Basic Line Art in Manga Studio

In this simple tutorial I ll share how I make line art using Manga Studio 3.0. The
re is of
course a newer version of this program available (but alas I do not have anythin
g newer
at the moment!). Also I don t claim that this tutorial is the best way to go about
doing line
art in this program - it s just how I do it. :) I hope you will find this tutorial
a little
helpful! If you haven t tried using Manga Studio to make line art I really recomme
nd you
give it try. It s awesome!
See the Manga Studio website for more info.
What You Will Need:
1. Manga Studio 3.0 or above
2. Tablet and stylus (You can also use a mouse but
good luck with
that! Lol)
3. A sketch First you ll need to scan your sketch and save it (I saved mine as jpg
format). You can
also alternatively sketch the image right in Manga Studio (or your favorite prog
ram, such
as Photoshop), but I won t go into that as I m not much for computer sketching so I
will
use a scanned sketch for this tutorial. I would recommend you make the sketch a
color
other than black such as blue or red. It makes it easier to work with! It s not nec
essary
though of course!
Here is my blooooo sketch. :) I didn t sketch it with a blue pencil though. It was
graphite.
A little hint for you clever ones: Photoshop is your friend. To start a new work
space, Click File
New
Page Here you can set your page settings. You can make it any
size you like... I recommend at
least 300dpi and at least 8x11 inches. Once you have your workspace ready, you c
an import your sketch! To import a sketch
into Manga Studio click File
Import Image File You might notice that the image is
way bigger than the page you can fix that! In the
Import Images window that pops up you ll see two tabs at the top which I will try to
explain.
The first tab Move and Transform allows you to manipulate and move the image as
you like. Note that I ve put in 27% on the Scale (size). Also make note of the
position which I ve changed. You can click and drag the actual image in the backgr
ound
until it s in the position you want. Just fiddle around with it until you have it
looking how
you like fitted to the page. The second tab, Layer Settings will allow you to chan
ge the settings for your sketch
layer. Under Layer Type select Sketch Layer You can work on the layer already there,
but I always make a new layer out of habit. It s
a good habit to have imo but that s just me. You may also wish to work on multiple
layers. If you want to create a new layer: On the Layers window, select New Layer
(the icon circled below). You can create as many layers as you like. On the New L
ayer window you can set your layer settings. For this project I ve left the
settings as default. If you need to, change them to the settings below. You can
also name
your layer to whatever you want for organizational reasons.. Since I ll only be wo
rking
on one layer I ve left it as Layer 2 . You ll probably want to zoom in some so it s easie
r to work. Click the plus/minus signs

indicated below to zoom in or zoom out as needed while you work. Now you may wan
t to make your sketch layer a bit lighter so it s easier to see your work
when you start the line art. To do that, click the eye next to your Sketch Layer .
Then
select the Opacity at the top. Change it to something like 40-50%. You can set it
to
whatever you like just be sure its going to be pale enough to see your black ink
lines
over it when you work. Here you can see I ve set my Sketch Layer to 40% opacity. Onc
e you ve changed the opacity of your sketch layer, be sure to re-select your work
layer! For mine, I ve clicked the eye next to Layer 2 . Select the Pen Tool from the to
ol bar circled below. On the (Pen) Tool Options window you can change the settings
for your pen tool. Play
around with some different settings until you have your pen set just right. The I
n and
Out options are nice for making realistic pen strokes so I like to have those selec
ted
but it s not necessary. You can change the tool settings as needed while you work.
One setting you will love is the Correction setting. You can change it to be highe
r or
lower as needed. It ll help smooth things out and make for nice flowing lines. Try
it. :) Try out your pen! If you have a tablet, I really recommend using it beca
use the pressure
sensitivity makes for a much more realistic drawing. You can change your pen set
tings as
you work if you need finer or thicker lines. Don t forget the magical Undo if you ma
ke
any mistakes. Be sure to experiment with the auto correction setting. I can t real
ly tell
you how to ink your drawing specifically because every piece of artwork is diffe
rent. Just
experiment with the different pen settings and you should get the hang of it pre
tty quick! In case you re looking for the Eraser Tool , it s circled below! If you want
to make the sketch layer invisible so you can see how your inking is turning
out, click the eye next to your sketch layer. Click it again to bring it back. I
check my
progress often this way because it s hard to tell what it ll really look like with th
e
sketch still showing. You might find you ve even completely missed lines or things
look
all wOnKy! So check your work once in a while this way! I need to use a straight
line to string her bow. If you have any elements in your drawing
that need to be a straight edge try using the Line Tool . The basic settings for th
e Line Tool work much the same as the Pen Tool settings.
Again just experiment with it until you have it set how you like. Bow all strung
! She s ready to pierce some unsuspecting hearts. Lol Line work is all done! But d
arn you can still see the sketch behind her Click the eye beside your sketch layer
to make the sketch invisible! Tharr we go no sketch. She s looking all lovely and
liney and stuff! Doesn t she just
make you want to get out some crayons?! :p If you are sure that you re done with y
our image I recommend saving it before you
export you don t have to but hey you might wanna change something on it later! Clic
k
File
Save As and name it something awesome. After you ve saved it you can export
the image. Click File
Export
Image by Size Specification (or Pixel Specification
it really doesn t matter which but I prefer the Size option). Here you can change
the size settings and such if you like. I like how it looks as is so I
didn t change anything. If you plan to color the image in some program such as
Photoshop later you might want to check RGB . I want mine to be black and white so

I ve selected Monochrome . There are also settings at the bottom for exporting for us
e
in Photoshop which might be useful to you! Once you re done fiddling with the sett
ings
click OK . Save your image as whatever awesome name you like! Here is my finished a
ngel. I fixed her face a bit. The position of her nose and mouth
bugged me. :) Sorry about the watermark! She s available a coloring page on my web
site
if you want to color her! Other coloring pages are available as well! FantasyArt
work
By Katherine Rose Barber
2011 Katherine Rose Barber, All Rights Reserved
www.moonpaw.com