Stop illustrator from merging brush strokes?

Question

I'm new to using Illustrator and I can't tell if this is an issue in part of my settings or simply how Illustrator works.

I'm trying to draw simple 'swirls' or 'curls' to replicate something I did on paper - but I can't seem to get this to stop happening. I looked into my brush settings and preferences but I couldn't find anything that seemed to remotely explain what this even is.

After talking to a friend she explained that it's because of the paths not having an end point or something like that. I understand how this could affect my drawings but how are you supposed to draw anything if this constantly happens?

Thank you for any help in advanced - and I apologize if there is a duplicate, I attempted to look it up but I wasn't even sure what to type

Answer 1

For normal Brush tool..... Double-click the Brush Tool in the tool bar and uncheck Edit Selected Paths. I, personally, also choose to uncheck Keep Selected, but just unchecking the Edit option will prevent strokes from merging.

For the Blob Brush Tool ... Double-click the Blob Brush Tool in the toolbar and uncheck Merge Only with Selection or Keep Selected. Unchecking either one will prevent the merging as you draw. The former will still allow you to select a Blob Brush shape, then paint again to merge to it.