Lineart tips for digital artists

Mar 18, 202029 min read

Deviation Actions

longestdistance

Published: Mar 18, 2020

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Disclaimers

My goal is to present information as if I were explaining it to my younger self when I was new to digital art. I hope that new artists will find this information helpful and easy to follow.
This article assumes the reader has basic knowledge of art software functions. If anything seems confusing or unapparent, feel free to message me and I will answer to the best of my ability.
Every artist has a different journey and has different experiences. YMMV = Your mileage may vary.
This is less of a "step-by-step" tutorial and more about general advice that can be used in different ways.

How do you want your style to look?

What artists do you look up to and what do you like about them?

Think about the types of art that you like, and write down what you like about them. Think about how you can apply those qualities to your own art. Don't worry, you're not "stealing" anybody's style. Although, it is ideal to draw inspiration from multiple sources rather than just one.

I'm a big fan of the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Deco, and Art Nouveau. Here is what I like about the pictured examples above:

The bold contours and outlines that contrast with fine, delicate detail. Seen in William Morris's stained glass and Charles Dana Gibson's illustrations.
The long, thin, and graceful curves of Aubrey Beardsley and George Barbier.

Inspiration ideas:

Inktober
Manga and comics
Linework tattoo designs
Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are great places to look for inspiration if you search for the right keywords.

I always start off on paper because I have more control and freedom over the drawing.

Decide how you want to start your drawing: on paper or digitally?

Some artists prefer to start out on paper, others prefer digital. It's really up to you! It's worth experimenting to see what process works best for you.

I've personally found that it's easier to start on paper because I feel more control than drawings started on a tablet. It also forces you to commit to your artistic decisions without Ctrl+Z to back you up. It's difficult at first, but rewarding in the long run. Take your time, do your best, resist the urge to erase mistakes and just go with the flow!

The cleaner the drawing, the easier it will be to do the lineart.

Do the best job you possibly can on the sketch. It will also train you to become a better artist in general. If your sketch is messy, details will be vague and difficult to nail down. This drags out the process, so save yourself the frustration if you can.

Fallen Down Before After by longestdistance

Pictured above: If your sketch looks like this, you're going to have a bad time.

Don't rush through the sketch!

The messier your sketch looks, the harder it's going to be to ink your drawing. Take your time, go slow. Treat it with the respect you would give to the lineart. It's okay to fix mistakes and change the drawing, but don't dwell on details if it ends up being time-consuming. Just do your best and move on!

The sketch doesn't have to be perfect. But the lines should be distinct.

Pictured above is an example of what not to do. Back then, I barely planned out the sketch and rushed over details with literal scribbles, thinking I was saving myself time. "Oh, I'll just fix it on the computer," I told myself. I ended up spending hours and hours fixing the drawing digitally, wasting more time by rushing through the original sketch. It was a frustrating and grueling process.

Recommended materials

Colored pencils

It is my personal recommendation to use colored pencils for the rough sketch underneath. This will distinctly set it apart from your lines and make the drawing pop. You don't need a fancy brand of colored pencils for this; you probably already have some sitting in a closet somewhere!

Avoid colors that are too light (yellow) or too dark (brown, blue). You want the sketch to be distinctly visible, but not overpowering. Sketch lightly.

H pencils

H pencils are on the harder side of the pencil spectrum. They are labeled from H (softest) to 6H (hardest). The higher the number, the lighter the mark. I personally recommend 4H for light sketching. You can see where I used a 4H pencil on the boy's face and torso.

B pencils

B pencils are on the softer side of the pencil spectrum. They are labeled from B (hardest) to 8B (softest). The higher the number, the darker the mark. These pencils will smudge more easily than H pencils. They should be used sparingly. I personally recommend 4B for major contour lines, like the boy's wings.

You can buy H and B pencils at any art retailer; they are also sold individually if you don't need the whole set. Either way, they are fairly inexpensive.

Mechanical pencil

My #1 recommendation for pencil sketches. If you can, get the .5mm mechanical pencils. They offer a finer, more precise line than .7mm pencils and are perfect for fine details, especially for character drawing. You can get them in bulk for relatively cheap at any general retailer (at least here in the US). Mechanical pencils are generally #2 aka HB, right in the middle of the pencil spectrum.

When to fix mistakes vs when to leave it alone

A finished drawing is better than a perfect one.

Many artists, myself included, struggle with perfectionism. This, ironically enough, keeps us from improving because we get held up on minor issues. Let's face it- things aren't always going to turn out like you imagined it in your head. Just move on if something isn't working out. It is okay to fix the drawing, but remember to allow yourself to make mistakes. Things will not always go according to plan and it's better for your artistic growth to just go with the flow!

Fundamental mistakes

Things like messing up the pose or botching the composition would require erasing large portions of the entire drawing OR just starting over completely. You have two options: redo the entire drawing from scratch - or - accept the mistake and move on. Constant erasing and redrawing will only discourage you. If you choose to redo the whole drawing, limit it to one do-over, and then move on.

Small mistakes

You will definitely be fixing mistakes and making small adjustments and there is no shame in that. Just don't get caught up obsessively fine-tuning and fixing every single detail; the goal is to do the best job you possibly can so you don't have to go back and fix everything later. It should not look too different from the sketch on paper except for a few minor differences.

If you can't get something to look right, no matter how hard you try, just move on.

The quest for perfection will only stagnate your artistic growth in the long run. Just do your absolute best and you will improve over time.

Preparing your sketch for the lineart

Regardless of whether you imported a sketch from your scanner/camera or if you started it digitally, it's important to make sure your sketch is ready for the next step. Essentially you are tracing the sketch. If the lines are clean and distinct, then tracing over it should be a cake walk. If it's messy, there's going to be trouble!

Adjust the contrast so that the main lines are more distinct. The rough sketch underneath should disappear, leaving only what you need.

Change the color of the sketch for easier visibility

A gray sketch is hard on the eyes. Change the color so you can see what you're doing, and lower the transparency as well. Fill the layer above your sketch with the color of your choice. Set the layer to Screen, then merge it with your sketch layer.

This is also why I use colored pencils in the original sketch. The lines distinctly stand out from the rough sketch underneath.

Brushes

My personal art software of choice is Paint Tool SAI, but pretty much every major art software- e.g. Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint- has a near identical brush equivalent.

Personally, I stick to anywhere between 4px to 12px for my general brush size on a canvas of 1500x1500, proportionately larger in relation to canvas size. I go with the Pencil* tool in Paint Tool SAI. Every major art software should have an equivalent or similar tool.

You may find that a different size may work for you, depending on your line weight preferences.

*In some versions it's labeled as the Pen tool. I believe it is the same tool, just under a different name.

The importance of line weight

Above: Notice the difference between these two images. Compare where I used line weight and where I didn't.

Stick to one brush size for the general drawing, with bolder lines for the general contour, and smaller finer lines for minor details.

The most important places to add heavier line weight:

The overall outline of the drawing
The outline of the face
Shading in corners

There are multiple ways to approach this.

Draw everything in the same line weight and then go back to add thicker lines.

- OR -

Vary the line weight and do it all in one go. I would recommend this only after you've had experience adding line weight; it definitely requires practice and experience.

Keep overlapping lineart in a separate folder

Especially eyes. This will save you a lot of headache in general. Just trust me on this one.

In Paint Tool SAI it is called the Linework tool and it gets its own special layer type. You can see the green dots along the lines that indicate curves.

Use your painting software's vector and pen tools to overcome difficult strokes

Some strokes, like long straight lines or long round lines can take a lot of trial and error. Push straights, pull curves.

There is absolutely no shame in using your software's vector pen tool and you should use it to your advantage when you can. It is no different from using a ruler to get a straight line. I make use of the vector tool particularly for long, difficult lines, especially on large resolution canvases.

Every painting software handles vector differently, so I won't go into depth on that. But know that these tools are your friends and not a "cheat" tool by any means. Use to your advantage!

Here are some vector tutorials by other artists that you may find helpful:

Paint Tool SAI's Linework feature This short video covers all the basic functions of the linework feature. It is quite simple to get the hang of. (5 minute video)
Drawing with vectors, an article from Clip Studio Paint's official website.
A demonstration on Clip Studio Paint's vector tool by inma (10 minute video)
Making vector lines in Adobe Photoshop (2 minute video)
Making line paths in Adobe Photoshop (5 minute video)

Colored lineart

Coloring your lineart will dramatically transform your drawing. Just look at the difference!

Tips

The lineart should be several shades darker than the coloring. Example: The contours of her shoulder. It generally should not be the same shade as the coloring!
To avoid getting overwhelmed, color the lineart as you go along, instead of doing everything at the end.
Always make a new layer BELOW what you already have, to avoid going over what you've already colored.

Lineart No-No's

This is an old lineart of mine that survived from many years ago. While I cannot fix the drawing errors that are a product of its time, I still could have done a much better job with the lineart. I drew over the lineart in red to demonstrate what I could have done to improve it.

Avoid excessive detail in less-important areas

A lot of the details, like the town, flowers and clouds, are excessive in detail considering they aren't even the focus point of the image.

These details would be better either as simplified lines - or - rendered in a painterly style.

Add more detail to the focus of the image

The characters are relatively simple in comparison to the background. My big mistake here was not adding detail where it actually matters.

Don't make all the lines the same weight

My biggest mistake by far. The lineart is so thin, and unimportant details share the same prominence as the characters in the image, with no variation in line weight to set them apart.

Fill in areas to simplify detail (YMMV)

Needlessly complicated details can be simplified by making them filled in completely, like the ornamental pattern in the lower right corner. YMMV for this one, considering your personal lineart style and preferences.

Use the vector pen tool for difficult lines

Not every line is going to be easy. The vector pen tool is perfect for strokes that are difficult to draw manually. More on this below.

Above: A drawing where I took my time on the lineart.

Most of all... take your time on the lineart.

Treat the drawing as if you weren't going to color it.

I know that many people dislike doing lineart, and I can see why. It can be unpredictable, frustrating, and time-consuming. That is why it's so important to develop a method that will make this stage easier, and even fun! I enjoy doing lineart now, and I can't say I felt the same way when I was younger.

Good coloring can't save a bad drawing. The lineart should be good enough to stand on its own.

In fact, one of my rookie mistakes was rushing through the drawing because I wanted to skip to the coloring stage. This resulted in lazy, often incomplete-looking lineart that was full of drawing errors that I was too lazy to address. My reasoning was that my coloring would cover up the mistakes as needed.

Don't rush through the lineart just so you can color it already!

Look at Inktober. The artworks are meant to stand on their own, without the addition of color. Another good example would be manga and comics in general. With the exception of special illustrations and covers, most of the artwork is done in black and white.