Mastering Strokes In Medibang Paint Pro

MediBang Paint Pro is a free digital painting and manga creation software that is highly recommended for beginners in digital art. It has a simple and intuitive user interface and a range of tools that are similar to those in Photoshop. One of the standout features of MediBang is its smooth default brush, which allows users to create beautiful and sharp-looking strokes that can rival some vectors. The Correction function is particularly useful for stabilising line strokes and making them smoother, although it can cause a delay in drawing. Additionally, the Watercolor Edge effect can be added to layers to give an outline to your strokes.

Use the 'Correction' function to smoothen strokes

The "Correction" function in MediBang Paint Pro is a feature that stabilizes line strokes and makes them smoother. It is mainly applied to pen tools when drawing line art and allows the application to detect and correct hand shaking to produce a smoother drawing. The higher the stabilizer is set, the stronger and slower the line stroke will be.

The "Correction" function has some disadvantages. Firstly, it causes a delay in reaction, which can affect the speed of work. Secondly, it can lead to "incompatibility with detail expression". For example, during Pointillism, the priority is given to the shake correction process, so brush pressure is not detected properly, resulting in finer dots than expected. When drawing diagonal lines or hatching, the delay is noticeable, and the lines cannot be drawn with the desired thickness. Additionally, when drawing jagged objects, small, steep curves may be misinterpreted as "hand tremors", resulting in each jagged line turning into a round stroke.

Therefore, it is important to consciously turn the "Correction" function on or off depending on your specific needs. If you are looking to add detailed movements to your drawing, turning off the "Correction" function may be more suitable.

Choose the right brush type

Choosing the right brush type in MediBang Paint Pro is essential for achieving the desired stroke effect. The software offers a variety of brush options, each serving a unique purpose. Here is a detailed guide to help you select the most suitable brush type for your creative needs:

The "Pen" brush is the default option in MediBang Paint Pro, known for its smoothness. It produces sharp and beautiful strokes, and when the correction setting is increased, it becomes even smoother. The "Pencil" brush is ideal for creating smooth lines that gradually fade out. The pressure applied determines the thickness and opacity of the stroke.

The "Airbrush" comes in two varieties and is perfect for achieving soft lines with soft edges. The "Watercolor" brush mimics traditional watercolour painting, allowing colours to blend seamlessly. The "Blur" brush adds blur effects to lines or colours, while the "Smudge" brush is used to smudge colours or lines.

Additionally, the "Eraser" brush, as the name suggests, erases any unwanted portions of your artwork. The "G Pen" and "Mapping Pen" are also available for more specialised tasks. Beyond this selection of built-in brushes, MediBang Paint Pro also allows users to create and add their own custom brushes, providing even more versatility and personalisation to your digital art.

When choosing the right brush type, it's important to consider the desired effect, line thickness, opacity, and level of detail required for your artwork. Each brush type in MediBang Paint Pro offers unique capabilities that can enhance your digital creations, so experiment with different brushes to find the ones that best suit your artistic vision and style.

Adjust brush size

To adjust the brush size in Medibang Paint Pro, you can use the brush control window. Here, you can drag the bar to the right to increase the brush thickness or drag it to the left to decrease it. Alternatively, you can directly change the brush size value in the box next to the bar. Another way to adjust the brush thickness is by double-clicking on the brush in the list of brushes, which will open the Edit Brush window. In this window, you can adjust the brush thickness as well as other settings such as brush type, minimum width, and opacity.

If you want to add a custom brush, click on the "Add Brush" button, which will open the Edit Brush window. Here, you can adjust the brush settings, including the name, brush type, width, minimum width, and opacity. To delete custom brushes, click on the "Delete Brush" button, which will remove all custom brushes and reset the brush settings to the default options. If you only want to reset the thickness, you can click anywhere on the Brush Preview window to return the width to its original size.

Add a watercolour edge effect

To add a watercolour edge effect in Medibang Paint Pro, follow these steps:

Firstly, choose your colours. Your foreground colour (main colour) will be the colour in the middle of the stroke, and your background colour will be the outline colour.

Next, double-click on the layer to bring up the Layer Property menu. Select the 'Watercolour edge' in the effect field to set the effect. You can also edit the width and strength of the outline here.

The watercolour edge effect will appear more intensely per the hardness of the edge, or the contrast between the surroundings. Therefore, if the edges are blurry, the effect may not be obvious.

You can also choose the width of the watercolour edge, from 1 to 10px.

Use the 'Stabilizer' function

The Stabilizer function, also known as "Correction", is a feature in MediBang Paint that stabilizes line strokes and makes them smoother as you draw. This is especially useful when using pen tools for line art. The function detects the shaking of your hand and corrects it to produce a smoother line. The higher the stabilizer setting, the stronger the effect, but also the slower the line stroke speed.

The Stabilizer function has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it can help you draw smoother, cleaner lines, especially if you have a shaky hand. It can also be useful when drawing with small, steep curves, as it can prevent misinterpretation of these curves as "hand tremors".

However, the function also has some drawbacks. Firstly, it can cause a delay in reaction, which can be disruptive when drawing quickly or with intricate details. Secondly, it can ignore subtle hand movements, which can be an issue when trying to create fine details or specific line thicknesses. For example, when drawing dots or using pointillism, the stabilizer may interfere with the detection of brush pressure, resulting in finer dots than intended. Similarly, when drawing diagonal lines or hatching, the repeated drawing and correction processes can cause noticeable delays and inconsistencies in line thickness.

Therefore, it is important to use the Stabilizer function consciously and turn it on or off depending on your specific needs. If you are drawing intricate details or want to add specific pressure variations, you may want to turn the stabilizer off. On the other hand, if you are drawing larger, smoother lines and want to minimize the appearance of hand shaking, the stabilizer can be a useful tool.

Frequently asked questions