Krita for Beginners: Lineart Workflow for Crisp, Editable Lines

What “clean lineart” means (and why workflow matters)

Clean lineart is a set of deliberate, readable contours that describe forms without sketch noise. “Crisp” means edges are sharp at your working zoom and remain sharp when you scale or export. “Editable” means you can adjust parts of the drawing without repainting everything: separating lineart from sketch, keeping lines on their own layer(s), and using correction methods that preserve intent.

The goal of this workflow is to: (1) make the sketch easy to ink over, (2) choose tools that produce predictable lines, (3) draw with confident strokes, (4) correct efficiently, and (5) ensure your lineart supports later steps like flat fills.

Prepare the sketch for inking

1) Put the sketch in “ink-ready” condition

• Lower sketch opacity: Select the sketch layer and reduce its opacity until it becomes a light guide. A common range is 10–30% depending on how dark the sketch is.
• Optional: blur the sketch slightly: If your sketch is very scratchy, a subtle blur helps you stop “tracing the mess.” Apply a gentle blur so the main shapes remain readable but the micro-lines fade. Keep it subtle; you still need landmarks like eye corners and silhouette.
• Lock the sketch layer: Prevent accidental marks on the sketch while inking.
• Set up an inking layer above: Create a new paint layer for lineart. If your illustration is complex, consider separate lineart layers (e.g., “Character Lines,” “Props Lines,” “Background Lines”) to keep edits localized.

2) Choose a line color intentionally

Pure black is fine, but a very dark neutral (deep brown/blue-gray) can feel less harsh and still read as “ink.” Pick one and stay consistent. If you plan to recolor lineart later, keep it on its own layer so you can adjust it without affecting fills.

Choose inking brushes that stay crisp

For beginner-friendly lineart, prioritize brushes that produce a solid, opaque stroke with minimal texture. Textured ink can look great, but it makes gap-closing and flat fills harder.

Recommended brush characteristics

• Hard edge / low texture: Crisp silhouettes and clean corners.
• Full opacity: Avoid semi-transparent build-up for lineart unless you specifically want it.
• Pressure controls size: Lets you vary line weight naturally.
• Optional pressure controls opacity: Use sparingly; it can create weak-looking lines if you press lightly.

Use stabilization to support confident strokes

Stabilization helps smooth hand jitter, especially on long curves. Use it as assistance, not as a crutch: too much can make lines lag behind your hand and feel “rubbery.”

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• Low stabilization: Best for short strokes and details (eyes, fingers).
• Medium stabilization: Good general-purpose setting for most contours.
• Higher stabilization: Useful for long sweeping curves (hair arcs, clothing hems), but reduce it again for tight corners.

Practical habit: change stabilization based on the type of stroke you’re about to make, not once per drawing.

Draw with confident strokes (a repeatable method)

The “ghost, commit, correct” loop

• Ghost: Hover and rehearse the stroke direction and length without drawing. This sets your arm motion.
• Commit: Draw the stroke in one motion. Aim for clarity over perfection.
• Correct: Fix only what’s needed using targeted methods (eraser shaping, selection + transform, or redraw).

Segment long lines on purpose

Instead of forcing one perfect 800-pixel curve, break it into 2–4 overlapping strokes. Overlap slightly and prioritize a clean silhouette. This is especially effective for hair strands, sleeves, and long outer contours.

Line weight: make it readable, not random

Line weight is a communication tool. It can show depth, lighting, and material separation. Beginners often vary thickness everywhere, which creates noise. Use a simple plan.

A beginner-friendly line weight plan

• Outer silhouette thicker: Helps the subject pop from the background.
• Inner details thinner: Facial features, small folds, texture lines.
• Overlap and contact thicker: Where forms overlap (arm in front of torso) or touch (shoe on ground), slightly thicken to emphasize separation and weight.
• Light-facing edges thinner: If you have a light direction, keep lines lighter/thinner on the lit side and heavier on the shadow side.

Tapering: clean starts and ends

Tapering makes lines feel intentional. Aim for a controlled thin-to-thick-to-thin rhythm on curved strokes.

• Start thin: Touch down lightly, then increase pressure.
• Middle thicker: Maintain pressure through the main arc.
• End thin: Ease off pressure and lift cleanly.

If your tapers look blunt, slow down slightly at the end and lift sooner. If they look too wispy, reduce opacity pressure (or keep opacity fixed) and rely on size pressure only.

Correcting lines: eraser shaping vs selection + transform

Efficient correction is what keeps lineart “editable.” Choose the method based on the type of mistake.

When to use the eraser (sculpting)

Use the eraser when the line is mostly correct but needs cleaner edges.

• Shaving a wobble: Erase a small bump and redraw a short segment.
• Sharpening corners: Erase to a crisp corner, then draw the corner with two clean strokes.
• Cleaning overshoots: Trim ends where lines extend past intersections.

Tip: treat the eraser like a carving tool. Small, controlled erases preserve your original stroke quality.

When to use selection + transform (structural fixes)

Use selection + transform when the stroke quality is good but the placement/proportion is wrong.

• Misplaced eye or eyebrow line: Select that area of lineart and nudge/rotate slightly.
• Curve needs a broader arc: Select the curve and scale or warp it gently rather than redrawing repeatedly.
• Hand or accessory slightly too large: Select and scale down while keeping line quality intact.

Guideline: if you find yourself redrawing the same clean line three times because it’s “in the wrong place,” transform is usually faster and keeps the stroke crisp.

Using vector layers for smooth curves (when helpful)

Vector layers are useful for lines that must be extremely smooth and editable, such as long arcs, graphic shapes, or clean design elements. They are not mandatory for all lineart, and many artists mix raster lineart with a few vector elements.

Best use cases for vector lineart

• Long, clean curves: Hair ribbons, tails, cables, decorative borders.
• Man-made shapes: Glasses frames, UI-like elements, logos on props.
• Repeated edits: When you expect to adjust curvature multiple times.

Practical workflow: mixing raster and vector

• Keep main inking on a raster layer: Natural line weight and taper feel more organic.
• Add a vector layer above for specific curves: Draw the curve with vector tools, adjust nodes/handles until perfect.
• Match thickness: Adjust vector stroke width to match your raster lineart so it doesn’t look pasted in.

Tip: if your illustration style is organic, use vector sparingly—only where it solves a real smoothness problem.

Closing gaps for later filling (flats-friendly lineart)

If you plan to fill areas later (flats), small gaps in lineart can cause fills to leak. You don’t need to “outline everything like a coloring book,” but you do need intentional boundaries.

Common gap locations to watch

• Hair meeting face: Tiny openings near temples and bangs.
• Clothing overlaps: Sleeve-to-torso, collar-to-neck.
• Hands: Between fingers, finger-to-palm connections.
• Feet/shoes on ground: Contact points often have open ends.

Practical methods to close gaps cleanly

• Bridge with a short stroke: The cleanest method—add a small connecting line that follows the form.
• Extend and trim: Slightly overshoot an intersection, then erase back to a crisp join.
• Use purposeful overlaps: Let one line pass slightly under another to avoid ambiguous tangents and micro-gaps.

Zoom in to check boundaries, but don’t ink at extreme zoom all the time. A good habit is to ink at a comfortable mid-zoom, then do a “gap pass” at higher zoom to fix only boundary issues.

Structured inking exercise (using your previous sketch)

This exercise turns your sketch from the previous chapter into clean, editable lineart in a controlled sequence. Set a timer if it helps you avoid overworking.

Exercise setup (2–3 minutes)

• Sketch layer: opacity lowered and locked.
• Lineart layer(s): created above the sketch.
• Pick one inking brush and stick to it for the whole exercise (consistency first).
• Choose a stabilization level you can comfortably control for medium-length strokes.

Step 1: Ink the silhouette (10–15 minutes)

• Start with the outer contour of the main subject.
• Use thicker weight on the silhouette than on interior lines.
• Break long curves into segments; overlap slightly.
• Don’t ink small details yet—focus on a clean, readable outline.

Step 2: Ink major overlaps and construction lines (10 minutes)

• Define overlaps: arm in front of torso, hair in front of face, clothing layers.
• Thicken slightly at contact points and overlaps to clarify depth.
• Remove sketchy “search lines” by choosing one clear edge per form.

Step 3: Ink facial features and small details (10–15 minutes)

• Lower stabilization for tight details.
• Keep interior lines thinner and simpler than the silhouette.
• Use tapering for eyelids, brows, and small folds to avoid heavy, blunt marks.

Step 4: Clean-up pass (5–10 minutes)

• Trim overshoots at intersections.
• Fix wobbles by eraser sculpting and short redraws.
• Use selection + transform for any clean line that is simply misplaced.

Step 5: Gap-closing pass for fills (5 minutes)

• Zoom in and scan boundaries: hair/face, collar/neck, sleeves/torso, fingers.
• Close only the gaps that define fillable regions.
• Avoid adding unnecessary outlines inside areas that will be shaded later.

Lineart quality checklist (quick audit)