Using the Crayon Tool

Crayon is a dry media similar to chalk though with a "wetter" feel that prevents powdering, and the tool has infinite pigment loading.  As applied by the Crayon tool , its dry pigment tends to penetrate the canvas texture proportional to the pressure at which you apply it. This is due to Paint Shop Pro mimicking a solid tool head. The pigment leaves a slightly waxy volume that can smear for a short distance as it is painted over. Crayons do not have a bristle component to the stroke, instead presenting a flat or angled tool surface. The body of the stroke tends to have a fall-off and break up affected strongly by the canvas texture, but although crayon pigment is less transparent than chalk, it does not does not powder.

Crayon is a little more shiny than pastel, smears itself slightly less, but does apply a tiny amount of matter to the canvas and can smooth over bumps if used repeatedly.  This is because the volume that is laid down is viscous enough to fill dents but also dense enough to prevent large-range smearing.

Crayon Tool Options

Crayon tool options include:

• Shape: Choices include Round or Square.

• Size: Defines the size of the tool head in pixels. Note that you can also adjust the Size setting via the keyboard.

• Thickness: Defines the aspect ratio of the tool head.

• Rotation: Defines the angle of head rotation in degrees

• Head Tracking: Controls whether the tool head bends around the path of the user’s stroke, or remains at a fixed angle.

• Trace check box: When marked, the Crayon tool will select the pigment color by sampling the data below the center of the tool regardless of the layer type. (This feature works much the same way the Clone Brush's Sample Merged tool option works). When you hold down the mouse button to begin the stroke, note that a single sample is performed, and the resulting color is used for the duration of the stroke.

Preset Styles

Like other Paint Shop Pro tools, the Crayon tool comes with presets. To use a preset:

1. In the Tool Options palette, click the Presets button. This displays a list of preset styles.

2. From the list, choose the desired tool preset.

Related Topics

Using the Mixer Palette

Art Media Layers

Using the Oil Brush

Using the Chalk Tool

Using the Pastel Tool

Using the Colored Pencil Tool

Using the Marker Tool

Using the Palette Knife Tool

Using the Smear Tool

Using the Art Eraser Tool