Painting with bitmaps

By combining bitmap fill, transparency and brush stroking you can create the effect of a bitmap painted onto the page. Because the brush is semitransparent, you can make parts of the painting semi-opaque.

To paint with a bitmap

There are several distinct steps.

First step: create the brush design

1. Draw the object you want to use as the brush. A circle is the easiest shape to use - Drawing a circle.

2. Make the line around the edge of the object invisible - Changing a line color.

3. Fill it with the bitmap you want to use - Applying a bitmap fill.

If necessary scale the bitmap to the size you want.

Make sure that Fill Tiling is set to Repeating tile or Repeat inverted (depending on which suits the bitmap you are using).

4. Give the object a circular transparency - Applying a circular transparency.

Make the outer edge of the transparency 100% transparent - Changing the transparency levels.

Make the center of the transparency partially transparent. We recommend 70-80% transparent.

Second step: make it into a brush

1. Select the Freehand & Brush Tool.

2. Click Create Brush.

3. Give the brush a name. You can use any unique name.

4. Click OK to create the brush.

Third step: painting with the brush

1. Select the Freehand & Brush Tool.

2. If you have just created a brush it is already selected. If not, select it from the brush drop-down list.

3. Draw a freehand line by dragging the mouse pointer over the page - Drawing a freehand line.

To make areas less transparent drag the line back over the area. This gives overlapping brush patterns and a more opaque result.

4. After drawing the line you can edit it if required.

Note:

If you want to change the bitmap used for painting, you need to create a new brush. (You cannot change the bitmap used in an existing brush.) Repeat the First and Second steps to create a brush with the new bitmap. Next select the line and then select your new brush from the brush drop-down list.

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