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Calligraphic Brushes
Creating a custom
calligraphic brush.
   

Brushes in Illustrator 9 allow you to apply a pattern or objects to a path or draw feehand brushstrokes.

There are four types of brushes in Illustrator (calligraphic, scatter, art and pattern). In this tutorial you will learn about Calligraphic Brushes.

 

Before we get started
Keep in mind that Illustrator can be fussy about what kinds of elements it will allow you to use in a brush. For example, new art brushes will not allow you to use gradients, rasterized objects, other brushes, or unconverted type.

Drawing Tablets

If you use a drawing tablet and stylus instead of a mouse, you will really like Illustrator's brushes. Brushes in Illustrator are pressure sensitive when being used with a pressure sensitive drawing tablet.

You can use brushes two different ways.

1. After selecting a brush from the Brushes Palette, paint with a painting tool like your paintbrush.

2. Create a path with a shape tool or pen tool, select it, then select a brush from the Brushes Palette to apply a brush stroke to the path.
 
Calligraphic Brush
 

Calligraphic

  • Calligraphic brushes simulate the strokes of a fountain pen.
  • This brush is the only brush you do not need to create artwork for before defining the brush.
  • Calligraphic brushes appear black in your brushes palette, but take on the color currently being applied to the stroke
   
Calligraphic Brushes (highlighted in red here).

1. Window > Show Brushes
   

2. Brushes Palette > New Brush > New Calligraphic Brush > OK.
   

3. Choose brush options > OK.

Name: Enter a name for your brush.

Angle: Choose an angle for your brush.

Roundness: Determines if the brush tip will be round or oblong.

Diameter: The size of the brush. The diameter is also relative to the size ofthe stroke. By changing the size of the stroke width in the Stroke Palette, you change the diameter of the Calligraphic Brush as well.

Fixed: The attribute will always use the same value.

Random: Illustrator will vary the value randomly, as you apply the brush.

Variation: Determines how much from the original value, Illustrator will vary the attribute.

Pressure: For use with a pressure sensitive drawing tablet instead of a mouse.
   

4a. Select your Paintbrush Tool (B).

Select your new Calligraphic Brush from your Brushes Palette.

Paint with your paintbrush.

4b. Create a path with a shape tool or Pen Tool.

Apply your brush by selecting your path and choosing a Calligraphic Brush from the Brushes Palette.
   
 

5. To change the color of a Brush Stroke applied to a path, simply change the path's stroke color.

You can remove Brush Strokes by choosing Remove Brush Strokes from the Brushes Palette Menu.

You can modify brushes by double clicking on a brush in the Brushes Palette.

   
Examples
Here is a compound path with different Calligraphic Brushes applied to it.
   
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