those filters the parallel, focus, and perspective line rulers. Each of these perform the same basic function as their respective filters. The big difference is that instead of the...
Adding focus tines
Focus lines are a staple of manga that help to create the trademark look of the genre. It's a simple effect that you can use in a variety of ways, including expressing motion towards the reader, focusing attention towards an item or person, or when created with reverse colors creating effects, such as star-hursts. Check out Figure 14-12 for some examples of focus lines in action. You can use the Focus Lines filter in a variety of ways. You can use the Focus Lines filter in a variety of ways. To...
Using the Materials Catalog or quick reference
Manga Studio comes preinstalled with thousands of tones and patterns to use. That number is even larger if you own Manga Studio EX. So, it can be a bit daunting to find the right type of tone for your work. Fortunately, the hunting process is easier than you may think. The Materials Catalog that comes with the program in electronic form contains every single tone and pattern type available to Manga Studio Debut and EX users. It also covers all the default and EX-exclusive Computones, as well as...
Troubleshooting
1 tried my best to compile programs that work on most computers with the minimum system requirements. Alas, your computer may differ, and some programs may not work properly for some reason. If you're having problems, the two likeliest culprits are that you don't have enough memory RAM for the programs you want to use, or you have other programs running that are affecting installation or running of a program. If you get an error message such as Not enough memory or Setup cannot continue, try...
Aligning rulers
If you're working with multiple rulers, you may find you need to line them up in either a certain direction or position. Manga Studio has a few functions you can use to rotate and adjust your rulers to whatever position, spacing, or angle you need. The Verticalize function takes your selected rulers and adjusts them until they're all at a 90-degree angle, which you can see in Figure 8-10. The sizes and general positions of the rulers remain the same. The Verticalize function quickly aligns your...
Creating rulers With the Line and Shape tools
Here's where figuring out how the Line and Shape tools work discussed earlier in this chapter pays off. These are the tools you use to create the rulers. In fact, they're the only ones you can use on a ruler layer, because none of the other drawing tools will work. Follow these steps to create rulers with these tools 1. Create a starting point with your mouse or stylus on the canvas. 2. Drag the mouse or stylus to the ending point of your ruler and release. If you're drawing a curve, you need...
Creating a custom brush
If you want to keep the default brushes as they are, but you'd still like to have a few custom ones to work with, you can easily create new brushes. Follow these steps to create a custom brush 1. From the Tools palette, click the drawing tool you'd like to create a new brush from. For example, you may want to select the Pen or Magic Marker tool. 2. Open the Tool Options palette F3 on your keyboard . 3. Click the Show Menu button and select New Tool Option Settings. 4. When the New Tool Option...
System Preferences Tips
Here's some good news for those that like to tweak program settings You aren't married to the default system preferences of Manga Studio. You can adjust parts of the program to best suit your needs. These can range from changing the computer's memory allocation to the system to changing the color of your rulers. All of this is located in the Preferences dialog box, accessible from the main menu by choosing FileOPreferences. It would take way too many pages to cover every single option in the...
Keyboard shortcuts
If you don't want to use the Ruler Manipulator to adjust the rulers, Manga Studio provides a series of keyboard shortcuts that perform the same functions. You still need to use the Object Selector to initially select the ruler or rulers you want to adjust. The keyboard shortcuts are listed in Table 8-1. Table 8-1 Keyboard Shortcuts for Adjusting Rulers Table 8-1 Keyboard Shortcuts for Adjusting Rulers Place focal point where cursor is on page .
Create a Comfortable Workspace
What constitutes a comfortable workspace is extremely subjective, if only because we're all different. I happen to like taking my tablet PC to the various coffee shops in town, sitting down, plugging in my iPod, and sketching away or at this particular moment, writing a book . That doesn't mean my nomadic style works for everyone you might find the idea of working anyplace but at home revolting. It all boils down to the first tip in this chapter Find the place you feel your most creative. When...
Creating yow oWn Word balloon template
Manga Studio EX users have eighteen default word balloons to choose from. It's impressive, until you discover that many of them are variations on a theme Three are considered standard balloons, three are yelling balloons, and so on. There's a chance that you could go through all the word balloon templates provided and find that none of them match what you're looking for So, create your own Much like creating your own patterns and screentones, Manga Studio gives you the option to create your own...
The Pattern Brush toot
Sometimes I'll find myself looking for a pattern to place in a background of a panel. There's always the option to use one of the hundreds of tone patterns that Manga Studio provides. The problem is, sometimes I'd like it a bit more random and less pattern-y. Using the Pattern Brush helps because I can place and break up the pattern however I'd like. It's nice to put a personal spin on a background, while saving a bit of time compared to putting the pattern in by hand. Another great thing about...
Using Airbrush and Pattern Effects With lour Line Art
1 have to be honest about something. When I work on a page, 1 try to work as fast as possible on it. If I don't work quickly, I start to get bogged down, and it starts to get tedious. When I get bored, the art becomes flat and lackluster. And that's not good at all for anyone. So, when I'm working on a program such as Manga Studio, 1 try to take advantage of whatever shortcuts it happens to provide especially during the inking stage. This can be adding hatch marks to a character's jacket,...
Changing the drawing tools cursor
If you aren't happy with the default cursors for your drawing tools, don't use them Manga Studio provides several different cursors that you can use in place of what the Pen, Pencil, Marker, Eraser, Airbrush, and Pattern Brush tools offer initially. Follow these steps to change the cursors 1. Choose File Preferences in the Preferences dialog box, click the to expand the Page tree on the left and select Cursor as shown in Figure 14-3 . 2. From the Tool drop-down list, select the drawing tool you...
The Pen tool
Probably the most versatile tool for your inking, the pen can provide a wide variety of line strengths to help bring your work to life. Manga Studio provides a preset number of common pens to use. You can access the Pen tool in two ways e Click the Pen button on the Tools palette. Holding the pen icon down for a couple of seconds brings up a list of all the pens that come preinstalled with Manga Studio, as shown in Figure 10-2. There may be some pens that feel right and others that aren't for...
The Gradation Tool
much like the Gradation or Gradient tool that you've probably seen in other programs, like Photoshop. What those other art programs don't let you do, however, is adjust the gradation after you've created it on its own tone layer. Used on any other layer in the program, the Gradation tool produces its own tone layer, which you can then adjust using the Tone Layer Properties palette. 1 like to think of the Gradation tool as a quick setup of a tone gradation, which I can then tweak later on to get...
The Line tool
If you aren't looking for anything special In the lines you want for your technical and background work, using the Line Curve Polyline tool Line tool, for short is the simplest method. The Line tool and its variant Curve and Polyline functions puts down a basic, no-frills line, curve, or freeform polygonal shape at any length or size you need. . To use this, click the Line tool icon, located on the Tools palette. To change the default options, use the Tool Options palette, shown in Figure 8-1....
Overlapping tones to add shadows
One way to add depth to a scene is to add shadows. With tones, it's a pretty simple task take a second tone, offset it slightly, and place it right on top of the base tone. If you look at Figure 11-13, you can see how simply adding a second layer and offsetting it slightly creates a darker color. difference between a basic tone and two overlapping tones is dramatic. difference between a basic tone and two overlapping tones is dramatic. In Manga Studio, each tone is on its own layer, so the...
The Tones palette in Manga Studio EX
Manga Studio EX users have almost twice the number of tones available to them compared to Manga Studio Debut. So the folder structure in EX's Tone palette is set up differently from Debut's. EX breaks down its tones into Rasic and Computones not to be confused with the function of the same name that's explained In the Computones section later in this chapter , incorporating all the tones and tone sets included in the Debut version and then some see Figure 11-9 The EX tone sets are set up as...
Quick Mask
The Quick Mask feature is for those of you who aren't necessarily looking to save a selection for later use, but want the ease of use that working with a selection layer can bring you. To create a Quick Mask, follow these steps 1. From the main menu, choose Selection1 Use Quick Mask. Or you can press Ctrl M on your keyboard 3S M on the Mac . A new Quick Mask layer appears on the Layers palette. From here, it's just like working on a selection layer. 2. Use the Selection or Drawing tools to...
Applying Computones
The differences in the preceding section aside, working with Computones is not that much different than working with the base Manga Studio tones. Many of the tips 1 give in the book when using tones work just as well with Computones. For the following steps, I use the pageOOl. cpg file. You can find this file in the AuthorXChapter 11 folder on the CD. If you haven't installed any Computones I use the 600 dpi Computones as an example , now's a good time to do that. Open the page you wish to add...
Creating speed lines
Probably one of the most identifiable effects in Manga is the use of speed lines to express motion on a static page. Take a look at Figure 14-15 and tell me which of the two images feels more kinetic and dynamic. difference between a static page and a dynamic one. difference between a static page and a dynamic one. The Speed Lines filter in Manga Studio helps you to create as many or as few lines as you need for a panel or page. You can create them as simple and uniform or wild and random, all...
Adding highlights
While overlapping tones can help bring dimensionality to a drawing by adding shadow, it doesn't do much to bring out the light. To do that, you need to remove strategic parts of the tone from the drawing. There are several methods of adding highlights to a drawing. For this chapter, I start with the simplest method, which is to simply take your Eraser or Lasso tool, select the tone you wish to remove, and erase or delete. Throughout this chapter, I constantly bring up the threat of moir in your...
Converting selection layers to image selections
Converting an area you block off in a selection layer into an actual selection to use on an image layer is a pretty simple process. You can do it in two ways If Use the Magic Wand tool to select areas from the currently active layer. i From the main menu, choose Selection Convert Layer to Selection Ctrl F F on the Mac , which converts all visible selection layers into a selection. When converted, you see the familiar marching ants selection around the area s you've chosen. See Figure 9-23. From...
The Zoom tool
A staple of many art programs, the Zoom tool does exactly what it says it allows you to zoom as far in or out as you'd like on the page. That way, you can get a full view of the entire page or an individual panel on your screen, or you can get that closer than you can get your face to a real piece of paper view, when you need to work on an intricate design. You can adjust the zoom in several ways e On the Tools palette, click the Zoom button. Using the Zoom button changes your mouse cursor into...
Spicing Up lour Work With Fitters
Are you feeling avant-garde Do you want to really go wild with special effects Manga Studio EX has that covered, with a series of rendering, transformation, and other effect filters that you can add to a scene or panel to really give it an extra level of pop. Because there are so many filters to work with and because there's only so much space in this chapter, this section is intended to give you just a taste of the various effects filters at your disposal. Both Manga Studio Debut and EX come...
Printing lour Work
If you're looking to sell your comic book but you don't have the money to get it printed professionally don't worry about it You can just as easily use your own printer to create your comic book. If you check out any comic or anime convention, you almost always find a small press or self-publisher section. The artists there sell their goods on nothing more than a stack of 8.5-x-l 1-inch paper and a few staples. This is probably the simplest and cheapest way you can sell your comic in a physical...
Adding Text
Provided you aren't working the old Marvel way a barebones layout script with no dialogue , you likely have some words in front of you that you'd like to place on the page. Simple enough. Break out the Text tool and add dialogue and other text to your page by following these steps , 1. Click the Text tool on the Tools palette. 2. Ou the canvas, click the area you wish to add text to. Manga Studio automatically creates a new layer to hold the text and opens the Layer Properties palette. Only...
Merging lagers
Merging layers is a way to permanently unless you Undo, of course group all of your related layers into one layer. This is a good solution if you wish to flatten all of your inks or roughs onto one layer, for example. Unlike with layer folders and grouped layers, you can draw and edit directly on a merged layer. To merge one or more layers together, follow these steps 1. Ctrl click 36 click on the Mac the layers you wish to group. 2. Merge the selected layers by using one of the following...
Deleting points from a panel ruler
If you want to simplify the shape of a panel, you can remove points from the ruler. Follow these steps to delete points from a panel layer 1. Choose the Object Selector from the Tools palette. You don't need to select an entire panel for this function, so make sure you deselect the Select All Continuous Points on Ruler check box from the Tool Options palette, if it isn't already deselected. 2. Select the point you wish to remove from the panel ruler. You can see two selected points on the left...
The Magic Wand toot
Sometimes it's just easier to click an area of the page to select it. That's where the Magic Wand tool can help out because that's all it does The Magic Wand is probably the easiest of all the selection tools to use in Manga Studio. You have only two steps to perform 1. Click the Magic Wand button on the Tools palette or press W on your keyboard. 2. Click the area of the page you want to select. That's it No tracing. No clicking and dragging. Just click what you want selected, and you're done,...
Adjusting the image lager settings
The first order of business is to adjust the settings so you can see your roughs. Here's how to do that 1. If you haven't done this already, import the image. See the earlier section, Importing an image file, for instructions. The Import Images window opens. 2. If it isn't already active, click the Layer Settings tab shown in Figure 5-3 . 3. Enter or change the name of the image in the Layer Name text box. 4. Choose an option from the Layer Type drop-down list If you're using the image as a...
Installing Computones
The installation process for Computones works pretty much the same as when you first installed Manga Studio 1. Place the third Manga Studio EX installation disc into your CD-ROM drive. This step will vary, depending on how you purchased Manga Studio EX by CD or download or if you are installing one of the third-party Computones sets. For the download version of EX on Windows, open the ma in setup file and click the link that says Install Computones when prompted. For the download version of EX...
Inserting Vanishing points
For those unfamiliar with the concept of perspective lines, the short definition is it's a means to create three-dimensional objects easily and accurately. I could go into great detail about the various types of perspective lines you can create, but you can find many wonderful books on drawing that explain the technique far better than I can in this book. Be sure to check out Chapter 16 for one of my personal favorite books on drawing comics. If you've done work with perspective lines before,...
Creating your ovOn page templates
Say you've looked through the list of page templates but don't see what you need to work with. Or perhaps you've created a custom page but you don't want to change the settings every time you want to create a new page or worse, forget what your settings originally were . Fortunately, Manga Studio allows you to design your own template. Now, you can create and come back to your custom page whenever you want, and not worry about having to change any settings If you skipped the Setting up a custom...
Outlining selections EX only
Manga Studio EX users have an option to add an outline to selections of various widths and colors. Well, only two colors technically, but you get what I mean . It's a good function to have when you want to create a simple border around a shape, such as a word balloon. To create an outline, follow theses steps 1. Choose Edit1 Outline Selection from the main menu. The Outline Selection dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 9-17. 2. Select the color of your outline foreground, background, or...