Hokusai

Although there are various ‘Controller’ options for brushes in Designer, if you’re using a mouse you’re going to be somewhat limited when it comes to varying the stroke width or opacity. When drawing with a graphics tablet you can easily achieve variable width and/or opacity by choosing pressure as the controller, but if you’re using a mouse or trackball you’ll have to draw first and then tweak the pressure profile afterwards.

Hi Hokisai,
the brush used by Old Bruce is located in the brushes acrylic paint But almost all brushes that exist in designers are not real vector brushes, but in reality image brushes. PNG images are used as a template, these are then placed on a path. Depending on how you make the settings. Usually the images are distorted along the path.
The only brushes that can be called real vector brushes are the even brushes.
I'm not sure if these are even included by default as templates. Otherwise you have to create them yourself.
Alfed's suggestion to first draw the line and then adjust the print line only works if you use the pencil or pencil and then white the desired vector brushes. I find this a bit cumbersome, but at the moment it is the only possibility if you want to use the vector brushes with the mouse.
With the actual vector brush the subsequent adjustment is not possible.
The real vector brushes, as they exist in AI and Corel, are currently not available in Designer. But I and other users in the forum have asked for them.

Hi Alfred,
Thanks for the reply. I knew that you can change the settings for the brushes and that using only a mouse is limited but I was looking more for vector brushes like the one that Old Bruce showed in his example. 
Best regards,
Hokusai

Otto,
In a 2D vector environment, the kind of distortion you depict is essentially an envelope distortion. It's not "wishful thinking"; it's quite common, there are other feature request threads about it, the developers have acknowledged it and stated that it is planned.
The fact that envelope distortion features are common in this software category does not make them all equal. It is a generic term, and implementations range from good to very poor. The interfaces of some are just a few lame handles that you use by 'eyeballing' the result; others are based on geometric principles of perspective projection.
Envelope distortion is the basis of many different interface features. For example, Illustrator's Free Transform Tool, Warp, Mesh, and Perspective Grid features all involve different implementations of envelope distortion. So what users have in mind when asking for it can be all over the place. What satisfies very basic enveloping like your example, will no doubt invoke criticism from others.
Personally, I have no use for more features rushed-out-the-door in 'me, too' fashion just because users are impatient. I want to see it done right and done well with some innovation and elegance in Affinity, not just rushed-out-the-door like Arrowheads.
JET

Please note I've found an issue where the label in Document Setup reports you as having the other option selected - this label is incorrect and with development to be fixed.
Nothing major but I've just made a quick video that demonstrates this. If your handles don't allow enough room for the text then the eye-con () appears to control the visibility of the overflow. 
Screen_Recording_2020-10-16_at_10_16_54.mov

That's a good point Walt and I think that most people would do it that way but there are times when it would be useful. I seem to recall that there used to be some fonts that won't convert to curves (or outlines) because of licensing issues. It used to be an issue once in a while and I'm not sure if that kind of issue still persists but it might. As well as text, you can't change geometric shapes to curves either if they are grouped. A more practical example, from my viewpoint, is geometric shapes that are grouped with text that you'd like to convert the text to curves but can't unless you ungroup them first. Many logos are made with an oval, rectangle, etc and combined with some text. If you'd like to change the text to curves, you can't if the objects are grouped and it would be more efficient if you could apply a "convert to curves" action to grouped objects. 

Here's a recent illustration I created for Serif's 100 Days, 100 Commissions project series aimed at supporting the global creative community during the early stages of the Covid 19 pandemic. My entry was this fun isometric depiction of George and the Dragon from the famous legend of Saint George slaying the dragon and rescuing the Princess that goes back centuries.
 My inspiration for this piece was the pub sign at the famous George Inn of Southwark, London, which I believe is based on an earlier 1504 painting by Raphael. Great pub by the way with tons of interesting history.
The goal I had in mind was to really exploit the isometric grid exclusively to create the shapes and bring out the central circular composition. I did all or most of the shading using the pixel persona and tried to keep the colour palette fairly limited and bright.
The closeup on the armour showcases I think where the pixel painting approach works best as opposed to trying to create all of that in vector. Using the pixel persona to paint this with detailing vector lines was a quick and enjoyable experience.
Hope you like. Thanks again to Serif for the opportunity to bring this to life. You guys and gals rock!  

I work more heavily with and I am more familiar with Japanese art but I have a soft spot for all Asian art. In the past year or so I've seen so many beautiful Chinese prints and pictures and when I saw this one some months ago, I thought it would be a great one for me to do in my style. I did this one with all vectors in Affinity Designer and I did two versions, one regular and one that shows the wind but something about the wind bothered me but I decided to present it as well even though I feel that it is distracting and not as good as the one without the wind. One thing I'd love to see added to Designer sometime is some vector brushes or different vector strokes with customizable ends so that I could more easily replicate the look of using a fude (Japanese brush or a similar style ink brush normally used to write calligraphy but is great to draw with too) using pure vectors.
This picture is my stylized version of Lie Yukkou, a famous Daoist philosopher based on an old picture by  a Chinese artist named Zhang Lu. 
Thanks for taking time to view my work.
Best regards,
Hokusai

Thought I would share another Asian based work that I did today. I saw this Korean version of the Bodhidharma somewhere online and I decided to draw it today using Designer in my own style as a fun relaxer from stress. As a note, the stamps in the red boxes are loose approximations of the stamps that were used at the time (1630 or so) but aren't intended to be correct. Thanks for taking the time to view my work and I hope that you enjoy it.
Best regards,
Hokusai

@hokousai - yes like a live paint option - something easier than creating a whole new shape fill or deleting points.

One thing I liked in Illustrator was the ability to put a different color fill behind the shape with a negative space and then select both and press "merge" - or several other pathfinder options and have it "cookie-cutter" the back shape thereby creating a fill color that fits that negative space perfectly.

When I try this in Affinity Designer, it essentially deletes the foreground shape with the negative space and leaves the back fill shape as it was...

This ability to cookie-cutter a custom shape in illustrator using the pathfinder is used extensively in my work.
Not that I want Affinity to copy adobe, but is there a reason Affinity has not added this kind of workflow?

@Callum,
I think that Boldlinedesign is talking about a feature like LiveTrace that is found in Illustrator. To my knowledge that kind of function hasn't been added to Designer as of yet although I'm looking forward to it being added too. I don't need the ability to vectorize things but it would be great to be able to fill negative spaces without having to draw or use shapes (much like using the magic wand but with vectors). 
Best regards,
Hokusai

I'm not sure about this. Sure Astute's plugins look good but I'd imagine that people who don't mind spending that kind of money probably don't mind paying Adobe every month, so would they be using Designer if they don't mind paying Adobe every month to use Illustrator? Plus seeing how Astute's plugins are unfortunately also subscription based, I think many people would be turned off by it seeing how they no doubt came here looking for an alternative to subscription software and seeing how Astute's plugins are more than double the price of Designer, I wouldn't hold my breath. I'm all for having the ability to use 3rd party plugins then the market can decide if people want to pay for a subscription every, single year for plugins that cost more than the actual program. I wouldn't but there are people out there that no doubt would. 

@NIcholas van der Walle I understand you are here representing Astute in the Affinity forum and you're only going to say certain things based on what they want you to say. Arguing the case for subscription services with Astute plugins to a group of Affinity enthusiasts who support Serif in large part because they despise subscriptions comes across a bit tone deaf. . I've spoken to Dave Clayton directly about my dislike of Adobe going to subscription only and AG following suite. He understood where I was coming from.
Much like hearing a salesman try to entice a buyer with the "low monthly costs forever" the subscription model favors the company over their customers. Could I pay 600 dollars or more for Adobe CC plus another 120 for AG? Sure... but what justifies that cost? There would need to be dramatic improvements and growth all year and every year before I ever considered that option. Are the improvements and options added each year worth 720 or more dollars annually? Not in my book. Just because you could find ways to justify the cost does not make it a worthy investment.
Most features in Adobe and I would assume AG do not change dramatically from year to year. I still work professionally with my copy of CS6 and my purchased standalone AG plugins. Each year I've done this, I've saved over 700 per year. I used to upgrade my Adobe Suite once every couple versions because even those were overpriced and I bought and upgraded my plugins as I saw need. I would have gladly upgraded both Adobe and AG since CS6 was released, but there's no option for me when they only offer subscription models. You may chalk it up to being an "emotional" choice - but I avoid any subscription-only software like the plague. When apps I use announce they are going to subscription only, I ask for a standalone upgrade - some have offered it. If they refuse, I move on to find another application to support that is not subscription based. I do not want to give subscription-only apps any financial compensation because it would only encourage them to continue what I believe is an immoral practice. It's about standing by my principals for what is fair to the customers. I can understand subscriptions if there is real time data and information made available all the time that requires consistent funding. That is not the case with Adobe for sure - they can barely improve the existing tools and the software has become so bloated.
I understand its a solid deal for some companies that would upgrade annually regardless- so why not offer more than one sales option?
Many companies are finding a balance by offering either a lifetime upgrade initial price alongside the subscription model or they offer it as a standalone and if you want updates from that version you pay the upgrade cost. Instead of dismissing those who dislike the subscription model, why not encourage Astute to offer standalone options again? Especially if Affinity opens up their framework to allow plugins.

uhebeisen,
I'm sure that you saw in the other, longer thread about this that you also posted in that one of the developers addressed this and said that he hopes to add it in for version 1.9 (they are currently at 1.8) so hopefully not too much longer of a wait (although there is no set date for the 1.9 release). 
Hokusai

Sorry Izzy, I think you misunderstood my point. I too much prefer Affinity Designer to Illustrator. I was a hardcore Illustrator user for years until I found Designer and I haven't looked back. My point was that Illustrator is a subscription which most people dislike (or hate) and many people have come to Affinity looking for a similar software solution that isn't subscription based. Astute's plugins are also subscription based so I'd think that many people who dislike Adobe's subscription would also dislike Astute's subscription. As I mentioned, I think that it is best to have 3rd party plugin support and then the market place can decide if it is something that people want to pay for or not. I also think that many people wouldn't want to pay more than double the price of the program just for a plugin but then again the market place can decide. Astute's plugins might be useful, they do look cool but they sure are pricey. Are they worth it? I don't know and the price point is sure going to keep me from finding out. I'm not sure if this is what you're suggesting or not but I too would like to see some of the more interesting things that the Astute plugins offer incorporated natively into Designer, no need for a plugin. Maybe you could make a request for some of the more useful features of the Astute plugins to be added to Designer?
Best regards,
Hokusai 

I'm not sure about this. Sure Astute's plugins look good but I'd imagine that people who don't mind spending that kind of money probably don't mind paying Adobe every month, so would they be using Designer if they don't mind paying Adobe every month to use Illustrator? Plus seeing how Astute's plugins are unfortunately also subscription based, I think many people would be turned off by it seeing how they no doubt came here looking for an alternative to subscription software and seeing how Astute's plugins are more than double the price of Designer, I wouldn't hold my breath. I'm all for having the ability to use 3rd party plugins then the market can decide if people want to pay for a subscription every, single year for plugins that cost more than the actual program. I wouldn't but there are people out there that no doubt would. 

You might check the Character studio panel to make sure that you haven't specified a background color for your text, @Hokusai.

I work more heavily with and I am more familiar with Japanese art but I have a soft spot for all Asian art. In the past year or so I've seen so many beautiful Chinese prints and pictures and when I saw this one some months ago, I thought it would be a great one for me to do in my style. I did this one with all vectors in Affinity Designer and I did two versions, one regular and one that shows the wind but something about the wind bothered me but I decided to present it as well even though I feel that it is distracting and not as good as the one without the wind. One thing I'd love to see added to Designer sometime is some vector brushes or different vector strokes with customizable ends so that I could more easily replicate the look of using a fude (Japanese brush or a similar style ink brush normally used to write calligraphy but is great to draw with too) using pure vectors.
This picture is my stylized version of Lie Yukkou, a famous Daoist philosopher based on an old picture by  a Chinese artist named Zhang Lu. 
Thanks for taking time to view my work.
Best regards,
Hokusai

Thought I would share another Asian based work that I did today. I saw this Korean version of the Bodhidharma somewhere online and I decided to draw it today using Designer in my own style as a fun relaxer from stress. As a note, the stamps in the red boxes are loose approximations of the stamps that were used at the time (1630 or so) but aren't intended to be correct. Thanks for taking the time to view my work and I hope that you enjoy it.
Best regards,
Hokusai

Thought I would share another Asian based work that I did today. I saw this Korean version of the Bodhidharma somewhere online and I decided to draw it today using Designer in my own style as a fun relaxer from stress. As a note, the stamps in the red boxes are loose approximations of the stamps that were used at the time (1630 or so) but aren't intended to be correct. Thanks for taking the time to view my work and I hope that you enjoy it.
Best regards,
Hokusai

I work more heavily with and I am more familiar with Japanese art but I have a soft spot for all Asian art. In the past year or so I've seen so many beautiful Chinese prints and pictures and when I saw this one some months ago, I thought it would be a great one for me to do in my style. I did this one with all vectors in Affinity Designer and I did two versions, one regular and one that shows the wind but something about the wind bothered me but I decided to present it as well even though I feel that it is distracting and not as good as the one without the wind. One thing I'd love to see added to Designer sometime is some vector brushes or different vector strokes with customizable ends so that I could more easily replicate the look of using a fude (Japanese brush or a similar style ink brush normally used to write calligraphy but is great to draw with too) using pure vectors.
This picture is my stylized version of Lie Yukkou, a famous Daoist philosopher based on an old picture by  a Chinese artist named Zhang Lu. 
Thanks for taking time to view my work.
Best regards,
Hokusai

If you have several objects overlapping, having Snap to Bounding Boxes turned on is of little use when you can't see the bounding box.
For example, what am I snapping to here?:

And by what logic does dragging a Guide out from a Ruler cause the current selection's bounding box to disappear, but doesn't cause other selection indicators to disappear?:

And why don't Guides snap to nodes?
JET

I work more heavily with and I am more familiar with Japanese art but I have a soft spot for all Asian art. In the past year or so I've seen so many beautiful Chinese prints and pictures and when I saw this one some months ago, I thought it would be a great one for me to do in my style. I did this one with all vectors in Affinity Designer and I did two versions, one regular and one that shows the wind but something about the wind bothered me but I decided to present it as well even though I feel that it is distracting and not as good as the one without the wind. One thing I'd love to see added to Designer sometime is some vector brushes or different vector strokes with customizable ends so that I could more easily replicate the look of using a fude (Japanese brush or a similar style ink brush normally used to write calligraphy but is great to draw with too) using pure vectors.
This picture is my stylized version of Lie Yukkou, a famous Daoist philosopher based on an old picture by  a Chinese artist named Zhang Lu. 
Thanks for taking time to view my work.
Best regards,
Hokusai

I work more heavily with and I am more familiar with Japanese art but I have a soft spot for all Asian art. In the past year or so I've seen so many beautiful Chinese prints and pictures and when I saw this one some months ago, I thought it would be a great one for me to do in my style. I did this one with all vectors in Affinity Designer and I did two versions, one regular and one that shows the wind but something about the wind bothered me but I decided to present it as well even though I feel that it is distracting and not as good as the one without the wind. One thing I'd love to see added to Designer sometime is some vector brushes or different vector strokes with customizable ends so that I could more easily replicate the look of using a fude (Japanese brush or a similar style ink brush normally used to write calligraphy but is great to draw with too) using pure vectors.
This picture is my stylized version of Lie Yukkou, a famous Daoist philosopher based on an old picture by  a Chinese artist named Zhang Lu. 
Thanks for taking time to view my work.
Best regards,
Hokusai

I work more heavily with and I am more familiar with Japanese art but I have a soft spot for all Asian art. In the past year or so I've seen so many beautiful Chinese prints and pictures and when I saw this one some months ago, I thought it would be a great one for me to do in my style. I did this one with all vectors in Affinity Designer and I did two versions, one regular and one that shows the wind but something about the wind bothered me but I decided to present it as well even though I feel that it is distracting and not as good as the one without the wind. One thing I'd love to see added to Designer sometime is some vector brushes or different vector strokes with customizable ends so that I could more easily replicate the look of using a fude (Japanese brush or a similar style ink brush normally used to write calligraphy but is great to draw with too) using pure vectors.
This picture is my stylized version of Lie Yukkou, a famous Daoist philosopher based on an old picture by  a Chinese artist named Zhang Lu. 
Thanks for taking time to view my work.
Best regards,
Hokusai