Draw tool sticky settings?



  • @Dazmondo

    Is the Key that temporaly switch to the Shape Editor Tool
    and i think this work on Mac too



  • @Subpath and @Dazmondo On the Mac it's the Command key that does the momentary switch to Shape Editing mode when you hold it.
    …or to the Select/Transform tool (V) when you are in Shape Editing mode.



  • @b77 , thanks for looking πŸ‘



  • @Dazmondo

    so select the Pencil Tool and press and hold the Command Key
    If you look in the Toolbar the Shape Editor Tool should be selected.

    Now keep holding the Command Key and select any other Stroke/
    Brush. Then release the Command key and draw with Pencil tool
    the stroke should now be in the Style of your last selected.

    Here another Video for you
    where the Shortcuts will be shown.

    Here the Video:

    0_1658168803649_Command-use.png



  • @Dazmondo

    What you trying to do in your Pictures above
    would not work, as far as i know.

    You cant draw Brush Strokes with the Pencil Tool.

    And to draw Brush Strokes with the Pen Tool
    would only work if you do the following.

    Take a look at this Video:

    0_1658169888068_Brush-with-Pen.png


  • administrators

    @Dazmondo Question: should the Pencil tool be able to paint with vector brushes (as an option)?



  • Thanks Subpath / b77 for the tips, I was originally (stupidly) concentrating using the combo with the pencil tool (which doesn't work on the Mac) but works with the brush tool.

    Managed to get there in the end and got the job finished0_1658213279043_Screen Grab 2022-07-19 at 7.47.27 am.png

    I'm sure with a little practice I could now motor through these types of jobs - also now using that nice little tip from Subpath for working with the pen tool by temporally pressing 'b' to select the brush tool then hitting 'p' to continue the path - works great --- Thanks everyone



  • @Dazmondo

    your welcome, always happy to help

    have to say that i am very impressed by your Design, wow πŸ‘

    As a small note, because it struck me.
    The text "Steam Kittens" doesn't really follow a text on curve.
    But maybe that's intended.



  • @VectorStyler

    would it not a little more helpful if we could use
    the Pen Tool direct also for Vector Brushes ?

    without the workaround a descriped above


  • administrators

    @Subpath said in Draw tool sticky settings?:

    would it not a little more helpful if we could use the Pen Tool direct also for Vector Brushes ?

    Yes, this could be easy to enable. But, it might result in confusion as all other apps differentiate between the Pen and brush tools.



  • @VectorStyler

    For me, the advantage of this is so much greater than any confusion about it.

    As you can see, @dazmondo has a problem while he
    likes using the Pen Tool
    with Vector Brushes and can't do that. I know he could apply it later.
    But direct editing would be so much more forward.

    Here two Programs from old Times :), that have been using this for a long time.
    I still like them and have copies installed. These are
    "Creature House Expression" and "Expression Design."

    In "Creature House Expression" it is called B-Spline, but
    Expression Design uses the Pen Tool for Vector brushes.

    Here a Video Example:

    0_1658238145352_Expression.png


  • administrators

    @Subpath Added this as an option to the backlog.



  • @VectorStyler

    great !
    I think this will put a smile on many faces πŸ™‚



  • The Steam Kittens have requested a back print for the T-shirt featuring Keith (the steampunk kitten character featured on the front) so thought I'd have a crack using the method detailed in this post and glad to report it was far less bother to do the shading using the brushes I made and really easy to edit ---- did have a fair few times that I had to force quit when doing the top hat detail, but got there in the end --- Still need to add tour dates and a logo:

    1_1658249855933_Screen Grab 2022-07-19 at 5.55.50 pm.png 0_1658249855932_Screen Grab 2022-07-19 at 5.56.46 pm.png
    @Subpath said in Draw tool sticky settings?:

    @VectorStyler

    great !
    I think this will put a smile on many faces πŸ™‚

    Big smile hereπŸ‘



  • @Dazmondo

    Thats so insane, i am totaly floored by your design
    WOW !!!



  • @Dazmondo Really impressive work! Thanks for sharing what you've figured out and the final result.

    @Dazmondo @Subpath I'm going to have to go in and look more closely at what exactly is being discussed as a design tactic between the pencil, pen and brush tools - I think I understand in part but would be interested to check out more with it.
    It sounds like you want to be able to use a repeating brush along a path but the brush tool does not give you the control over the path like a pencil tool or especially a pen tool could do. So instead of making the lines first and going back and giving them the brush style after, you want to be able to see it right away and faster using the keyboard shortcuts - draw a path with the pencil or pen tool - hold down command (ultimately be able to pull the style from another sample in the design) click "b" to get to brush and have it convert to the repeating pattern already set there....
    I'll have to go back and try things out as at this point I'm not sure if there's more to it or I have the general concept down



  • @Boldline

    There are actually two concepts here.

    The first one
    -- How to draw a vector brush with the Pen tool.

    You can't do this directly and just go for it.
    You have to draw a line with the Pen Tool.
    Then select the your Brush and set then
    the brush thickness.
    .
    .
    Another way i found is the following:

    Select "B" for the Brush tool.
    Paint a short first piece of your path with the Brush tool.
    (this short piece should stay selected)

    Then switch to "P" for the Pen tool and now you can continue
    and draw your vector brush with the Pen tool.

    Here a Video Example for this case:

    0_1658262388591_Pen-Tool Trick.png



  • @Boldline

    Here the Second one

    -- Suppose you have four different strokes in your design.
    (different size and color)
    and you know that you will use them very often

    You could create styles or presets for them
    and select them when you need one of them
    .
    .
    -- or you could try it this way

    Create your four strokes in the style you're going to need
    and put all four strokes next to the canvas

    For simplicity, I'm only using the Pencil Tool
    (but this method also works with the Brush Tool)
    (but the Brush Tool normally doesn't take any color information,
    Pencil Tool do)

    Now press "P" for the Pencil Tool
    move the mouse pointer over the area where your strokes are located

    hold the command key (Mac) / CTRL key (PC) and select
    one of the four strokes you want to draw with

    As you may know VS draws always in the style of the last selected
    object/stroke

    Therefore, when you draw, you draw now with that style.

    I think this is an easy way to quickly switch between
    different strokes

    Here is an example video (with recorded shortcuts):

    0_1658262460959_Stroke-Trick.png



  • @Subpath said in Draw tool sticky settings?:

    @Boldline

    Here the Second one

    -- Suppose you have four different strokes in your design.
    (different size and color)
    and you know that you will use them very often

    You could create styles or presets for them
    and select them when you need one of them
    .
    .
    -- or you could try it this way

    Create your four strokes in the style you're going to need
    and put all four strokes next to the canvas

    For simplicity, I'm only using the Pencil Tool
    (but this method also works with the Brush Tool)
    (but the Brush Tool normally doesn't take any color information,
    Pencil Tool do)

    Now press "P" for the Pencil Tool
    move the mouse pointer over the area where your strokes are located

    hold the command key (Mac) / CTRL key (PC) and select
    one of the four strokes you want to draw with

    As you may know VS draws always in the style of the last selected
    object/stroke

    Therefore, when you draw, you draw now with that style.

    I think this is an easy way to quickly switch between
    different strokes

    Great way of starting off a job! --- I'd like to steal that for my workflow, if you don't mind ----- I've already set up the main brushes on the page I use for all the Steam Kittens illustrations I'll just copy paste my set brushstrokes into the next job artboard and away we go πŸ‘ πŸ‘ πŸ‘ 0_1658305858088_Screen Grab 2022-07-20 at 9.29.43 am.png



  • @Dazmondo

    ... I'd like to steal that for my workflow, if you don't mind ...

    Of course I don't mind πŸ™‚
    After all, I show these tips here to share ideas and tips.

    But remember, in your case, your illustration is
    is only black and white, it's easy.
    (this method doesn't take the color by Brushes).

    You can of course colorize your vector brush by
    choosing a color from a palette

    I myself found this method in the two vector programs mentioned above,
    "Creature House Expression" and "Expression Design".
    There you can select a brush directly with the Brush Tool and continue
    painting in its style (in the post above I show the programs in a video).