Exploring Brushes.

Whilst exploring various brushes, both free and purchased, I couldn't help but feel I was using someone else's creativity and using it for my own personal gain. The textures and mark making capabilities were precisely what I was looking for in a brush, nevertheless I did not feel I was being authentic with myself by using someone else's work. Having said that, I realised I could experiment and try to make my own custom brushes. It would solve any licensing issues when using it for my own work and also give, from a personal perspective, validation to my drawings.

The only problem was that I had never created a custom made brush before and I was uncertain as to whether I would be able to meet the standard and quality I was hoping for. The way I learn is through engaging in practical activities. I don't necessarily engage well if I have to sit down and watch a fifteen minute video as an example. I begin to lose focus and more importantly I lose interest.

I therefore decided to go through each category setting, finding the purpose of each setting and how it had an impact on the brush. No matter what setting I used I still wasn’t getting the overall look I was hoping to achieve. I then decided to look through the settings of a free brush and document its settings as a reference. I further applied similar settings and textures to my own brushes.

Overall I prefer the brushes I created as not only do they give me reassurance with regards to licensing laws but they also have, to a certain extent, a believability. As you can see from the images included I experimented with various sizes, textures and marks until I created one by which I felt confident and comfortable using.

Referencing settings (how the effects the brush) in order to create my own:

Comparing each brush created, identifying which one is the best (for me) to use:

Timelapse video of experimenting with the brushes I had created:

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/18b9e9_e6b07a6cf6094c04a75640a8ae1c8ffa/1080p/mp4/file.mp4