Are you new to digital painting? Today we’re going to go over basic features in Adobe Photoshop’s Brush panel to introduce you to this incredible medium. Learn the essentials before becoming a master, or use these tips to refresh your memory.
Meet… Your Brush Panel
Let’s name it, “Jack”. Every digital artist needs a Jack in their life. In fact, without Jack digital paintings just wouldn’t be the same. I mean, imagine walking around life knowing you only had one brush to work with. No give or fancy textures—just a plain, boring brush.
Sounds pretty devastating if you ask me.
Do You Like to Draw or Paint?
Well, I do too. But have you ever felt limited by traditional art? For many years I felt like no matter what I made, nothing turned out the way I imagined. That is, at least, until I started digitally painting.
You see, Jack’s got a lot going for him, but when people first meet him they’re often intimidated, especially traditional artists. They find him tricky and complicated, even finicky at times. They think there’s no way in the world they’ll ever understand a Brush panel like Jack.
And that makes Jack very, very sad…
… Keep it together Jack.
Digital Painting 101
In Digital Painting 101, we’re going to battle all your concerns head on. Because if you’re truly interested in digital art, half the battle is simply getting to know the software.
But Before We Get Started…
Let’s meet Jack’s friend, “Bob,”—the Pen Tablet.
Now these two are pretty close—you could even call them “besties.” They go hand in hand in creating some of the most beautiful art I’ve ever seen. And even though digital artists can certainly make do without the likes of Jack and Bob, it’s never a bad thing to have a little extra help.
Get to Know Your Brush Panel
If you want to be successful with your digital paintings, you should definitely get to know your Brush panel. After all, Jack’s pretty cool.
Here are some of the top features you need to know:
The Essentials
Keyboard Shortcuts
First things first. For your own convenience, memorize these keyboard shortcuts:
- Hit F5 for the Brush panel.
- Hitting B on the keyboard selects the Brush Tool.
- Hit D to paint with the Default Foreground and Background Colors (Black and White)
- [ or ] to Decrease or Increase the Brush Size (respectively).
- { or } (Shift-[ or Shift-]) to Decrease or Increase the Brush Hardness.
- Holding Alt while the Brush Tool (B) is selected will bring up the Eyedropper Tool (used for blending).
- Right-click while the Brush Tool (B) is selected to bring up a mini panel for Brush Presets as well as Size/Hardness.
Standard Round Brush
Generally speaking, the main brushes you use are all just some variation of the Standard Round Brush. Unlike the boring, static brush I mentioned in the beginning, the Standard Round Brush can be customized to your painting needs.
By changing the settings you create an infinite amount of painting possibilities with just one brush.
Brush Presets
Brush Presets is the home for all your brushes. Apart from the Standard Round Brush, Photoshop also includes a variety of shapes and textures for you to enjoy.
Brush Tip Shape
Brush Tip Shape is where to find the main settings for your brushes, like Size, Hardness, Angle, and Spacing. Get familiar with these settings and experiment with a couple of different strokes.
Now I know what you’re thinking, Brush Size is pretty self evident right? Well, it may seem obvious to use a smaller or larger brush whenever you need it, but we all need reminding. Large brushes are great for blocking in colors and applying atmosphere, while smaller brushes are essential for details and refinement.
0% Hardness makes brush edges soft and fuzzy like a warm sweater. On the opposite side of the spectrum, 100% Hardness creates a hard edge perfect for detailing. Here’s a tip: no two brush effects are alike. Constantly change the hardness of your brush according to your needs.
1% Spacing creates a seamless stroke perfect for your default brush settings. Increase the spacing for a continuous row of one brush. See how Tuts+ author Rowena Aitken used this method to create a string of acorns for her Winter Scene Line Art Tutorial.
Rotating a brush is fairly easy. Simply adjust the Angle. Always remember to return to the original angle when you’re finished.
Shape Dynamics
Remember Jack’s friend, Bob, the Pen Tablet? The beauty of using a pen tablet is that not only does it give you greater control than a mouse, but you can also tap into the Pen Pressure settings on the Brush panel. With the Shape Dynamics option checked, select Pen Pressure from the drop down menu next to Control.
This option creates beautifully tapered ends that are perfect for that traditional sketch effect. Personally, I try to use this option strictly for sketches and finishing details because it can slow your computer down a bit.
Not Included in the Brush Panel
Not included but equally important are: Painting Mode, Opacity, and Flow. These settings automatically come up on the top toolbar whenever accessing the Brush Tool (B).
Painting Mode
If you’re already familiar with Layer Blend Modes, then you’ll understand how Painting Mode could be used to create interesting color effects. As a rule of thumb, however, always set the default mode to Normal.
Opacity and Flow
Opacity controls the “opaqueness” of your brush and Flow controls the speed at which the brush builds color. For beginners, concentrate your focus on only adjusting the Opacity while your Flow is set to 100%. Opacity and Hardness go hand in hand with achieving certain effects like fluffy clouds and smoke. Constantly experiment with these two settings while asking yourself this question: “What kind of details can I paint at these settings?”
Other Brush Panel Settings
You can make do without knowing many features of the Brush panel for quite some time. In fact, the reasons for using other settings are often purely circumstantial.
Scattering
Let’s say you want to create a cool Bokeh effect. Sure, you could plant every circle on the screen yourself, but after a while that would get annoying. By adjusting Scatter and Count on the Brush panel, you can achieve a randomized scattering effect without all the hassle.
Texture
Texture Brushes come in many different styles, from dirt and grunge to paint splatter and custom shapes. Once you get familiar with the more standard brush settings, working with textures is a breeze.
Create Your Own Custom Brushes
There’s no limit to the number of brushes you can paint with. Search far and wide online to experiment with new textures or even create your own. At Tuts+ our instructors have already built a great selection of tutorials for Photoshop Brushes Made From Scratch. Here are just a few:
- How to Make Your Own Watercolor Brushes by Mary Winkler
- Create Your Own Blood Splatter by Mohammed Jeprie
- How to Create Custom Smoke Brushes by Kirk Nelson
See, Jack isn’t all that bad…
Trust me, the Brush panel is not as scary as it seems. And for the most part, you adjust the same core settings throughout the duration of your digital painting. Just knowing Size, Hardness, and Opacity alone is more than enough to get you very far in technique.
Stay Tuned for More Tips
Stay tuned for more tips with Digital Painting 101. Next up, we’ll cover blending with the Brush Tool! Good luck!
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