Workshop

Q&A

Q1:	Can I make a custom brush that's not round?
A1:	Sure. You can even make part of your image into a custom brush. Use the Rectangular Marquee to select a portion of an image. (You can use the Pencil tool to draw a particular brush shape if you want.) With the selection active, choose Edit Define Brush Preset. The new brush appears on the Brushes palette. Select it and click Brush Tip Shape to set its spacing option. When youre done creating brushes, choose Save Brushes from the Brush menu's pop-up menu to save your current brush set.
Q2:	Real airbrushes can spray a very light mist of color . How can I duplicate this effect?
A2:	On the Options bar, set the Flow very low. A large brush and a Flow setting of 10 or less will give you the effect you want.
Q3:	How do I make my brush strokes look like a watercolor?
A3:	Easy. Just click the Wet Edges check box. If you'd rather use "oil paint," leave the check box unchecked.

Quiz

1:	Are there other brush sets? If so, where? No, but you can make your own. Photoshop comes with many sets of pre-made brushes. Check the pop-up menu on the Brushes menu.
2:	What happens if you hold the Airbrush in one spot? Nothing. You deposit more paint in that spot. The paint runs down the screen.

Quiz Answers

A1:	b. Actually, answer a is only partly wrong. You can make your own brushes and brush sets, and you can use the ones Adobe provides.
A2:	b. Just like with a can of spray paint, if you hold the Airbrush in one spot, the paint piles up.

Exercises

Here, you'll get some more practice with the Airbrush, Brush, and Eraser tools. Follow along with these steps:

1.	Start by opening a new document. Make the page at least 6 inches square so that you have room to work.
2.	Click the Brush in the toolbox. Set your opacity to 100%, choose a medium- sized , hard-edged brush, and draw a star.
3.	Click the check box to turn on Wet Edges and draw another star.
4.	Choose a soft-edged brush and draw another star.
5.	Now turn off Wet Edges and draw another star with the soft-edged brush. Your result should look something like Figure 7.18. Figure 7.18. Four kinds of brush strokes.
Okay, it's not great art, but you have four distinctly different brush looks.
6.	Scroll to the top of the History palette and click the blank page labeled New. This returns to your freshly opened page, minus stars. (It's a quick way to erase everything.)
7.	Press B to activate the Brush, then click the Airbrush button on the Options bar. Set the Flow to 100%, and draw a star.
8.	Set the Flow to 50%, by typing the number 5 , and draw another star. (You can change Brush Opacity settings by typing a number, too.)
9.	Change brushes. If you have been using a soft-edged brush with the Airbrush, try a hard one, or vice versa. Draw more stars with different brushes and pressure settings.
10.	Press E to bring up the Eraser. Set the Eraser mode to Brush and the Opacity to 50%. (Type the number 5 .) TRy to erase one of your stars. Don't click the mouse more than once while you're erasing.
11.	Change the Opacity to 100%, and erase another star.
12.	Experiment with different settings until you are comfortable with these tools.