Chapter 5: Brush Properties and Pressure

A sketching brush helps you explore an idea with light, loose lines. A painting brush lays down color and texture. In this chapter we’ll choose both kinds, open their properties, and see how pen pressure can change a mark.

First, choose a preset

A sketch brush and a paint brush

Open the Brush Presets docker. If it is hidden, use Settings → Dockers → Brush Presets. The preset list contains ready-made brushes; the Brush Settings Editor, which we’ll open next, changes properties of the brush you selected.

Krita Brush Presets docker with its tag menu open. The Sketch tag is selected among categories such as Ink, Paint, Pixel Art, Textures, and Digital. — **Filter presets by tag.** The tag menu groups brushes by use. Choose *Sketch* to browse sketching presets, or *Paint* to browse painting presets. You can also type a name in the Search field.

Krita Brush Presets docker showing a grid of brush thumbnails, including pencils, pens, textured brushes, and paint brushes. The Sketch tag is selected. — **Brushes make different marks.** Pencil and pen tips make line work; broad or textured tips are useful for laying in color and surface texture. Hover over a preset to see its name, then click to select it.

For sketching: choose a pencil-style preset

Choose the Sketch tag or search for Pencil. Pick a pencil-like preset and make a few light construction lines on a new paint layer. Try loose circles and simple lines, then draw over them more firmly to define the shape. Pencil presets can look different across Krita versions and resource packs.

For painting: choose a basic paint brush

Search for Basic-5 or choose another simple, round brush. Use it to paint a solid patch of color on a separate layer. A basic brush is a useful starting point because its size and opacity are easy to understand.

Open Brush Settings and inspect the properties

Choose a brush preset first, then open its Brush Settings Editor with F5. On a Mac, try Fn + F5 if the function key controls a system feature. You can also click the Brush Settings button in the top toolbar, near the preset controls. This editor changes the selected brush; it is different from the Brush Presets docker.

Krita Brush Editor open for the Basic-1 brush. The Quick Brush Engine property list shows Brush, Blending Mode, Size, and Spacing options. — **Properties depend on the brush.** This Basic-1 Quick Brush Engine has a short list of properties. Other brushes can show more controls, so the editor may look different for each preset.

Size: controls how wide the mark is. Adjust it to make fine sketch lines or broad paint strokes.
Opacity: controls how transparent a stroke is. Lower opacity lets marks underneath show through.
Flow: controls how much paint each brush dab lays down. Lower flow builds color more gradually as you paint over an area.
Brush tip and texture: change the shape or surface of the mark. A round tip makes smooth strokes; a textured tip can look more like pencil, chalk, or dry paint.

The available settings depend on the brush preset and its brush engine. For a first exercise, change only size and opacity so it’s easy to see what each one does.

Krita Brush Editor for Basic-2 Opacity. Flow is selected in the property list, and Enable Pen Settings and the Pressure sensor are checked. — **Read the selected property and its sensors.** Here, *Flow* is selected in the left list. *Enable Pen Settings* and *Pressure* are checked, so pen pressure affects Flow for this brush. Select *Size* or *Opacity* in the left list to inspect those properties separately.

Make brush size respond to pen pressure

Pressure sensitivity needs a pressure-sensitive stylus and tablet that Krita recognizes. A mouse or trackpad cannot report how firmly you press. Many tablet-oriented presets already use pressure; the steps below let you check or enable it for a brush.

In the Brush Settings Editor, click Size in the settings list.
Make sure the Size setting is enabled, then look at its Sensors list.
Turn on Pressure. The pressure curve maps a light press to a smaller mark and a harder press to a larger one.
Draw a few strokes on the editor’s scratch pad or on a spare paint layer. Start with a light touch, press more firmly through the stroke, then lift gradually.

If the line does not change thickness, check whether your selected preset has Size enabled and Pressure checked. Also check that your tablet driver is installed and that Krita receives pen input. If you are using a mouse or trackpad, use the Size control in the top toolbar to practice making strokes of different widths.

Krita test sheet comparing Basic 1, Basic 2 with mouse, and Basic 2 Sketch with pen. The selected brush name, Basic-2 Opacity, is visible at the bottom-left of the Krita window. — **Find the selected preset’s name.** Krita displays the current brush name at the bottom-left of the window. In this example it reads *Basic-2 Opacity*. The canvas labels compare marks made with Basic 1, Basic 2 using a mouse, and Basic 2 Sketch using a pen.

Try pressure with opacity too

For a softer sketch or transparent paint, choose Opacity in the settings list and enable Pressure under its Sensors. A light press then lays down a faint stroke; pressing harder makes it more opaque. Change one property at a time, and test the brush before painting over your fish artwork.

Krita canvas with a dark loose brush test stroke at the upper-left. The Sketch preset tag is selected in Brush Presets, and Basic-1 is the current brush. — **A sketch brush test.** Try a few short strokes on a spare layer before using a preset in your drawing. Lower the brush size for fine lines; use a light hand or lower opacity for a softer sketch.

If pressure is not working

Every stroke has the same width: select a preset with pressure support and check that Size and its Pressure sensor are enabled.
Nothing changes when you press harder: confirm the tablet is connected and its driver is working; mouse and trackpad input has no pressure value.
The brush looks faint: check both Opacity and Flow in the toolbar and brush settings.
You changed a preset by accident: reopen the original preset or save your adjusted version under a new name.