What tools you use and how you use them is probably the most important factor to consider when thinking about adding new hardware to your workspace. There is a truly dizzying number of drawing and art apps out there, and no artist uses them the same way. That’s why I reached out to some professional artists to find out what software they use in their daily work.
Adobe Photoshop
Oh Joy Sex Toy webcomic founders Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan use Adobe Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint as the foundation of their digital art workflows.
“Especially when I work on comics, I need the tools of Photoshop to play with the text and design the entire page so that my art guides the reader’s eye in the right direction,” says Erika.
Photoshop’s DNA as a photo editing suite means that the company has acquired many powerful and detailed tools over the years. It’s a great option for formatting pages, editing text, and editing photo layers – which can be helpful when working with reference photos for environments. It’s a powerhouse, but there are a few things other apps do better.
Clip Studio Paint
Moen and Nolan may design their pages and text in Photoshop, but the final line art is always done in Clip Studio Paint. “It’s a great drawing program that sits nicely between Photoshop and Procreate,” Matthew added.
Designed as a tool for manga artists, Clip Studio Paint is packed with many of the same features you see in Photoshop, but the way it handles line art is second to none. It renders every stroke beautifully and the lines feel much smoother than in any other illustration app. When I first tried it a few years ago, it felt like cheating. The drawing engine does Only The right level of motion filtering ensures your lines remain smooth and fluid without making them feel less free and tactile. Just as Photoshop has built an extensive library of powerful tools over the years, Clip Studio Paint has done the same. There’s a lot more going on under the hood than you might expect.
Illustrator and Oh Joy Sex Toy contributor Ripley LaCross has used Clip Studio Paint as the cornerstone of his digital art workflow for nearly eight years. Therefore, Ripley’s knowledge of the ins and outs of Clip Studio Paint is impressive. It’s not always the most user-friendly app, and there are features within it that don’t get enough attention, including the Library of Alexandria-sized community library with models, brushes, and assets at your fingertips. “The robust library of free and paid assets is a game-changer,” says Ripley. “Need to draw an ornate chandelier from a very specific angle and can’t find a photo for reference? Boom, someone made a 3D model of it and it cost all of two dollars.”