Jump to content
You must now use your email address to sign in [click for more info] ×

How do I get a custom brush affect where the line goes into a thin point and the brush looks like a triangle with a round side? (example given)


Recommended Posts

I'm brand new to Affinity Design and I'm having teething problems trying to do certain things I'm used to doing in Adobe Illustrator. For example the custom brush, or a brush that is thin in a point at one end only and responds to pen pressure. Also I used to be able to draw this out neatly with a line from the pen tool and then drag the brush from the menu of brushes to instantly change the pen line to this stroke effect.

What's the best way to customise this type of brush?

(The pictures come from this custom brush tutorial suitable for Adobe Illustrator http://www.bittbox.com/illustrator/illustrator-how-to-make-custom-swooshes-swirls-and-curls )

Another question while on topic, I already have some brush files suitable for illustrator but wont open in Affinity, is there anyway they can work or be converted to work?

 

Thanks

illustrator_swirl_tutorial_8.png

illustrator_swirl_tutorial_17.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Staff

Hi Miriness,

Affinity doesn't have the same brush making features as Illustrator. You can use the Pencil Tool to draw a line and with it selected and apply a different brush. On the Context Toolbar you can access the Stroke Panel, here you can manually adjust the pressure of the line, so you end up with a thick to thin line.

If you're using a stylus I would advise setting the Controller to None as if it's set to Pressure the line width may vary and it might not be a smooth transition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, Miriness,

There are 2 ways that I know of to do this in AD. The one that is closest to what is shown in the AI tute is to create a stroke pressure curve, and save it as a style. See the following:

MakeTaper.jpg.a8fa6295935e1611319b6c6833f848d4.jpg

Styles.jpg.dc61d0c93d29339f573eb5cef25b6f67.jpg

Note, all styles are placed on a cog shape, which unfortunately is not well suited for representing line weights.

TapersCurled.thumb.jpg.1dc61961df1a05e88773afd7e33bbea5.jpg

The taper applied to various curves, set to different weights, and expanded into a vector shape.

 

The 2nd way produces a different result. One can make a textured intensity brush that works w. the vector brush, pencil or pen. While the line form is a vector, the brush is a pixel image repeated or stretched along the vector, whose width and opacity, etc, can be varied by such things as stylus pressure or speed. The resulting shape remains modifiable along the vector, but is limited by the fineness of the bitmap.

 

VectorBrush.thumb.jpg.c993e8414bdf37da2b27833f17e96a06.jpg

 

 

iMac 27" Retina, c. 2015: OS X 10.11.5: 3.3 GHz I c-5: 32 Gb,  AMD Radeon R9 M290 2048 Mb

iPad 12.9" Retina, iOS 10, 512 Gb, Apple pencil

Huion WH1409 tablet

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, gdenby said:

Hi, Miriness,

There are 2 ways that I know of to do this in AD. The one that is closest to what is shown in the AI tute is to create a stroke pressure curve, and save it as a style. See the following:

MakeTaper.jpg.a8fa6295935e1611319b6c6833f848d4.jpg

Styles.jpg.dc61d0c93d29339f573eb5cef25b6f67.jpg

Note, all styles are placed on a cog shape, which unfortunately is not well suited for representing line weights.

TapersCurled.thumb.jpg.1dc61961df1a05e88773afd7e33bbea5.jpg

The taper applied to various curves, set to different weights, and expanded into a vector shape.

 

The 2nd way produces a different result. One can make a textured intensity brush that works w. the vector brush, pencil or pen. While the line form is a vector, the brush is a pixel image repeated or stretched along the vector, whose width and opacity, etc, can be varied by such things as stylus pressure or speed. The resulting shape remains modifiable along the vector, but is limited by the fineness of the bitmap.

 

VectorBrush.thumb.jpg.c993e8414bdf37da2b27833f17e96a06.jpg

 

 

Thank you so much! Yes, this is is exactly what I needed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

I am having trouble producing a line with thin ends on both ends. I can go into the adjustments and make what looks correct, but when I draw it with the pencil it's only thin on one end. If i draw with the brush or pen there is no thin ends at all. What am I doing wrong or is this possible?  Cartooning is great with a line that is thin on both ends.  I cannot produce this in both the iPad and the Mac version.  Strange 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/1/2018 at 7:53 PM, Miriness said:

I'm brand new to Affinity Design and I'm having teething problems trying to do certain things I'm used to doing in Adobe Illustrator. For example the custom brush, or a brush that is thin in a point at one end only and responds to pen pressure. Also I used to be able to draw this out neatly with a line from the pen tool and then drag the brush from the menu of brushes to instantly change the pen line to this stroke effect.

What's the best way to customise this type of brush?

(The pictures come from this custom brush tutorial suitable for Adobe Illustrator http://www.bittbox.com/illustrator/illustrator-how-to-make-custom-swooshes-swirls-and-curls )

Another question while on topic, I already have some brush files suitable for illustrator but wont open in Affinity, is there anyway they can work or be converted to work?

 

Thanks

illustrator_swirl_tutorial_8.png

illustrator_swirl_tutorial_17.png

You can use the "Tear Tool" from the "Shapes" in the "Tool palette".

All the latest releases of Designer, Photo and Publisher (retail and beta) on MacOS and Windows.
15” Dell Inspiron 7559 i7 Windows 10 x64 Pro Intel Core i7-6700HQ (3.50 GHz, 6M) 16 GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600 MHz (8GBx2) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4 GB GDDR5 500 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD UHD (3840 x 2160) Truelife LED - Backlit Touch Display
32” LG 32UN650-W display 3840 x 2160 UHD, IPS, HDR10 Color Gamut: DCI-P3 95%, Color Calibrated 2 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort
13.3” MacBook Pro (2017) Ventura 13.6 Intel Core i7 (3.50 GHz Dual Core) 16 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 1536 MB 500 GB SSD Retina Display (3360 x 2100)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 years later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Guidelines | We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.