Custom
brushes are a breeze with CorelDRAW's Artistic Media Tool. In this
tutorial you'll get a proper introduction to creating two types of media
within the program: brushes and object sprayers. You'll see a cute and
sweet way of implementing them, and learn how to edit and manipulate
default and custom brushes for your own use.
1. Using the Artistic Media Tool
Step 1
You'll find the Artistic Media Tool (I) in the Toolbox. Once selected, the Property Bar
will allow you the option of the type of tool used as well as an
assortment of brushes. Take the default tool for a spin. Notice how it
mimics the look and flow of an ink pen.
Step 2
Introduce yourself to two of the main components of the tool: Brushes and Object Sprayers.
Brushes contain options like artistic, calligraphy, object, etc. When
you draw with a brush in CorelDRAW, the image the brush was made from
stretches along the path.
When you choose the Object Sprayer,
the collection of images (split into various categories such as food,
music, splatter, etc.) scatter along the drawn path. Additional options
must be manipulated to edit the images themselves.
2. Creating and Using a Custom Brush
Step 1
Let's create a custom calligraphic brush. Use the Rectangle Tool (F6) to draw a long, narrow rectangle. Using the Shape Tool (F10), Add a node in the center of each side of the rectangle. Then, Delete the four corner nodes of the rectangle. Adjust the scale of the new shape as you see fit.
In the Artistic Media docker, with the new shape selected, hit the tiny Save icon to create a new stroke. Select the Brushes option, hit OK, and give your new brush a name. It'll appear within the Custom folder in the drop-down Category menu in the Property Bar.
Step 2
Draw a circle with the Ellipse Tool (F7). Use it as a guide for swirls, leaves, flowers, and vines drawn along its contour.
Group the left side of your design together and delete the circle. Copy (Control-C) and Paste (Control-V) the swirly design and hit Mirror Horizontally in the Property Bar.
3. Creating and Using an Object Sprayer
Step 1
Using one of the drawing tools, like the Pen Tool or the Freehand Tool (F5),
let's draw some cute little shapes: teardrops for birds and leaves,
circles for berries. Set the outlines of the main shapes to none in the Object Properties docker and the fill colors to blues, greens, and reds. For little details, set the fill to none and outline to 0.5 pt or so (this will depend on the size of your objects).
Arrange your objects as though they are scattered about on a line. Select the objects, hit the little Save icon in the Artistic Media docker, and select Object Sprayer. Save your new stroke and you'll find it in the Custom folder in the drop-down Category menu in the Property Bar. Now how about drawing little flowers, leaves, and other objects for another custom stroke design?
Step 2
Choose one of your custom Object Sprayers from the Custom folder and draw an arc around your frame design. You'll notice that the items within the stroke don't follow the path.
Step 3
In the Property Bar, select Relative to Path under the Rotation
option. Now your stroke resembles a wreath rather than a mess of
flowers, birds, or leaves. You can also adjust the angle of their
rotation, size of objects, spacing, and amount of images per space
within the Property Bar.
Step 4
You can easily change the color of a brush stroke in the Object Properties docker. Using the Text Tool (F8),
you can fill your frame with lovely text for whatever occasion your
design fits (holidays, weddings, birth announcements, etc.).
Great Job, You're Done!
With
the ability to create custom brushes, you've just opened up the
possibilities for your design work in CorelDRAW to exceed the default
list of Artistic Media options. I chose to make my design into a simple
and cute wedding announcement. What sort of design have you created with
custom Brushes and Object Sprayers? Share in the comment section below!
