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Question about layering brushes in Clip Studio
I started a digital portrait last week and my shadows look muddy no matter what I try. I'm using a standard round brush on multiply mode but the layers just blend into a mess after 3 passes. Someone at a local meetup said I should try a textured brush on a separate layer with clipping masks. Has anyone figured out a good workflow for keeping shadows clean without losing the base color?
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sammurray24d ago
Dude wait, 3 passes on multiply mode and it's already mud? That's wild, I usually do like 6-8 passes before things get chunky. What color are you using for the shadows? If you're going straight black or a dark grey that's probably why, you need to pick a desaturated blue or purple to keep the base color alive.
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the_lucas23d ago
Wait, are you telling me I've been sabotaging my own shadows this whole time using straight black? That explains a lot actually, I just figured darker = better but now that you say it, I've definitely noticed my stuff looking dead flat after a few passes.
Same thing happened to me with a warm skintone, two passes of black multiply and it turned into this gross brownish gray mess. Switched to a muted blue and suddenly my shadows actually looked like shadows instead of dirt stains.
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