I need help softening my edges

[danadrew]

Any suggestions on how to successfully and smoothly create more texture to the edges of my illustrations? When I chose a vector brush texture I like and use it for outlines, I experience two issues...

1. With affinty’s default texture brushes there’s a large “gap” at the closure 

2. With brushes I’ve purchased, there’s not a “gap.” However, when I add any bitmap shading within my shapes, the lines stand out way too much because they aren’t being shaded (even when I expand the stroke).

 

What am I doing wrong?

 

heres an example of a texture in trying to achieve from @gitkadraws. Not sure if you can see the textures in this photo or not... 

[Lee D]

To remove the gap, convert to curves, then switch to the Node tool and adjust the nodes manually. Whats your workflow for applying the shading?

[danadrew]

 

I’m creating a pixel layer and inserting it inside my vector shape layer to mask it. Then I do all of my texture and shading in pixel persona. It works fine if I don’t want texture on the outside of my shapes.  Even when I close the nodes manually like you suggested to close the gap, the stroke  still looks separate  and slightly  disjointed from the shape once I add any texture or shading to my pixel layer. I know I can go back in and manually add or paint whatever texture I want to the outside of my shapes, but it seems like I should be able to seamlessly do this using a textured vector brush.  No?

For now this is my overly involved solution: I’m creating a copy layer of the vector I want to add stroke texture to. I add the stroke I want to the copy, change the blend mode to “erase.” I drag this into the vector layer and it “erases” the textured stroke into the shape...I guess this creates a clipping mask? It works sometimes depending on the complexity of the background behind the vector. If there’s background detail going on behind the “erased” stroke, it doesn’t really look seamless. 

 

Thanks for the advice!

[gdenby]

Hi, danadrew,

 

It looks to me like you want to replicate a pixel art drawing.

 

I assume you are using Designer, because there is no vector brush in Photo

When you say "soften edges," do you mean like how  the arc of the cheek/jaw is speckled? Not a soft blur, but broken into dots.

 

***

 

To address the problem of the vector brush stroke having a gap, that is because the vector brush places a bitmap image along the vector path, and what is produced depends on the bitmap. I've only made a few brushes myself, but from my experience, there will be a gap, or no gap, depending on how the pixels are sampled. If there is excess in the sample, that will mean a gap in the vector brush stroke. I suppose that the various brushes you have tried were designed to either be for individual strokes, or continuous ones. I don't think they can be both.

 

What you are trying to do doesn't work. Ive tried the same without success. 

 

When you paint on the vector shape, you can only paint on the fill, not the stroke. If the stroke is expanded, what you get is not the bitmap that was placed along it. You get an area that is defined by the stroke width and shape.

 

The erase blend mode  isn't creating a mask, as far as I understand masks. An erase area stops the pixel rendering on the affected layer(s). Again, I've worked in that manner, but have not been satisfied w. results, and it is a fuss to do.

 

What has worked better is drawing the vector work, opening the file in Photo, turning the layers to pixels, and adding noise filters. 

 

Sorry to not be much help. 

 

 

 

[danadrew]

I’m not trying to replicate 

that specific illustration, I only wanted to achieve a similar effect. The artist doesn’t work with vector, or I would have asked her how she did it. Thanks for confirming the conclusion I was coming to though. I was just hopeful there was something I was missing that could be done to get the results I want in Designer.