To add even more dimension to this piece I added an outer shadow to the top layer of text using the effects panel on the sidebar. The effect is intertwined letters, with the colour-changing letters appearing to move in and out of the block text. The middle layer is where I write “in colour” using the colour-changing brush. (The image below is of the isolated top layer, with only a few letters visible.) In my example, I created two layers of white text that read “live life.” Half the letters are on the top layer, then there’s a blank middle layer, and then the full text sits on the bottom layer. Once you’ve got the mechanics of this tool worked out, you can use it to create some stunning lettering effects. (In my example I changed the base from red to purple.) If you change the base colour, your line will display a different arrangement of colours. If you go back into the brush dynamics panel (tap “more” on the bottom toolbar while you have the brush active) and move the Hue adjustment slider down to 50%, you’ll see that part of the spectrum is missing, and the colour-change is different than when the Hue setting is at 100%.
The velocity (ie: speed) at which you move the pen determines the colour of the line. (I chose a bright red for this tutorial.) This trick doesn’t work with black and white. On the colour selector, choose a bright colour. On the Hue dropdown, choose “Velocity.” This will tie the colour-change to the speed of your brush. “Hue” in the brushes setting affects the brush colour - determining which parts of the spectrum appear when you draw a line. Then select the brush customisation drop-down again and choose “new round brush.”ĭon’t worry about any info on the top customisation page - instead, tap into “Dynamics.”įind the “Hue” slider (on the left) and adjust it up to 100%. On the right-hand side, select the brush customisation drop-down and add a category (because you’re going to be making your own brush). You also want to have the brush tool selected. You need to have Affinity Designer open and make sure you’re in the Pixel persona (because this effect only works with raster brushes). But it will definitely impress all your friends and add some pizzazz to your lettering projects so let’s get to it. This trick isn’t really magic… it’s just a setting I found that creates a neat effect. And that’s what we’re working with today. But Affinity can also be used for raster-based lettering. I use it frequently when building hand lettering compositions that will have to change size dramatically. CMX formats for use in Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer and CorelDraw Graphics Suite.Affinity Designer is a great tool for creating vector lettering.
Why not try them with our Letterstrokes package. The wide range of brushes include practical sets such as Outliners and Markers and more fun stuff such as Patterns, Zapper and Scribbler. Handliners now includes our Free Brush Pack of over 100 custom brushes in 20 different styles to let you explore creative new ideas for design, illustration, logos, frames and lettering. Why? Because we’ll be using the stuff too and we want to look brilliant just like you do. Like all our stuff we use real world reference, trace and tweak it by hand and then test the result in real world projects to make it as useful as possible. User Guide and Reference is included in PDF format.Īlso available for CorelDraw and Adobe Illustrator. afbrushes format for use with the Vector Brush tool in Affinity Designer ®. Ideal for casual designs and cartoon illustrations of all kinds, from putting a friendly face on corporate marketing, to adding a fun look to children's illustration and trendy greetings cards. Handliners is a valuable toolkit for all designers and illustrators both professional and hobbyist alike. Includes over 250 brushes in 10 core styles from the classic Fineliner to the loose RoughBrush. This extensive and highly versatile collection of casual custom vector brushes for Affinity Designer ® makes it easy. The handcrafted casual look is a must-have skill for any designer these days, but difficult to achieve in vector illustrations.