How to Use the Paintbrush Tool in Adobe Illustrator

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By IsabelleKay
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A lot of the Illustrator tools look the same as they do in Photoshop, but work a little differently. One of those tools is the paintbrush. Luckily, you can apply your Photoshop knowledge to Illustrator, if you keep the right mindset. This guide will help you get started with the paintbrush tool.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Computer
Adobe Illustrator
Open Illustrator Document

Step 1

Select the paintbrush tool from the toolbar.
Step 2

Select a stroke color from the color cubes at the bottom of the toolbar. The cube that looks like a square donut controls your stroke color. Double click this icon to change the color.
Step 3

Turn off your fill color. The fill color is controlled by the solid cube at the bottom of your toolbar, adjacent to the stroke cube. The symbol which is a white rectangle with a red line through it means you will not have a fill color (which is what you want).
Step 4

Choose a stroke size, using the pull-down menu at the top of your screen (assuming you are using CS2 or CS3).
Step 5

Choose an actual brush to use. Use the pull-down menu labeled "brush" and click on the brush you like.
Step 6

Paint away.