Afro-hair hair brushes

[helen2263]

Hello everyone,

Can someone please tell me how can I create an afro-hair photoshop brushes for digital painting. I've searched the net but cannot find anything.

Any reply would be much appreciated.

Many thanks in advance

helen

[c.pfaffenbichler]

If you are looking to create a brush tip of a serpentine line with randomization you could

• reset fore- and background colors

• use Filter > Render > Clouds

• create a harsh Gradient Map Adjustment Layer

• isolate a segment

• Edit > Define Brush Preset

• set the proper Shape Dynamics (and possibly Color Dynamics, too)

• Create new brush

[PECourtejoie]

Hello, Excellent method, Christoph!

Helen, did you already test David Nagel's brushes? http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=49644 and http://photoshop.digitalmedianet.com/article/Download:-Photoshop-Brushes-Series-36-36502

[helen2263]

PECourtejoie

Thanks for the link I’ve downloaded the brush it’s very useful

helen

[Noel Carboni]

You post some of the slickest, most creative stuff, C.Pfaffenbichler! Thank you for that!

A while back I downloaded a good predefined set of hair brushes, I think it was by someone named "Sarsa".  I don't recall if there were any good afro brushes in there, though.

-Noel

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Actually I may have picked the clouds/gradient map-method up from someone else – but too long ago to remember who to give credit for it.

[helen2263]

Noel,

I have got Sarsa brushes but haven’t come across one for afro style. I have the skin smudge and the hair brushes.

thanks

helen

[helen2263]

1. c.pfaffenbicher,

I’ve tried to follow your little tutorial but I’m stuck on these two sorry I am no good with photoshop still a novice when it comes to things like this.

create a harsh Gradient Map Adjustment Layer don’t know how to create a harsh gradient map

isolate a segment – I don’t know how to isolate the segment.

The rest I can manage fine. I love the results though.

helen

[c.pfaffenbichler]

As for the Gradient Map:

As for isolating a segment: Basically just paint everything else white and then, to make sure, make a Selection (rectangular or otherwise) around the segment.

[helen2263]

Thank you for showing example appreciate it.

Helen

[Trevor.Dennis]

If anyone is familiar with the Steve Caplin books, he uses the Clouds filter for half the effects he creates!  The classic use is in creating lightning, and you can see how that would work from Christoph's great example.

[PECourtejoie]

Yes, Clouds and Noise (and now Fibers, thanks, Chris Cox!) are the mother of most textures created in Photoshop, I wish there were more fractal/blob/noise types in Photoshop!

If you agree, vote here: http://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/topics/improve_ps_fractal_noise_filters (try to contact Steve Caplin, we need heavyweights like him to drive this feature request!)

[Trevor.Dennis]

I have a registration on the 'How to Cheat at Photoshop' forums, but have not posted for a while.  Steve is very approachable though, so I'll drop him a line.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I think it was a lightning-tutorial indeed where I picked that up, so the source you mention is quite possibly the one.

[helen2263]

I've had great replies if you all dont mind I show exactly what I am after and wonder if I can create a brush similar to the painted little's boy hair. I am doing a digital painting for type hair like that and it would be great to create a hair brush to use when I am painting the afro hair.

http://deardorfftraining.com/galleries/creative-portrait-painting-techniques-for-photoshop/

Can anyone tell me if it's possible to create.

thanks

helen

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I am doing a digital painting for type hair like that and it would be great to create a hair brush to use when I am painting the afro hair.

Are you familiar with the Mixer Brush Tool? With a curly brush tip that may work for some of the foundation when working over a photograph.

But basically I guess something like this may need a lot of individual (pressure sensitive) strokes with the Brush Tool or maybe the Smudge Tool.

[Steve Caplin]

Hi guys,

Interesting to see this discussion.

I agree, texture generators have been very underrepresented in Photoshop. The last new one was the Fibers filter, which has a few very specific uses but is limited in its effect. I've been pushing for a reworked Wave filter for literally years, but it's not top of Adobe's list of priorities right now.

What sort of texture generation tools are you after? Can you give me some examples of the type of texture you'd like to produce, and the sort of interface that could generate it?

Happy to help out here, and lend my limited weight to the discussion.

Steve

[PECourtejoie]

Welcome, Steve!

Hah! to the "limited weight" remark... you know how to cheat in Photoshop, anyways Of course, you know how I intended the heavyweight remark.

Thanks for joining this discussion, and thanks, Trevor, I guess for hinting at this thread.

We know that with a combination of filters, and noise or clouds we can manage to create countless different textures, as yourself, Bert Monroy, Greg Vander Houwen and others have shown it through time.

I remembered some KPT filters, or some parametric plug-in that was useful in that regard, but having the filters bult-in Photoshop would ensure a more widespread use, hence me pimping a Feedback discussion, where your insight would be useful, too!

Pierre

[helen2263]

Thank you for your reply. Please see link below what I am after. I am wondering if it's possible to create a brush to give this afro style painted look.

[link removed, now points to dubious redirects]

Many thanks

helen

[c.pfaffenbichler]

It seems unclear to me what you want: a Brush that paints curly dabs or a Brush with which you want to paint individual curls yourself?

[helen2263]

You've got it correct I am looking for either or both to be honest a brush that paint curly dabs or I can paint individual curls.

As I've shown on the recent link. Is it possible at all you think to create either brushes you've mentioned? I am not suggesting you create them for me but if it's possible and how I go about it.

Thank you

helen

[c.pfaffenbichler]

For illustrative purposes I suppose randomized brush tips with (Pressure-sensitive) Color Dynamics might be employed, but I wonder if that image might have been done with Painter, which (as the names suggest) supposedly surpasses Photoshop with regard to simulating actual painting.

But I have to admit that this is not my field of experience as I usually work with Photoshop to edit, touch-up, combine … photographs.

[helen2263]

Thank you so much for your times it is much appreciated and you've been so helpful and patient with my never ending questions I am grateful to you what you've drawn is exactly what I am looking for did you use Photoshop to draw your examples? And can I use them to create brushes with? Would you please show me what you've done to achieve those results especially the bottom two?

The example i've shown from the link the painting I believe from done using photoshop.

Helen

[c.pfaffenbichler]

did you use Photoshop to draw your examples?

Yes.

The black things at the top I created in Photoshop and used to create new Brush Presets (Edit > Define Brush Preset) – in the Brush Panel I set Shape Dynamics (like a random rotation) and in the Color Dynamics I set some Hue-, Saturation- and Brightness-Jitter and a Pen Pressure-Foreground/Background Jitter – so when painting with two differently bright browns set this allows to influence the brightness when painting.

The two things at the bottom are examples of the two corresponding brushes applies to copies of the same path (can’t remember if they were also done with the same Fore- and Background Colors).

If you find a combination you like don’t forget to save a new preset in the Brush Presets Panel and occasionally save the Brushes from Edit > Preset Manager to make sure they don’t get lost should Photoshop or your computer crash.

[helen2263]

After reading your message I gather that the two top shapes is what you've used for the bottom examples. I shall follow your examples and will let you know how I get on.

Thank you for your tips and patience aprreciate it.

helen