Halloween is almost here and as digital scrapbookers, we usually get all excited about all the flashy Digital Scrapbooking Kits and forget about the custom Halloween Brushes for using in either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.
Compared to a digital scrapbooking kits, the black custom brush kits don’t look that exciting, however, in every brush kit is a magical scrapbooking tool just waiting to be released to work magic on your next digital scrapbooking project!
Custom Brushes Bring out the Magic in Digital Scrapbooking!
For example, the Halloween Witch Brush Set , (see the image on the left) is how a brush kit might look.
Usually, custom brushes are variations of black and gray colors only when you first get them. But when you use your brush the magic begins as you load your own colors into the brush. Like magic, the custom brush doesn’t have to be black anymore!
A favorite way that digital scrapbookers like using the custom brushes is to use them like how a traditional scrapbookers would use a rubber stamp; picking up the ink on the stamp and “stamping” ut on a paper.
Well, custom brushes can be used like this… only a digital-version of a rubber stamp!
Use Custom Brushes Like Rubber Stamps
Digital scrapbookers can use Photoshop Brushes to replicate a rubber stamp by loading a custom brush set into Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, choosing the brush like one from the Halloween Witch Brush set, picking a color, and “stamping” it onto the digital scrapbooking project.
For example, the image of the tag and the outline of the witch shoes is the actual brush tool moving away from the paper after “stamping”, and the image of the purple shoes on the tag is the “stamped” brush after is is applied to the tag! The black brush in the kit, now with color applied and “stamped,” makes the purple shoes! Also, picking other colors and brushes, we “stamped” a witches hat and broom too! See how attractive the Halloween brushes made this Halloween tag? It is fun to have improve a simple tag and put it onto a Halloween Scrap Project- like below:
Custom Brushes Contain Even More Magic When you Colorize Them!
By taking a brush from the Halloween Brush Set and colorizing them, you can turn them into embellishments to add to your digital Halloween scrapbooking pages!
By colorizing, I mean to take a black and white (or gray-toned) custom brush and apply different colors to different areas of the brushed image. Doing this makes a black and gray-toned “stamped” brush look more like a colored brush embellishment …which means it can look and act more like a digital embellishment (like, adding drop shadow), than a simple-looking “stamped” brush image.
It’s common for beginner digital scrapbookers to overlook custom brushes when they add digital accessories to their digital scrapbooking projects. Many beginner scrappers aren’t as familiar with custom brushes and don’t realize the potential of a good custom brush, especially when they’re choosing supplies filled with pretty, sparkly, eye-catching digital embellishments! But you can also turn your brushes into fancy embellishments if you simply colorize them!
Step 1: ”Stamp” the brush. I took this custom brush and applied it to a new document using black as the outline color within Photoshop Elements (you can also do this in Photoshop). This brush is great because it was designed as an outline-brush… which is perfect for us to colorize in the following steps.
Step 2: Colorize your “stamped” brush!
Truthfully, a custom brush might look a little boring unless you decide to add a little color! Once you apply some color to your custom brush, it’s amazing how they can change right before your eyes and become so colorful and exciting!
Next, I applied different colors to the brush image. Adding a little color works wonders, and yes, because I did take a few extra steps to personalize the brush, I could color it in the way that I wanted it to be colored! Unlike pre-colored digital embellishments, I could color my brush embellishment in any colors I want! After seeing this change in the brush embellishment, brushes are starting to seem a lot more magical, aren’t they?!
Step 3: Add some effects- like a drop shadow.
Yes, if done correctly you can now add a drop shadow to your colorized brush embellishment. A drop shadow will make it appear more 3-D and less like a flat image.
For more information about brushes and how to colorize them, please see our brush training in either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.
Once a brush is colorized you can add them to your Halloween Scrapbooking pages or projects!
See the example below of how this brush that is turned into a cute digital scrapbooking embellishment is added to a Halloween Digital Scrapbooking Page:
This brush has turned out to be such a great Halloween embellishment.
Try colorizing your custom brushes! Get Custom Brush sets and training (Photoshop or Photoshop Elements) so that you can include them in your next digital scrapbooking project too!
Use Custom Halloween Brushes as Coloring Pages!
The magic of custom brushes doesn’t end with colorizing them… brushes can also be used for creating your very own coloring pages too!
Did you know that you can turn your digital scrapbooking custom brushes into your very own coloring pages for your kids? You are not alone… many people don’t know about this simple brush trick!
Creating games and crafts to keep your kids preoccupied, busy, and happy is always a constant challenges as a mother! It can be hard to think of new activities… in fact, it can seem like a full-time job!
Custom brushes are definitely one of the easiest ways to create in quick coloring pages for kids. Coloring Pages made from custom brushes can save money and keep children entertained during Halloween-time.
Using the same custom brush set above (Halloween Brush Set), I selected the cat brush and “stamped” on a new document in Photoshop Elements (or Photoshop). I liked this brush set because it had lots of designs that were in outlines, perfect for a coloring page! After I “stamped” the Halloween cat brush out on my page, then I used my home printer to print it out. Just like magic, now I have a great coloring page to give to the kids! Don’t forget the crayons!
The more you use custom brushes the more magical things you will find to do with them!
Enjoy!
Have a very Happy Halloween and try custom brushes!
Cheri
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Ps. Sign up for our FREE Newsletter… a little bat told me that starting on Wed (10/28/09) all those that are newsletter members will get a FREE Halloween Custom Brush! Yes, a FREE custom brush for your Halloween projects! But you must be a newsletter member to get it!
Sign-up for the Newsletter and look out for your free Halloween custom brush this Wed! Hurry as this offer ends very soon!
[...] is a great article to read about What to do with Halloween Brushes – Halloween Photoshop Brushes and Digital Scrapbooking Projects Check it out it will give you lots of great ideas on how to use brushes! Also sign up for [...]