Clip Studio Tutorials - Warp tool

Character Development

Here is the character development for my kung fu action project. I’ve focused on sketching the character in dynamic and action-ready poses.

Picking a pose

I selected this drunken master pose to use for the animation. Since I am working with a Drunken Master pose for an idle animation without a full rig, the Puppet Warp tool in Clip Studio Paint is an excellent choice. It allows me to create fluid, swaying movement by deforming a single illustration rather than relying on a complex skeletal system.

Breakdown the setup and planning

While we are using a pin setup here, I visualize the process as if I were rigging with bones.

Placement with pins and how I use Puppet warp tool

Pin Placement for "Drunken" Weight

To get that off-balance, swaying motion typical of the Drunken Fist style:

The Pivot Point: Place a pin at the base of the feet to keep the character grounded.

The Center of Gravity: Place a pin at the hips/pelvis. This should be your primary "sway" controller. In a drunken style, the hips often lead the movement or counter-balance a heavy lean.

Timeline

After creating the poses, I sequence them and set the timing on the animation timeline.

Final result

Check out this video to see how I set the pins to lock the joints and then animate the poses frame-by-frame. Once the sequence is complete, you'll see a smooth 'fighting ready' idle animation!

Another sample with different pose. I mixed warp tool and mesh transformation tool.