Hello dear friends, in today’s post, I’d like to share how to add manga emotion backgrounds, because we all know how important backgrounds are for conveying the right emotion in a particular scene. Sometimes, the facial expression is spot on, and the dialogue is engaging, yet without a fitting background, the intended emotion doesn’t come through as powerfully as we hope.

Whether you’re aiming to express sadness, tension, joy, or anger, there’s always a background that enhances that feeling and gives the scene its full strength.

This tutorial will walk you through four different ways to add manga emotion backgrounds to your stories—using built-in tools in drawing programs or manually for those who love traditional creativity. These backgrounds, often called emotion backgrounds, are a staple in manga, comics, and webtoons.

1. Classic Manga Emotion Backgrounds

This is the traditional and most common method used in classic manga. It’s simple and saves time and energy, which is why most mangaka prefer it:

• Open Clip Studio Paint.
• Go to the Material Library via: Window > Material > Manga Backgrounds or use the side panel.

• Choose a background that matches the emotion (shock, sadness, tension) and drag it into your canvas.
• Place the background layer beneath your character layer.
• Use Operation > Object Tool to resize or reposition the background as needed.

And just like that, you’ve added a background that expresses the character’s emotion quickly and effectively. For example, using a solid black background for shock adds dramatic tension and is perfect for surprise or unexpected moments.

2. Action and Intensity Lines For Manga Emotion Backgrounds for Manga & Webtoon

Perfect for scenes of anger, surprise, fast motion, or shonen-style fights:

• From the sidebar, go to the Direction section.
• Select Speed Lines.

• Choose the appropriate line size and style.
• Add a new layer and draw the effect—it will appear as intense, fast-moving lines that convey energy or emotional build-up.

This method adds power and intensity to the scene. Even if your art is simple, a strong manga emotion background can carry the whole emotional weight.

Colored Backgrounds for Webtoon Scenes

If you’re creating a webtoon and want vibrant, modern backgrounds, try this:

• Go to the Color Pattern section and select Effect and Pattern Backgrounds.
• Choose a tone like Mist Yellow or any other that matches your scene.
• Drag the background to your canvas and place it under your characters.

You’ll find a wide variety of pre-made backgrounds expressing happiness, sadness, dreams, mystery, and more. These manga emotion backgrounds are visually strong and immediately communicate the mood of the moment.

Manual Backgrounds Using Textures

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For artists who prefer a more personal touch:

• Add a new layer and fill it with a dark color base.
• Choose Sub Tool: Decoration, then go to Hatching.

• Pick a brush you like and change the color to white.
• Manually draw around the head, body, or frame edges to focus attention and express emotional intensity.

This approach brings life and individuality to your manga emotion backgrounds, and closely mimics hand-drawn manga effects often used in comics and webtoons.

Emotion Comes First — Background Comes Next

Today we explored how to add expressive, emotional backgrounds to enhance your manga scenes. When used correctly, every background strengthens the emotional impact and helps the reader connect with the character’s state of mind.

Never underestimate the power of manga emotion backgrounds—sometimes they speak louder than words. Their purpose is to elevate the atmosphere, enrich the visual experience, and visually narrate what your characters are going through.

We’ve reviewed four unique types—black and white, colorful, dynamic, and hand-drawn—so you can choose what fits your story best without overwhelming yourself with complex background drawing.