Backstage Pass #28 (Patreon)

On this edition of Backstage Pass, I'll be talking about…

My art programs! You can consider this an update to Backstage Pass #9.

So, last you heard from me about this, I had recently purchased CSP and was experiencing some growing pains with it. After about a year with it, I’ve gotta say that it’s become a lot easier to use! And I also have found some of my own limitations with the program and ways to work around it.

So first of all, this thing really is geared for comics. If you want something that can really expedite the process, this is your ticket. I’ve talked before about the speech bubble tool, but that alone is almost worth the price tag. There also is a panel border tool (which I think works very smartly, but I prefer doing my borders by hand), very flexible customizable brush options (I’ve made a few foliage brushes and plan on making a crowd brush soon), the ability to import 3D models, and so much more!

But also, after some time with the program, I’ve found there were some parts of my drawing process that simply are faster to do in Autodesk Sketchbook thanks to my years of experience in the program. With the latest page batch, those with a keen eye may have noticed the difference in lineart quality in the earlier half of the batch:

vs. the latter half:

This is because I finally decided to switch back to using Autodesk Sketchbook for lineart. For as many similarities there are with the tools available within the program, some aspects of it just simply don’t feel the same when working. Adjusting sensitivity, line width, etc. just felt like a completely different animal between the two programs. Not to mention the stabilizer options being completely different- Sketchbook has a “predictive stroke” tool that corrects lines after they’ve been placed (which is weird to use at first, but works stupendously well with some practice). CSP meanwhile has your run of the mill stabilizers, and a stabilizer that resembles the predictive stroke tool, but hardly functions the same way. It’s considerably more touchy, and corrected lines rarely fall into the intended shape. I was surprised to find that lineart done with Sketchbook took maybe half the time it does on CSP- and for a difference that considerable, I decided to officially switch over to it when doing lines!

Making the decision to use multiple programs for art is a pain, but sometimes necessary to get the best workflow possible. And I’m proud to say I gave CSP a fair shake at this hiccup! I usually struggle to adapt to new things, but I’m glad I at least gave it a shot for a while before switching back.