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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1420529
I want to get more into the animation tools, as well. The animation in Clip Studio Paint is very focused on the basics, and it does it really well. If I want to paint or do an illustration, I can do it all in Clip Studio Paint, without it taking forever to load when I have too many layers and such. Q: How did you get into Clip Studio Paint? When I started in the game industry, we were working with Maya or Photoshop. After that I switched over to a different program that had similar textures to the brushes in Clip Studio Paint, but it was still quite lacking. I tried Clip Studio Paint out in around 2015 and it was exactly what I wanted. Within a few months I upgraded to the EX version and I was thinking of doing a comic book one day! It clicked instantly and there was hardly any learning curve. What really got me was that I could Ctrl-Z consecutively, which Photoshop didn’t do then. And the bucket tool referencing multiple layers also saved me a lot of time. Painting and blending works so well in Clip Studio Paint and I use it for all of my processes. Q: What are some things people can do to improve their art? Besides drawing a lot and improving, I think the hardest part is to draw what you are envisioning in your head, so that’s where practice comes in. When it comes to character illustration, I would say focus on forms and shapes. I also say it’s good practice to look at the art you like and copy it, but to fully understand it, you have to understand why a design was created the way it was. It’s not enough to just look at something and emulate the shape’s silhouette. You also need to understand how the forms would look in a three dimensional space. This helps bring more depth to your artwork. If you are drawing digitally, make sure to use the tools you are given, like the lasso tool for example. In the sketching phase, I use the lasso tool and shift things like the eye around often, because sometimes you need a moment to calibrate and understand what is correct or incorrect. And if you want, start learning animation, because you can’t fake your art in animation. This was a hard part for me to learn. I thought I could draw really well, but when I had to do a character rotation, I realized I was cheating a lot. I didn’t really understand the three-dimensional aspect. Animation calls you out when you don’t know what you are doing. Q: What art do you draw inspiration from?? Apart from anime art, video game art has really inspired me, like Capcom and Konami back in the 90s. My family and I would go to the mall and I would see all those video game illustrations in that appealing style. When I was young, my goal was to draw video game art and have it featured in the magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly. Eventually that goal shifted to wanting to go to E3 one day and work in the game industry as an artist. That was accomplished in 2010 and I’m so happy and grateful for it! Q: What are your plans for the future? I really want to make a Space Maria game -- that’s the next big personal goal of mine. (laughs) I have been trying to keep up with my social media presence, so there have been a lot of small victories here and there. I was able to do the cover illustration for Metal Slug, which is a game I grew up with and am super passionate about. Anytime I have been asked to do any kind of box art or anything on a physical medium, it feels like a HUGE personal victory. It’s all things I have been wanting to do since I was younger. It’s amazing to know that people believe in me enough to execute those illustrations and I am truly honored. It’s also very surreal that I have been able to support my family solely with artwork for about 7 years now. That’s the biggest blessing and achievement.