Tones

I took a leap yesterday and between job shifts ordered Manga Studio EX 4. I got it for a major Black Friday bargain online. It's usually $300 but was on sale for $30. Seeing that lots of comic artists I like use it, like Coelasquid of "Manly Guys Doing Manly Things" (who actually posted a tip about the Black Friday deal on tumblr) I thought I'd give it a go.

It took a while to download (it was the digital version) but once I got it up and running I got to play around with it a bit. While it's different from Adobe Photoshop it does pay close attention to the tools comic artists use and how it separates layers. It also offers lots of different ways to get LINE VARIATION and fine tuning each tool to get it exactly how you want it (like different kinds of dip pen nib types and sizes, brushes, multiliner pens, etc.) I'm having fun with it but I'm still a bit stiff with it. Also hoping to force myself to use some real comic tones since I have no experience with them at all (traditional or digital tones. I worry about not sizing them right so they look good when printing. I hope to get over this fear.) since I usually just use flat greys. I feel like it's something I should learn/know how to use.

Here's my experimental doodle of the day via Manga Studio:

I need SO MUCH more practice with tones. At least it was fun to use.