Brushes in Photoshop

[smr]

Hey guys, I just got a Wacom. I haven't really used the custom brush features because drawing with a mouse is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. Anyway, I just wanted to know if there are any tips you guys could give for creating brushes for things like skin, metal and the like. Also, what are some different brush settings that I could use to help me get the most from my tablet.

Thanks

[Wasker]

Here's a thread in the 'Art discussion' which adresses custom brushes and there's some tutorials aswell. Metals are hard to do. They usually involve knowledge of lights and the material itself rather than custom brush tapping.

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=94670

[lordofthebling]

Most people just use the basic hard round brush most of the time. It gets the job done and you don't have to worry too much about certain quirks that more dynamic brushes have. It does have its limitations though, and as your illustration progresses, it adds more interest if you use different ones as well.

In order to get the most out your brushes, it's good to customize them. I won't list all the features, but here are some important ones to get you started:

1) Adjust the spacing slider to the lowest setting your machine will allow. Brush strokes are made of a continuous line of dabs, and if they're too far apart, it doesn't look natural. Placing them closer together creates one clong, continuous line.

2) For thick to thin lines, you need a brush that will allow you to control the stroke's thickness based on the amount of pressure you apply to the stylus. For this, enable Shape Dynamics. With Size Jitter set to 0%, choose Pen Pressure from the drop-down menu. Use this brush for drawing.

3) For shading and blending, you'll need something that offers you the same control as a piece of charcoal or something that produces lighter tones with minimal pressure. Enable Other Dynamics, and set Opacity Jitter to Pen Pressure. This allows you to graually build up your light and dark tones, and produce a smooth yet textured gradation.

4) For a random, speckled effect, enable Scattering. Adjust the slider until you have achieved the desired amount of randomness. You can also set it to be controlled by the amount of pressure you add. You may find that increasing the amount of spacing will produce better results.

5) For a broken, uneven stroke, try enabling Angle Jitter and/or Roundness Jitter in Shape Dynamics

6) To incorporate attributes from another brush, enable Dual Brush. I haven't used it, but you basically add the texture produced from a given brushstroke into the one you're currently using. Adjust the sliders and blending mode from the pull-down menu until you're satisfied.

7) To add a background texture, enable texture. Choose the blending mode that best picks up the texture, and adjust the Size slider. You can also invert the texture. For a more realistic look, enable Texture Each Tip. This results in a brushstroke that gives more coverage as you go over it again and again, similar to the way dry media builds up. The result is a stroke with a sold centre, and textured edges. If you find it hard to control, leave Texture Each Tip unchecked, and just go over areas at lower opacity to "seal" the texture. Try using a soft-edged brush for this.

8) For a brushstroke that resembles watercolour, enable Wet Edges.

9) To control the flow of a brush based on the amount of time it stays in one area, enable Airbrush. This enables "pooling" of colour.

10) You will also need a spackled brush to create brushstrokes that resemble natural media. A spackled brush is a brush made from a group of dots or irregular shapes. The resulting stroke consists of a bunch of parallel lines that resemble clumps of bristles. To do this, draw a bunch of dots or squiggles. This will be the brushes "footprint". Make a selection of the pattern, and from the drop-down menu in the Brushes pallette, choose New Brush Preset. It's now ready to customize.

11) To save your brush, choose New Brush Preset.

[mofongo]

Great info guys. Much appreciated!