Hello! My name is Liz Staley and I’m a long-time user of Clip Studio Paint (I started using the program back when it was known as Manga Studio 4!). I was a beta-tester on the Manga Studio 5 program and for Clip Studio Paint, and I have written three books and several video courses about the program. Many of you probably know my name from those books, in fact. I write weekly posts on Graphixly.com and on CSP Tips, so be sure to come back every week to learn more Clip Studio Tips and Tricks from me!

The past few weeks we’ve talked about the newest features added in Clip Studio Paint Ver 5.1.0, including the updates to the Smart Shape tool. I’ve been curious about how Smart Shapes could be integrated into a vector layer workflow, and the perfect opportunity to test it out came up! So this week let’s talk about using vector tools, vector layers, and smart shape to speed up a vector workflow.

In this article we will cover the following topics:

Using Smart Shapes on Vector Layers

Simplifying Vector Lines

Using the Vector Eraser

Let’s get drawing!

Using Smart Shapes on Vector Layers

I was very curious to find out how the smart shapes features would improve my experience with drawing on vector layers. So, when presented with a logo concept that needed cleaning up, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to find out how these two features can improve my workflow. 

After opening the logo sketch and creating a new vector layer with Layer - New Vector layer, I then chose a marker drawing tool with no variation in line thickness for this particular project. 

Next I chose part of the logo to start working on - these straight, sharp lines at one end of it. Using my chosen drawing tool, I roughly drew out the lines by hand, then held down at the end of the stroke to engage the Smart Shape feature.

Smart Shape turns my slightly wobbly lines into a perfectly straight polyline!

Since we’re working on a vector layer, we can now use the Correct Line tools to tweak and reshape our lines until they’re perfect. Select the Correct Line category from the tool box in CSP, then the Control Point subtool. In the Tool Settings, make sure that “Move Control Point” is selected, then put the cursor over your line. You will see a red line down the middle with little points at each change of direction. These are the control points. Click on them and move them to adjust the line until it’s the way you want it. 

Using the same steps, you can create lovely curves as well. 

This curve is a continuation of the straight lines from the step before, but it was easier to create the straight parts in one line and the curve in another. Thankfully, with vector tools we can connect these two lines to be one! In the Correct Line tools, select the “Connect vector line tool”.

Use the tool to highlight the overlapping parts of the two separate vector lines.

Now the two lines are one line! 

Simplifying Vector Lines

Some of the curves on this project are a bit of a paint to do with smart shapes, at least for me, but that’s where vectors come in to save the day again. With the line in the screenshot below, it was much easier for me to draw the line out by hand and then clean it up using the control points. 

However, the more control points there are in a vector line, the harder it is to make it look smooth. But that’s okay because there’s an easy way to reduce the number of points! In the Correct Line tools, select the “Simplify Vector Line” tool.

Since this logo project has a ton of lines that are pretty tightly packed together, I’m going to open the Advanced Tool Settings and make sure that the “Process whole line” checkbox is checked. This ensures that even if we only touch part of the line with the tool, the whole line will undergo the simplifying process.

Use the Simplify tool to highlight part of the line.

The number of control points along the line will be reduced, making it much easier to adjust the line for a smooth look.

Using the Vector Eraser 

The final vector tool that is absolutely essential when creating really anything in vectors, but definitely when creating something with lines as complex as this project, is the Vector Eraser. This tool can be found in the Eraser category and is a default tool that comes with Clip Studio Paint.

In the tool settings you should see an option called “Vector eraser”. If you don’t see it there, open the Advanced Tool Settings and choose the “Erase” category from the left hand side to find it. There are three ways the vector eraser can work.

Erase Touched Area - Works just like the regular eraser tool and only erases the areas touched by the eraser tool.

Erase up to intersection - Erases from the part touched by the vector eraser to where that vector crosses another vector line.

Whole line - Erase the entire line even if only a small part is touched by the eraser.

Because the lines on this project are so close together and have a lot of overlaps, I am going to choose the “Erase up to intersection” option. Then, in the screenshot below, I swipe through only a small part of the lines I want to get rid of…

But the entire unwanted part of the line up to where it crosses the other line is erased!

Conclusion

Vector layers, smart shapes, and the vector eraser are a powerful trio for creating smooth and intricate lines, whether you are creating a logo or making an illustration!

For more information on CLIP Studio Paint, please visit https://www.clipstudio.net/en or https://graphixly.com