TL;DR

Ever felt your digital illustrations were missing that organic, gritty feel? In this quick Illustrator tutorial, Brian Wood shows you how to turn flat artwork into dynamic scatter brushes—think ink splatters, paint drops and nature-inspired bits—to add natural depth, random patterns and unique visual flair.

You’ll learn to create and refine your custom brush, apply it to paths and shapes, then tweak color, opacity and blend modes for maximum impact. Free practice files are available, and everything ties back into an Adobe Creative Cloud membership for on-the-go access and seamless sharing.

Watch on YouTube