If you want to add a hand-drawn flair to your Affinity Designer projects, the Brush Tool is a favorite tool in your arsenal. This powerful tool goes beyond simple lines, allowing you to create everything from expressive calligraphy to watercolor painting.

If you prefer video tutorials, dive into the awesome Envato Tuts+ YouTube Channel for a complete Affinity Designer 2 course. Or, if you’re just starting out, check out the video tutorials on the Affinity Designer for Beginners Course Page.

In Affinity Designer, the Brush Tool isn’t just for straight lines. It’s your gateway to a world of creative expression, because you paint with pixels instead of physical strokes. With this tool, you can create everything from freehand illustrations to textured backgrounds. You can choose from a library of Affinity Designer brushes that look like pencils, watercolors, splatters, and more.

Additionally, by adjusting brush settings such as Size, Variance, Hardness, and Opacity, you can control the thickness and transparency of your brush strokes, just like a real brush.

First explore the Brushes panel. You will find a variety of preset brushes that mimic different artistic tools, such as pencils, pens, or watercolors. Choose the one that suits your artistic vision.

Then adjust the Width, MateAnd Opacity. A larger size creates thicker strokes, while adjusting the opacity determines how transparent your brush strokes are. Experiment with pressure sensitivity for more natural-looking brush strokes.

For this tutorial we are going to select the contours. Then we will use Ink, change the Width Unpleasant 10 pointsand use the Structured brush while the decoration settings are turned off.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get different brush effects, like splatters or calligraphy strokes?

Affinity Designer offers a library of ready-made brushes that mimic different artistic tools. Open the Brushes panel and browse through the different categories. You can also experiment with different brush settings to achieve unique effects.

My brush strokes lack texture. How can I make them look more hand-drawn?

There are a couple of ways to get a more natural feel. First, enable pressure sensitivity in your tablet’s settings (if your device supports it). This will allow the thickness of your brush stroke to vary based on the pressure you apply. Second, adjust the Scatter setting in the Brush Options. This introduces a slight randomness to the brush path, mimicking the natural wobble of a hand-drawn line.

Can I create my own brushes in Affinity Designer?

Yes. You can create custom brushes from sources like images or vector shapes. This allows you to design unique brushes that perfectly match your artistic style. However, creating custom Affinity Designer brushes requires a bit more technical knowledge.

Expand your knowledge with these Affinity Designer tutorials