Perfect Pencils - Brush Pack
About
Create perfect pencil illustrations quickly, easily and digitally in Illustrator!
Software compatibility - This product works with Illustrator CS1 to CC only. Get the Affinity Designer version here - https://tinyurl.com/2frf66y2
You asked, I delivered!
This exciting pack is the result of all your requests for a brush set that doesn't stretch when strokes are elongated. With this set you can use just one brush to create a range of stroke lengths without having to switch brushes - making drawing quicker and much more like the real thing.
Don't just take my word for it, here's what the designers and artists who tested the pack for me have to say about it -
"Once again The Artifex Forge has come up with an original, useful, and high quality set of tools. Using these brushes makes me wonder where they have been all my life! They make it super easy to create realistic illustrations without having to switch brushes all the time, making the process much more intuitive and the results extremely realistic. They cleverly fill a very real need, and are a must have for every illustrator!"
Alaina Jensen, Digital Resource Designer.
"Perfect Pencil Brushes offer an authentic and realistic graphite pencil look to your designs and drawings. The anti-stretch brush strokes are smooth, and the details are seamless. It is a welcome and vital addition to my brush toolbox!"
A. Laws, Digital Artist.
"These pencil brushes produce an effective, realistic pencil line, whilst having all the advantages of vector. I've enjoyed adapting this set to my own art style and they've already been a huge time saver with portfolio and client work."
Adam Foreman - Freelance Illustrator.
"I usually find it very hard to find brushes for Illustrator that actually look like the advertised images when you use them, and usually resort to Procreate if I want to create anything very textured and hand-drawn but these Artifex brushes are perfect, they don’t stretch and go all funny-looking, they are easy to use and they are a great way to add texture to your Illustrator illustrations."
Lucia Wilkinson - Illustrator.
How does the brush set work?
I've used the pattern brush feature to build brushes that repeat the same section seamlessly along the stroke. Each brush contains end tiles alongside both inner and outer corner tiles for drawing right angles. (Beware of pattern art brushes not including corner tiles as the ability to draw fluidly is seriously inhibited without them).
Taking on board customer feedback but not losing the life-like fluidity of a pencil was the real challenge. The danger when using pattern brushes for artist tools is that they lose the vitality of the source material but I've definitely achieved my goal with this pack.
I've also included some dynamic and very short brushes too so you have a brush for every purpose.
Never used Illustrator brushes before? Find out how easy they are to use in this handy video - https://vimeo.com/263362850
The pack contains all of these fantastic components:
- The Brushes
Graphite Pencil Brushes: 12 Anti-stretch brushes and 12 short brushes - based on real pencil lead grades.
Coloring Pencil Brushes: 6 Anti-stretch brushes, 2 short brushes and 4 dynamic strokes. All sourced from genuine pencils.
If you are a tablet user, you'll be pleased to know that a version of the brushes with pressure sensitivity enabled is included. (Please note that this feature only works in Illustrator CS5+).
- Graphite Swatches:
Using colors taken from real graphite. Use these to color your artwork accurately and quickly.
- A quick reference guide
This will help you find the right brushes for the task in hand quickly.
- Example files
A selection of the preview images. Use these to see how I achieved the look.
- Instructions
A very thorough guide on how to load, apply and then adjust the brushes is supplied.
Please note! This product is compatible with Illustrator CS1 to CC only - Get the Affinity Designer version here - https://tinyurl.com/2frf66y2.
Get three FREE products when you sign up to The Artifex Forge newsletter here - https://tinyurl.com/ycwfv28p
Reviews
3 Reviews

Great set of brushes– I've purchased various packs from other creators and have been left disappointed, but I'm chuffed with how these look. I've finally found my staple pencils! I have no issue with over-stretching either. Would not hesitate to buy from this shop again (I also emailed Jeremy a Q and he was very quick to respond). Thank you!

Despite the claim, the brush strokes do stretch in the CS5 version. But I used it to make this, so I'm happy with the result. https://www.instagram.com/p/B8T4GD8hXmU/?igshid=id9oj7kmjui

Hey Chris, Thanks for picking up the pack and for taking the time to leave a review. I am wondering if something has gone wrong in the CS5 version as the anti-stretch brushes should definitely not over-stretch. If you over-extend the short brushes then they will distort as they're not designed for this purpose. I'd love to hear from you and make sure you're getting the best out of the pack.
Comments
FAQs
- How do I contact support?
For questions about this product, message the Shop Owner via their shop profile. For all other questions, like licensing or billing, visit our Help Center.
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Mac: Double click the .zip file, then search for the product folder or product file.
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