| Brushstroke Text Effect in CorelDRAW | |
Software
Used: CorelDRAW 11
This is a very easy way to add a splash of color to text or plain clipart. We'll use the Artistic Media Brush to paint strokes of color behind an outline font. The artistic media tool was introduced in CorelDRAW 9. I'm using CorelDRAW 11 in these screen shots, but the steps should be the same for version 9 through 12.
1.) Select the type tool, then click onto your page and type to create some artistic text.
2.) Change the font to a somewhat bold font. I'm using an outline font called Monstroula Shadow. Outline fonts work well, but if you do not want to use an outline font, you can set the fill to none and add a thick black outline.
3.) Go to Tools > Object Manager and add a new layer. Name the Text layer "Text" and the new empty layer "Paint".
4.) Drag the paint layer under the text layer and make sure it is active. The active layer's name will be shown in red.
5.) Zoom into the text so it fills your screen.
6.) Select the artistic media tool, and then the brush option. It is the second icon on the property bar.
7.) From the menu of brushes on the property bar, select the brush called oil1.
8.) Use a blank space in your document and click and drag to paint a sample brushstroke across the page. As you paint, the stroke will look like a black blob, but as soon as you release the mouse button, it turns into the brush stroke you selected in the property bar.
9.) Go to the property bar and adjust the brush width 
until it matches the text you'll be painting. You can delete this test stroke
once you have adjusted the width.
10.) Now simply trace each character of your text just as if you were writing it. it may help if you have a graphics tablet, but you should be fine with a mouse if you zoom in close enough.
11.) Don't worry about staying in the lines; the sloppy, painted look is what gives this effect its character. This particular brushstroke gets wider at the end of the stroke, so you may want to keep that in mind as you trace over the text.
12.) Once you have painted each character, you can go back,select each stroke and change the colors. You can also experiment with some of the other brush tool presets. By selecting the shape tool, you can manipulate your lines so they follow the text more closely. Here's how mine looks after changing the colors and fixing up the lines a bit.
Here is an example using a different font and different preset brush strokes for each letter.
13.) It may help to make the text layer uneditable in the object manager while you are manipulating the brush strokes. This will prevent you from accidentally moving the text. To lock a layer, click the pencil next to the layer's name in the object manager.
14.) You can even hide or delete the text outlines for another look.
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