Custom Brushes

Custom brushes let you use any image as a stamp, allowing you to quickly repeat patterns, textures, or complex shapes.

Creating a Custom Brush

To create a custom brush:

Draw the pattern you want to use as a brush on any file
Select the area containing your pattern
Press Ctrl+B or right-click and choose "Use as Custom Brush"

This creates a new brush file from your selection and automatically switches to the Brush tool with your custom brush selected.

Brush picker menu with a captured custom brush shown in its own row below the geometric shapes — Captured brushes appear in their own row at the bottom of the brush picker.

Using Custom Brushes

Once a custom brush is set:

Click to stamp the pattern once
Drag to stamp the pattern along your stroke
The brush respects the current color mode settings
Pixel-Perfect is greyed out while a custom brush is active, since it only applies to the built-in shapes at 1px

The Eraser has its own custom-brush slot: pick a captured brush from the eraser dropdown to erase with that stamp.

Canvas with a custom cross pattern stamped by single clicks and repeated along a dragged stroke — Single clicks stamp the pattern once; dragging repeats it along the stroke.

Color Modes

Custom brushes support different color modes:

Stamp (Original Colors) — Stamps the brush with its original colors
Brush (Foreground Color) — Replaces non-transparent pixels with the current foreground color

Clearing the Custom Brush

To return to the normal brush:

Select a geometric brush shape from the tool options row
Or delete the brush file from the file list

Tips

Custom brushes are great for repetitive elements like foliage, grass, or decorative patterns.
Create a small tile pattern and use it as a brush to quickly fill large areas.
The brush respects symmetry settings for even faster pattern creation.
Custom brushes from other files can be imported by selecting content on that file.