Testing the Clip Studio Paint App for the iPad Pro

Clip Studio Pro App for the iPad

Here is a quick demo of the inking and coloring from the Clip Studio Paint app on the iPad Pro. I must say it functions just as it should. ( so far! ) Everything is extremely similar to the desktop version. Probably the most difficult thing to figure out was the import/export of the files. ( Quick note - if you are running Manga Studio 5 EX you can open your files on the iPad but not from the Clip Studio Version back to MS5. Just use PSD's until you get the updated software for your desktop as a work around. )

Really nice to be able to sit back on the couch and work on any of my fully layered MS5 files. Will definitely help with the Blackstone comic. That alone will justify the monthly costs I guess but still not happy with it. I just feel too many of these companies are trying to justify monthly memberships. I don't want to get on a negative tangent about that but I think they should do a one time purchase where you would either pay for major updates or a monthly subscription where all updates and support is included. Just my 2 cents of course!

I will keep testing this app out and let you know what I find and videos will be on the way. I must admit I am pretty impressed with its ability to run like a full blown program on the iPad Pro. I imagine others such as Photoshop will follow soon. I will also say that Procreate does handle the sketching process a bit better in my opinion but it is still a bit early to be sure about that. The inking and watercolor brushes on Clip Studio Paint are just as amazing as they are on the desktop version so that is pretty freaking cool!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!! 

Good luck with your art and more on the way! ;)

Robert A. Marzullo

Ram Studios Comics

http://www.ramstudioscomics.com

Want to learn how to draw and paint using Manga Studio 5 ( Clip Studio Paint )

Check out my Udemy course here - https://www.udemy.com/digitally-painting-amazing-fantasy-art-in-manga-studio-5/?couponCode=RAMCOMICSBLOGPOST

Learn to Draw and Paint an Ogre Concept in Manga Studio 5 / Clip Studio Paint

Learn to Draw and Paint an Ogre Concept in Manga Studio 5 / Clip Studio Paint

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Welcome back everyone! I have some new course content to share with you today. It is on drawing and painting an Ogre character concept in Manga Studio 5 / Clip Studio Paint. In this course I will walk you through the entire process step by step while explaining the tools I use within this program.

Drawing and Refining the Concept

We will first start with the rough sketch where you will learn how to define the overall proportions of this creature design. You will learn a series of techniques to adjust and add to the existing line work to get the desired look of the character. Then I will show you how to clean up the line work and get it ready for the digital painting process.

Adding in the Flats and Separating the Work

In the next lessons we will go over how to add in the flat colors while segmenting the work. This will help us visualize the direction we are heading and aid in the painting process later on. Segmenting the work on complex characters or scenes can help you to retain a solid feel to the artwork until you build the confidence to no longer need these steps. Some artists use this method on every piece of artwork they create and others begin to use less and less layers over time as their skills with editing become more effective.  It is for you to decide what works best in your workflow.

After we have put all the foundational information in place we will begin to add in our digital painting effects. We will be using some custom brushes but not many. I have puposely created this artwork with a minimal set of brushes to show you that it can be done effectively with just a few good brushes. Amazing paintings can be done with just one brush but you will spend more time creating the effects you might be looking for. All the brushes I have used will be included with this course.

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This course consists of 19 step by step narrated lessons showing you how to draw and paint this character design. You get the art files and custom brushes to work along with. The total course is 

4 Hours 29 Minutes long.

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So I am excited to know what you think and if you decide to take this course I hope you gain a lot of valuable techniques for your workflow. I am here if you have any questions!

You can get this entire Course on my Gumroad here - https://gum.co/lYFX

Robert A. Marzullo

Ram Studios Comics

http://www.ramstudioscomics.com

My Next Lesson on Digital Painting in Manga Studio 5 - Character Design!

Digital Painting in Manga Studio 5 - Character Design

I am currently working on my next lesson for drawing and painting in Manga Studio 5 / Clip Studio Paint.  This fantasy art piece will be what I demonstrate from start to finish while explaining the tools I use within Manga Studio 5.

In these lessons you will learn how I draw out a concept like this one and continue to make changes until I am satisfied. Then we will move to applying the paint effects. You will learn how I use layers and groups, combine modes, custom brushes, quick masks, mesh transformation, and pretty much everything it takes to bring this artwork to completion. You will even learn some cool post processing techniques that I use to get my artwork ready for the old portfolio!

You will also get some cool custom brushes to work along with as well as a copy of the art file.

I will keep everyone posted on the release of this next lesson so be sure to follow me on my Gumroad here -

http://www.gumroad.com/robertmarzullo

Thanks for your support and good luck with your art! ;)

Robert A. Marzullo

Ram Studios Comics

http://www.ramstudioscomics.com

Illustrating the Leg Anatomy - Step by Step Study

Illustrating the Leg Anatomy - Step by Step Study 

In this video I illustrate the leg anatomy step by step. I show where the muscles are on the front and back of the legs. If you like this type of video please comment below and share this so that I can do more.

You can support my work by becoming a Patron of mine and you will get the high resolution art files from studies I create -

http://www.patreon.com/robertmarzullo

You can get my Custom Brushes and Video Lessons on my Gumroad -

http://www.gumroad.com/robertmarzullo

Thank you for watching and more on the way real soon!

Robert A. Marzullo

Ram Studios Comics

http://www.ramstudioscomics.com

How to Create A Split Screen or Active Mirrored Window in Clip Studio Paint

http://www.gumroad.com/robertmarzullo - To get my Custom Brushes for Clip Studio Paint and Manga Studio 5.  In this video I explain how to create an interactive split screen or mirror window of your active work space in Clip Studio Paint. This is a great feature to help with recognizing flaws in your drawing and paintings while you create. It can be a huge time saver!

If you find this video helpful then please like and share it so that I can bring you new content each and every week. And be sure to Subscribe!

You can also support my work on my Patreon and get access to exclusive art files and video lessons each month per your requests-

http://www.patreon.com/robertmarzullo

Like us on Facebook - http://www.faceboook.com/ramstudioscomics

My Deviantart Site - http://robertmarzullo.deviantart.com

Drawing and Painting a P.E.K.K.A. Character from Clash of Clans

So here is my next quick study.  A P.E.K.KA. character from Clash of Clans.  Been playing this game way too much but I like the character designs and wanted to do this quick challenge.  So my goal here is the paint this character to look as nice as the 3D renders that you see online for the game advertisements but with my own pose created by studying other shots.  To me this is a great exercise because it teaches you to look at the subject matter and then make your own version.  Plus it can be tricky getting all those little details painted in that you see in a 3D creation. 

So it all starts here.  The basic line art to get the ball rolling.  I do this to get major shapes in place before I paint.  Sometimes I get the line work pretty close and other times I just have to make sizable changes as I work through the painting.  This is all being done in Manga Studio 5 with a Wacom Cintiq 22.  I will put out an update after the painting is done so let me know if I nailed it or I just need to try again and again and again. 

Thanks for viewing and more on the way real soon!

Robert A. Marzullo

Ram Studios Comics

www.robertmarzullo.com

To support this channel and the Blackstone comic please visit my Patreon Page at :

http://www.patreon.com/robertmarzullo

To Get my FREE brushes and other Digital Content visit here :

http://gumroad.com/robertmarzullo

Digitally Painting a Portrait of Megan Fox by Robert A. Marzullo

So here is my latest speed painting video of the beautiful Megan Fox.  This is another one of my studies and you probably know me by now, I like to share my work.  So here it is.  And this has also allowed me to interact with a few viewers that expressed wanting to know how I go about doing a portrait.  It hasn't occurred to me until now that I haven't really done that topic on my channel.  Duh!  Portraits are so widely appreciated that it makes perfect sense to go over that subject.  Now I will be honest and say that I don't often nail the portrait as you can probably see here with my version of Megan but I will share my humble approach to this type of work and you can take from it what you will.  And I would never allow the fact that I don't always hit the nail on the head to stop me from building a house.  That flipping house is getting built! Crooked nails and all! ;)

So keep a look out for my portrait tutorials real soon.  I will probably start with the mapping of the facial features which is the hardest part in my opinion and then we will go over value studies and working up forms, then adding textures.  You know, all that fun stuff!

Thanks for watching and more on the way real soon!

You can support my art on my Patreon Page here : 

                                                 http://www.patreon.com/robertmarzullo

                           You can get my comic book Blackstone and my digital content here : 

http://gumroad.com/robertmarzullo

Speed Painting Orgrim from World of Warcraft

Here is a speed painting of Orgrim Warhammer from World of Warcraft.  I was inspired to do this one with the awesome movie art and 3D designs they have been putting out.  Cannot wait to see that this movie later this year.  This was painted in my favorite painting program Manga Studio 5 and I used a Wacom Intuos 5 even though I have this pretty little Cintiq staring at me all jealous right now. lol.  Why you ask?  I did it to prove to myself that I can.  I always get artist on my Youtube channel saying that they wish they had a Cintiq or Apply iPad Pro or whatever so that they could draw like their favorite digital artist.  And I just want them to know that you can overcome the tool at hand.  I am no great artist.  I am decent.....I think.  But if I can do it, then by golly so can you!  So just practice, practice, practice and when you are ready to give up cause you little fingers hurt, draw some more!!  We don't give up soldier!  Sorry I know that was a little over the top.  :/  

Anyways, I know digital art isn't cheap to get into and Cintiqs definitely are not cheap but if you can get a basic tablet on a decent system then you can create art like this.  And if not then just stick to pen and paper and keep selling your originals until you can afford all this stuff.  Either way, just enjoy what you create and you will always be happy that my friends is truly the golden egg! ;)

Thanks for watching and more on the way very soon!!

Robert A. Marzullo

Ram Studios Comics

www.robertmarzullo.com

Ogre Progression Painting Created in Manga Studio 5

Been having some fun inside of Manga Studio 5 with the digital painting.  Here is a study I did from a 3D image that I found online.  I tried to find the artist but apparently there are a few people saying they created this design so I guess I will just leave that alone this time.  This is simply a practice piece to help me get a better understanding of light, shadow, color, form, depth, etc....

I wanted to show the process here because I feel that not enough people are aware that Manga Studio 5 is an exceptional painting program. ( And believe me, I have tried them all! )  The thing or things that I like about Manga Studio are that the brushes rarely lag and the smooth watercolor is just a fantastic brush design.  You can apply paint and blend paint with the same brush which saves lots of time and gives you a more natural feel to traditional methods.....not that I have ever painted traditionally or anything.  Well, besides finger painting in the  1st grade. :)

The other thing that I wanted to show in this process is that you don't necessarily need an advanced drawing device to create this type of work.  Now by advanced I mean a direct to screen device, I don't mean to imply that you can do this with a mouse.  Maybe you can but it seems as if it would take a ridiculous amount of time to complete.  This was done with an Intuos 5 and it wasn't too bad for time.  Around 7 hours to complete.  Keep in mind I don't use the Intuos as much as my Cintiq so this would have been faster on a direct to screen device but the thing I enjoyed most about using the Intuos was my posture.  I was able to relax and lean back while painting which doesn't seem like a big deal until you are working on a project for 7 hours then believe me, posture is a very big deal.  

So those were the main focus areas of this type of piece.  Now on to the next one.  I learned a lot on this study so I will be doing more.  I love painting 3D renders because the lighting and textures are so well done.  Great for observations.  I hope you like the work and please check out my links below to support the art!

To support my work and the Blackstone comic please visit my Patreon Page at :

                                                  http://www.patreon.com/robertmarzullo

You can find my Blackstone comic and Digital Content here :

http://gumroad.com/robertmarzullo

Deadpool Digital Painting by Robert Marzullo

Here is a digital painting I just finished of Deadpool that I created in Manga Studio 5.  My new best friend in digital painting.  Mainly because of the smooth watercolor brush and the fact that it resembles Photoshop, but I can pencil and ink it much quicker.  Anyways, I felt compelled to do another Deadpool painting and this one was a mix of studying some screen shots and adding a touch of my own style.  ( Another way for me to say my mistakes. :)  I had fun with this one and I am really enjoying the speed of digital painting.  This one took me 2 hours to complete and although I could have taken it much further there is something nice about getting a painting done and being able to move on to something else in a relatively short amount of time.  Plus it seems like when I spend days on a painting laboring over every detail no one seems to know the difference.  That might be a problem of my subject matter so I will take the blame on that one.

Well, on to the next one.  I have a commission coming up and that should be fun as well.  It is a Deadpool Hulk fight scene so I will post that when it is finished or some work in progress shots.

Thanks for taking the time to view the work and read my ramblings. ;)

To support my work you can visit my Patreon here :

http://www.patreon.com/robertmarzullo

To get a Digital Copy of the Blackstone Comic you can visit :

http://gumroad.com/robertmarzullo

Robert A. Marzullo

Ram Studios Comics

http://www.robertmarzullo.com

http://www.facebook.com/RamStudiosComics

Hello Gumroad!

Well I went and jumped on the Gumroad bandwagon!  I have been looking for a way to get more of my digital work out to some fans without signing my life away in that process and Gumroad seems to have a pretty nice setup so time will tell.  I have already made the Blackstone comic available there for download and next I will be uploading a course on "Digital Painting in Manga Studio 5 EX."  Or Clip Studio Paint Pro.  Not sure why they had to switch the name but oh well.  It is what it is......whatever that means.  I will also be including my custom brushes on there as well as some of my art.  It hopefully will be a way that I can keep producing content for those of you that really enjoy it and make a living at this art thingy that I love to do so much.  I see that other artist have been able to keep putting out their work with the help of this platform so I am giving it a try.

Let me know what you think of Gumroad and what you would like to see me put on there.  I am putting a lot of work into the content that I will be posting on there.  This video set will explain lots of techniques in Manga Studio for digital painting and scene creation.  It will start with basic conceptual elements and weapons then we will move onto character creation rules of composition.  So I hope this helps a lot of artist like me that were initially lost in this program.  And for artist that don't want to fork out the big bucks for Photoshop and Corel Painter.  By the way, I think Manga Studio has them beat and no one seems to realize it. Very strange indeed.

Thanks for stopping by any more on the way real soon!

Here is the link to my newly created Gumroad page...Wish me luck! ;)

http://gumroad.com/robertmarzullo

Painting A Futuristic City - Concept Art for the Blackstone Comic

So here is another labor of love.  This is a painting that I stared in Photoshop and then it made its way into Manga Studio 5.  Just because there are certain effects I actually prefer in that program.  So just like it started in one program and ended in another so has the concept of the art as well.  This started as just another portfolio piece but as I began to paint it and my day dreaming started to kick in, I began to think about how this could fit into the Blackstone Comic.  I mean, come on, that is why I draw/paint this stuff in the first place, right?!  So as I began to work through this piece I started to think of the middle build as a high profile maximum prison and who better to get thrown into this slammer than Blackstone.  It would make for a nice book at any rate.  He gets put in here under lock and key and has to break his way out and of course, no one and I mean NO ONE has ever made it out alive.  Why?  Because not only is this facility state of the art it also has a living organism that is part of the structure itself.  Imagine never being able to evade detection because the entire compound is alive and watching you.  Creepy right?!  Good creepy is fun so there is the idea.  Next the details have to evolve.  Will he team up with others in the compound to make the break?  Will one of his many enemies seeking revenge break in to make sure he is finished off this time?  Only time will tell.

So that is how I come up with ideas for my book.  Not sure when this one will actually make it there but I love to work on concepts like these and hopefully get them into print one day.  Still on book #2 and it has been very slow in the making but I am always trying to figure out ways to dedicate more time to the project.  So for those of you that are patient and have supported by getting a copy,  I thank you!

Thanks for reading and more on the way real soon!

Robert A. Marzullo

Ram Studios Comics

www.robertmarzullo.com

www.youtube.com/c/robertmarzullo

You can get a copy of the Blackstone comic here....
http://RamStudiosComics.indyplanet.com

Manga Studio 5 EX Vs. Sketchbook Pro 7 - Review

I was asked to do a comparison between these two immensely powerful programs.  I have done plenty of videos on each of these and their usefulness to creating comics.  But now it is time to put them head to head and figure out which software will reign supreme in the ever changing apocalyptic    world of digital art!  Was that too intense?  Yeah, I think it was.  Let me take it down a notch or two. ;)

I think both of these programs are amazing in their own areas.  I actually feel like a wouldn't want to part with either one of them.  I love the fluidity of sketching in Sketchbook Pro 7.  It feels as if my digital pen has wings.  Gliding through the drawing process as if angels were guiding my every move.  Alright maybe not that nice but it works really well.  And the perspective tool in Sketchbook Pro 7 is pretty amazing.  It allows you to draw perspective in a more interactive way but does lack in the area of being able to change your perspective rulers from one to another.  You get the one and simply have to move it around.  Come on guys, you can do better than that.  Then the only other thing that Sketchbook Pro really needs is the ability to add separate windows to its interface.  As an artist that is very important to have and this program simply does not have it.  Other than those couple of things it is an awesome program.  It has the most streamline interface that allows you to get into the drawing process and stay there.  Your not busy trying to figure out complex software architecture.  You can simply create! ( Kudos! )

As far as Manga Studio 5 EX is concerned, it is loaded with everything and the kitchen sink.  No seriously, I think there is a kitchen sink in there somewhere.  It is probably in the 3D models portion of the program.  That program does more than I will probably ever find out but I will have lots of fun trying to learn it all.  Every time I turnaround I learn something new that it can do.  It is basically like if Photoshop and Sketchbook Pro got drunk one night and had a baby.  That baby would be Manga Studio 5 EX.  Sorry for the bad metaphor but its all I got. ;)

Manga Studio has a lot of the image editing capabilities that Photoshop has along with the drawing, inking, and perspective rulers that make for a great comic book creation software.  And lets not forget the ability to save out a single PDF file for an easy upload of your digital comic. ( Thanks Guys! )

So both of these programs have a lot of possibilities and to tell you the truth I need them both.  There are just certain aspects of each that won't allow me to kick the other one out of bed.  Not just yet anyways.  We will have to see what the updates bring us in the future.

If you are thinking about getting Manga Studio 5 here is my Amazon affiliate link....

http://amzn.to/1Vpzm2y

If you are thinking about getting Sketchbook Pro 7 here is my Amazon affiliate link....

http://amzn.to/1SMRAEt

To watch me review some of these features you can watch the video here......

https://youtu.be/5E7mIocKghk

As always, thanks for your time and keep drawing, keep having fun!

And for my Tutorials and Custom Brushes please visit my Gumroad Store here -

www.gumroad.com/robertmarzullo

Robert A. Marzullo

Ram Studios Comics

www.robertmarzullo.com

www.youtube.com/c/robertmarzullo