The trial and error that comes with trying out different brushes over a decade requires ironing out your digital illustration preferences. While this may not be universal, I feel that distilling the tools on hand across (or restricted to) software for artwork has led me to a better understanding of traditional art and drawing, as well. Not all my favorite tools need to have a traditional or fine art equivalent, like some cartoony effects or tones, but for quite a few do have the appeal of their realistic feel. Sticking to what I personally use in Clip Studio Paint, here are three I recommend!
Brush Used – “Braids by Vegalia”
This entire set of brushes is a lifesaver. As an artist with many original characters and illustrations of which the subjects are Black folks with varying hair types, knowing how detailed my drawings are… that’s a ton of manual line-work! So, having brushes for the outline and the full shape of braids, twists, and dreadlocks is a huge time-saver. Whether my illustration requires realism or just a simple outline of these kinds of hairstyles, this set has over 30 amazing different brush options ready to use. The quality and number of options is refreshing!
Brush Used – “Curls by Vegalia”
As you can see, this same creator has an accompanying brush set for curly and coily hair textures! I’ve been using the previously mentioned set & this one in Clip Studio ever since they came out for sale, and I feel more than happy to have invested in something so well-made. This set also has over 50 unique brushes, and I’d say there’s something for everyone in there. Whether I want to doodle myself a self-portrait or need to correctly capture a character’s curl type for a commissioned piece, I’m often finding myself gladly using this set instead of painstakingly painting high levels of detail manually. Also, I’m the type to re-correct something over and over if the detail doesn’t look right to me, so now at least for curls and braids I’ll have no doubts.
Brush Used – “よわ太鉛筆セット” (“Thick Pencil Set”/ “Intoxicate Pencil Set”)
This set is so satisfying to sketch with. It succeeds in capturing a texture that I gravitate to when choosing my pencils and charcoal tools for traditional art. I’m really picky when it comes to the pens and pencils I use for sketching and line-work. Sure, you can adjust pen pressure settings, the shape it yields, how stable the produced line is… but if the output doesn’t feel right even after these adjustments, I’ll delete it immediately. Sometimes you only want something that gets it right the first time, you know? It’s a reliable set I’ve been using very often for sketching.
Funnily enough, I have dozens more digital brushes, tones, and tools that I use as the project calls for it. We’ll see if those other favorites of mine will star in a future post like this one- I have many more that I love!
Where to find all brush assets referenced:
- “Braids by Vegalia” -> Vegalia’s Gumroad shop https://byvegalia.gumroad.com/
- “Curls by Vegalia” -> Vegalia’s Gumroad shop https://byvegalia.gumroad.com/
- “よわ太鉛筆セット” (“Thick Pencil Set”/ “Intoxicate Pencil Set”) -> Clip Studio Asset Store https://www.assets.clip-studio.com/en-us