This is a short tutorial on how Custom Brushes work and how to use them.
In this tutorial we are going to see how to create a simple brush that will create a starry sky for a nighttime illustration. This tutorial will focus on scatter brushes.
Creating a custom brush
Creating a custom brush is simple. You can draw objects directly onto the canvas. To create the stars either use the Star Tool or draw it by hand.
Then pick all the shapes using the select tool and open the Pathfinder window by navigating to Window > Pathfinder. Click Add to shape area. This joins all the stars together. Now, we can drag them to the brushes window.
Once you are finished with the drawing, open the Brushes window by navigating to Window > Brushes. Then choose the stars and drag them into the brushes window. Choose New Scatter Brush and then give it a name. Your brush is now ready to use. Once you have added the stars into the Brushes window delete the stars on the canvas.
For using the brush just choose the brush tool (Shortcut B) and then draw on the canvas. If you draw a curve then the stars will scatter around it. This is a very similar effect to the Symbol Scatter Tool.
Modifying the brush
Once you have drawn the stars using your brush you may want to modify the brush slightly. By double clicking the brush in the brush window you can change many options. Using the option to update the paths you have already drawn you can fine tune the effect you want.
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