#//that rectangle thing is a tablet i feel like i should say lol

[keeps-ache]

welcomed distraction

[requiemofkings]

hello!! i was wondering what brushed you use to paint and render, im still getting the hang of sai myself and wondering if you had any tips! tysm bby ;w;

hi anon! beware but this got really long fast whoops :^)

tips for sai, hmm. PRACTICE!!! PRACTICE!! you should hear that very often from people but it’s true! don’t grip ur tablet pen too hard; i know that seems liek a given, but i subconsciously do it and it’s so badremember to save! the stabilizer is helpful for clean strokes; flip the canvas regularly to catch anything that looks weird; use keyboard shortcuts! my ctrl, z,x,c, and s key are fading quickly bc i use them often for sai LOL

ctrl+alt to quickly change the size of a brush

ctrl+space to zoom in

ctrl+shift and hover over certain parts of ur art to see what layer that part is in (ex is like ‘where is this fucking pixel on- oh it’s on layer 486!’)

alt+space is rotating the canvas (for windows- press the insert key to return it back to right side up)

press ctrl and click on the layer’s thumbnail to select everything in that layer

ctrl+t is the transform button (hold ctrl and drag corners or sides to individually move them- this helps for perspective work)

use large canvases! as large as ur computer/laptop can handle

hold ctrl and that can move ur layer around 

hold the space bar and that can move ur canvas around

go to view and press new, now u have duplicate canvases of the same file- if u work on full screen, go to maximize in the upper right corner to see both canvases at the same time

what u can do is zoom out on one canvas; and work on the other one up close-that way, u can see how it affects the drawing as a whole

press any number on the keyboard to change ur density of the brush that ur currently using (i accidentally press them all the time and is constantly wondering why my brush isnt doing what it’s supposed to be doing)

the very small checkered box tool near the eyedrop tool and ur primary/secondary color acts like an eraser but in the form of the current brush u are using! so the strokes are the same as the brush but it erases (super helpful for textured erasing)

preserve opacity locks everything in that layer so u can color within the strokes u made

helpful for changing black line art to another color

when it comes to painting, it doesn’t matter if ur sketch is clean- ur gonna render it anyway. also make a separate layer, put it at the way bottom or something, and use the bucket tool to make it a grey color/ or whatever to help u catch holes in ur painting!

for large gradients, coloring then blending the entire canvas can make ur sai really slow. what u do: go on a new layer, use the rectangular selection tool and make a small rectangle; place the color(s); blend to make ur gradient; then use the transform tool and resize for large gradient 

take breaks! if u feel pain in ur wrist, stop working!! stretch it regularly and get up and move around!!!! also sometimes, ur hand just doesn’t want to work that day. u can either take a break for the day or do loose sketches/ warm ups to mitigate ur uncooperative hand. try to finish ur pieces, even if they look bad. 

if u’ve been staring at the canvas, working on the art for hours, then it might be time to take a break and check back on the piece later. looking at art with a fresh eye can help u see things that u didn’t catch earlier.

my holy grail brush that i use for sketching and painting/rendering is thisi use other brushes that help so let me know if u want them and the steps i use them in!