Chapter 6: Erasers, Selections, and the Sub View Palette

Whether you draw with pencils on paper and then ink digitally or draw digitally from start to finish, there is a certain amount of refinement needed in most art processes. We will use a variety of tools in this chapter to refine our images, from erasers to selection tools that allow us to scale and rotate sections of our image. We will also learn about a great feature of Clip Studio Paint, the Sub View palette, which allows us to store and use reference images easily.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• Erasers and using transparent color as an eraser
• Lassos and other selection tools
• Loading reference images to the Sub View palette
• Using Layer Color to prepare a sketch

Let's get started with refining our pencil work!

Technical requirements

To get started, you need Clip Studio Paint already installed on your device and a new canvas opened with any dark color. Any size is fine, but I recommend creating a 300 dpi square canvas to go through the content in this chapter.

Eraser Tools and Transparent Color

There is a selection of dedicated eraser tools in Clip Studio Paint that is accessed by clicking on the Eraser icon in the toolbar and then choosing an option from the Sub Tool palette. Each of these eraser sub tools has a different use. But, by using the transparent color selection in the color picker option in the toolbar, we can also transform any mark-making tool into an eraser. Before we get into the transparent color, though, let's talk about some of the eraser tools in Clip Studio Paint and what they do.

The Eraser Tools

Once you start drawing, you need an eraser to correct a mistake or give a half-erased texture to your image, which is exactly the same in digital drawing. There are various useful erasers in Clip Studio Paint. The following screenshot shows the Eraser sub tools in Clip Studio Paint:

Figure 6.1 – Screenshot of the Eraser sub tool menu

Each of these tools has a different look and use. Let's briefly explore each one now.

Tip

If you are using a graphics tablet that has an eraser end to the stylus, like some models of Wacom tablets have, then the currently selected eraser sub tool will be the one used when the eraser button on the stylus is activated.

Hard eraser

The Hard eraser is a pressure-sensitive eraser tool with a hard edge. Since it is pressure-sensitive, when a graphics tablet is being used, it is a very versatile tool because simply varying how hard you are pressing with the stylus changes how small or large the...

Using Transparent "Color"

At the bottom of the toolbar in the Clip Studio interface are two squares that show the currently selected foreground and background colors. Below these is also a rectangle filled with a checkerboard pattern. This is shown in the following screenshot, underneath the foreground and background color selections:

Figure 6.9 – Screenshot of the toolbar color swatch

The checkerboard pattern is how transparency is shown in digital art programs. Having this transparent swatch means that we can quickly turn any tool into an eraser just by changing our color selection to transparent.

How is this helpful? Imagine drawing or inking and seeing that an error has been made that needs to be erased. Instead of switching to an eraser tool (a process that can sometimes take two button clicks), a simple click of the transparent swatch turns your current pencil or pen into a convenient eraser!

This option can also be used to make...

Lassos and other selection tools

One of the most useful features of creating art in a digital space is the ability to move, scale, rotate, flip, and otherwise transform all or parts of the drawing to obtain exactly the right look. In this section, we will use selection tools to clean up and correct a sketch with several errors on it. You can follow along with a sketch of your own, or use the following sketch as a reference. These tools can be used with any sketches on your canvas.

The following is the sketch that we will be looking at for this section:

Figure 6.12 – Screenshot of a sketch with the Clip Studio Paint interface

There are several issues with this drawing, and we will use the selection and transformation tools to correct them. The character's left hand is a little too big, the bunch of hair on top of the head needs to be a different shape, and the headdress ribbon needs to be shaped better. Let's use the selection area and other...

The Sub View palette

The Sub View palette can seem like an enigma to some, but in truth I find it to be one of the handiest palettes in the entire Clip Studio Paint interface. Let's delve into this simple yet powerful little palette.

When you first start using Clip Studio Paint, the Sub View palette looks as in the following screenshot:

Figure 6.28 – Screenshot of the Sub View palette

It doesn't seem to have any purpose when you first look at it! So, what is it for?

The Sub View palette allows us to load images into it and view, zoom, rotate, flip, and select colors from those images. If you are a comic book artist, this palette can be used to hold character designs, concept art, background design sketches, color swatches, and any other images you may need access to on a regular basis while making comics. For illustrators, this can be used to hold reference images or other inspiration. It's a little reference library that remembers...

Using Layer Color to prepare a sketch for inks

We're going to wrap up this chapter by learning about one way that Clip Studio Paint solves a common digital art problem. Those of you reading this book who have done digital art in the past might be familiar with the following scenario.

You get your sketch finalized and create a layer for your final inks. You ink for a bit and then realize that something in the sketch needs to be changed. You switch back to the sketch layer and make the correction, then continue inking. It isn't until you finish inking that you realize you never switched back to your ink layer, and now you have your inks on the same layer as the pencil sketch and must start over.

This is an extremely frustrating and common problem when working with digital layers. Thankfully, the makers of Clip Studio Paint have given us a feature that makes this a thing of the past. Sure, you could lock the sketch layer so that no changes can be made to it at all to...

Summary

In this chapter, we talked about eraser tools and using transparent color to turn any brush tool into an eraser. We talked about the different selection tools and how to make adjustments to a piece of art with them by using the Selection Command Bar. We also discussed the Sub View palette and how to use it to store various reference images. Finally, we learned about how the Layer Color feature can completely eliminate a common digital art problem.

In the next chapter, we are going to learn all about the ruler tools that make Clip Studio Paint a truly powerful piece of art software. Keep reading to learn more.