Gimp 2.9 Set Brushes

How to organize the new set

Some explanations and flying thoughts around theme

Many of revisions are based on my thread with L’ubomir Zabadal. One of the topics that we’re discussed was the sharpness and softness of the brushes. With the actual Paint Dynamics on Gimp is possible also to increment this aspect… but is crucial to have the brushes a bit more responsive for this topic… We can discuss this with calm and topic by topic, for me is more productive and reasonable :)

Is very interesting to have the possibility to use a major number of brushes with pencil tool … and that’s good because the pencil don’t have anti-aliasing … and this could be an interesting possibility to increase the sharpness without paint dynamics. But in the current set is not possible… the stains, for the major part of set, become very darkest using pencil too … so is necessary a partial redesign.

Normally the brushes are used to many medias… but each media have different quality and needs, e.g., the offset need of brushes with more details and they have size more great of than used for video or concept art for storyboards, games, etc. For comics is interesting to think ‘comfortable’ sizes to 600 ppi, e.g, with screen-tones. The brushes could be another three class tags: video, offset, comics.

My Dream is to have an info label to indicates the nominal diameter of a brush in pixels, or another unit that the user can choose.

The brushes need work with the major part of tools. My test is very simple … if a brush works nice with paintbrush and pencil tool … is approved for other tools.

Use mainly the pencil tool to redesign the stains for brushes interested to usage among different paint tools.

Brush Revision/Redesign

My ideas about these tasks …

Basic

Default Basic Brushes

• Pixel 3x3, Pixel (1x1 square): to uniform with a unique brush.
• Block 01, Block 02, Block 03: all horizontal flats; understand if is better a simple version and with 64 pixels.
• Hardeness 025, Hardness 050, Hardness 075, Hardness 100: the dimension is very small, with 128 pixels the brush works better and is possible to scale up the size.
• Star: I don’t understand there this brush, perhaps in Texture tag?! The dimension is better with 64 pixels.

Basic Brushes Brainstorming | Which is the difference between a parametric brush and a .gbr for the classical kind (Block, Round) with or without antialiasing?
I’ve began a series of tests dedicated to parametric brushes and for me is possible to redesign the entire Basic set with parametric brushes.
After the tests, they have a little difference, but not justify a set with these shapes based on rasters … see my document about these tests there.

Media

Default Media Brushes

• Acrylic 01, 02, 03, 04, 05: these brushes are very beautiful, but is necessary increase the sharpest and the dimension with 256 pixels. The brush Acrylic 05 needs some improvements, perhaps change it to 1 bit… the border has problems (this point is necessary more studies, because Gimp 2.10 has new capabilities, mainly hardness and force sliders on tool options).
• Bristles 01, 02, 03: uniform all to 256 pixels and more sharpest the Bristle 03.
• Oils 01, 02, 03: needs a good work to use them with pencil tool. Borders with problems; minimal dimension 128 pixels, perhaps an version with 256 pixels.
• For All: to transform all in round brush or around.

Media Brushes Brainstorming | Perhaps increase the Bristle and Oils Series with others brushes. Is important in the series have different brushes with different stain qualities.

Sketch

• Chalk 01, 02, 03: improve the sharp and to uniform all to 256 pixels. The Chalk 03, don’t works fine… need to study it better, it has not a good resulting ...
• Charcoal 01 e 02: need a bit work and to understand how make work with pencil tool. To transform the stain in a round shape …
• Pencil 01 e 02: these brushes are my design to emulate the pencils… now occurs a bit study and tests to work also with pencil tool. To uniform dimension to 64 pixels, minimal.
• Pencil Scratch: I think that is useful a bit noise on the borders of the angled lines… to uniform the dimension for 128 pixels (investigate better).

Sketch Brushes Brainstorming | Add new brushes for all series but is necessary a bit analysis (different stains is the main criteria). See my brushes and of Zabadal for the sketching …

Splatters > Faux (proposal)

Default Splatters Brushes

• Sparks: better on Legacy and perhaps another optional set special effects.
• Splats 01 and 02: interesting but are very similar… perhaps another splats kind block. For me is very interesting the Photoshop series around this kind. Can be used to inspire the new brushes.

Splatter Series on Photoshop.

• Sponge 01, Sponge 02: needs a better alignment on frame. To uniform to 256 pixels and 512 pixels (perhaps). Make 1 bit stains and rebuild Sponge 01 stain to something similar to sponge texture… this texture is being used as glass texture too.

Splatters Brushes Brainstorming | Perhaps the term ‘splatter’ is not ideal for this kind brushes. For me is better Faux Brushes… the splatter is ideal for the action painting (?!)… perhaps a dynamic with this behavior. This kind brush is normally in the real world to simulate material, textures, etc … a classical is the faux marble. I suggest nominate all the brushes with faux after … could be for instance, faux splats 01.

Texture

Default Texture Brush set.

• Cell 01, Cell 02: make a partial revision on textures… make attention on the borders and to uniform the dimension, all 256 pixels.
• Grass: make a partial revision on texture, to correct the borders, to uniform to 256 pixels.
• Smoke: to improve the sharpness and to uniform to 256 pixels …
• Structure: good to stamp, is interesting to transform it on .gih brush.
• Texture 01, Texture 02: revision on texture, more sharpest, to uniform to 256 pixels.
• Texture Hose 01, Texture Hose 02, Texture Hose 03: revision on the borders, to uniform to 256 pixels, more sharpest 02 and 03. Perhaps to simplify with only 3 layers from incremental to random.
• Vegetation 01, Vegetation 02: more sharpest and to uniform to 256 pixels and to round kind. For me Vegetation 02, is very photographic yet… need something more graphical or abstract. See my work for Dunes Sand or for Vine.

Texture Brushes Brainstorming | Many of these brushes can be used to faux techniques… well could be interesting to re-tag these brushes as faux brushes… being helped from Wikipedia the term ‘texture’ is used:

• Texture mapping, bitmap image applied to a surface in computer graphics; > Cell Series
• Texture (painting), feel of the canvas based on the paint used and method of application; > Texture Hose Series, Structure.
• Texture (visual arts), element of design and its application in art. > Glass and Vegetation Series.

I don’t know well, but it seems more interesting a Texture series in the last case, Texture (visual arts)… explained so on wikipedia:

In the visual arts, texture is the perceived surface quality of a work of art. It is an element of two-dimensional and three-dimensional design and is distinguished by its perceived visual and physical properties. Use of texture, along with other elements of design, can convey a variety of messages and emotions.

Legacy

Default Legacy Brushes;.

• Animated Confetti: perhaps is possible to get a new life for this classic brush: more sharpest, more great, study the layers and behaviors.
• Confetti: static version, perhaps to uniform to 256 pixels and to study well the pattern (to render more enjoyable). Is better a version with 1 bit.
• Galaxy (AP): to improve the borders, more sharpest and to uniform to 256 pixels.
• Galaxy, Big: idem
• Sand Dunes (AP): done!
• Vine: done!
• z Pepper: study another place or set a part… perhaps to study the another series dedicated to green, fruits, trees, etc …

Legacy Brushes Brainstorming | Many brushes on Legacy tag could be classified as Texture too.