【Easy Steps 123】Painting Brushes and their Characteristics

When you paint with water colors or in anime style, you’d probably adjust the way you paint
In this article, I’d like to show you how to change your painting efficiently depending on the characteristics of the paint, and suitable brushes.

The following image of line drawing below will be used for the explanation.

1.Anime Painting

Anime painting is a simple painting method that is characterized by a clear painting style and only one or two types of shadows and highlights respectively.

An illustration painted with one type of shadow and one type of highlight will give a very different impression than an illustration painted with two types.
If you’re not used to this, try painting with one shadow and one highlight first!

Since the shadows and highlights are clearly separated, I think it’s a good idea to use a clear brush such as a G-pen or round pen.

 

2.Brush Painting

Brush painting is a painting method similar to anime painting, but as shown in the next image, you can use the blur brush to blur some of the shadows and highlights, and add gradation where it is about to get darker or lighter.

It is easier to draw with a brush which the tip can blend with other colors.

 

3.Thick Painting

Thick painting is characterized by painting over colors while retaining the texture of the brush.
The mainstream method of painting is to use a single layer of line art and a single layer of paint, and then use the eyedropper function to remove the colors that have been mixed up in the paint.
The image of thick painting is that of completing a picture while shaping it!

I recommend using a brush that has some texture, like a flat brush, so the colors blend easily!
Here I used a flat brush that I used for brush painting, but I won’t delve too deep about the brush’s details.

 

4.Watercolor Painting

Watercolor painting is characterized by a transparent application, and the colors should not be mixed too much.
Paint as if you’re placing colors on top of each other!

The brushes should also be able to retain the texture, and you can use the fuzzy watercolor brushes available for download at MediBang Paint!

If you use analog watercolor and apply color and let it dry, the color will be darker on the outside than in the middle.
You can use a feature called “watercolor border” to create a more watercolor-like effect, so give it a try!
Click on the gear icon of the layer you want to set the watercolor border on, and select “Watercolor Border” as the “Effect”.

It looks even better if you overlay a textured layer with fuzzy watercolor, or a gradient layer that’s burned in.

 

5.To Conclude

The way you paint can make a big difference in the impression of your illustration.
If you are wondering how to start as a beginner, I recommend anime painting.
Animation painting can be applied to both brush painting and thick painting, so try it first, and then find out what other painting methods suit you and you enjoy!

(Text?Picture/?? shigehiro)
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