This is probably the biggest difficulty i find when drawing, how to make a clean line art. I noticed some of you do an amazing job with it, so i was wondering, is there a special to do it? does any one have a few tips to give me? i'd really appreciate it. Ty!

I'd like to know too...i suck at lineart ...i think i got better though since i've last been here which was like when i was 13...>3
Some people here have like...PERFECT lineart how do you doo eet!? ><

In shi painter, there are two ways, and it depends on whether you want thicker lineart or thin.

If you want thick, you can do your lines in a relatively wide airbrush, on a fairly high opacity, and then shave your lines down with the soft eraser. OR, which I personally think takes more time, is use the pen tool. With a lot of patience.

In just paintbbs, if you have the patience to use its measly two layers, you can actually get amazing lineart with a small watercolor brush on a high opacity. I kid not.

As far as Lascaux, I don't use it, don't ask me. ~__~

This may not be what you're looking for, but it might be slightly interesting to think about. After a recent conversation I realized that a lot of people view it to be an absolute standard to draw lineart on one layer and then color on a layer below it. That's actually a backwards way of doing things. The forwards way is to draw the lines and then color on top of it. Think about when you're making a painting with real paint. Typically someone will sketch what they're going to draw onto the canvas and then paint over it. Digital art gives more possibilities, because with paint you can't apply the paint under something that is already there but with digital art you can. That doesn't mean you have to though, it just means that you can. Try doing the final lineart last, after coloring things.


With lascaux, you can get smooth lines by lowering the flow to around 30 and keeping the opacity around 200. Turn on anti-alias and keep blend turned off. Then zoom in with a 1 pixel brush and go from there, erasing anything that goes over what you want.


remember, not everything has to be outlined and not every line has to be black.

shi painter, pen tool 1 pixel, 50 opacity, and thin with the soft eraser on curve. viola.

I use bezire curves...after the first rough sketch.

I usually do the whole pic with a really big brush on near-full opacity, then go back and zoom in really far and thin everything out with an eraser. That way I don't have to use the one pixel brush very much, which is good, 'cause I find you have more control with a big brush.

I don't use oekaki-shi for anything with lines now that lascaux is sexified and smooth, because I HATE the smooth eraser with an all consuming passion usually reserved for brownies and that guy who played Aragorn in the lord of the rings.

On Shi painter I use the pen tool at 2pix at 120-170 opacity, then wittle at the lines with the soft eraser until I'm satisfied.

Someone just do the tutorial!

Ive got a simmilar question, what about the pressure sensitivity? Is there a way to adjust my tablet (wacom graphire) to one of these programs?

Method 3: everyone deos it differently so it would depend on the kind of lineart you want. I personally do very crisp lineart in Shi-painter, where some people like a softer look.

I use 1 pixel pencil tool default settings. I touch up with an eraser.

However, if you want to know how to make more dynamic shading, try googling for tutorials on inking the old-fashioned way. Most of those tuts explain about thick and thin and all that. ^^

Meh, updated the page anyway. The whole point of community based input is...

I just made something in anime so I could relate to you people. All I needed was to use the bezier curve like orkdoop said, and occasionally mess with the flow and put it really low for some lines. Then I put it low for the eraser, too, if I wanted to fix it. Not so complicated.

in other words, its not from a steady hand, but you actually have to work to get the effect. I have wondered the same thing myself since I really dont have a very steady hand.