Photoshop illustration projects with 300 dpi and up still look pixelated and poor quality!!

[UniMuseum]

Hi all! I'm betting this is a problem that has a very simple solution, but I'm stuck, I have a deadline for an illustration for work and can't seem to find my way out of this.

I have been doing illustration for a while now, I always set up my canvas with 300 dpi or higher and brush work is always nice and smooth and high res.

Yesterday I was feeling proactive and finally updated Photoshop to the latest version and, for good measure, cleared up some memory space by doing Edit > Purge > All. Those are the only two things I did. Now, no matter how high I set the resolution for my canvas, all brush work is extremely pixelated (both with and without using a drawing tablet). This even happens with files that I had created before this, with 300 dpi or higher and on which I had already drawn very thin non pixelated lines. I'm attaching a very quick pink sketch I did and never finished: the new line is the pixelated black one.

HELP! What happened? It really makes no sense to me that resolutions of 300, 600, 1200 dpi seem to give the very same result (on simple canvases of 1000 x 1000 px).

Like I said, this probably has a very simple solution that I can't see right now. All suggestions welcome and appreciated! Ta 🙏

[Test Screen Name]

Resolution (ppi) won't have any effect on quality or anything else except printing. That's all it's for. There are lots of myths and nonsense on the internet to confuse into thinking it is important. The size in pixels is what matters, all that matters.

[UniMuseum]

Ok... 

I have tried different sized canvases with different resolutions, but it does not appear to change at all. Plus, it does not really make sense to me why adding lines to previously created canvases, that did not diplay this new issue, would result in the new brushstrokes being much more pixelated...

What would you suggest I do, and why would you say this problem arised all of a sudden? I'm honestly confused: I created the same types of projects as before, but the pixelation is really much more noticeable!

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Could you please post a screenshot taken ar View > 100% with the pertinent Panels (Toolbar, Layers, Brush Settings, Options Bar, …) visible? 

[UniMuseum]

Certainly! Here it is...

[c.pfaffenbichler · Accepted solution]

That’s not the Brush Tool, that’s the Pencil Tool. 

[UniMuseum]

Aaaaan... yeah, I'm a dummy... 😳😅

I honestly did not realize I was using the pencil instead of the brush. I am seriously sleep deprived. So, so sorry for taking up your time with such a stupid problem! Of course, the brush works just fine, as usual.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

No problem. 

Go Illustrators!