Affinity Publisher is fully optimised for use with Apple Pencil which gives realistic pressure-sensitive drawing and painting. Without an Apple Pencil, you can simulate pressure instead.
Whether you're using vector-based Pencil or brush tools, or pixel-based brush tools, you can simply connect your Apple Pencil and you've got pressure-sensitive input. If you don't have an Apple Pencil to hand, you can achieve simulated pressure sensitivity just using your finger. The simulated pressure is based on the speed (velocity) of your finger movement.
This response is governed by the brush controller (input type) which varies brush stroke width, flow, etc. as you paint. Types of input are:
If set to 'None', the stroke is always a fixed width, flow setting, etc. Otherwise, the stroke properties will vary from a minimum to maximum amount (e.g. the full width).
For Pencil, Pen and Vector Brush Tools, you can create a custom pressure profile in the Stroke panel that lets you manually taper your stroke. This will be remembered the next time you use the tool.
Do one of the following:
The profile reverts to its default.