# How do you make your line art?



## Kiva (Dec 21, 2011)

Alright, so I always see artists that post amazing, well made line art. Often times multicolored, varying in width, and lacking any bumps or jigs that may be caused by the natural error of the amateur human hand. What methods do you use to make your lines?


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## dinosaurdammit (Dec 21, 2011)

I use the pen tool and set it to differing sizes. I get this result

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6753238/


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## Thaily (Dec 21, 2011)

Pen tool in Photoshop: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6424121/
Colouring lines in Photoshop is easy. If you have a layer with just the lines, just lock it and paint over it in any colour you want.
SAI: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6617179


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## MausC (Dec 21, 2011)

dinosaurdammit said:


> I use the pen tool and set it to differing sizes. I get this result
> 
> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6753238/



Hey DD, I've always wondered, do you have a tablet? Although  I admire your patience and skill with that tool, I often find it can leave a very static image that looks... well, computer created.

I used SAI painter, with a hard-edge line pen brush. The program has a stablizer up to 15, and I usually keep it around 6, because I have very shaky line art without it! :S I find the lines in Sai are WAY better then they look in photoshop.

To make coloured lines, what I do is make a layer under the line layer, set the line layer to multiply and colour under the lines (it doesn't have to be neat) whatever colour you want the lines to be. Then, go back to your line layer and change the settings, probably to overlay, lighten, whatever you like to to be, then ctrl + e to merge the layers.

With my tablet, I set it to pen pressure and not density, so that the lighter I press (usually at the start and end of the line, or just where I want there to be more weight) the thinner the line.

For example, this piecehttp://www.furaffinity.net/view/1635706/ was done in Sai without the pen stabilizer, and this one was done with the stabilizer around 6, and 14 for the hair (I always find hair to finicky though, ung).

Before I would often have to re-draw a line 3-5 times before I got it the way I liked... now it's usually one or sometimes twice 

I actually sometimes like the more bumpy/natural look, but I find that commissioners prefer a "clean" look.  <3 Hope that helps!


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## dinosaurdammit (Dec 21, 2011)

I do have a tablet, problem is i have muscle degeneration so i have really shaky wrist and hands so I am furever doomed to use the pen tool


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## Kit H. Ruppell (Dec 21, 2011)

Pen over pencil.


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## Zoetrope (Dec 21, 2011)

I use sai, I try to avoid the stabilizers these days, but I find they really help when you try to make long curvy lines. Generally I find that if I turn the stabilizer down or off I can make my works much more detailed.  So I jump around quite a bit. I totally voted wrong. Derp. But if you're talking about the photoshop brand of pen tool, then no, I don't do that. I just draw.


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## Zenia (Dec 21, 2011)

I use the linework tools in Paint Tool Sai. It has an awesome pressure tool to thicken and taper the lines once you've laid them out.


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## Elessara (Dec 21, 2011)

I would be VERY interested if anyone has a tutorial floating around for Photoshop inks.

I have a method I use right now that I wouldn't really call inking and it looks terrible but at least leaves me with something to color.
Outline pencil skech in inking marker.
Upload to PS.
Set brightness to -60.
Use that tool that makes everything either black or white with nothing in between. (I forget what it's called)
Color.

This usually leaves me with really nasty looking jagged lines but like I said it gives me something easy to color. :/
http://sfw.furaffinity.net/view/7041628 If you look close you can see what I mean.

*EDIT:
*Oh yeah, no tablet BTW.


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 21, 2011)

I ink traditionally though I haven't gotten the hang of sable brushes as compared to using copics multiliners and brush pens. I also may use pencil and just use levels and curves in Photoshop to tighten them up to black inks.

(these are old but here it goes)
Pencil made to look like inks - http://www.furaffinity.net/full/111399/
Copics - http://www.furaffinity.net/full/117105/
(Somewhat risque due to bra) Copics - http://www.furaffinity.net/view/153117/
(Somewhat risque due to implied nips) http://www.furaffinity.net/view/152266/

Somewhat Risque due to panty shot
This one is really old, I think I was using Microns (which I can't stand due to snagging) http://www.anime.net/~arshesnei/how-to/lineart1.jpg then converted it by using "Edit - Stroke" in Photoshop and the polygon lasso tool. http://www.anime.net/~arshesnei/how-to/lineart2.jpg I didn't have a tablet so I had to use a mouse with my opposite hand

Painter I use the scratchboard tool and liquid Inks
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/462489/

I'll also use the Cover Pencil at a modified setting to ink in Painter as well.
I also have used Sai for inking which is fine
I also have used Open Canvas for inking - http://www.furaffinity.net/full/122875/

So why show these methods? There's more than one way to get the result you may want. Be it simulate pressure using the pen tool in PS or if you want something more interesting, Painter has a number of tools I still find even superior to Sai. I tend to only be obsessed with a "Clean line" if the drawing calls for it, but just trying to "make it your style" I feel is a futile effort because you may miss out on other methods. 

I may just not want lines in general and will paint without using them in the final drawing. I just don't limit myself to one kind of inking because I like to explore the possibilities.


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## Kiva (Dec 21, 2011)

Thanks for all the responses! I have this weird method right now where I use a custom tool in sketchbook pro, take that, trace over my original sketch and then trace the bitmap in inkscape with specific settings. This is what I get using my icon: http://f.cl.ly/items/2x1V2B1Z2V1o0v36301W/k.png

edit: Although that's the best I can do with what I have to work with.
Sketchbook Pro
Photoshop Elements 6
Inkscape
Gimp

I tried the pen tool in Gimp, it felt just a bit more time consuming than my trace method. I've been dying to own Paint Tool SAI but it doesn't run on my OS.


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 21, 2011)

You can do inking in Open Canvas 1.1 as well.
The trick is being able to have pressure sensitivity enabled with a minimum size.

This sounds funny at first, but I'll try to get the setting.
Originally I had an attachment in this thread http://forums.furaffinity.net/threads/3012-Everything-you-want-to-know-about-Open-Canvas

Basically you from this setting in the pen,

http://www.angelfire.com/anime/Jessjessica/oc/4.html

You disable transparency, and then set the min size (of the spread to zero). I'll have to find a another image of it sometimes since the attachment was deleted.

http://wistinga.online.fr/opencanvas/ is Open Canvas for free.


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## Kiva (Dec 21, 2011)

I'll have to try OpenCanvas and use SAI a bit more once I get Windows or a PC with Windows.


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 21, 2011)

You mentioned you have sketchbook pro (but don't know if you mean the Express version bundled with a tablet) but here you go

http://robaato.deviantart.com/art/Inking-in-Sketchbook-Pro-186196369


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## Kiva (Dec 21, 2011)

Is that hand-drawn or does it use some form of stabilizer? I can't draw a perfect line to save my life. Also, would "aspect" "stamp spacing" or "stamp noise" have any affect on the outcome? My version (Sketchbook Pro 2010) lacks those options.

It's probably something I just need to really work on.


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## Lunar (Dec 21, 2011)

I don't have a tablet yet, so I go over the pencil with either a Papermate felt tip pen or a super-fine Sharpie.


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## dinosaurdammit (Dec 22, 2011)

I tried a new pen thing tonight ang got a different result, i think the thicker lines looks better


http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7076799/


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## Zephyrionitis (Dec 22, 2011)

Nib Holder+2 or 3 different kinds of nibs+ bottle of ink.
careful not to spill.

Although I do mostly digital work now, I use the inker brush on Paint Tool Sai.


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 22, 2011)

Kifale said:


> Is that hand-drawn or does it use some form of stabilizer? I can't draw a perfect line to save my life. Also, would "aspect" "stamp spacing" or "stamp noise" have any affect on the outcome? My version (Sketchbook Pro 2010) lacks those options.
> 
> It's probably something I just need to really work on.



Is your version Sketchbook Pro 2010 Express or just 2010 full version, because Express lacks more options.


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## Kiva (Dec 22, 2011)

Its the full version.


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 22, 2011)

Kifale said:


> Its the full version.



It's there. Basically these are advanced settings on the brush.

It shouldn't be much different than this: http://pcweenies.com/2011/08/11/creating-a-custom-brush-in-sketchbook-pro-2011/


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## MausC (Dec 22, 2011)

Elessara said:


> I would be VERY interested if anyone has a tutorial floating around for Photoshop inks.
> 
> I have a method I use right now that I wouldn't really call inking and it looks terrible but at least leaves me with something to color.



Another thing you can do is make the lines how you like traditionally then:
-set brightness so they are not jagged, just faint, around -40
-upload to photoshop
-have two layers: one your drawing/lineart, and one blank one underneath, name it "colours" or whatever (click and drag a new layer to move it)
-go back to lineart layer, from the drop down box select multiply
-now colour UNDER the line art layer
-a *GOOD TRICK/ TIP for colouring *is on your "colours" layer, use magic wand tool to select the area you want to colour, then go to Select > Modify > Expand, and depending on the size of your file, usually 1 or 2 pixels. Then press ALT + BACKSPACE to fill that area with the selected primary colour.
-ANOTHER tip- something I usually do, you might not find it helpful without a tablet though, is fill the ENTIRE AREA I want to colour, by selecting everything BUT the area- ie the negative space- then do Select, Modify, Expand, then do Select > Inverse, THEN fill with any colour, and THEN go to the layers panel and "lock" the transparency (the one that looks like a checkerboard) on that layer.

Hopefully that all makes sense, if you have any questions just ask.

Those techniques is what I use to get something like this,
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6829394/


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## Mollfie (Dec 22, 2011)

I use Paint Tool SAI point to point vector lines and my mouse. I have a tablet but I still find it kinda of annoying so my partner has taken it over as his own.


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## Volkodav (Dec 22, 2011)

i do all my art in SAI
Line Tool: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6706936/
"Lineart" [Custom]Tool: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7077866 
it's a bit like a mix between marker and pen maybe?
Pen set to lower density and size: http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/13870584969/1/tumblr_lvu33kuWVV1qfj6l6
Plain old Pen Tool: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4275155/


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## Kiva (Dec 22, 2011)

Clayton said:


> i do all my art in SAI
> Line Tool: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6706936/
> "Lineart" [Custom]Tool: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7077866
> it's a bit like a mix between marker and pen maybe?
> ...



The pony one made that post automatically awesome.


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## Volkodav (Dec 22, 2011)

Kifale said:


> The pony one made that post automatically awesome.


thanks


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## greg-the-fox (Dec 22, 2011)

Hand drawn. I'm still not confident enough with my lines but they're getting a bit better.


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 22, 2011)

http://uploading.com/files/8481d5b6/inkbrushessbp2010.zip/ ink brushes for sketchbook pro 2010 I created Enjoy
Unzip these somewhere you'll remember

Open Sketchbook Pro
Go to the pen area and stroke down to bring up the brush palette
On the bottom you'll see some card with a circle on it. It should bring up the Do It yourself Brush, and you'll see an option on the bottom left to import a brush
Navigate to the folder where you unzipped the brushes.
Enjoy.


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## Kiva (Dec 23, 2011)

Thanks, I'll try them out.


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 23, 2011)

You're welcome.

For the Ink Brush settings, from Rob's Chun Li one, you'll notice a few settings aren't the same. So I'll tell you what they are

Roundness = Aspect
Slant = Rotation

Space Noise and Rotation Jitter are not even used in his example so don't worry about it.

His Brush settings are similar to Painter's Cover Brush where you can get some softer inks. It's similar to Reiq's Paint Like Anime tutorial he had back when Painter Magazine existed (it's under a different name now and features more than just Painter iirc) . http://reiq.co.uk/Blog/archives/474 he has a youtube tutorial of it as well. Another one of his tutorials shows him using the scratchboard tool. I like both tools but sometimes the cover pencil looks more gentle. 

Groups like Creaturebox also use Sketchbook Pro for their work too http://creaturebox.com/articles/sketchbook-pro-2010/

[yt]xLFEiwhDQR8[/yt]


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## RailRide (Dec 24, 2011)

I cheat by using a brush on my pencils.

Usually with a fairly long round-pointed tip, size 1 or so. Orient the paper so the bristles are trailing your strokes and they'll soak up any wiggles your hand makes as you pull the brush across your pencil-work. This also allows you some control over line weight by varying pressure on the brush tip.

Digitally? Haven't tried to draw completely digitally, save for one OC pic that I consider a failure. I'll occasionally ink with Inkscape when I fall under the delusion (maybe) that it's faster than hand inking. Other times I'll skip the vectors and use a poly-line tool in my ancient image editor. I'll have to reinstall Sketchbook and try out some of these brushes--I hadn't fooled with it long enough to discover inking-suitable brushes within.

---PCJ


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## Sar (Dec 26, 2011)

Paint tool SAI as it's inking tools allow you to use a mouse easily to ink rather than a pen.


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## UnburntDaenerys (Dec 26, 2011)

Paint Tool SAI.  I just up the stabilizer and use the normal tools, I spend far too much time on it with the Linework layer.


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## Neonagon (Dec 30, 2011)

I'm not sure what exactly most of the options mean but -

I generally just draw with the standard brush in Photoshop or with the fine point pen in painter. It gives okay results. I usually go back and erase and draw over the same line multiple times to get just the right effect that I want.


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## Ansitru (Jan 17, 2012)

I work in Paint Tool Sai on the linework-layer and draw by hand with my tablet.
Also: the crtl+z button is my best friend.


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## Weremagnus (Jan 19, 2012)

I have a variety of methods for a variety of intents/styles. 
My traditional method is using a quill and ink the oldschool way! I get a lot of interesting lines and the thick/thin is easy to control. The only downside is spattering risk.
Digitally I have a few methods. The most common I use is a sponge brush on Adobe Photoshop with pressure for thick/thin on my tablet. It emulated a brush or calligraphy pen really well. I also use Flash or Illustrator to make very smooth lines depending on the look I'm going for. If I need precision, I'll use the pen tool in Illustrator OR Flash. If I want smooth but still for there to be some character in the linework, then I use the brush tool in Flash.


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## Egypt Urnash (Jan 29, 2012)

I haven't really made line art in years. On the rare occasions I do, it's usually either a brush dipped in ink, a brush pen, or else I just totally fake it with an oval art brush in Illustrator. Mostly I just leave linear stuff for quick doodles.


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## Angelsoft (Jan 29, 2012)

Mostly hand drawn straight into Photoshop via tablet. I've tried using the pen tool but all it does is frustrate me. Right now the only time I use it is when I need long, even curves like for wings or tails. And even that little bit of use drives me crazy.


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## Kitutal (Feb 7, 2012)

complex and unusual system that I have started using now and seems to be going quite well...
first I sketch out by hand, get the shapes roughly right, then I open up microsoft paint, of all things, I copy a rough outline of that sketch, stretch the picture out a lot, zoom in and edit the lines, one pixel at a time, to get just the right smooth curve. Then, trace over that onto paper, and trace over the paper again and again, refining the shapes each time, until I have something I am happy with. photograph this, open it in my computer and draw over the photograph, tidying up the edges, making sure every detail looks just right.
Long, complex process, hopefully once I have a drawing tablet and am better at getting the shapes and proportions right intuitively, I can do it quicker and easier, but for now, I like being able to edit my work very carefully, getting every pixel in just the right place.


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## Steel-Bar-Steak (Feb 8, 2012)

Pencil pencil pencil.
Digital line art hates me and I hate it, so I stick to painting digitally.


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## Volkodav (Feb 8, 2012)

Kiva said:


> The pony one made that post automatically awesome.



heheee, thanks 

this is what im working on ATM





Some of it is SAI pen tool, some of it is the line/curve tool.


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## Calemeyr (Feb 8, 2012)

Although I'm a complete novice, I've found a technique that works well for me. I do a rough sketch on paper, drawing short strokes and such, and then scan it into the computer. The lines don't have to be all smooth to begin with (I really don't have that much control with my drawing yet, so I can't really do all the continuous contour lines without something underneath). I then get out my tablet and slowly trace over the image, creating the smooth lines I want using the scan as my reference. Sure, I may have to edit the lines, but that's because I'm still kinda new with using a tablet.


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## Littlerock (Feb 8, 2012)

I prefer to do all of my lines on paper with 005 and 02 Micron pens, but sometimes I have to line digitally, if the original sketch is damaged or on fragile paper.
Micron lines by hand on printer paper.
Digital lines using the ink tool in the GIMP. (usually size 3.5)

Sometimes I do both, start out with Microns, and clean it in the GIMP later, like this:
micron 
digital

That last step is still the ink tool, .6, .7, and 1.2 sized. Colored with the ink tool too


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## kabiscube (Feb 12, 2012)

o_o No brush tool in the poll? that's it, I'm getting my razor blade.

any who, i use
ArtRage: Liner pen
Photoshop: Brush tool
i never have a setting that i always use, i always adapt and change according
to what I'm painting/drawing so kind of useless for me to say all my different settings


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## Neko-Maya (Feb 12, 2012)

I'm surprised of the amount of people who use the Pen tool o.o
I tried that once and it took ages to lineart anything with it, so grats for anyone who has that patience!

But I guess drawing on free hand works better for me as I've previously drawn all traditionally for years before going into digital~
Although I'm much more pleased nowdays on how well Sai handles the pressure sensetivity with tablets.

Also, results: http://neko-maya.deviantart.com/#/d4ozwt3 , http://neko-maya.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4o61cv (would post FA link instead but it's down atm)


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## mzzazn (Feb 14, 2012)

Kiva said:


> What methods do you use to make your lines?



I use Paint Tool Sai. The width of my brush tool depends on my canvas size, but I typically stick with the simple 0.7 width.


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