Photoshop for Illustrators II: Using and Creating Brushes

Where do brushes come from, and how do you make your own? How do illustrators use brushes in their illustrations? What’s all this buzz online about Photoshop brushes?

In the second part of this Photoshop for Illustrators series, I'll take you through an in-depth look at the brush tool. We’ll cover everything from modifying and creating your own brushes to sketching and inking a final illustration.

Learn how to produce illustrations that you can share online with your friends, add to your portfolio, or incorporate into your client projects.

This three-part series will take you through the fundamental features of Photoshop that illustrators use. This series was created specifically to help aspiring illustrators learn the basics of Photoshop without having to go through tools that don’t apply to their work. Photoshop is the most versatile program for creating artwork because of its ability to combine raster and vector images, and this is the series to help you maximize and master its essential tools.

Also see: Photoshop for Illustrators I: Workspace, Layers, and Drawing and Photoshop for Illustrators III: Color and Texture.

What You’ll Learn

• Brush Tool Settings. You’ll walk through all the basic settings needed to truly start experimenting with brushes.

• Your Own Brushes. You’ll learn different techniques for creating your own brushes.

• Brush Tools. You’ll learn how to sketch and ink your illustration with the brush tool.

What You’ll Do

• Project Deliverable. Illustrate an object of your choosing.

• Description. Share the illustration you made with your classmates. Explain the tools used to create it.

• Specs. Use the provided assets or create your own illustrations. (Be sure to check out brushes from Kyle T. Webster, which I recommend you purchase. You’ll need CS5 or higher to use his brushes.) In this class, you’ll also find links to other free brush packs.

• Trailer
• Working with Brushes
• Brush Control Panel Part 1
• Brush Control Panel Part 2
• Brush Creation Methods
• Adjusting Your Brushes
• Sketching with the Brush Tool
• Inking with the Brush Tool
• Tips and Tricks
• Closing Remarks