The Paintbrush Tool and Blob Brush Tool are two of Adobe Illustrator’s most versatile yet misunderstood features. While many designers relegate these tools to basic illustration, professionals use them to create sophisticated vector artwork, seamless illustrations, and complex digital paintings.
This comprehensive guide covers everything from fundamental brush selection to advanced techniques for professional illustration, including keyboard shortcuts, brush customization, real-world applications, and the critical differences between vector brushes, raster brushes, and specialized brush types.
Whether you’re creating logos, character design, digital painting, or detailed vector illustrations, mastering these tools will dramatically expand your creative capabilities.
My name is Lalit Adhikari and we are at LTY. Let’s begin!
Table of Contents
Introduction: Why Brush Tools matter in Professional Illustration
The Underestimated Power of Vector Brushes
Most designers perceive the Paintbrush Tool as a simple drawing utility, but it’s actually a sophisticated instrument for professional illustration.
When combined with understanding of brush types, settings, and workflow optimization, these tools enable you to create artwork that competes with raster-based painting applications while maintaining full vector scalability.
The key difference between novice and professional use of these tools lies not in the tool itself, but in understanding the underlying technology and workflow optimization.
What Sets Professional Illustrators Apart
Professional illustrators understand three critical concepts:
- Tool Selection: Knowing when to use Paintbrush vs. Blob Brush vs. specialized brush types
- Settings Mastery: Understanding and adjusting Fidelity, Smoothness, Pressure, and Colorization settings
- Workflow Efficiency: Using keyboard shortcuts, custom brushes, and stacking techniques to work at professional speed
This guide provides all three.
Related Topics:
Paintbrush Tool
Let’s understand the paintbrush tool which is the foundation of vector illustration.
What Is the Paintbrush Tool and How Does It Differ From Other Drawing Tools?
The Paintbrush Tool (Keyboard Shortcut: B) is Adobe Illustrator’s primary tool for creating artistic strokes with predefined brush shapes. Unlike the Pencil Tool which creates simple anchor points, the Paintbrush Tool applies vector-based art (brushes) to your drawn path, creating artistic effects while maintaining full vector editability.
Key Distinction: When you draw with the Paintbrush Tool, you’re not creating a raster image. You’re applying vector artwork to a vector path, meaning your illustration remains scalable to any size without quality loss.
Accessing the Paintbrush Tool
Method 1 – Keyboard Shortcut: Press B to instantly activate the Paintbrush Tool
Method 2 – Toolbar: Click the Paintbrush Tool icon in the left toolbar. If not visible, click the three-dot menu and customize your toolbar.
Method 3 – Tools Menu: Navigate to Tools > Drawing Tools > Paintbrush (rarely necessary with keyboard shortcut available)
The Critical Difference: Paintbrush vs. Pencil Tool
| Feature | Paintbrush Tool | Pencil Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Output | Artistic brush strokes applied to path | Simple anchor-point path |
| Editability | Full brush control & variation | Limited to path editing |
| Vector Quality | Maintains vector scalability | Simple path, limited artistic potential |
| Use Case | Professional illustration, artistic effects | Technical drawing, precise paths |
| Complexity | Can use complex brushes | No brush application |
Related Topics:
- How to use Gradient Tool in Illustrator
- How to use Mesh Tool in illustrator
- How to make a Semicircle in Illustrator
Blob Brush Tool
What Is the Blob Brush Tool?
The Blob Brush Tool (Keyboard Shortcut: Shift+B) is a specialized painting tool that creates filled shapes from your brush strokes. Unlike the Paintbrush Tool which creates strokes, the Blob Brush creates solid, filled shapes that automatically merge when they overlap, making it perfect for illustration, character design, and organic shape creation.
Critical Distinction: When you draw with the Blob Brush, Illustrator automatically creates a merged shape. If your stroke overlaps with existing Blob Brush shapes, they automatically combine into a single unified path—no need to manually unite them.
Accessing the Blob Brush Tool
Method 1 – Keyboard Shortcut: Press Shift+B (fastest method for professionals)
Method 2 – Toolbar: Hold down (or click and hold on newer versions) the Paintbrush Tool icon, then select Blob Brush from the dropdown menu
Method 3 – Customized Toolbar: If not visible, customize your toolbar to add it as a separate icon
Related Topics:
Paintbrush Tool vs. Blob Brush Tool: Complete Comparison
Understanding the practical differences between these tools is essential for workflow efficiency:
Paintbrush Tool Creates:
- Strokes following your exact drawing path
- Artistic effects applied to paths
- Lines and decorative elements
- Effects that can be removed without deleting the path
Blob Brush Tool Creates:
- Solid filled shapes
- Automatically merged overlapping shapes
- No visible “path” underneath—just solid color
- Perfect for organic, flowing illustrations
- Ideal for character design and illustration
Related Topics:
Critical Paintbrush Tool Settings – Professional Mastery
Accessing Paintbrush Tool Options
- Double-click the Paintbrush Tool (B) in the toolbar to open the options dialog
Key Settings You Must Understand
1. Fidelity (0.5 – 20 pixels)
What it does: Controls how closely Illustrator follows your exact mouse/pen movement before creating a new anchor point.
Practical Application:
- Low Fidelity (0.5-2): Creates detailed, complex paths following every small movement. Use for precise, intricate work.
- Medium Fidelity (5-8): Balanced between detail and smoothness. Recommended for most illustration work.
- High Fidelity (15-20): Creates smooth, simplified paths with fewer anchor points. Use for flowing shapes and faster drawing.
Professional Tip: Adjust Fidelity based on your input device. Tablet users often benefit from higher fidelity (smoother) than mouse users.
2. Smoothness (0 – 100%)
What it does: Applies mathematical smoothing to your path to remove jitter and irregularities.
Practical Application:
- 0% Smoothness: No smoothing applied; path follows your exact movement including any hand tremors
- 50% Smoothness: Balanced approach, removes minor jitter while preserving intentional variation
- 100% Smoothness: Maximum smoothing; creates very smooth, flowing paths but may lose intentional detail
Professional Tip: Combine moderate Fidelity with moderate Smoothness (around 25-50%) for best results with both mouse and tablet.
3. Pressure and Stylus Options
For Tablet Users: If using a pressure-sensitive stylus (Wacom, iPad, etc.):
- Check the Pressure checkbox to enable pressure-sensitivity
- Adjust the pressure slider to control how dramatically pressure affects width
- This creates natural-looking variation mimicking real brush behaviour
Professional Tip: Pressure-sensitive drawing dramatically improves the professional appearance of illustration. If possible, invest in a graphics tablet.
4. Tilt and Rotation
Tilt Sensitivity: For compatible styluses, enables the brush to respond to pen angle
- Creates natural calligraphic effects
- Perfect for brush strokes that vary based on angle
Rotation: Controls whether the brush rotates based on drawing direction
Professional Application: Enable tilt for calligraphic and artistic brushes; disable for technical or uniform strokes.
5. Keep Selected
What it does: Leaves the path selected after you finish drawing
When to Use:
- Enable when you plan to immediately edit the path (adjust size, color, etc.)
- Disable when creating multiple strokes and you want them deselected
6. Fill New Brush Strokes
What it does: Automatically fills newly created brush strokes with your current fill color
When to Enable:
- When you want brush strokes to have colored fills
- For creating specific illustration effects
- Generally leave disabled for traditional brush strokes
7. Colorization Methods
When applying colored brushes, Illustrator offers colorization options:
- None: No color adjustment; uses brush’s original colors
- Tints: Adjusts brush color to variations of your selected stroke color (darkens with black, lightens with white)
- Tints and Shades: Similar to Tints but with more control over lightening and darkening
- Hue Shift: Shifts the entire color range of the brush to match your stroke color; preserves luminosity relationships
Related Topics:
Blob Brush Tool Settings and Advanced Options
Accessing Blob Brush Tool Options
- Double-click the Blob Brush Tool (Shift+B) in the toolbar
Critical Blob Brush Settings
1. Fidelity (Same as Paintbrush)
What it does: Controls how closely Illustrator follows your exact mouse/pen movement before creating a new anchor point.
Practical Application:
- Low Fidelity (0.5-2): Creates detailed, complex paths following every small movement. Use for precise, intricate work.
- Medium Fidelity (5-8): Balanced between detail and smoothness. Recommended for most illustration work.
- High Fidelity (15-20): Creates smooth, simplified paths with fewer anchor points. Use for flowing shapes and faster drawing.
Professional Tip: Adjust Fidelity based on your input device. Tablet users often benefit from higher fidelity (smoother) than mouse users.
2. Smoothness (Same as Paintbrush)
What it does: Applies mathematical smoothing to your path to remove jitter and irregularities.
Practical Application:
- 0% Smoothness: No smoothing applied; path follows your exact movement including any hand tremors
- 50% Smoothness: Balanced approach, removes minor jitter while preserving intentional variation
- 100% Smoothness: Maximum smoothing; creates very smooth, flowing paths but may lose intentional detail
Professional Tip: Combine moderate Fidelity with moderate Smoothness (around 25-50%) for best results with both mouse and tablet.
3. Pressure (Stylus/Tablet Settings)
Control pressure sensitivity if using a pressure-sensitive input device.
4. Keep Selected
Critical for Blob Brush Workflow:
- Enable: New shapes remain selected, allowing immediate resizing or color adjustment
- Disable: Deselect each shape after creation, forcing you to manually select it later
Professional Recommendation: Enable “Keep Selected” to streamline Blob Brush workflow.
5. Merge Only With Selection
What it does: Controls automatic merging behaviour when creating overlapping shapes
When Checked: New Blob Brush strokes merge ONLY with previously selected shapes. Unselected shapes won’t merge, even if overlapping.
When Unchecked: Any overlapping Blob Brush shape automatically merges with existing shapes
Professional Workflow:
- For organized illustration: Check “Merge Only With Selection” to prevent accidental merges
- For quick, loose illustration: Leave unchecked for automatic merging
6. Adjust Brush Size
- Right Square Bracket ]: Increases brush size (1 pixel per keystroke)
- Left Square Bracket [: Decreases brush size (1 pixel per keystroke)
Professional Shortcut: Hold down the bracket keys for rapid adjustment without accessing the brush panel.
Related Topics:
About the Author
Lalit M. S. Adhikari is a Digital Nomad and Educator since 2009 in design education, graphic design and animation. He’s taught 500+ students and created 200+ educational articles on design topics. His teaching approach emphasizes clarity, practical application and helping learners.
Learn more about Lalit Adhikari.
This guide is regularly updated with the latest information about Adobe tools and design best practices.
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It will be really helpful for my illustrations. Thanks!
Helpful, especially the control of anchor points in the stroke of brush tool. Thank you.