[For beginners] Let’s try drawing line art (3) Brushes change! Atmosphere of Illustration [For Smartphones]

If you use a different brush for your line drawings, the atmosphere of your illustration may change.

Brushes have their own characteristics, such as those suitable for soft expressions and those suitable for vigorous expressions, so it is important to choose a brush that can express what you want to draw.

In this article, we will look at how the atmosphere of an illustration changes depending on the type of brush.

1. Let’s take a look at the features of the brush

First.
・G Pen/Mapping Pen
・Pencil/Lead Pencil (H)
・Pen
・Sumi
and other brushes to see their characteristics and the atmosphere of their line drawings.

[1] G Pen and Mapping Pen

＜Features of G pen and Mapping Pen brushes＞

The G pen and Mapping Pen are the pens used when drawing manga in analog.
These two pens have their own characteristics.

G pen: The nib is relatively soft, making it easy to draw strong and weak lines. It is suitable for drawing outlines and lines with a sense of dynamism.
Mapping Pen: The nib is a bit hard. It is suitable for drawing fine details and thin lines.

Mediban Paint’s G-pen and round pen brushes are also designed with these analog characteristics in mind.

Gペン…G pen
丸ペン…Mapping Pen

※All images are drawn with a brush size of 15pt.

The G Pen and Mapping Pen brushes have a blotchy edge, as if drawn with ink.
If you lower the “Blur” value in the brush settings, you can reduce the blur and make the lines smooth, so adjust the value to your liking.

There are different types of G Pen brushes, such as G Pen 2 and G Pen 3, so please choose the one that best suits the image you want to draw.

＜If you use a G pen or a Mapping Pen to draw a line…＞

Here is an illustration drawn using a G pen for the main lines (outlines) and a Mapping Pen for the wrinkles and other details of the clothes.

If you use a G pen or Mapping Pen brush, you can create a standard illustration.
You can use a G pen or round pen brush to create a standard illustration.

If you use only a Mapping Pen or a G pen 3 and draw fine lines, you can create a delicate atmosphere like a girl’s manga.

[2] Pencil and Lead Pencil

＜Pencil and Lead Pencil brush features＞

Mediban Paint has the following features
・Pencil
・Pencil (Rough) 1, 2
・Lead Pencil (H, HB, B)
There are several pencil and mechanical pencil brushes available, including.

Pencil and mechanical pencil brushes are characterized by the fact that the edges of the lines are not distinct, so it is easier to draw lines in layers.
Also, since you can darken and intensify the color of the lines by applying pressure and layering lines, it is easy to express subtlety.

鉛筆… Pencil
鉛筆（ざらざら）… Pencil (Rough)
シャープペンシル（H、HB、B）… Lead Pencil (H, HB, B)

In actual use, the pencil brush is softer and the mechanical pencil is a little harder.
This is similar to the feeling of drawing with analog pencils and mechanical pencils, so people who are used to drawing analog illustrations will find it easy to handle.

＜Line drawing with a Pencil/Lead Pencil brush can be found at ….＞

This time I used Pencil (Rough) 2 to draw a line drawing.

Pencil/Lead Pencil brushes have a rough texture and low contrast between black and white, which gives a fluffy and light impression.
This makes them suitable for illustrations with soft colors such as pastel and watercolor styles.

[3] Pen

＜Pen Brush Features＞

There are two types of pen brushes: a regular type and a type with an entry and exit.

ペン… Pen
ペン（入り抜き）… Pen (Sharp)

You can easily draw lines that look strong and weak by using the Pen (Sharp).
However, since the correction of the line is stronger, if you want to decide the position of the strength or weakness in detail, or if you want to draw the end of the line according to your own image, we recommend using the type without the Pen (Sharp).

＜Line drawing with a Pen brush can be found at ….＞

I think it is easy to draw flat lines with a Pen brush because the strength of the brush is moderate.
Drawing with flat lines gives the impression of a POP design.

It seems to be more suitable for simple coloring than painting.

[4] Sumi

＜Sumi Brush Features＞

As the name suggests, the Sumi brush gives the impression of drawing lines with a brush using ink.
You can use a little pressure to create stronger and stronger lines.

筆（墨）… Sumi
細筆（墨）… Fine Brush (Sumi Ink)
太筆（墨）… Thick Brush (Sumi Ink)
かすれ筆（墨）… Coarse brush (Sumi Ink)
丸筆（ドライ）… Round Brush (Dry)
丸筆（ウェット）… Round Brush (Wet)

＜Let’s try drawing a line with a Sumi…＞

This time I used the Sumi brush to draw a line drawing.
The Sumi brush is suitable for illustrations with strong contrasts, as it gives a strong impression of the lines.

The brush’s strength is particularly apparent in the areas where the brush is used to draw the lines, so if you pay attention to these areas, you can create illustrations that look more Japanese.

In addition, Sumi 3 is a unique brush that is thicker at the beginning and end of the drawing and thinner in the center.

 

2. Let’s compare the different types of brushes and the atmosphere of the illustration

Finally, I would like to compare the atmosphere of the illustrations drawn using the brushes introduced in this article.

・G Pen/Mapping Pen: Standard atmosphere with strong and weak points.
・Pencil/Lead Pencil: Light and fluffy.
・Pen: POP and clean atmosphere.
・Sumi: Japanese style with strong impression of lines.
・Sumi 3: Japanese style and characteristic.

There are many more brushes available for free in Mediban Paint.
You can add brushes by clicking the “+” button in the pen palette, so be sure to try them out!

＜How to download brushes＞

1) Tap “Select” to open the brush selection screen.

2) Tap the “+” button.

3) Tap “Add brushes”.

4) Tap the brush you want to download, and press “Save”.

5) The downloaded brush is added to the bottom part of the brush palette.

(Text and pictures by sakaki)