ramonn90
Stuck in Sketch Lines? - How to Draw 'Perfect Clean Lines'
Published: October 9th 2024, 1:00:36 pm
Hey everyone, a few days ago I received a message from a Patron asking how to avoid 'chicken scratchy' lines and draw 'perfect lines' I found this to be a very common issue, not only with beginner artists but also with professionals.
For a quick definition, by 'perfect lines' I mean a combination of clean, smooth strokes made by a hard-edges brush, that does not have any texture. The opposite would be rusty strokes if the dimension is thick or a combination of thin strokes layered over each other, this brush can have or not texture. Both are useful for different purposes. I think the scratchy style helps convey a bit more motion, especially for animation or action style. Many of us use the not so clean style because of a lack of skill and not precisely because we can create polished line art.
Tips!
Most of my lines are messy, as I don't create new layers to redo the sketches I draw from scratch, I focus on refining a few parts of the composition where I think people will pay attention, like the character's faces, silhouette or specific points of interest. My approach is something you will see very clear in the process videos here on Patreon, nevertheless here are two options for drawing clean lines, in case you have not seen any of my processes.
1. You can start by drawing the way you usually do, which I assume is with the messy lines or, like some of you call 'chicken scratch' lines, and then, on a new layer, use a hard-edge brush to make long strokes (no texture brush) that define the large shapes of your character’s silhouette. Feel free to use the brush dimension you feel comfortable with, I think a combination of thick and thin, where thick lines cover the shape silhouettes and thin the details within, often adds that extra polished view. I recommend you check the work of artists like, Joe Madureira, Arnold Tsang o Nesskain.
2. The second option is more like my approach, which is to make those long, clean strokes (basically cleanups) over the initial sketch. This way, you can keep some of the sketch’s energy from the scratchy style. I’d recommend making a copy of the sketch layer and working on that, just in case you need to revert any changes. I'd like to share with you the full-length process videos of my piece "Frustration", so you can fully grasp what I mean.
Link: https://youtu.be/yIEmjXhg2iE
Remember these processes are available for the $10 tier, if this tickles your fancy, I invite you to upgrade and unlock a full year of processes with all the illustrations I've been sharing during this time.
One Last Tip!
For clean strokes is timing, making quick, long strokes, especially with curves, helps achieve a smooth line. It’s not easy and takes time to master, but being aware of it is a good start. I hope this helps.
What is important?
Having a clean line art is beautiful indeed, but in my opinion, what really is important in drawing, aesthetically speaking, is the shapes you are creating through line art. I've seen artists with very messy and sketchy lines but they build through the combinations of them which looks great and understandable, for example check artists like Il Kwang Kim (animator) or Kim Jung Gi (illustrator) where their lines are trembling and chaotic yet shapes are clear.
So in conclusion, if you find yourself struggling to get that "comic artist's" clean line, try some of these tips, relax, you might get there without even noticing, as you progress in your journey, but don't keep your eyes away.
Thank you for your support!