How to Create a Splatter Brush in Illustrator

In this tutorial, we will learn how to make two types of splatter brushes in Illustrator that will help you add a grunge vibe to your artwork. We will also learn how to save each of our newly created brushes, so we can use them in the future for artwork, like posters, postcards, vector illustrations, and clipart, to name a few.

To showcase our design, we used this amazing mug mockup.

Step 1 - Create a New Document and Adjust the Units

Before starting up with our brushes, we are going to set up our new document, enable and adjust the units, and enable the grid so it can aid us during the process.

Create a New Document

First, create a new document. Use Pixels as the unit, RGB as the Color Mode, and set the Raster Effects to Screen (72 ppi).

Set the Measurements and Enable the Grid

Next, go to Illustrator > Preferences > Units. Make sure that Pixels is selected for the first two options. Once you are done, click OK.

Then, go to the View menu and make sure that Show Grid (Cmd/Ctrl + ‘) and Snap to Grid (Shift + Cmd/Ctrl + ‘) are enabled. You can skip this step if you feel comfortable creating your shapes without the aid of the grid and snapping.

Step 2 - Create a Flat Splatter Brush

First, we will create a flat version of the splatter brush that has some excess drops scattered around the main shape.

We will start by creating the shape we will use as the base of our brush by merging together a deformed circle and some stipple brushes.

Add a Circle to Create the Main Shape

Let’s create a circle by selecting the Ellipse Tool (L) and clicking on the canvas. Set the Fill to black and the Stroke to None. Then, input a 300 px value for the Width and Height and click OK.

Deform the Circle Edges to Make a More Realistic Blob

Double-click on the Wrinkle Tool icon in the left toolbar to open the options panel.

Change the Intensity value to 30% and the Horizontal Wrinkle Options to 100% in the Wrinkle Tool Options dialog and click Ok.

Use the Wrinkle Tool around the edges of the circle to deform them a bit to create a blob.

Add the Radiating Splatter Shapes Using a Stipple Brush

To add the rest of the splatter shapes, we are going to use some stipple brushes, but you can also create stipple brushes in Illustrator instead if you'd like.

Open the Stipple Brushes if Needed

To open them in Illustrator, just click on the Brushes drop down on the top menu.

Then, click on the small menu on the top-right side and go to Open Brush Library > Other Library.

Then, navigate to where your brushes are stored and select them.

Draw the Radiating Splatters Around the Main Shape

Select a different color for the Stroke so you can see the stipple shapes easier, and set the Fill to None. We picked grey for the Stroke. Now, use the Pen Tool (N) with one of the stipple brushes selected to draw a shape around the blob, making it look like drops are radiating from the center.

Make a Single Flat Splatter Shape From All the Shapes

We will first turn the stipple brush stroke into shapes and then merge all the shapes together.

Expand Appearance of Stipple Brush Stroke

In order to merge the stipple brush stroke with the large blob, the stipple brush stroke needs to be turned into shapes first. With the stipple brush stroke selected, go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Adjust the Fill Color if Needed

Since our stipple stroke was grey, we changed its Fill color to black in the Swatches panel.

Merge Individual Shapes Together

Next, select all your shapes, head to the Pathfinder panel, and choose Unite to merge everything together.

Save Your Flat Splatter Shape as a Scatter Brush

Now, we are going to save our flat splatter shape as a scatter brush. This option will disperse instances of your shape along a path.

First, select the flat splatter shape you just created, open the Brushes panel (Window > Brushes), and click on the small square with a + (plus) inside to create a new brush.

Then, choose Scatter Brush from the New Brush pop-up.

Then, name your brush and set the following values:

Size: Random from 25% to 55%

Spacing: Random from 15% to 40%

Scatter: Random from -10% to 10%

Rotation: Random from -45% to 45%

Rotation relative to: Page

Colorization Method: Tints

Your new brush thumbnail should now be present inside the Brushes panel.

Step 3 - Create a Dripping Splatter Brush

Now, we will create a second version of the splatter brush. This splatter brush will have some drips coming down from the main shape.

Make a Circle

Just as before, start by creating a circle with the Ellipse Tool (L). Set the Fill to black and the Stroke to None. Click inside the canvas and input a 100 px value for the Width and Height.

Create a Drip Shape

To make a drip, use the Pen Tool (P) to create a drip-like shape coming down from the circle.

Then, use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to adjust the overall shape of the drip until you are satisfied.

Copy and Paste the Drip to Add More Drips

Next, add more drips to finish the splatter drip image look. First, Copy the original drip (Cmd/Ctrl + C), then Paste it (Cmd/Ctrl + V).

Adjust the drip size and place it where you see fit to complement your design. You can use the Direct Selection Tool (A) again to change up the drip shape. Keep doing this until you are satisfied with the resulting shape.

Add Some Details to the Edges

To make the edges of the main splatter shape more realistic, we are going to add some wavy paths around the main part of the shape and smooth out the connection to the drips.

Before starting, turn off Snap to Grid (Shift + Cmd/Ctrl + ‘) since it will interfere with this type of drawing.

Then, select the Pencil Tool (N) and create a wavy path around the main circle shape and between the drips.

Don’t forget to add some separate small drops around the bottom of the drips, too.

Merge All the Shapes Together

Next, select the new shapes and fill them with black. Then select everything, open the Pathfinder panel, and choose Unite to merge them together.

Adjust the Drip Shapes if Needed

To finish up, you can use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select and adjust the anchor points that need fixing to give your shape a more realistic look.

Save Your Dripping Splatter Shape as an Art Brush

As we did before with the flat splatter shape, select the dripping splatter shape and create a new brush in the Brushes panel.

Choose Art Brush from the New Brush pop-up. This type of brush will stretch the shape evenly along a path.

Then, name your brush and set the following values:

Width: Fixed - 100%

Stretch Between Guides: Checked

Colorization Method: Tints

Leave the rest of the values as default.

Step 4 - Test Your Brushes

Now, both your brushes will show up on the Brushes panel. To use them, make a path and choose one of the splatter brushes you just created.

If you want to change the settings of your brushes, just double-click on top of their thumbnail on the Brushes panel to open the Brush Options, where you can modify what you want before clicking Ok.

Change Stroke Color to Change the Splatter Color

You can also change the color of your splatter brushes by selecting a new one from the Swatches panel, making sure that you are changing the Stroke color.

Now you can use your splatter brushes to create some cool designs. And feel free to experiment with any size and/or color combination.

If you liked this tutorial, how about checking out the ones about creating scatter brushes, watercolor brushes, and stipple brushes in Illustrator.