Tutorial: Making Custom Grid Brushes (v7)

[charliemc]

There seem to be requests on a regular basis, so let's make a few custom grid brushes, shall we? (smile)

Keep in mind that you can actually use any image when making a brush! It's an exciting concept, when you think about it...

Grid brushes create a nice effect when added to blends. Once you've made your new brushes, you can give them a try and see what I mean!

Here we go...

We'll make a number of grid brushes, using templates I'll provide. If you can turn one of these into a brush, you can easily turn them all into brushes, using the same techniques! (smile)


1. Open Paint Shop Pro 7 (PSP7).
   
   IMPORTANT NOTE: Don't forget! In PSP7 the size of your brush is limited. You must be sure to keep it 225 x 225 pixels or smaller.
   
   Make a copy of this image:
   
   
   (Right-click and Copy. Go to PSP and right-click and Paste As New Image.)
   
   
2. Go to Selections > Select All.
   
   IMPORTANT: You'll need to have your Tool Options palette open to proceed. (Click on the Toggle Tool Options Window button on your Standard Toolbar to open this palette.)
   
   
3. Go to your Tool Palette (on the left-hand side of the workspace by default) and select your Paint Brush.
   
   
4. Go to the Tool Options Palette. You want to click on the tiny brush in the upper right-hand corner. (When you hover this button with your cursor you'll see a popup that reads Brush Types.)
   
   
5. Select Custom.
   
   The Custom Brush window will now open.
   
   
6. If you've followed each step and done everything correctly, you'll see the Create button as solid -- not grayed out. You can now click Create. (If for some reason Create is grayed out, go back and try each step again.)
   
   PSP7 doesn't give you the option to name your brush. (The way you can in versions 8 and on.) It will automatically assign it a brush number. You'll need to scroll through your custom brushes to locate it for future use.

Using Your New Grid Brush

1. Now you're ready to actually use your new brush! Select your Brush Tool.
   
   Again, you'll need to have your Tool Options palette open to proceed. (If you've closed it, click on the Toggle Tool Options Window button on your Standard Toolbar to open this palette.)
   
   
2. Go to the Tool Options Palette. Click on the tiny brush in the upper right-hand corner. (When you hover this button with your cursor you'll see a popup that reads Brush Types.)
   
   
3. Select Custom.
   
   The Custom Brush window will now open.
   
   
4. In the Preview window (on the left-hand side of the window), click on the drop down button.
   
   
5. Scroll through your custom brushes to locate the one you want to work with. Find your grid brush and click on it. Then click OK.
   
   You can now use your custom grid brush as you would any other brush -- with solid colors, gradients and patterns. You can use a new Raster Layer (transparent) and apply the brush, then go to your Layers Palette and lower the opacity or change the blend mode! Use your Eraser Tool to remove portions of the grid.
   
   There are simply endless possibilities!
   
   I'll include a few more grid templates for you to turn into brushes:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   And for the heck of it I'll toss in a checkerboard template, too!
   
   
   

Let me know how it goes -- and samples of your work are always encouraged!

==CharlieMC, assistant moderator