INSTRUCTIONS

THANKS FOR PURCHASING FINEST VINTAGE!

The pack contains vector brushes, examples of the pack in action and a quick reference guide.

PLEASE NOTE: This product is compatible with Illustrator CS1 - CC only and WILL NOT work in
Photoshop or any earlier version of Illustrator.

Please see below for usage instructions.

FINDING THE RIGHT FILE - IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

The information below will help you find the file that’s compatible with your version of Illustrator.

The file name ending ‘..._CS1’ works with Illustrator CS1, CS2, CS3 and CS4.

The file name ending ‘..._CS5’ works with Illustrator CS5 and CS6.

The file name ending ‘..._CC’ works with Illustrator CC only.

Pressure sensitive versions of the brushes for Illustrator CS5 to CC can be found in the
‘PRESSURE SENSITIVE BRUSHES_CS5_6 AND CC’ folder.

TO LOAD THE BRUSHES...

1. Open or create a new Illustrator document.

2. Open the ‘BRUSHES TAB’. This can be found in the ‘FILE>OPEN’ menu.

3. In the tab’s corner menu select ‘OPEN BRUSH LIBRARY>OTHER LIBRARY...’ and select one of
the brush files from the downloaded product folder. The brushes will open in a new tab.

click here to access

the corner menu

4. Click on any of the brush icons to transfer them to the main ‘BRUSHES TAB’.

Please note: to access the quick reference file simply open one of the brush files using the
‘FILE>OPEN’ menu and make the layers visible by turning them on using the ‘LAYERS TAB’.
BEFORE DRAWING - SET ILLUSTRATOR’S BRUSH SETTINGS

To get the most out of this pack it’s important that you optimise the brush settings before
drawing.

Illustrator’s brush settings can make brush strokes smoother

or more accurate. Most brushes function better using smoother
settings - fewer anchor points equals less distortion. I use the
settings shown opposite.

To access these options, double click on the ‘BRUSH TOOL’ icon on

the ‘TOOLS MENU’.

Move the ‘FIDELITY’ slider. The closer the slider is to ‘accurate’, the
more anchor points your stroke will contain. The closer to ‘SMOOTH’
the fewer anchor points it will have. Click ‘OK’ to confirm this change.

If you have problems with brush distortion try smoother settings.

DRAWING WITH THE BRUSHES

1. Select the ‘brush tool’ from the ‘TOOLS MENU’.

4. Select one of the brushes on the ‘brushes tab’ by clicking on it.

5. Draw a line.

Or

1. Select an existing line or vector shape.

2. Click on one of the brush icons on the ‘BRUSHES TAB’ and it will be applied to your line.

EDITING THE APPLIED BRUSH STROKES

To change the colour of your brush mark amend the color of the line’s stroke.

To adjust the size of the brush mark, change the stroke’s width.

To change the width to multiple thicknesses on one stroke, use the ‘WIDTH TOOL’.

TROUBLE SHOOTING - BRUSH DISTORTION

The pattern brushes work by repeating the same tile along a path. If you see any distortion within
the drawn strokes this is most likely because there isn’t room for a pattern tile. To minimize
distortion try the following:

1. Use smooth curves rather than jagged lines (the smooth tool can be useful here).

2. Reduce the stroke width.

3. Use shapes with fewer anchor points.

4. Divide shapes into multiple strokes rather than closed shapes.

5. Avoid using shapes with corner angles of less than 45 degrees. Illustrator brushes do not
support them.

GET IN TOUCH!
Contact me at support@artifexforge.com

I’d love to see what you create using my add-ons so why not get in touch?

Tag me on Instagram if you post anything that uses one of my products - @theartifexforge

If you have any problems please contact me before leaving negative feedback - I will always do
my best to get the product working for you.

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