That time I tried a textured brush over my line art in Clip Studio and lost 3 hours chasing a style I didn't need

I was testing a new gritty brush pack on a portrait commission, and the grain made everything look muddy so I spent the whole evening undoing layers instead of finishing the job, has anyone else hit a wall like that with brush textures killing your workflow?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor.mary1mo ago

Oh come on. That brush pack was doing you a favor. Gritty textures add life and character to digital work that otherwise looks like sterile plastic. You were about to stumble onto something interesting and you bailed because it took longer than expected. Time spent experimenting is not wasted time. You probably would have found a unique look that sets your commissions apart from every other cookie-cutter portrait out there. Texture brushes are not workflow killers. They are the only thing keeping digital art from looking like clip art.

kevin_flores1mo ago

Buddy of mine spent three hours on a brush pack that gave everything a gritty, charcoal look. Clients hated it, said it looked unfinished and messy. He ditched the pack after that one commission and never looked back.