The Sketch Board in CattleBrandAI is optional. You do not need to draw before generating a cattle brand. Start with a short text prompt if you do not yet have a layout in mind.
Use the Sketch Board only when the layout is hard to explain with words, such as crossed initials, a custom bar position, or a specific way one letter should connect to another.
Sketch Freely or Arrange Existing Elements?
Updated October 2, 2026: the Free Traditional Designer and the generator's reference panel now use the same type of canvas. Traditional symbols and hand-drawn strokes can be combined in one design.
Arrange letters, bars, rockers, and other symbols, then choose Draw to add your own details on the same canvas. Select & move adjusts either type of element. Delete stroke removes an entire hand-drawn stroke, not traditional symbols; Undo restores it. Manual PNG/SVG exports remain free and watermark-free, without sign-in or credits.
Both can provide a reference for AI, but manual drawing is not AI generation. The traditional designer's optional AI handoff requires sign-in; refinement currently uses 4 credits per generation, and free-credit previews have a watermark. It does not unlock paid AI files.
Try an editable template or follow the traditional designer tutorial if you prefer elements to freehand strokes.
Apply a Design from the Generator's Reference Panel
In Text to Brand, open Add a reference design (optional), then Symbols / sketch. The homepage uses the shorter Sketch / symbols (optional) label for the same tool. Add letters, draw your details, and choose Use as AI reference when ready.
Creating and downloading the manual draft do not require sign-in. Applying it as an AI reference does require sign-in and can upload a reference image, but does not start AI generation or spend generation credits. If signed out, sign in and reopen the panel to continue with the browser-local draft.
If the form already has content, explicitly confirm replacement before applying. The reference image is replaced; the existing description is retained. An empty description receives a suggested refinement prompt. Check the resulting reference, exact initials, and displayed credit cost before clicking Generate. Applying is not a paid-file unlock or a promise that AI will preserve every stroke.
Symbols and strokes stay in this browser, not in your account. Closing the panel keeps the draft; browser storage can be unavailable or cleared. Download PNG or SVG before changing devices or browsers. New drafts default to 16:9; saved drafts keep their canvas format, and manual export follows that format.
When Sketch Board Helps
Sketch Board is useful when you already know the rough structure:
- A letter should sit above another letter
- A bar should connect to a hook, stem, or rocker
- Two initials should overlap in a specific way
- A symbol should sit inside a circle or diamond
- A previous AI draft is close, but the layout needs a hand-drawn correction
It is less useful when you only know the ranch name. In that case, start with text-to-brand and ask for initials first.
What to Draw
Draw only the rough structure. Do not try to create finished artwork.
Good sketches are simple:
- Thick black strokes
- One to three letters
- One simple modifier such as a bar, rocker, circle, or diamond
- Open spacing between parts
- No scenery, shading, full animals, or detailed decorations
The goal is to show the arrangement, not the final line quality.
Always Describe the Exact Letters
AI can misread rough handwriting. A sketch that looks like "MS" to you may look like "CA" or "AA" to the model.
After using a sketch, write a prompt such as:
This sketch is MS. The M is on the left, and the S curves over the right side. Keep the letters readable and redesign it as a clean hot-iron cattle brand.
Another example:
This sketch is Bar J. Keep the J hook, add one vertical bar from the hook, and simplify everything into thick black strokes.
This text is important. The sketch gives layout direction, but the prompt tells the AI what the marks mean.
Sketch Board vs Refine Brand
Sketch Board creates a reference image and sends it through the same general workflow as Refine Brand. That means the AI treats the sketch as a starting point, then redraws it as a cleaner brand mark.
Use Sketch Board when you are starting from a rough hand idea.
Use Refine Brand when you already have a generated design and want to change one or two details.
Best Workflow
- Try a text prompt first.
- If the layout is wrong, open the optional reference panel.
- Arrange letters and symbols, draw the rough details, or combine both.
- Apply the reference, then describe the exact initials, reading order, and connections. Confirm any form replacement first.
- Review the reference and displayed cost, then submit Generate only when ready. Inspect the output rather than assuming it is cleaner or preserves the letters.
- Use Design Notes or Refine Brand for final simplification.
For prompt patterns, read Cattle Brand Prompt Examples. For file preparation, read What Is Included in a Cattle Brand Export Package.
