Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
STEUER
Brushes & Washes
Drawing with Naturalistic Pen, Ink, Wash
Overview:
Start with a placed image as a template; create a custom calli-graphic brush; create
variations on the brush to apply to strokes; add a wash layer below the ink layer.
It's easy to create spontaneous painterly and calligraphic marks in Illustrator—
perhaps with more flexibility than in many pixel-based programs. Sharon Steuer
drew this sketch of Honfleur, France, using a Wacom tablet, her Art Pen for the
Intuos4, and two different Illustrator brushes. She customized a brush for the thin,
dark strokes and used a built-in brush for the underlying gray washes.
1 Placing artwork as a template.
If you want to use a sketch or photo as a reference as
you draw into layers above, set it up as a non-printing template layer. For her tem-
plate image, Steuer scanned a small photo of Honfleur and saved it as a JPG, then
opened it in Illustrator. To place an image as a template, choose File> Place, enable
the Template option, and click the Place button. If the image imports at too large a
size, unlock the layer, select the image (holding down Option-Shift/Alt-Shift keys to
resize proportionally from the center), and drag on a corner of the bounding box un-
til the image is the size you want, then lock the layer again. Illustrator automatically
dims images on your template layer to 50%, but you can double-click the layer icon
to adjust this and other settings in Layer Options. Toggle between hiding and show-
ing the template layer using
-Shift-W/Ctrl-Shift-W, or toggle the visibility icon in
the Layers panel.
2 Customizing a calligraphic brush.
In order to sketch with accurate detail, you'll need
to adjust the Paintbrush Tool Options by double-clicking the Paintbrush tool icon. In
Options, drag Fidelity (accuracy) and Smoothness sliders all the way to the left for
maximum control (in CC you adjust just one Fidelity slider to Accurate). Disable “Fill
new brush strokes,” and if you want to be able to quickly draw strokes that overlap,
disable Keep Selected.
