LUCIANNYS CAMACHO · SVA GRADUATED STUDENT | Making an animated short film in Clip Studio Paint  

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How long have you been an artist?

I’ve been working professionally since 2017 but I’ve been making art since I was roughly six years old.

What are your most important accomplishments?

Finishing my BFA at the School of Visual Arts NYC this year, completing my thesis film during the pandemic, and working with incredible people like Wacom and Graphixly remotely and at trade shows.

What kind of projects do you create art for?

I create typically a lot of illustrations and character designs that can be used as concept art or visuals for comics, social media, books, posters, etc. I also do lots of work for personal use.

What is your equipment set up?

I’m currently using a custom built PC, iPad Pro 12.9, and a 22 HD Cintiq with Clip Studio EX. I use Razer for my keyboard, headphones, and microphone.

What made you choose Clip Studio Paint for your short film “Check YES!”?

I was already comfortable using Clip Studio and it was the only program that would accommodate my commuter lifestyle as a college student. It was available for iPad with all the features from desktop. I could do everything aside from post production on Clip Studio so it made it an easy choice.

How did you use Clip Studio Paint in the production process of “Check YES!”?

I used it in the entirety of my pre-production, production, and post. I storyboarded, created concept art, planned shots, matte painted, animated, and composited shots. I used CSP heavily especially for shots where I had to paint out wires and lights and composite 2D objects in or add screen tones. For matte paintings I would plan the size and perspective of objects on a frame of the shot I’m working on in CSP. I would then export it as a .PSD so AE can read it and would simply track the objects into the shots without having to worry about the size or perspective of individual objects shifting or not being calculated correctly by the computer. I did one or two shots that required me to paint out people from shots where the animations had to interact with real life objects like a door or chair. I would paint people out frame by frame in the animation mode of CSP with the air brush on the lightest density.

How do you feel about Clip Studio Paint animation tools?

I personally liked them quite a bit. I was a complete newbie to animation and had used tv paint prior but didn’t like it. Clip Studio just made sense to me. I was able to sit down for three hours and make a production ready animation. The tools to get started are laid out simply and I wish I had the time to actually try out the cameras and other tools that I’ve seen others use. I also loved the program because it had an export option for image sequences with settings to automate the naming of your sequences with your shot name and number. Image sequence export from CSP made it extremely easy for me to be able to individually composite characters in AE and have complete control as opposed to exporting the entire thing.

What are your favorite features in Clip Studio Paint?

I personally love the options to use and import 3D models as they helped a lot with posing. I can also bring in my own models to use as reference that I can turn to any position for references. The customization of the magic wand and gradient tool saved me a lot of time during the coloring process of animation. Selecting hair or a shirt and giving it a quick gradient saved the hassle of having to fill in the lines myself and possibly cause injury or spend too much time on one shot. This also resolved any issues of the gradients “jittering” in the animation when played since the darkest and lightest points were always in the same spot.

The brushes are also unbeatable and extremely user friendly. You are able to use the same brushes from your concept art in the animation process which aides consistency. The brushes are very extensive which is in stark contrast to most animation programs that have very limited brushes available for use. The g-pen worked beautifully for consistent line work with the turnip pen for coloring. I had my stabilization on 3 for both brushes and they performed pretty well even on a shaky train ride.

Are you more efficient today, compared to your previous production toolset?

Absolutely. Clip Studio is built in a way to accommodate illustrators, comic artists and animators. Finding a tool you can vibe with can make a huge difference in the output of work. They create tools specifically to remedy common illustration, comic, animation issues and are constantly coming out with new ones from the company themselves or the talented community of CSP users. One of my favorite tools is AI auto fill for coloring that came out not too long ago. I also use the lasso auto fill a lot for my illustrations to speed up the flatting process for my illustrations.

Is it possible to get the same results with other software?

Sure it is, but I stand by the simplicity yet innovation of Clip Studio. They have a library of assets and frequent updates. No subscription model for the desktop version either. It is more bang for your buck in comparison to other tools especially if you’re a young artist on a budget.

Would you recommend Clip Studio Paint to artists (illustrators and animators) within this industry?

Absolutely. I always have when others are looking for other alternatives to expensive software. I gave my teammates copies of CSP for the project and they enjoyed it for their work on the film and outside of the film. Hopefully there will be more flexibility in the future with industry tools as more people are moving away from the Adobe Suite.

Do you also use other tools for production? What synergetic effects do you gain from incorporating CSP together with other tools in your workflow?

I used After Effects in tandem with CSP. It brought my animations up a notch and helped me fix things like off lip syncing. I mainly used it to composite my animations to my live action backgrounds and add glow effects. I also had 3D rendered simulations that I had imported into AE and also did some motion graphics work to compliment the animations done in CSP like SFX and action lines.

How do you visualize yourself as an artist in the future?

Hopefully working in visual development/costuming! No particular studio or company but Netflix looks cool!I hope to show run a series in the future and create more Latinx stories in media.

DAVID HEREDIA, BFA THESIS PROFESSOR AT THE SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS AND CREATOR OF HEROES OF COLOR

HOW DO YOU THINK CLIP STUDIO PAINT BENEFITED LUCIANNY’S PROJECT?

She was able to create visuals for her films that were close or exactly on model to her pre production work. She was so comfortable with the program, so it was great that she could stick with it for so many parts of the production pipeline. I think it ultimately helped remedy an issue of consistency that may have arisen in switching between programs.

HOW DO YOU THINK CLIP STUDIO PAINT COMPARES WITH OTHER INDUSTRY TOOLS?

Clip Studio Paint is a strong contender to many animation and illustrational tools that I have seen. Its affordability make it a good yet accessible tool to those who may not have the budget to make amazing work.

WOULD YOU RECOMMEND CLIP STUDIO PAINT FOR YOUR STUDENT'S PROJECTS?

Absolutely. I will be mentioning the program to my students in the future as an option for their work.

For the full success story PDF - click here