08-15-2020, 10:44 PM
If you would like to make a brush in Clip Studio that's roughly equivalent to the one Sinix uses in his Best Brush for Digital Painting video, one way is to take one of those watercolor brushes and disable "Mix ground color" in the Ink section of the brush properties, and make sure "Continuous spraying" is unchecked in the Stroke section. If starting with a basic hard round brush, make sure you uncheck "Mix brush tips with darken" in the Stroke section. You'll end up with a brush that is hard-edged but relatively easy to blend with, even without any automatic blending.
Regarding layers. Since you're used to rendering traditionally, you'll probably find that it feels more natural to use one layer, at least to start with. Do what feels easiest.
Regarding the airbrush. The reason that people say it's not the best thing to start with is that it's very easy to make gradients with it, so you don't have to be precise about any of the forms you're rendering, and due to the fact that the airbrush doesn't leave any distinct brushstrokes, the final result can look kind of blurry and lifeless. That said, there are pros who use almost nothing but the airbrush and it doesn't look bad. Some people suggest that beginners use nothing but the default hard round in Photoshop, which I think is absurd, because you will not be able to make a smooth-looking gradient with it unless you want to paint for 100 years. In conclusion, do what you want.
It looks like you're mainly practicing with opacity-locked layers and large brush sizes. That's fine, but since you're used to drawing traditionally, it might be hamstringing you a bit. Try treating the digital brush as if it's a real brush. Professionals use all sorts of different strategies successfully, so don't discount any approach because you think it might be the "wrong" way to do it.
Lastly, feeling like you're groping around aimlessly when trying to render digitally is normal. It's like learning anything new. You will get a better grasp on it the more you do it.
Regarding layers. Since you're used to rendering traditionally, you'll probably find that it feels more natural to use one layer, at least to start with. Do what feels easiest.
Regarding the airbrush. The reason that people say it's not the best thing to start with is that it's very easy to make gradients with it, so you don't have to be precise about any of the forms you're rendering, and due to the fact that the airbrush doesn't leave any distinct brushstrokes, the final result can look kind of blurry and lifeless. That said, there are pros who use almost nothing but the airbrush and it doesn't look bad. Some people suggest that beginners use nothing but the default hard round in Photoshop, which I think is absurd, because you will not be able to make a smooth-looking gradient with it unless you want to paint for 100 years. In conclusion, do what you want.
It looks like you're mainly practicing with opacity-locked layers and large brush sizes. That's fine, but since you're used to drawing traditionally, it might be hamstringing you a bit. Try treating the digital brush as if it's a real brush. Professionals use all sorts of different strategies successfully, so don't discount any approach because you think it might be the "wrong" way to do it.
Lastly, feeling like you're groping around aimlessly when trying to render digitally is normal. It's like learning anything new. You will get a better grasp on it the more you do it.