We challenge you to:

Design Your Own Art Brushes

There are numerous ways to create brushes and many ways to use them. I am using the term 'brush' loosely here. An example would be to create a shape to be used with the bezier pen tool with the setting "from clipboard" or "bend from clipboard". Alternatively, you could create a 'brush' to be used with path effects such as 'pattern-along path', 'bend' or others..

Make sure to demonstrate the usage of your brush.

Optional: While you are welcome to just show your brushes and what they are capable of, it would be great if others could try them too. If you want to share, alongside your png, post an svg file with just your brushes inside with the license CC-BY-SA (make sure not to include any third party artwork/assets in the file).

Let's see what you come up with!

While we know we are going to get some stunning artwork, we also want to encourage beginners. If you are new to Inkscape, feel free to keep it simple.

Multiple entries are welcome, and please do stick around for the chat!

All abilities are invited to get involved. The complexity of your entry is down to you.

Please post your finished artwork below. 

IMPORTANT: If you would like to know what you could do to improve your artwork, add the phrase to your comment: "Brutal Feedback" --- only for those with nerves of steel!

All entries to be submitted by 30 April 2023.

Please do spread the word!
#inkscapechallenge

Instructions/Information

• To submit your artwork, scroll to the bottom of the page and while logged in, click the paperclip (bottom-left) to upload your image, add a description in the text box (optional) and click "Submit Reply".
• If you'd like to post work-in-progress artwork, create a thread in the "Work in Progress" section of the forum, and post your images there, with the title "April 2023 create and share brushes WIP - [your artwork title]" (you are welcome to ask for help there if you get stuck). When finished, post the final graphic to this thread.
• There are no winners. These challenges are intended to inspire, to encourage you to share your work and to build a supportive community.
• You're encouraged to discuss and offer feedback/constructive criticism to others, but please be respectful.
• Most importantly, be creative, give your best, and have fun!

We look forward to seeing your entries!

Challenge entries (so far)

This is intended to be a visual game, all done with Inkscape. The brush has only the handle. In addition, the stain created should correspond to a round handle brush, like Chinese calligraphy brushes. It's just one of these crazy things that come to my mind sometimes 🙂  The brushes are made in Krita with its magnificent brush editor and vectorized in Inkscape. The dripping, as I explain in the image is made with one of the brushes and using a lot of Simplify. I attach a svg with both brushes used.It's good to remember that using the "Pattern is vertical" option of Pattern along path, you get completely different results with the same brush, so it's good to experiment with that.Also note that these brushes have a lot of nodes, so they are good for details, but not for use as lineart, for instance.

Marcos, you took this another direction than what was in my thought process and this is great. Thank you for stirring up the joy juice here. Too notch work.

@ken10001000  Thanks, Ken. It all stemmed from the stain while experimenting with brushes 😊

Hello. Here are my first "brush" posting for this challenge. Brushes shown in red and applied paths shown in black See the attached 7z zipped file for the svg with the brushes.

Keep soaring!

My 2nd set of brushes for this challenge. See graphic and attachment.

This is offering number 3.

Don't get tired of me yet. Group 4 of brushes for this challenge.

Here is group 5. I hope all these brush ideas will stimulate your own. I also hope you will share your goodies with the InkScape community.

A "wiggle" brush shape.

Let us "wiggle" while we work.  :)

@mrks9 Nice brushes. Thanks for sharing!

@ken10001000 You are in your element here. Thank you for sharing these wonderful brushes!
Note: If you want others to use them, could you change the licence to CC-BY-SA (CC Attribution-ShareAlike) In Document Properties > Licence (currently proprietary).

You learn something everyday.. I didn't know you could have custom brushes in Inkscape. This is a facepalm moment

Hi, Ronald. Brushes are really any kind of Path traveling along another path. Stretched out, skewed, twisted, straight, repetitive or singular. 

I learn and see new things within inkscape several times a week. There is variation and creativity and more in our minds and hearts and hands.

Have a wonderful day creating and rejoicing.

Here are the brushes which I created and used for most of the fur in the mouse illustration above. You are all welcome to keep these and use them in your artwork.

Hi. Just to make it clear. Any svg files I share in this challenge here are free for you to use and to alter in your own way and create as you wish. You do not have to acknowledge me nor make any "attribution" to me. Use them to create something useful and beautiful for yourself and others.

Thank you.

Congratulations on that cover image @pacer! That looks rather complex for using custom brushes. 

Suspecting we will have more of the brush packs than actual examples. 

Speaking of, have to dust some of my old svg files from openclipart.

https://openclipart.org/download/212674/1421504817.svg

https://openclipart.org/download/211151/brush-stroke.svg

https://openclipart.org/download/211152/brush-stroke-2.svg

https://openclipart.org/download/217612/fbrush-pack.svg

And two files for "in use" examples:

https://openclipart.org/download/217617/flou1.svg

https://openclipart.org/download/211048/r1IIIII.svg

For anyone wondering, openclipart is all public domain/cc0.

I was finishing this illustration and it occurred to me to fill the background with shapes made from brushes, a bit in the style of the Posters of the 60's 70's, but desaturating the colors. I leave an svg with the brushes used, including the ones in the image I uploaded first.If I make more, I will include them in the file.

Lazur

Congratulations on that cover image @pacer! That looks rather complex for using custom brushes. 

Thank you. Appreciated. :)
I can't wait to try some of your brushes. Thanks for sharing!

@mrks9 Great work! Another imaginative composition. Thanks for sharing your artwork and your brushes.

This one isn't mine, but I've used it in my workshops to teach Inkscape: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brushes-for-inkscape-47_nevit_04.svg

Note: license is CC-By-SA 3.0, not public domain!

Thanks, @pacer

I did a whole bunch of seamless brush patterns a while back:



https://youtu.be/biyhxcgqs5A

https://youtu.be/v2FYSQ5ogFk
 

Hello to everyone. I see very nice work here.

Here is my first set. They are free to all. They can be used as  they are or changed in any way.

The ones in red fill are the brushes. The ones in black are examples of using the Path Effect called  Pattern along Path.

The capital A letter in green is just the brushes rotated and placed together.

Hi. This idea comes from a slightly different direction.

While any "brush" can serve as a path to be applied, this group has potential paths to be explored.

Use any kind of shape - straight, curved, square, triangle, round, elliptical and so on. Copy this source shape (brush) into memory (the Clipboard).

 And then use it as a target Path. By using Path Effects > Pattern Along Path or Bend or even Envelope Deformation.

Each of these Path Effects have options to Paste the Path and/or to Link to the Path that  is on the Clipboard.

Each path presented in this svg file can be flipped or rotated or skewed or mirrored. They can be adjusted in any way prior to use. This leads to more potential outcomes, variations.

The idea is what are the common paths your hand and eye like to see or use when wanting a key shape ("a brush") to travel on? Then consider how these normally used paths can be altered or reversed. So you explore new paths and see afresh and to create afresh.

@SpriteAttack That is an impressive brush set. Thanks for sharing. Have you used these in your artwork? If so, I would be interested to see how they have been applied.

@Pacer - yes, I used them. Check out the youtube videos :)

@Pacer - same brushes but as texture brushes in Affinity Designer:
 

@SpriteAttack That really ads depth to your artwork. I love the wood grain effect on the house, it's very effective. Thanks for sharing.

Also, your technique for creating seamless brush patterns will come in handy.

Hmmm. This is a tough one though! 😅

Bless up to all the Inkscape grandmasters 🙌💪🔥  @mrks9 @SpriteAttack @ken10001000 @Hum @Moini

Loving the vibes!!!

This set of brushes is to resemble textures of a sort. Roughly. In fact, those made in the 3rd and 4th columns are the same as those in columns 1 and 2 but I applied the Roughen Path Effect to vary them.

The graphic with the red shapes are example uses.

These are free for you to use as you wish and to alter as you wish.

I started with a very narrow ellipse and moved come nodes around and came up with these variations.

Brushes are in red and some Path examples are in black.

Free to use and alter in any way with no need for any attribution.

A big hello to you.

These brushes are intended to resemble stitches or stitching.

Remember that any brush can be flipped or rotated or skewed.

Use them with the "from clipboard" and "bend from clipboard" options available with ths Pencil  snd Pen tools and Path Effect > Pattern Along Path. Try adjusting the spacing etc. Also can be used with the Scatter Extension and Bend Path effect.

Thosebin red are strokes only. Those in blue are fills only. Some examples of them applied to a Path are shown in black.

The svg file is a little bit larger to accommodate them all.

Have fun creating and exploring. 

The sun is shining and the birds are singing 

The flowers are blooming.

What springs up?

Brushes are in red and example applied paths are in black

For me, it will be some vegetal ones :

I like these brushes, m1981. 

Very nice work. Thank you for sharing.

Hi. Hatch lines are nothing new. But here are some hatch brushes at common angles  and in combinations.

The brushes are in red strokes in the svg file.

The graphic below has some blue text with further ideas for more possibilities.

Explore and create and have fun.

I do not know why the svg file above is not showing

 So I attach the svg file again

@Hum I can see you have uploaded an SVG, but I don't know why it isn't showing up in the published comment. Perhaps @doctormo can advise?

Is the zipped version of the svg file showing up?

If it us, when the 7z file us un-ziooed,  an you see and lod it into Inkscape?

I have sent Martin  (drmo) a message.

Thank you, Pacer.

@Hum I can see your zipped file. No problem :)

We have plenty of time, maybe we can push this further?

Anyone tried experimenting with the bend from keyboard option?

Because, the bend path effect can work with groups too -so multi-coloured, gradiented brushes are also possible. 

Here is an example for that, inspired by Victor Vasarely.

Also attaching the brushes in the svg file.