What artists say about Clip Studio Paint, the illustration, comic & animation app

When I draw comics, it helps me a lot to be able to see all the pages at the same time. Quick navigation through the pages and having easy access to every file gives me a global feeling of the entire book.
I always work using vector layers in my inking process. That way I'm able to edit my lines and use tools like the vector eraser, which saves me a lot of time.
There are a ton of brushes available that can be customized a lot. The lines are the most similar to traditional inking that I could find in any software.

Clip Studio Paint has totally changed the way I work and it has changed it to the better. It is a complete tool that doesn’t interfere at all with my workflow. It’s absolutely adaptable to the way I do things, and it’s obvious that this is a program specifically designed for creating comics.
As an example of what I mean, here are my five favorite features:
5. Rulers: symmetry and perspective now are super easy.
4. Lettering: I can add the balloons and edit the text while I draw.
3. The customizable command bar and the tool sets: the interface adapts to my workflow and not the other way around.
2. Layer color: now I only work with black and transparent. These layer color options makes it almost impossible to accidentally ink the layer with the blue pencil sketch.
1. Flip Horizontal: I can see the page inverted and check how the work is with just a simple click.
Bonus track: I can put the face of my friends as icons for tools, it’s silly but it makes me happy.

I’ve been using CSP for the last few years, and I love how intuitive it is. I can literally do everything I want to do on this single app. The brushes are a special standout - even without downloading extra ones, the existing ones really do feel like the real thing. As a self confessed old technophobe, it’s incredibly easy to learn... something I really need with my busy schedule.

Having worked on illustrations and comics for years, what first caught my attention with Clip Studio was that it worked in itself for all the processes in any of the disciplines, without having to share files between different applications. It is an all-in-one, making my life easier.
When I started using it, thanks to its easy configuration, the transition to the application was almost immediate, because I could work with the shortcuts and display distribution I used to work with before.
But none of this would have convinced me if the brushes hadn't had such a natural and versatile feeling, which is what artists eventually need: a tool that adapts to our needs, and not the contrary.

The speed of execution is important to me, and I always have to maintain good quality even when there is no time. Clip Studio Paint is perfect for my purposes: intuitive and simple. The brushes (even the basic ones) are the best I've ever used in a digital drawing app. My favorite is the Textured Pen, which I use a lot for inking since it leaves a slight "texture" in the stroke that makes the line softer. I also often use the integrated "Decoration" tools and they are very useful to easily draw details when the deadlines are particularly difficult.

Clip Studio Paint is the only choice if you want to make comics digitally, in my opinion. I was initially interested in the stabilization function for pens and pencils, but it took very little time to find so much more: the frame tools, the color controls, the rulers (the perspective ruler is a life-saver!)… I could speak about Clip Studio Paint for hours… And I do! Not a day passes without me teaching my students how to use it and why it is just the best. Once you try it, you won’t be looking for anything else.

Clip Studio is by far my favorite software. Before I knew about it, I spent years using other programs to work on my comics, but they were not primarily focused on drawing and lacked specialized features. Also, they tended to have problems with file corruption, unexpected crashes and other related bugs. Still, I was reluctant to switch to another software because I thought it would take a lot of getting used to, but that was not the case with Clip Studio Paint. It was a breeze to use from the very first moment I tried it. The strokes are much more pleasant and the commands are tremendously intuitive. In addition, it comes with tools completely focused on comics: speed lines, action lines, sound effects lettering, text input, balloons... Clip Studio Paint is definitely the best digital drawing tool I've ever used.

In my daily life, I use Clip Studio Paint for two things: the screentones and coloring features.
I do my inking by hand, and once it's scanned, the screentones and action lines built into Clip Studio Paint blend seamlessly with my pen-and-paper drawing. If I need to retouch my work digitally afterwards, the app has all the same inking pens I use when inking by hand, so I always end up with a convincingly traditional finish!
On the subject of coloring, Clip Studio Paint allows you to take whatever approach you like: as for myself, I usually only go with one coloring layer and only use two or three basic brushes. Believe it or not, that doesn't even scratch the surface of what the app can do! Despite that, I'm still able to create hyper-dynamic and natural-feeling illustrations. I especially love the Oil paint brush, which is one of the default brushes, and probably the one I use the most. The way it spreads the paint and blends colors makes it feel incredibly intuitive! And then, when I feel like playing with layer blending modes or exploring other tools, the full potential of Clip Studio Paint truly reveals itself.

My art journey has taken me through many art programs, and I can confidently say that there is no better software for making comics than Clip Studio Paint. In the several years I’ve made webtoons professionally, Clip Studio Paint’s features and tools have helped me produce weekly work without ever compromising on quality. Its webtoon feature allows me to easily work in its characteristic long, vertical format so comfortably that I’m able to create the exact pacing, look, and feel I need to tell my story in the way I want my readers to experience it.

Everything about Clip Studio Paint is optimized for creating comics, and there’s always new features being added to make artists’ lives easier. I love scrolling through the assets library to check out new brushes and backgrounds!

I had been aware of Clip Studio Paint for a while, as it came strongly recommend by a lot of my cartoonist friends.
The big selling point, up until I actually used the program, was the ability to create comic panels automatically! So that was the first thing I tried, and I was immediately convinced! But then it turned out Clip Studio can do much, much more than that!
The animation feature was a particular favorite of mine — it’s a lot more intuitive than most of the other non-animation oriented drawing programs, and much smoother and more effective. In fact, it may have even been better than some of the strictly animation-focused programs I have used.
Another feature that impressed me was the ability to pair my smartphone with my drawing tablet and use it as a remote. It made life so much easier without having to flip back and forth between panels on the tablet screen, allowing me to just concentrate on drawing.
I’ve been using Clip Studio for around 3 months now, and feel as though I have only just scratched the surface of it’s capabilities. The next thing I want to try is incorporating 3D elements!

I'm a big fan of Clip Studio Paint. I've been using it since Manga Studio 4 and now use it for pretty much 100% of my professional work. There are so many features that really help my work flow in comics. The story feature is a great way to keep organized on longer projects. The brushes are just amazing too and feel extremely life‑like. I also really like how you can customize everything to suit your own needs perfectly. The iPad version is brilliant too, making Clip Studio Paint totally portable so I can easily work on print-ready files anywhere.

I have been using Clip Studio Paint since 2015. After ten years of using a pen and marker for inking, I was convinced that I would keep using them. However, when I tried the brushes, the pressure sensitivity, and the process of tracing in Clip Studio Paint, I understood that it was the right moment to switch tools. Now I work much faster and try new things. The pressure and sensitivity of the preset brushes are perfect, and I can draw natural lines accurately which makes the drawing more organic and alive. I hate the precise and clean finished works of other software because I cannot see the artist behind it. I can express myself freely in Clip Studio Paint without any restrictions.