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Custom Brush Question

Forum|Forum|10 months ago
March 17, 2025
4 replies
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I am using scatter brushes I created to generate a crosshatch style effect. My question is, is there a way to create a brush that alternates ie. vertical to horizontal to vertical, etc.

I can get a similar effect with a Pattern brush but I like the more organic feel of the scatter brush.

The attached image shows the scatter brush that I am using on the top, and the effect I am trying to achieve on the bottom.

Thanks!

Correct answer kphotopage

Vysionk, hi.

Cross Hatch has so many different renderings and so many different interruptions.

Shown here, I created a Pattern brush

Wanted a more hand crafted, “organic feel”

(No biggie, Pencil and Stroke options)

Applied Graphic Style to all.

(Made seamless pattern brush)

Maybe you like????

Just putting this out as a different Illustrator construction option.

K

kphotopageCorrect answer

Legend

Vysionk, hi.

Cross Hatch has so many different renderings and so many different interruptions.

Shown here, I created a Pattern brush

Wanted a more hand crafted, “organic feel”

(No biggie, Pencil and Stroke options)

Applied Graphic Style to all.

(Made seamless pattern brush)

Maybe you like????

Just putting this out as a different Illustrator construction option.

K

michelew83603738

Community Expert

I am not sure what you will ultimately be doing with the brush (it might not work with fine detail) but you could make the horizontal and vertical lines and create a pattern brush instead. It might get you closer to what you are looking for.

V

VysionkAuthor

Participant

I tried that. It wasn't organic looking enough for what the project needed.

Thanks for the input though.

Doug A Roberts

Community Expert

Perhaps using two brushes with no stroke/fill helper objects 2x the width of the brush:

Add separate strokes to the path and add the brushes:

I added a bit of random rotation to one -- since they sit perfectly on top of each other, each 'pair' was aligned without it.

V

VysionkAuthor

Participant

I found a way to utilize your suggestion that may work.

At the end of the design I will be expanding all the "hash" marks into individual strokes. (I am using a laser cutter so I needed to have the strokes be indivdiual objects.) My first attempt the "filler" part of the brush was becoming entangled in the final strokes. I ended up putting a single pixel with a stroke color of pink at the upper corner of the blank side of the brush. When I expanded the scatter brush with both horizontal and vertical line brushes applied to a line, I can grab one pink pixel, select same stroke color and then delete all the extranious pink anchors. This leaves all the hash marks intact, which was my original problem that led me here.

Thanks!

Doug A Roberts

Community Expert

What is the 'filler' part of the brush in this context?

Monika Gause

Community Expert

You can only rotate in a range of angles, not in certain angles.

What you could do is work with 2 brushes. One that has the horizontal lines, one that has the vertical ones. THose 2 brushes can be applied to the same paths via the Appearance panel.

V

VysionkAuthor

Participant

I tried your suggestion, but the brushes end up both starting at the same time place. The result is the brush art ends up resting on top of each other.

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