Corel Painter - 17 - Magazine, Art, Digital Painting, Drawing, Draw, 2d

Ofcial Corel Painter TM Magazine
Create
digital art
today!
Official Magazine
Vital brush commands

In-depth pastel workshop
Quick start guide on the CD
Issue seventeen
Expert tips
Ink and
wash effect
Merge the pen with
paint and re-create
this classic style
Paint with
natural light
Over
45
Top tips for creating the

illusion of sunlight
pages olfs
tutoria
Vital skills
Understand
resolution
How to resize images

without destroying pixels
Paint the cover!
Learn to create
Visit us online www.paintermagazine.co.uk
acrylic a
art
Take control of this set of brushes
and paint your best-ever portraits
FREE CD
INSIDE
PC and Mac
TEXTURES | STOCK PHOTOS | TUTORIAL RESOURCE FILES
Paint like
Give your landscape photos an
American Folk art makeover
Cover_OPM17.indd 1
Brush primer
Use the F-X brushes to create
wild and vibrant artwork
African art
We show how to paint in the
style of traditional African art
ISSUE SEVENTEEN
ISSN 1753-3155
6.00
17
771753 315000
www.paintermagazine.com
29/4/08 15:25:03
Welcome
This is THE magazine for anyone wanting to further their
Corel Painter skills or learn how to become a better artist
Brush Primer: F-X
You might have written

them off as a one-trick
wonder, but see how
these brushes can bloom
Pg 46
Paint like:
Grant Wood
Have a stroll through the
hilly vistas and bubbly
trees of Grant Wood
Pg 52
Art study:
Sunlight
Inject realistic light into
your paintings for impact
and interest
ISSUE SEVENTEEN
Pg 34
When youre dealing with

traditional materials, it makes
sense to ind one or two that
you really enjoy and donate all
of your art funds to them. But
you havent got to think that
way in Painter. Once you buy
the software you can explore all the different
mediums without paying out any extra.
This issue we focus on the Acrylic brushes
and look at how they can be used to create a
stunning portrait. The very portrait that graces
our cover, in fact! So, if you have never used
them before, turn to page 36 and give them a go.
Fans of the American Folk Art movement
will love our tutorial on page 46. Susi Lawson
shows how to transform a photo into a rolling
landscape. We also have a lovely ink and wash
tutorial on page 28, where Tim Shelbourne
merges paint with pen for fantastic results.
This issue also sees the start of a new series in
Drawing 101, where we show how traditional
media behaves. Youd be surprised how this
helps you understand Painters brushes.
Enjoy your painting!
Visit our website!

If you find that the magazine isnt enough to satisfy your Corel
Painter appetite, you can always visit our website. Pop on over to
www.paintermagazine.co.uk and register as a user. Once this is
out of the way, explore the pages and enjoy great content such as:
Downloadable resources
Online galleries to share your work
Special forum for meeting other Corel Painter users
Jo Cole, Editor in Chief

jo.cole@imagine-publishing.co.uk
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NEWS EVENTS
RESOURCES
LETTERS WEBSITES
INFO FORUM
As a certified Corel Training Partner, DAA offers many courses

geared specifically towards Corel Painter through world class Painter
instructors, including some of the Painter Masters themselves
Something for everyone

Live interaction brings Corel Painter learning to life
TEACHING
DAA interactive online
classrooms combine
written instruction,
video, audio and live
chat with instructors and
course-specific forums
illed as the next generation

in digital-art training, the
Digital Art Academy (www.
digitalartacademy.com) was
created speciically to offer an interactive
learning community element to all
aspiring digital artists. With DAAs fully
equipped website, with online classrooms,
students are given a rich environment

illed with opportunities to learn through
written instruction, video, audio and live
chat with instructors and course-speciic
forums, enthuses DAAs Karen Bonaker.
The environment is set up to be very
social, and students are encouraged to
participate by answering questions in the
forums and critiquing each others work.
The classes cover not just Corel Painter
but a range of leading software programs
so you can expand and combine your
skills accordingly, discovering new ways
of being creative. The goals of the school
are to offer a sound education emphasising
the fundamental core principles of the
software; however, the heart of the school
lies in creativity and the love of digital
art, explains Bonaker. DAA strives to be
a creative centre of excellence, where art,
passion and talent converge with some of
the foremost digital artists, to nurture the
inest digital artists of tomorrow.
A full list of course categories is available
on the DAA website along with details
of costs, skill
and software
requirements,
as well as
duration of
individual
courses. DAA is
proud to include
many of the top names
in digital art training in the industry,
including many familiar faces from the
Corel Painter Oficial Magazine. Myself, Cat
Bounds, Scott Deardorff, Chris Price, Susi
Lawson, Marilyn Sholin, Anne CarterHargrove and more bring innovative
classes to life across the whole spectrum
of digital art software and inal output
through printing and embellishing,
says Bonaker. If youve ever wanted to
take your learning further with targeted
classes for Corel Painter, as well as other
major software players in the digital art
world, drop by DAA and have a look at the
ever-expanding course catalogue. There
truly is something for everyone.
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TEACHING
Painting with Jill Garl

Online Corel Painter classes attract international students
urrently offering lessons well into the
autumn, Jill Garls online Corel Painter
painting courses are increasingly attracting
an international audience eager to study. I have
students from all over the world. This is one of the
great advantages of being able to do this online,
enthuses the Michigan-based photographer and
artist. With no experience necessary, those who
enrol get to study at their own pace and from
the comfort of their own homes. At the end of
each lesson, students post their assignments for
critique. They really ind the critique helpful,
learning not only from their own work but from
the other students in the class as well, adds Garl.
The six-week course costs $325 and includes all
support iles and movies mailed on CD, as well as
additional email and telephone support.
Sign up at www.hannahseyesphotography.
com/WelcomeToPaintingwithJillGarl
TIPS & ADVICE
Jill Garls six-week course

covers a range of skills
from Corel Painter basics to
specifics such as painting
hair, skin and eyes
RESOURCES
Painting In Five
Extra special
Tips and tricks for digital artists
Website offers affordable Corel Painter paper

grains, nozzles, patterns and shapes
mall but perfectly formed,

Painting In Five is a website
devoted to sharing tips and
tricks for creating digital art. As well
as a gallery selection, a free collection
of over 60 QuickTime video-based
tutorial podcasts are archived to
watch online, covering a range of
Corel Painter-based skills. The work
of Gregory Sterling, a self-styled
professional nerd, is accompanied by
audio commentaries that help set the
scene. Topics include painting Sumi-e
swirls and highlights, depth painting,
pastel smudging, auto Van Gogh
painting and capture dab painting.
Point your browser at http://web.
mac.com/gregory.sterling/
Painting_in_Five/Welcome.html.
Graphicxtras.com
offers a range of
Corel-compatible
add-ons and plugins to extend your
creativity
howcasing the work of Andrew

Buckle, developer of Andrews
Filters, Graphicxtras.com offers
a huge selection of plug-ins for most
major graphic applications, including
those from Corel. A selection of paper
grains, nozzles, patterns and shapes
are bundled in value-for-money packs
that should expand your Corel Painter
creativity signicantly. The array of
paper grains and textures runs to 1,350,
and over 1,200 nozzles, 1,000-plus
patterns and 240 shapes are offered. All
royalty-free for use in commercial and
hobby projects, full support is offered by
email and the forum. A range of demos,
samplers and freebies for PC and Mac are
offered so you can try before you buy,
including a range of Corel Painter and
Corel Paint Shop Pro-compatible plugins. Prices start from around 6, with
discounts and offers regularly available.
See more at www.graphicxtras.com.
Painting In Five showcases QuickTime-based

tutorials from Gregory Sterling, highlighting many
of the fabulous features found in Corel Painter
010-011_OPM_17_News.indd 11
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Welcome to the part of the magazine where you can com
and share your thoughts on anything you fancy!
Send your
letters to...
Ofcial Corel Painter
Magazine, Imagine
Publishing, Richmond
House, 33 Richmond
Hill, Bournemouth,
Dorset BH2 6EZ, UK
If youd prefer to contact
us via email, send your
message to opm@
imagine-publishing.
co.uk
Wacom worry
Recently, I changed from Windows XP to

Windows Vista. I did a clean installation so
I had to install Painter X and my Wacom
A5 Wide Special Edition Tablet absolutely
fresh. Unfortunately, the tablet stopped
working correctly in Painter X. It is now
impossible to draw a brushstroke. When
I put the pen tip on the tablet, a kind of
menu appears on the screen, but no stroke.
Ive attached a screen grab for you to see.
The same happens in Painter Essentials

3 and Photoshop Elements 4.0. The
driver and the tablet are okay because
they work in other programs. Have other
readers installed Painter X with a Wacom
tablet under Windows Vista? Were
their experiences the same and did they
downgrade to XP?
Thanks for the email. Well see if we can find

out a solution but in the meantime, has anyone
else had the same problem? Let us know if you
have and more importantly, if you found a way
around it!
Layer debate
Johs de Hoo
In issue 16s Letters, you requested

feedback about including layer information.
I would like to join the debate!
I too would like more layers information
but take your point about the ile size, so
I suggest that the inal layer structure be
included on the disc as its own ile, without
associated pictures. It would be good if the
layers (only) ile was interactive so that
clicking a layer would reveal associated
information such as the blending mode.
The simplest way to show layer palette
Have you
experienced
strange goings-on
after installing
Windows Vista? Johs
de Hoo has and we
want to know if you
have as well
Featured gallery
Chinese Lady
Lions Cooling Off
Our favourite readers gallery this month
Nita Mata
www.paintermagazine.co.uk/
user/Nita Mata
Nitas work caught our eye with her
Arias in Piggytails image, which
became Pick of the Week way back in
March. Her collection of portraits, both
human and animal, have continued to
delight us with their excellent use of
light. One thing that really stands out in
Nitas images are their personality. Each
one is imbued with life and vitality, so
you really get a sense of the character
of the person or animal being painted.
But dont take our word for it visit her
gallery and see for yourself!
Corgi
Nita Mata
Nita Mata
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As for the magnifying glass issue, the examples

you give were where the palettes werent
the most important thing. The steps were
describing how paint was being applied, so
you didnt have to see the palettes. We will
make sure they are big if the information is
needed. And because the palettes are screen
grabs and therefore treated the same as
images, Im afraid we have no control over the
plates. The only way around this would be to
make the image black and white.
Free iStockphoto images
Ive just joined iStockphoto.com and

noticed you can get free images. Do others
know about this?
Sally Brown
We will start introducing information about the

layers in future issues, so you can make sure you are
working as the artist
data may be simply to print it as a large

panel in the magazine. Perhaps that is the
best way. That would answer my needs
but, in all probability, you would have page
space issues. Nothing is easy in this world!
There are a couple of related issues that
I would like to mention. In order to read a
tutorial, I generally have a magnifying glass
to hand to read the palette information. For
example, take page 39 (issue 16), there is
palette information given in stages 09, and
14. Reading the information is not easy
because it is screened for cyan, magenta,
yellow printing plates.
You are indeed correct, Sally. Members can

download a free image every week and also
still get hold of the recent free offerings. Its a
great way to boost your reference library!
Chris Rourke
Hello Chris, thanks for the email. We are going

to try and include more palette information,
but getting it to work is a lot easier said than
done! People are prone to collapsing as they
go, so I think a list is the only way forward. We
do have the layered file of our Acrylic tutorial
this issue, so we are making a start!
Enjoy free high resolution images from iStockphoto

at www.istockphoto.com
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Come and join our

forum and website
Make yourself known!
Not only do we deliver inspirational and practical
tutorials on your favourite program every month,
we also have a dedicated Corel Painter website
that you can visit to get your artistic ix while you
wait for the next issue. From here you can join up
for a free account, then create your own gallery for
the world to see! You can explain the process or
inspiration behind each of your images, comment
on other members artwork, share your wisdom
and take part in regular challenges. Theres also
an area to download tutorial iles from previous
issues in case your CD has gone missing. If you
feel like a bit of creative interaction, we also have
a forum for you to come and leave your thoughts
about the magazine. You can ask Corel Painter
questions and pass the time with other digital
artists. So what are you waiting for? Visit www.
paintermagazine.com today!
ENTER T
WEBSITHE
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welcome everyones
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mpetitio
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Yoda Kitty
Nita Mata
Nita Mata
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Interview Julie Dillon
WEBSITE
JOB TITLE
CLIENTS
www.jdillon.net and www.jdillon82.deviantart.com

Freelance Illustrator
Paizo Publishing, Fantasy Flight Games, Alderac Entertainment
Group, EDGE Scifi and Fantasy Publishing and Fantasist Enterprises
An interview with
Julie Dillon
With a flair for fantasy art and a strong emphasis on the narrative, Julie Dillon is
a young artist with a bright future. Nick Spence meets her
ulie Dillon lives and works in
North California, where she is
currently a part-time illustration
student, while taking professional
commissions and developing her distinct
drawing and painting style. A fan of
Corel Painter and encouraged by online
communities such as deviantART, her
work has won many fans and admirers.
[FAR TOP]
Julie Dillons
illustration for The
Runehound for Paizo
Publishing (best
known for its roleplaying games and
gaming aids tie-ins)
How would you best describe your style?

I think my style is heavily inluenced by
fantasy and storybook art, not just in my
approach to the way I paint, but also in
my attempts to focus on narrative, story
and character in my compositions. I try
to paint fantasy images that still have
some grounding in reality, so that they are
otherworldly yet familiar, and accessible
enough that the viewer can still connect to
them. I tend to lean heavily on saturated

colour and theatrical lighting, and Ive
been told I have a painterly style.
How does working with Corel Painter help
you rene that style?
The various brushes and paper textures
give me great speed and lexibility. They
feel so much more intuitive and seem to
know what look Im wanting to achieve
as I work to the point that sometimes it
feels like Im cheating! I can build up thick
rich colour quickly, but can also work very
neat and tight on the inal renderings.
Can you briey explain your working
process to us?
I do almost everything digitally with a
tablet. I start out doing quick thumbnail
sketches in a sketchbook to work out
poses and compositions. From there,

I create a relatively developed blackand-white drawing in Painter using a
tablet, laying down all my tones in the
composition in greyscale. With the basic
structure is roughed in I put overlay
and multiply layers of rich colour over
the black-and-white drawing, similar to
making an underpainting for a painting
done in traditional oils. Once the basic
rough colours are laid on top of the
sketch, I create a new layer and begin the
real painting on top of that.
What reference points do you use when
creating your images?
I am heavily inluenced by fairy tales and
nature, though I do absorb bits of ideas
from all over the place and hold on to
them until I need them. When working
14
014-018_OPM_17_interview.indd 14
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All original artwork by Julie Dillon
Reassurance,
another beautiful
fantasy based
image that has won
Dillon many fans
and admirers
15
30/4/08 13:41:17
The Dreamcatcher
Dillons favourite Corel
Painter tools are the
Smeary Bristle Spray and
the Palette knife
on a personal painting Ill usually start

with a vague, intangible feeling or
impression that I feel I need to convey,
though I usually dont know how best
to distil that idea down into an image
right away. Sometimes the composition
for a piece will immediately jump out at
me, but often it takes weeks or months
of absorbing new ideas and ways of
approaching a subject until a composition
really gels in my head.
What would you say your favourite Corel
Painter tools are?
My absolute favourite is the Smeary
Bristle Spray and the Palette knife. If I
was stuck with only two brushes it would
be them. I was a little slow in iguring
out how to use them properly, but they
provided so much more lexibility. You
can just cut in and carve out edges and
surfaces smoothly without the brush
being jagged or heavy-handed, which
is particularly useful when rendering
organic textures.
16
As well as working for a number of clients,

Julie Dillon also attends college where she
created this recent striking image
30/4/08 13:41:42
Azazel In The Underworld,

an apocalyptic image typical
of Dillons fantasy based
work for a number of games
and book publishers
Often it takes weeks or months of absorbing

ideas until a composition gels in my head
Youre a deviantART member, how has
that community helped you develop as an
artist and illustrator?
Ive been involved in and lurked at dozens
of art forums and communities over the
years. deviantART has provided me good
exposure, and gives a quick and easy
way for people to see my new work and
comment if they wish. Ive met lots of
interesting people, some amazing artists,
and even some new clients. Ive noticed
more and more professionals are getting
deviantART accounts, since you can
potentially get a good web presence and
therefore more exposure.
How valuable is it to gain feedback from
other members?
Feedback from other artists is incredibly
helpful, and over the years peer critiques
Artwork for an alb

um cover by
Noisia, more sci
-fi inspired than
fantasy based, sh
ow
side of Dillons wo ing another
rk
have helped me immensely with both

small technical problems and broader
scope issues. That said, if you want your
work to be critiqued you are better off
going to an art forum like ConceptArt.
org. Although deviantART is great for
exposure and keeping track of other
artists, its not necessarily the best place
to turn to for constructive criticism. It
feels more like a giant guestbook thats
great for a little ego boost.
Do you think your work would have
progressed in the way it has without
the internet?
Absolutely not. Without all the art
forums and communities over the years I
probably would have never realised there
were careers available in the arts, as my
college at the time didnt encourage any
17
30/4/08 13:34:07
Alice In The Qu
een
Of Hearts Cour
t, by
Julie Dillon. On
e of the
many digital pa
int
that has won he ings
r
admirers, espe
cially
among her peer
s
of the commercial arts. The internet has

introduced to me to the work of countless
artists and has kept me up to date on the
illustration world. Ive been able to help
other artists out, take part in community
contests and challenges, and receive
helpful criticism that I wouldnt have
received from teachers or classmates
at the time. I work with virtually all of
my clients through the internet too, so
obviously thats important!
Finally, youre still young and studying.
Where would you like to see yourself in
ve years creatively?
In ive years I would love to have steady
work doing book covers and storybook
illustrations, perhaps even illustrate a
story of my own. One of my big driving
forces in creating artwork is to help
tell stories and create worlds for other
people, to help them look past the
mundane and ind inspiration. The closer
I can get to do that, in whatever form,
the better.
One of my driving forces is

to help people look past the
mundane and find inspiration
I Shall Face
Damnation For You
Dillons work is heavily
influenced by fairy
tales and nature,
as well as taking
inspiration from all
around her
18
30/4/08 13:32:59
Feature Readers challenge
READERIASL
TUTOR
The original image

This is the photo that inspired this feature.
We knew it was a nice shot, but never
thought wed get so many entries from you all
exhibiting so many different styles. It was a
real pleasure to see them all and also to find
out how some of you created them!
20
020-26_OPM_17_Feature.indd 20
1/5/08 18:06:58
Readers
challenge
Discover how fellow readers tackled the
kingfisher photo from challenge number seven
arely a day goes by where we dont
receive entries to our regular challenge.
But even we were amazed at the
amount of images that arrived with the
kingisher photo used as the starting point.
It wasnt just the amount of images that
appeared, but it was also the range of styles. It
made our brain cells start to tick over and we
decided it might be nice to show some of the
different styles and how they were achieved. Not
only does this mean you get to have a nose around
someone elses way of working, but you also see
how the same photo can be interpreted in so many

different ways. And thats the real message of this
feature. Its very easy to fall into a creative pattern
and plump for the same style every time you work.
But force yourself to try something new, even if you
try painting one scene in different ways. Theres
plenty of inspiration here, so why not have a go?
We might make these sorts of features a more
regular thing, so do let us know if you found it
useful. Maybe you were inspired to try one of the
techniques yourself. If this is the case, do send in
the results!
21
1/5/08 18:07:14
Feature
Readers challenge
01 Block in
For the rst stage Im

blocking out the general colours for the
background really quickly and the general shape
for the bird and the trunk.
Im using the darkest darks Ill be using for
the bird, so its a good idea to get the darkest
darks now because it helps to get a nice rich
illustration instead of a muddy illustration.
02 Building colours
Once we have the

general shape right, we can start adding
some basic colours onto the bird and the branch.
As you can see, Im very loose with the colours.
I want to get the basic colours quickly without
worrying too much about the details.
Its really important to not go to the next step
if you feel the colour values are not right. Spend
some time looking at the reference image and
comparing side-by-side.
Reader 1: Pere Balsach

http://www.paintermagazine.co.uk/user/PereBalsach
http://www.working-illusions.com
Using one brush

Sometimes simplicity is the best
did a representation quite similar to the original picture
in order to do a tonal and colour study. I think the most
important part of any painting is the colour values. If you
get good colour values, you get a fantastic painting. This
is the reason I did this study based on the picture Corel Painter
Magazine gave us.
Whenever I begin a painting I always start by blocking out the
general shapes. This is because it helps me to not concentrate
on any of the small details at an early stage. The overall shape is
much more important than the small details at irst; I think this
is a good method.
I tend to work just like traditional media, from the background
to the foreground. In my opinion, it helps to get the bird (in this
particular case) inside the illustration, rather than being seen as
a separate part.
Sometimes if I paint a character, bird or house I tend not to
bounce colours from the background onto the character, bird,
etc irst. However, its really important to relect some colours
from the background onto the character of the bird, as it gives a
convincing look to your illustration.
03 Introduce detail
Now that we have

the general colour values we can start
detailing a little bit of the feathers. Im using a
really small brush and Im painting one by one. It
might sound a little over the top, but I like to have
control for each feather. Different colours for each
feather will help to get a richer image.
Brushes
Im using only one brush for the whole painting.
Its a round brush with some brush spacing and
based on an Oil Bristle. There is no secret, just
play around with the Oil Bristle general settings
until you get this effect. The main trick is to
change the subcategory to Flat Cover. Its really
easy as you can see!
04 Always varied
Once I had all the

feathers right, with different colour
variations I started to add some colour variation
onto the branch. Use colour variations in all
the organic things you paint. Variation is really
important in birds/trees like this. I added more
detail to the head, because I wanted it to be the
focal point for this composition, so its a good
way to lead the viewer to the bird.
22
1/5/08 18:08:17
01 Feeling nervous
I created the
wash effect in Photoshop and opened
Painter. I put the photo in layer one and put the
Photoshop image in layer two. I created a third
layer and lled it with a creamy white. I used a
fourth layer to sketch with the Nervous Pen set
to black. I hid the Photoshop layer and set the
transparency of the cream layer to 50%. I then
sketched the kingsher with the Nervous Pen.
Reader 2: Michael Ephgrave
02 Two images together
At the end
of this exercise I had a pen and wash
type image when the Photoshop image was set
as the background. This was when I just used
Painter and used the Nervous Pen to sketch
the kingsher in colour. I used the original
photo as the rst layer. I also used a plain white
intermediate layer set at 50% transparency. I
used the Eyedropper tool to pick up the colours
on the rst layer and sketched on a third layer.
http://www.paintermagazine.co.uk/user/Michael E
http://ephgrave.com
Pen and photo

Strong colours add drama
was attracted to the excellent photo of the kingisher
straight away it is the type of photo that I just cant
resist playing with. However, I did not intend to enter the
competition as I had seen some of the earlier competition
winners and realised the standards were high.
I began by importing the image into Photoshop and started
playing with the ilters. I often do this for inspiration. I wanted
to create a watercolour rendition of the image to get a feel for
how this might look. I used Photoshop to create a pale, watery
image. I then thought that a pen and wash effect might look
good. So I took the image into Painter and started work with
the Nervous Pen tool. I liked the results but did not think they
were worthy of inishing or entering into the competition.
In any case I thought I should only use Painter for a Painter
Magazine competition!
After deciding to have a go at a Painter-only creation, I used
the challenge photo to trace the outline using the Nervous Pen.
To add vibrancy, I went for a black background. I then felt that
the inished work was good enough to enter. I did not win, of
course Meg Franks picture was the very worthy winner. I
enjoyed every minute of the challenge, though, and am already
sizing up the images for the next challenge. It really is a great
way to get the creative juices lowing.
03 Colourful creation
The technique I
used to sketch was to pick up the main
colour in a given segment and roughly ll the
area. In small areas of colour I used quick, small
strokes. In larger areas I used longer strokes. For
the beak the strokes were quick and long, which
straightens out the nervous lines.
Crop for clout

I felt the picture had an Impressionistic feel to it,
although I thought the overall composition didnt
feel quite right so I cropped it to get a slightly
more abstract feel. Its always worth playing
around with composition and seeing if a tight crop
can help your image. Its amazing how often it
sorts out a difficult task!
04 Pump up the colour
The sketching
looked okay but the colours were
not as vibrant as I wanted. Also, the nuances
of pattern that give a feathery feel to the
composition were not clear. I then put a layer
below the sketch layer and lled it with black.
The colours and the pattern of the sketch were
then closer to the character of this ighty bird.
The feathery effect was also much more visible.
23
1/5/08 18:09:17
Feature
Readers challenge
Using custom
brushes
Reader 3: Meg Frank

http://www.paintermagazine.co.uk/user/Meg
http://www.mzmo.net
Challenge winner, Meg Frank,

reveals her techniques
always clone my image irst and save
the new ile as a PSD ile. Once I reopen,
I correct colour and use a ilter. I dont
have a set method, I just go with what
my eyes like. I use a lot of layers and if I
dont like something I delete the layer and
try something else. With the challenge ile I
wanted my isher to have detail and depth.
I knew I wanted to change the background
to one I felt was more complimentary to the
colours in the kingisher. I had been exploring
the RealBristle brushes and wanted to use
them for the birds feathers.
I also decided to call upon other peoples
brushes. Robs Brushes are by Robert Chang
and you can ind them at www.ethereality.
info. Jeremy Sutton brushes are included on
a CD when you buy his Painter IX Creativity
book. Filters 2 Unlimited can be purchased at
www.icnet.de/ilters_unlimited and Auto
FX Mystical Lighting can be purchased www.
autofx.com.
!
R
E
N
N
WI
01 Prep work
I opened the photo, went to

File>Clone and then saved the le. I then
went to Effects>Correct Colour>Curves>Autoset
and clicked OK. I have Painter X, so decided to use
the Divine Proportion tool. I clicked Portrait and set
Size to 100 and Rotate to 0. This allowed me to crop
my le to the divine proportion outline. I then went
to Canvas>Resize and set Width to 798, Height to
1289 and had 300 as the resolution.
02 Masking
My next step
was to reopen the
kingsher photo. I went
to Select>Select All and
then Edit>Copy and Paste
in Place. I set up a mask
layer and masked out the
original photo using the
2B Pencil brush with the
colour set to black and
100% Opacity and Resat
values. I clicked the eye
icon on the Canvas layer
so I could see what I was
doing. With the mask
nished, I applied the
mask layer.
24
1/5/08 18:09:46
Tip
Always make sure
your clone source is
set to the image you
are working on.
Dont be afraid to add
layers as you paint. I
may have ten or more
when I work. And
always save your work
after every step!
03 Background
Add a new layer

below the mask layer and ll with a
background. To add a bit more interest, I used
a couple of Jeremy Suttons brushes Jeremys
Favs 2 FastFunkyChunky brush was used to blend
the background, and then I switched to Jeremys
MishMashScumble brush for the nal touches. I
grouped the background with the mask layer and
collapsed, before going to File>Clone. This left
the background and bird on one layer. Save!
The next step was to go to Select>Select All to
copy and paste in place as before. Using Robs
Blender Brushes size 5, Opacity 100%, Resat set
to 0, Blended 50% and Feature set to 2.0 to 2.5,
I started to blend the sher with the background.
When blending, ensure to follow the birds
feathers and form, using nice, small strokes. I
sharpened this layer and then set Highlight and
Shadow to 20%. The layer was duplicated.
04 Log painting
Now work on the log.

For the top, use Robs Blender Round
brush size 5, Opacity 100%, Resat set to 0, Blend
50% and Feature set at 2.4. Follow the grain of
the wood. Then using Robs Painter Round set to
Size 1.3, Opacity at 27%, Resat 100, Bleed 100
and Feature set to 1.0, select a darker brown and
add some lines in the wood and trace around
the top of the wood. Blend using Dens Funky
Chunky on the yellow of the log, blend colour
and add colour until you are happy with it.
06 Finish
05 Painting Layers
Add a new layer

at the top and mix colours from the
bird using the dropper on the pad to pick up
two colours at once. On your blank layer, using
Real Bristle brushes Fan Soft, Real Fan Short size
8.2, 100% Opacity, Feature 3.0, Blend 7%, Real
Round size 5.0, 100% Opacity, Resat 35%, Bleed
35%, Feature 2.2, start adding your colours. I

mixed colours, as I needed, applying them to
new layers and swapping Real Bristle brushes as
I went. Add a new layer to the top, using Robs
Painting Round 02,-1 set to 1.3 paint lines in
between your feathers and paint a white crest at
the top of the shers eye and blend.
Open
your PSD le
again. Once you have
your painting nished
and are pleased with
the outcome, save your
PSD le. Finally, go to
File>Clone and then
Effects>Focus and
Sharpen the layer at
3.00 with Highlight and
Shadow set to 20%.
Save your nal image as
a JPEG.
25
1/5/08 18:10:08
Feature
Readers challenge
Other favourites
Be inspired by more stylish interpretations
It was very dificult to choose which images to represent in this feature, and we
wanted to try and squeeze in as many as we could! So heres a roundup of some of
the other sterling entries we received. Study the styles, compositions and brush
strokes and maybe have a go at applying the technique to your own work. At the
very least, pay a visit to these artists websites for more great images.
Reader: Lesley Wellings
Reader: Barb Christensen
http://www.paintermagazine.co.uk/user/RT
http://www.paintermagazine.co.uk/user/B Christensen
Reader: Caryl Ritter
Reader: Anita Stanhope
Reader: Grace Kelso
http://www.paintermagazine.co.uk/user/carylwithay
http://www.paintermagazine.co.uk/user/Skyopal
http://www.paintermagazine.co.uk/user/GraceKelso
26
1/5/08 18:11:32
Tutorial Traditional pen and wash
Traditional pen and wash

Pen and wash is regarded by many as the prince of drawing media and, as we demonstrate
here, its especially suited to architectural subjects. Sharpen up that quill!
Tutorial info
Artist
Tim Shelbourne
Time needed
1.5 hours
Skill level
Intermediate
On the CD
FInal image
ften, in terms of ine art, less is more. Pen and wash

is an ideal example of this, and its a medium that
can really test an artists mettle. Here youre relying
on the power and immediacy of simple, very ine
lines, which can both delineate complicated outlines and
create areas of subtle shading. Its a technique that dates back
almost as long as pictorial art itself, and its one that can still
create very beautiful and sophisticated illustrations. Its also
a medium that is very suited to sketching on the spot, mainly
because of the simple equipment required to do the job. All of
these points still ring true within the realms of Corel Painter,
and here were going to take this age-old medium and give it
the digital treatment.
One of the most important things about drawing with a
pen is the ability to create many different tones, simply by
the placement and density of line work, and weve included a
boxout on page 32 to illustrate this point. In a pen drawing,
the tones are created by placing different thicknesses of lines
closer together for dark tones, or further apart for lighter
tones. Unlike pencil, we cant rely on varying opacity to create
different shades, so you have to rely on an illusion of tone,
created by these hatched lines mixing optically. We also need
lines and techniques that can describe different surfaces and
textures, such as buildings and trees, and youll learn how to
do this here, too.
The wash is used to reinforce some of the main tones in the
drawing, and to add interest to areas of less detail. For this
well use a couple of Painter watercolour variants.
A sketchy start
Original photo
Prepare your painting with a basic outline
01 Choose pen, paper and colour
We used a photo from www.sxc.

hu as our reference (www.sxc.hu/browse.
phtml?f=view&id=209122). Download it and go
to File>Quick Clone. Choose the Croquil Pen from
the Pens. Go to the Papers selector and choose
Thick Handmade Paper. Set the Grain for the
brush to 70% in the Properties bar. Now choose a
very dark brown from the colour wheel.
02 Preparatory drawing
Reduce the size of the brush to just 4

pixels and add a new layer. Roughly sketch in the main elements in
the scene. Dont attempt to include any detail at this stage, as this initial sketch
is just so you can get your bearings around the scene and can always be
deleted or reduced in opacity.
03 Just outlines
Continue to roughly
outline the rest of the elements,
indicating the trees in the foreground. Dont add
any detail to the sky yet, as this will consist mostly
of washes in the nished painting.
28
028-032-OPM_17-Sepia.indd 28
30/4/08 13:44:05
Tutorial
29
30/4/08 13:45:24
Tourist attraction
Define your painting and add more detail
Using a ghost
image
Its always a good
idea to start a project
such as this by making
a clone of the start
image. To do this,
simply open the
start image and go to
File>Quick Clone. This
means that if youre
not too confident
about drawing such a
complicated subject,
you can always turn on
Tracing Paper and use
the ghost image as a
guide to your drawing.
Theres nothing wrong
with tracing, after
all, the object of the
exercise is to produce
a competent finished
drawing. In fact,
drawing aids have
been used throughout
history, even by some
of the worlds
greatest artists!
04 Watercolour brush
Youd think now that the best thing to do

would be to dive straight in with the pen again and start to add
more detail. However, its more useful to dene the main areas of the painting
with a few light washes, so change to the Watercolor category and choose
the Watery Soft Bristle 20 variant.
06 Adjust the pen settings
Choose a
very dark brown from the colour wheel.
Add a new layer to the image. Now choose the
Pens variants and select the Croquil Pen 5. Reduce
the brush Opacity to around 30% so that the ink is
slightly translucent. Increase the Grain to around
90% to make the pen lines smoother.
05 First washes
Set Feature to 11 in the Properties bar. Now choose

a slightly lighter shade of sepia from the colour wheel and start to
lightly brush in the main shadow areas in the building. Make sure not to paint
these too dark at the moment were still just establishing form and tone at
this stage.
07 Dark details
Add detail from the top

of the building, using this pen at a very
small size. Again, concentrate mainly on the very
small, dark details rst, using a tight scribble. Try
to indicate shapes rather than draw them exactly.
By establishing these dark details youll soon see
where areas of lighter shading need to go.
08 Lost and found
Where you have

long, continuous features, dont be
afraid of creating lost and found lines with gaps
here and there, or replacing part of a line with
some tiny hatching stokes. Were not doing a
technical drawing here, and these slightly nervous
areas add to the spontaneity of the sketch.
Bright idea
Unlike when youre
drawing with pen and
ink in the real world,
in Painter its easy to
add bright areas of
highlight detail within
areas of very dark
shading even when
youve completed
these dark areas. You
can do this with one
of the Eraser variants.
Choose one of the hard
Eraser variants and
use it at 100% Opacity
on the target layer to
lift out small areas of
ink. This is similar to
using touches of white
body colour to add
highlight details with
real pen and ink.
dark areas
10 Larger
09 Follow the contours
For the moment concentrate mainly on

the midtone areas in the image, and use the pen at a very small size
of around 3 pixels. Try to make your strokes follow the contours of the area
you are shading and remember to leave any highlight areas as blank paper
showing through.
Now you can start to

establish the darkest
tones in the upper
part of the image,
increasing the pen size
here to around 8 pixels.
In bigger dark areas,
use quite energetic
hatching strokes in
varying directions.
Refer to the source
and nished images as
you go.
30
30/4/08 13:45:56
When youre shading

at surfaces in shade, its a good idea to
use horizontal strokes placed closely together and
parallel to each other. Remember, the closer your
strokes are together, the darker the resulting tone
will appear. You need to regularly zoom away
from your drawing to judge these tones properly.
Start adding the

darker tones to the rest of the drawing,
but not the trees or the sky, using the same
methods as above. Remember the importance
of the lost and found broken lines, and also
remember that you are indicating shapes rather
than drawing them exactly. Often youll need to
zoom in very closely to the image to render very
ne, detailed shading.
14 Finer details
Now you can start adding the ner details to the

drawing. Use the brush at a very small size (around 2-3 pixels). Dont
be tempted to overdo this stage of the drawing, though its important to
remember that were suggesting detail here and not carefully drawing every
single part of the building. You can see how simply the detail on the dome can
be indicated.
13 Building tones
Again, here you can

see how important it is that your shading
follows the contours of the building. This adds
form and depth to the objects. Its a good idea to
rst ll the area with midtone shading, preserving
any highlight areas, and then go back in with the
pen at a larger size to add a few real darks.
15 Less is more
Continue to add the details, such as the decorations

at the top and bottom of each column and the insets in the tower.
Small, nervous lines work well here, roughly following the shape of these
details. For the columns themselves, dont actually outline all of them, simply
leave white paper showing through.
Fantastic foliage
Brush up on your scribbling technique
16
Scribbled foliage Once youve added
all of the details to the building (using the

methods described) move on to the foreground
trees. To create the trees, refer to the boxout over
the page and use the scribble technique with the
brush set to around 5 pixels to establish the overall
midtone for the trees.
Its quite an
advantage to use
lots of layers in this
image. The best
way to approach
this is to use a new
layer for each set of
objects within the
image from distance
to foreground. So,
you can start with a
layer for the initial
outline drawing and
use another for the
main building tone.
Use another layer
for the details on the
building, and another
for the trees. This way
its easy to add details
to an area behind the
trees, for instance,
simply by drawing on
that specific layer.
11 Judging tones
12 Indicate, dont draw
Tutorial
Using layers
18 Another watercolour brush
17 Foliage shadows
Having established
the midtones, increase the size of the pen
to between 8-10 pixels and scribble in the darker
tones in the foliage. Remember, we are going to
add more sepia wash over this area, so dont go
too dark you can always add more later.
Choose the Watercolour category of

variants and select the Soft Bristle 20 variant.
Choose a slightly lighter shade of sepia from the
colour wheel and set the brush Opacity to just
15%. In the Water section of the Brush Controls
(Window>Brush Controls>Show Water), set
the sliders as shown in the screenshot. Set the
minimum size of the brush to 75%.
Rotating the
canvas
There are lots of
straight lines and
geometric shapes in
this drawing, and you
may find it easier to
draw most of these
horizontally rather
than vertically. To do
this, simply click and
hold on the Grabber
tool in the toolbar and
choose the Rotate
tool. Now you can
simply drag within
your workspace to
rotate the entire
canvas. Generally,
its easier to draw
horizontal lines than
vertical ones. When
youre done, and
you want to return
the document to its
normal orientation,
simply choose the tool
again and drag it back
into position.
31
30/4/08 13:46:34
Just add water

Use brushes to give your painting the perfect finish
19 Loose washes
Start to add the sepia

wash to the drawing, using the nished
image as a guide. This brush, because of the way
weve set it up, stays wet for a long time so you
can paint freely, overlapping strokes as you go. Use
the brush at a large size in open areas such as the
sky, and smaller on the building.
20 Smaller dabs
Change to the Watercolor>Soft Bristle variant. Use

this brush at a fairly small size to add more washes and dabs of colour
in the smaller areas of detail. Also add some more dabs to the outline of the
trees, and a few larger dabs in the darker parts of the sky.
21 Finishing touches
You can now revert

to the Croquil Pen and add a few more
touches of line here and there, including a few
strokes in the sky. Remember, you can easily erase
any unwanted penwork by choosing one of the
Eraser variants.
Shading techniques Emulate traditional effects

Individual tones and textures in pen and ink drawings are created purely by the placement of line. There are many
shading techniques you can use here, but in this drawing we use mainly the ones shown below. A variety of shading
techniques not only helps to establish effective tones, but also adds surface interest to the finished drawing.
FOLIAGE TECHNIQUE
FOLIAGE DARK TONES
CROQUIL PEN HATCHING
This shading technique consists of using a very loose,

random scribble pattern to indicate random foliage.
The technique uses the pen at around 7 pixels at rst to
establish the midtones of the foliage. Try practising this
loose scribble before working on the actual trees.
Once the overall foliage ll has been established with the

aforementioned technique, increase the pen size and
then add some more loose, dense scribble over the rst
layer. This will effectively indicate the darker areas within
the trees.
This hatching technique, where short, expressive lines

are laid over one another at different angles, is very good
for the larger shadow areas in the main building. Place
these individual strokes close together to create deep
shadow areas.
CROQUIL PEN SHADING
DARK VS LIGHT
INDICATING DETAIL
These two techniques are used for midtone areas on

the building, and the direction of the individual shading
lines should follow the contours of the area that youre
shading. The further apart you place these lines to
each other, the lighter the tone will then appear in the
nished drawing.
There are two factors that govern how light or dark

shading appears in a pen and ink drawing namely the
thickness of the strokes that make up the shading and
how close together they are. The further apart hatching
lines are, the more white paper shows through between
them, and the lighter the tone appears.
Small details are indicated with a very small pen, rather

than distinctly drawn. Think of this as a kind of drawing
shorthand, which when viewed from a distance gives
the impression of intricate details and features. Part of
the charm of ink drawings is the contrast between heavy
and very light ink lines.
32
30/4/08 13:47:02
Primer F-X Brushes
BRUSH CATEGORY
F-X Brushes
If you have a taste for the wild side, the F-X

variants are just the ticket. Stand back and make
way for the special effects
PRIMER
nd now for something completely

different! Most of the brush variants
in Painter X stand as direct clones
of their real-world counterparts,
such as Chalks, Oils and Watercolour however,
there is one collection of brush variants that no
conventional artist could contemplate creating,
even in their wildest dreams. The variants
in question here are the F-X variants, and its
true to say that they are a rather weird and
wonderful bunch, but certainly not lacking in
potential when it comes to adding that extra
zing to your creativity!
As youll see from the brushstrokes
opposite, theres a huge variety within
this group, ranging from oddballs such
as Fairy Dust and Fire, to brushes that
impart a glow to existing painted pixels,
to the more conventional, and possibly
more useful, Graphic Paintbrush
variants. Theres also a Confusion
variant, which rather than leave you
confused as the name suggests, can
actually be used to impart subtle blending
and textural interest to your paintings.
Obviously, many of these variants are limited
to very speciic images, so weve created a
painting here using the Graphic paintbrushes
and the Confusion variants so you can truly see
the potential of these more conventional F-X
variants. Thats not to say that the other F-X
variants arent useful and they are certainly fun
to use. If youre a fan of special effects, dive in
and give them a go!
CONFUSED? YOU SHOULD BE!

The Confusion variant is great for
softening areas of a painting, and can
add a subtlety that you just cant get
with the standard Graphic Paintbrush.
Vary the Strength slider here and there
to alter the amount of distortion.
Again, this brush only works on an
existing colour on the same layer.
SHATTERED VARIANT:
The Shattered variant is great
for adding real texture and extra
impact to the background in your
images. You rst need to paint
in some rough varied colour and
then use the Shattered variant to
distort and displace it. Its best to
use this one at high strength and
a large size.
Captured Dabs
Hair Spray variant

The perfect blend
Get creative!
The Hair Spray variant is
of particular interest as it
does not paint with colour,
but has a high Resaturation
value by default, so in
effect it smudges and
blends with the existing
colour and pixels already
on the canvas. This can
be very useful, and really
quite subtle, if you reduce
the brush opacity.
Many of the F-X variants, such as Fire and

Shattered, are created from Captured Dabs.
You can see this within the Brush Creator
(Window>Show Brush Creator). Captured
Dabs are created from a graphic image of
some description, which in essence is what
gives the individual dabs their shape and
varying opacity. You can find a huge amount
of creative potential here by changing the
brushes subcategory from its default value
in the Brush Creator. Go on, give it a go
after all, were talking special effects here!
34
034-35_OPM_17_F-X Primer.indd 34
1/5/08 13:12:19
Primer
F-X brushes
Get to know your tools
Graphic Paintbrush
Fairy Dust
Graphic Paintbrush Soft
Fire
Hair Spray
Furry
Neon Pen
Glow
Piano Keys
Gradient Flat
Shattered
Gradient String
Squeegee
F-X Brushes
GRAPHIC PAINTBRUSH VARIANTS
Confusion
The Graphic Paintbrush variants are used here to

establish the main painting itself. These variants can
paint using the pattern of the current paper, so youve
got lots of scope for experimentation. Its also worth
experimenting with the subcategory for the brush in
the Brush Control for even more creative possibilities.
WAY TO GLOW!
The Glow variant can add a really effective
graphic punch to your more illustrative
images, especially to outlines, by adding
graphic accents. Make sure you have the
Size Control set to Pressure in the Brush
controls so that the glow trails off as you
reduce pressure on your stylus.
Colour or Gradient?
The choice is yours
With many of the F-X Brushes you can choose
what the brush actually paints with. The Neon
Pen, for instance, uses a gradient to paint with,
and to do this it uses the currently selected
Gradient. You can easily paint with another
gradient simply by choosing it from the Gradient
Selector at the base of the Toolbox. To change
the methods that the brush actually uses to
paint, simply click the Source box within the
Brush Creator. From here you can choose Colour
to paint with the currently selected colour, or
Pattern to use the currently active pattern.
35
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Tutorial Create acrylic art
36
036-41_OPM_17 Acrylic.indd 36
1/5/08 16:30:22
Tutorial
Creating
Create
acrylic
with distance
art
Create acrylic art
Achieve a traditional-looking portrait using the Acrylic brushes in Painter
Tutorial info
Artist
May Yeoshen
Time needed
A few hours
Skill level
Intermediate
crylic paint, unlike oils, is a fast-drying

medium which can be diluted with
water but becomes water-resistant
when dry. The acrylic paint is a very
versatile one. Depending on how much the paint
is diluted with water or modied with acrylic gels,
mediums or pastes, the nished painting can
resemble a watercolour (in Corel Painter, with the
glazing brushes) or an oil painting (using Painters
Thick or Wet brushes).
Because this paint dries faster than oil, the
artist is sometimes forced to work quickly, often
producing a look of non- blended strokes. When
using real acrylics, in order to slow the drying
aspect the artist uses retarders, allowing for more
water to be added and the paint made workable.
In Painter, this is simulated with the Wet brushes.
Another great difference between oils and
acrylics is the versatility offered by acrylic paints
acrylic is very useful in mixed media, allowing
the use of pastel, charcoal, pen, etc on top of

the dried acrylic painted surface, creating really
original effects.
Acrylic paints can be used in high gloss or matte
nishes. To emulate the matte, dull nish, theres
the Dry brush in Corel Painter. However, if you
prefer a varnished look, the Thick brushes with
their Impasto feature can accomplish this nish.
The Dry brush can simulate this feature of the
acrylic paint when dry, making it non-removable.
And with the use of the Brush Creator option,
the artist can emulate the versatility of the acrylic
Acrylic is very useful in mixed media, allowing

the use of pastel, charcoal, pen, etc on top the dried
acrylic painted surface, creating really original effects
Wet brushes
Glazing brushes
The Glazing brushes emulate the glazing

technique, which consists of building very
thin layers of paint, showing the colours as
translucent, almost transparent. Ideal to start
with on a new and fresh canvas.
paint, modifying the appearance, hardness,

exibility, texture and other characteristics. Acrylic
paint can also be used to build thick layers of paint:
gel and moulding paste mediums are sometimes
used to create paintings with relief features that
are literally sculptural (Thick brushes).
In this tutorial were going to create a bust
portrait aiming for an oily look, taking our time
and blending the colours in for a smooth nish.
Were also aiming for a good amount of detail,
using the Detail brushes. For that reason, the Thick
brushes will be avoided.
Thick brushes
The Thick brushes emulate quick and opaque strokes perfect for those
painters who are quick and dont want to blend in colours, for the sake of a
raw, more painterly look.
Wet brushes emulate a more oily based acrylic

brush, the opposite of the Thick brushes. The
higher the opacity, the drier it will be. And when
used constantly with the Eyedropper, they will let
you blend as if you were using real acrylics.
37
1/5/08 16:30:50
Start your acrylic masterpiece

Bring your model to life
Custom
brushes
One of the many things
unique in Painter is
the way you can create
custom brushes. To
shade some parts of
the skin, we used a
variation of the Wet
Soft Acrylic brush.
Playing around with
the Randomizer and
seeing the variations
of it, you can now use
a brush that will add
richer textures to the
skin while blending
the colours smoothly,
always using the
Dropper tool.
01
Setup First off, lets start with a line-art we will use as a guide. This
03
Create the layers for your model
06
Add texture Use the Capture Bristle at very low opacity (say 10%)
line-art layer will be on top of any other, and it can be scanned from a
previous drawing or traced on top of the photo we want to portray. Its on the
disc in the layered le.
Lets set the rst tones of our subject

matter. Keep the Pick Underlaying Color option
checked. Now create different layers for whats
needed, in this case the skin, dress and hair. Block
in the different elements using a big brush such as
the Capture Bristle. Erase the extra bits.
02
Set up the background Lets set the mood by painting the
background. Unless the painting will have a white background, you

shouldnt leave it for later on. We can use a brush such as the Glazing and the
Wet Soft. We used a golden tone for this one. The Glazing brush should be
used with a very low opacity (around 3%) for the dark tones. The Wet Soft
brush is used for the light hints. It doesnt have to be perfect.
04
Shading the skin Now we can start

shading the skin, picking darker tones
than the base colour, with the help of the Color
Mixer. Then we pick the Wet Soft brush with a
high opacity and a different size, depending on the
zone. Paint with short strokes with various angles.
Make constant use of the Dropper tool (Alt-click)
to blend in the colours.
05
Setting the light Repeat the process

for the light area. Bear in mind the light
source. Remember to constantly pick up colours
with the Dropper tool to maximise the blending
properties of this brush. For subtle light in some
areas, lower the opacity.
Reective
light and
cast shadows
When painting a
portrait, always
remember that every
object bounces light.
In this case, the red
dress bounces a red
light onto the chin.
Also bear in mind
that these objects
cast shadows onto
adjacent ones. The hair
casts a shadow onto
the skin, otherwise
it will look like a flat
object. Having a basic
knowledge of how
light works will make
your portraits much
more realistic.
and add more tones to the skin, applying short, non-directional

strokes, as if it were a real brush on a real canvas. Add pink and orange, mostly
around the nostrils and cheekbones. For really light tones use a very pale cyan.
07
The eyes Its time to add even more life to the face. Lets paint the
eyes. With a covering brush such as the Opaque, we throw in the

basic colours. Then we start some basic shading, not very detailed, using the
Wet Detail brush with a low opacity (20-30%). Remember that the cornea is
not white! Most of the time its a warm grey.
38
1/5/08 16:31:29
start colouring in the mouth. Drop in a

light pink as a base using an Opaque brush, then
bring in the tri-dimensional shape, adding shadow
and light with the Wet brush. Were not going for
details right now; were just worried about the
overall look and volume.
11
09
Shaping the dress and clothes
Just as we did with the face, we need

to set the lights and shadows on the dress. As a
general rule the clothes take up more space than
the skin. We can start with an Opaque brush, and
then rene with the Wet brush. In this case the
dress is made of silk, so the shades will be very
dark and the lights very bright.
10
Shading the hair To get the painting
12
Keep going Follow the surface of the
to ow, we can shade the hair as well.

It doesnt have to be perfect, but as we did with
the skin and dress, we use the Opaque/Wet Soft
brushes to give volume to the hair. As the light
source comes from the left, the right side of her
hair will be really dark, with almost no highlights.
Dening the
skin Create a
layer on top of the skin.

This one will have more
details and richer tones.
Make sure the Pick up
Underlayer Color option
is checked. With an
Opaque brush, like the
Capture Bristle with low
opacity, start adding in
the colours, with more
contrast than your base
layer. You can start
hiding the line-art layer.
At this point, were trying
to focus on getting the
contours right without
the use of the lines.
When working with

the Acrylic brushes
youll notice that,
like any traditional
painting on a real
canvas, the painting
itself is appreciated
more when looking
at it from a certain
distance. Sometimes
we work with a very
close view of what
were painting, and
we let the brush
strokes and other
details distract us. To
really appreciate what
youre doing, zoom it
out. Depending on the
size youre working
with, you can try
viewing it with a 50%
zoom. Also, if viewing
it in thumbnail size
(5%) you can see
if your painting is
working or not, what
its lacking and what
you can push further.
Create acrylic art
08
The mouth As with the eyes, we can
Tutorial
Zoom out
skin dont let the strokes ruin its tridimensionality. Change the size from time to time,
and use the Dropper tool to let the colours blend.
Dont worry too much about detail, well deal with
that later. Try zooming out (see side tip) to get a
better idea of your work. For very dark areas, pick
the hair colour and shade with it.
Details, details
Use special brushes for a special task
13
Skin details There are two special brushes to add details for those
zones where the other brushes were too big. With the aid of the
line-art layer, start adding details with the Opaque brush in a very small size
(2-3px). It doesnt matter about the opacity, as this brush is just plain opaque.
Then you can blend with the Wet Detail brush, using the Eyedropper over the
lines you previously drew with the Opaque brush.
14
Keep on with the details Have fun
adding as many details as you want.

Key zones are the eyes, nose, ears, eyebrows
and mouth. Since were going to use these two
brushes quite a bit, it would be a good idea to
keep them on a oating window.
15
The dress Its now time to rene the
dress. Taking a custom brush with a nice

texture, like a custom Wet Soft Acrylic brush (see
note), rene what we did before. The advantage
of this brush is it consumes fewer resources and
is better for slower computers. Make sure its Min
size is almost as big as its general size.
39
1/5/08 16:31:59
Style and glamour

Work on the hair, clothes and background
Alter colour
You may have noticed
that the background,
hair and lips are
different on the cover
to how they are in
the step images. The
changes had to be
made to fit with the
cover, but they were
simple to do because
of working in layers.
All the tweaks were
made without affecting
anything else and is a
very good example of
why you should always
use layers!
16
detailing. This is silk, so there are going to be very dark zones against
light ones. To add the buttons and other details, lets create another layer and
use the Opaque Detail brush. And just as we did before for the skin, we smooth
some of the details with the Wet Detail brush, varying the size and opacity
according to whats required.
18
Painting
embroidery
on silk
When some sort of
design is on silk, youll
notice that its colour
follows a pattern,
depending on the
location of the silkcovered object and
the light source. A
nice way to emulate
painted details on silk
quickly is to create a
new layer and draw
the details with
the Opaque Detail
brush, using just one
colour. Once you are
done, preserve the
transparency, and
with an Opaque Acrylic
brush, paint on top
of it using different
shades depending
on the place (in this
case, tuscan red,
carmine red and
orange were used).
Dress details With the same brush but at a smaller size, rene the
17
Clothing motifs To add the dragons and owers to the dress,
19
Blending in The hair is looking good, but lacks proper blending
choose an orange/yellow to start with and draw with the Opaque

Detail brush. It doesnt have to be very precise. Using references on how
embroidery reects on silk, note which parts are very bright or very dark.
Start on the
hair Using a nice
textured bristle (such as the

Capture Bristle, Dry brush
or the Wet Soft Bristle),
we rene the hair. Change
the brush size from time to
time to add variety to the
strands, and always follow
the ow of the hair. Bear in
mind the light parts against
the dark ones. To make
the contours smooth,
erase some bits with a low
opacity brush.
with the rest of the painting. For example, we need to see part of the
scalp, otherwise it will look like a wig. Picking the underlaying skin colour with
the Eyedropper and using the Capture Bristle, paint some of the shown scalp.
Remember that the hair casts a shadow onto the skin and clothes.
22
20
Rich and glossy Finally, to make the
hair richer, draw some strands with the

same Capture Bristle. To make it even richer, take
the Opaque Detail brush and draw several strands
following the locks of hair, in a very subtle way.
Dont overdo it!
21
Blending everything together
Collapse all the similar layers (skin, dress

and hair) that you may have, and carefully erase
the tiny bits with the aid of the line-art layer. Now
proceed to dene the contours with a thin brush,
such as the Opaque.
The background The background is
practically untouched, so now it looks

unnished. We werent pleased with the tone,
so changed it to a redder one, using the Adjust
Colors option. Then we used the Wet brush to
make the background homogenised. Using the
Color Wheel, we painted it so it had more contrast
in certain areas, painting lighter and darker spots
randomly so it looked like a blurred background.
40
1/5/08 16:32:24
Final flourishes
Create acrylic art
23
Tutorial
Is there room for improvement?
Eyebrows In the hair layer, use the
Capture Bristle brush to capture the

texture of the eyebrows. Remember, they show
less in the lighted area of the face. Then, with
a really tiny Opaque brush (2px), draw several
individual strands of hair. There are also other
areas with loose strands of hair, such as the
eyelashes and the outside of the hair.
24
Finishing touches Check the image
and make sure youre happy with it.

There might well be something we missed. Also,
this is a good time to improve the image generally,
adjusting the contrast, brightness, hue, etc.
25
Optional step To add that Impasto effect seen in real acrylic
paintings, we can create a new layer on top of the others, set it to

Multiply, and with a white brush and the Impasto option selected (Thick
Acrylic brushes), apply random touches, following the shape of the surface,
mostly on the hair and dark areas of the face. This will give a really neat
traditional touch to your illustration. Now we can consider it done!
In detail Make the most of your brushes

As we said, the different sets of brushes in the Acrylics category simulate the various techniques used when working with real acrylic paint on a real canvas. In this
tutorial we were trying to emulate a non-quick look, like an artist who takes their time, using acrylic retarders. Thats why the Capture Bristle and Wet Bristle as well as
customisations of them were mostly used. The possibilities are endless with the Create Brush option, making your brushes richer than before.
THICK BRUSH SERIES

The Thick Brush series
(Acrylic Bristle, Acrylic
Flat, Acrylic Round
and Opaque) provide
the traditional effect
thats created with the
tri-dimensional effect of
real strokes. Dont bother
changing the opacity,
because this brush is most
likely to act like paint
straight from a tube.
CAPTURE BRISTLE
This brush is great, due
to its fastness and
features. Perfect for
shading big areas used
with low opacity (2040%), and also ideal for
texture of hair.
DETAIL BRUSHES
The Opaque and Wet
Detail brushes act just like
tiny brushes we usually
have for details. The
Opaque has a matte look,
while the Wet one works
more as an oily blender.
WET BRUSH SERIES

The Wet Brush series
(Acrylic and Soft Acrylic)
are the perfect blenders.
With custom settings,
they can make effective
shaders for skin and
smooth areas such as
the silky dress.
41
1/5/08 16:32:52
Feature focus File formats and resolution
File formats
and resolution
If you desire real quality in your artwork, setting the

right file format and resolution is vital
FEATURE
FOCUS
ainter is an artists dream, a virtual art shop in a box.

We can try, experiment and create with a limitless
supply of art materials and supports. And just like any
good box of chocolates we want to unwrap it and dive in
headirst to savour the delights, while choosing to ignore the list
of ingredients and the guide to the contents.
Thats just human nature, and adventure and experimentation
should never be discouraged. But how many of us have spent
hours creating our own digital masterpieces only to be
disappointed by the quality of the inished artwork when we
print it? This is the Painter equivalent of ending up with the
coffee cream.
With Painter, you do not need to make the extensive
preparations often required in traditional art pursuits there
are no watercolour papers or canvases to be pre-stretched or
surfaces to be primed and prepared to take the paint. However,
you do need to make some preparations. You should consider
how your inal artwork will be used; will you print it and
frame it, post it on the web, use it for commercial reasons
or simply save it for posterity? Whatever you choose to do,
it is vital that you do justice to your work by creating and
saving it in the appropriate ile format and resolution.
Painter is primarily a pixel-based program, which
creates images made up of tiny pixels arranged in a grid,
and helps us to deine the resolution of the image. Painter
saves image iles in a variety of formats that come in all
shapes and sizes and can be used for a variety of purposes.
Some formats are designed for saving space and, in doing
so, compress the image and lose a degree of detail. Some allow
for detailed printing processes, while others allow more complex
information (such as layers) to be saved for use in speciic
programs. Here, we will help you explore resolution and ile
formatting to allow you a more informed choice when setting up
your artwork. Then when it comes to printing out your artwork
or sharing it with others, you wont be left with a pixellated mess,
but a beautifully crisp image.
Resolution
Pixel perfect
SAVING ARTWORK When
saving your artwork, either in

progress or in its nal state, choose
the appropriate le format. This
should depend on how you wish
to progress a painting or how you
wish to use the nal image. Save in
a format that allows you to return
to Painter and continue, or that
allows you to transfer your image
to another program, to print the
image or publish to the internet
SAVING FOR THE WEB When saving a

le for use on the web, keep le size small
to cut down on downloading times and to
avoid the viewer having to scroll down the
screen to see full image. Artwork should be
shown in an appropriate scale that allows
enough detail to do justice to your work,
but at the same time would not allow
someone to print off a quality print
Vector tools in Painter

Mathematical art
Painter images are made up of pixels. Digital images are often

described in terms of the pixel grid dimensions, eg 640 x 480,
which is a measurement of the grids horizontal and vertical
sides. Resolution is measured in pixels per inch (or ppi) and
tells you about the images quality. The more pixels per inch
the more detail there is. Increasing the size of a pixel-based
image requires the computer to create additional pixels and
the image loses detail. It is therefore important to set the
appropriate resolution when starting a painting in Painter. A
higher resolution painting can be printed out and reduced in
size without any problems, however, a low-resolution painting
will not increase in size without loss of detail.
Drawing programs such as Illustrator are known as

Vector programs. These use mathematical instructions
to describe the outline and filling of objects within a
drawing. These images are much smaller in file size than
pixel-based images and can be re-sized without any loss
of quality. Vector images have hard-edged lines with
little thickness variation and flat colour fills, as opposed
to the continuous tone variations seen in pixel-based
photos and paintings.
Although Painter is mainly a pixel-based program
it does have some vector-based capabilities, including
type, shapes, shape paths and outline selections.
42
042-45_OPM_17_featurefocus.indd 42
1/5/08 13:43:38
HIGH RESOLUTION When you create
Low resolution file saving

Feature focus
images at a higher resolution it allows

exibility in how you use the image when
it is completed. After all, the higher the
resolution, the better the results will be in
the nal printing
Spot the difference in image quality

When saving a file in a space-saving format such as a JPEG it leads to a
deterioration of image quality. Here we use a large, high-resolution TIFF
file and look at how saving it in a lower resolution degrades the image.
BACK UP WORK Digital les

are fragile. Every computer user
experiences the loss of work
when a computer crashes or
the wrong key is accidentally
pressed. To avoid losing your
precious artwork it is vital to
back up your work frequently
using an appropriate le format
Here we
see a small detailed section
of the original TIFF format
le in Painter. The image was
painted in Pastels and saved
at 300ppi, as the nished
artwork was to be printed.
02 JPEG
Here we
see the le saved
as a JPEG. It should be noted
that this image shows the
painting after it had been
saved as a JPEG le and resaved in Painter 20 times. The
image has deteriorated quite
noticeably in several areas and
would no longer be suitable
for printing. Pixelation is
evident throughout the image.
It is quite easy to resave an
image 20 or 30 times on your
computer without realising
that the damage is being done.
SHUT UP SHOP It is good practice to save

your artwork and exit from Painter every so
often. While working in Painter the program
creates a fairly large temporary le that eats
up precious memory space. Closing and
then reopening Painter clears this le. This
helps the program work more efciently,
particularly with high resolution les
03 Saving as a GIF
This image shows

how much your artwork
would deteriorate if you
saved it as a GIF le. GIF les
are used mainly for nonphotographic images on the
internet. Once saved in this
format, if a backup copy has
not been made you will not
be able to recover the detail
in your painting.
Working with large files
Reference Layers
When time is of the essence
Substitution solution
When working with large resolution files Painter may

slow down, depending on the size of the file. As you
add layers to your creation this will add to the slowing
process. To help alleviate this you could work in a
lower resolution at the outset and paint in background
and basic forms. When this is completed, scale up the
painting to your desired size and add your details.
If your work is very large, it can be sketched out,
then cut into pieces and saved as several files, which
will allow you to work on each file separately. Some
artists will paint on layers as separate files and will
cut and paste them into the final image.
File formats and resolution
original
TIFF le
01 The
The use of Reference layers can also help with large, high-resolution
file sizes. Painter can create Reference layers with a low resolution
of 72ppi, which act as replacements or substitutes for the actual
image layers. You can then rotate, re-size, move and skew these
substitute layers more quickly than the original layers. When you
have completed your changes convert back to your original layers
and Painter will update your changes on the original file.
To make a Reference layer, select an Image layer and select
Effects, Orientation and Free Transform. Then select Layer Adjuster.
Use the Control and Shift keys to help you make changes. When
complete, select Effects, Orientation, Commit Transform and click
the Commit button to return to the original image.
43
1/5/08 13:45:08
Feature focus File formats and resolution
FEATURE
FOCUS
Set up resolution and save your artwork

Prepare your image and save as you go
In this walkthrough
we will show you
how to set up the
resolution for a
painting and how to
save it in different
ile formats. The
painting used in the
demonstration was
a commission for the
cover of a brochure.
01 Setting up the canvas
Shoot to
paint
If you use a digital
camera to get
photographic
references for painting
in Painter, keep in
mind that most digital
cameras save in the
JPEG file format. They
will also offer several
different quality
settings, which are
really different JPEG
compression levels.
Never shoot at the
lowest level; although
youll get more photos
on your disc, the
quality will be poor
when printed. Shoot at
the highest level and
immediately afterwards
transfer it into the
computer and save
as TIFF files. This will
preserve quality.
As this painting is to be used as a

brochure cover it requires having a resolution suitable for printing. It
will also be used on posters to advertise the brochure. With this in mind we set
up the canvas. We click on New and set the size of the canvas to Width 15.5
inches, Height 22.5 inches and Resolution 300ppi. This high resolution will
give us a quality print.
02 Our rst save
Now that the le is set up we immediately save it in

the RIFF format. The le is placed in a new folder that will save all the
images relating to this painting. We now have a high-resolution image ready
for painting.
03 Iterative Save
Using a thick and thin

pencil the image is roughly
sketched on the canvas. During
the sketching process alone the
image will be saved about ten
times. This allows us to go back
and change things if we are
unhappy about the progress.
The le is saved using Iterative
Save. This useful feature quickly
saves sequentially numbered
versions of the artwork, making
les easy to identify. To do this
choose File, Iterative Save.
RIFF files
04 Using Save
At any point in the

painting process, you can stop for a rest
or cup of tea and save the image by simply using
the File, Save feature. This will save the le in the
format currently being used.
PSD and TIFF file formats
Painters very own format

RIFF files are the native file format for Painter and are the only
format that preserves all the elements in your painting that
are unique to Painter, eg layers, Watercolor layers, Reference
layers, Shapes, etc. RIFFs are generally fairly small files, but if
you have a lot of disk space check the Compressed box in the
Save dialog when saving the file. Although this will make the
file larger, it will open more quickly in Painter and will also
save more quickly. It is recommended that you save your work
regularly in the RIFF format while working on a painting. If you
wish to use your painting in another program, eg Photoshop,
then ensure that you also save your image in a format that will
be suitable for opening it in that program.
Photoshop/printer compatible
Saving your Painter file in the PSD file format
allows you to move your image file backwards
and forwards between Photoshop and Painter
while preserving the layers. It should be noted
that when a Painter file is saved in PSD it does not
preserve the Painter-specific layers wholly, such as
Watercolor, etc. It converts them to image layers.
The TIFF file format is the most universal file
for pixel-based images and can be read on PCs and
Macs. When all work is completed in Painter and
you wish to print your final work, the TIFF file is the
perfect choice for printing.
44
1/5/08 13:45:26
If at some point we wish to transfer

the painting to another program, for example
Photoshop, to do some work within that
program, this can easily be done by using the File,
Save As command. In the case of Photoshop, use
the PSD format option, which will ensure that the
layers will also be saved.
06 Final image
After many hours of

work we reach our nal image at last.
This painting has been saved on 88 occasions
during the process. We now have a nished
painting as well as a very detailed record of how it
was created.
07 Save for printing
As this painting
is to printed, the nal image that has
already been saved as a RIFF le is now saved as
a TIFF le. We now have a high-resolution le
appropriate for high-quality printing.
Always try to work at

the final resolution
that you require. On
occasions, when you
are working with large,
high-resolution files,
you should experiment
with increasing the
brush size and also the
paper texture. This
will have a bearing on
your final painting. To
do this, choose a brush
and in the property
bar adjust the size
using the slider or by
inputting a size. Similar
adjustments can be
made to the paper
texture within the
Papers palette.
File formats and resolution
05 Saving for use in other programs
Feature focus
Go large
Future-proof your painting

Saving and protecting your image in other formats
Remember
to strip
08
Saving
in other
formats As well as
saving the nal image as

a RIFF and a TIFF le, it is
also saved as a PSD le
in the event that it may
need to be manipulated
in Photoshop at a later
date for another project.
It is also saved for use on
the web. In this instance
it was saved as a JPEG
and then opened in
Photoshop, re-sized
to 8% and then saved
using Photoshops Save
for Web function. This
resulted in a neat image
weighing in at only 21k.
The TIFF le for printing
was 120MB.
09 Protect your image on the web
It is extremely
important to protect your images on the internet. Do
not publish them at a size or resolution that will allow them to be
printed off by someone. Unfortunately, this can and does happen.
You can also use Paint Shop Pro Photo to embed a watermark
within your image to help protect it.
As you become more

proficient in the use
of Painter you will
find yourself creating
brushes, papers and
textures and adding
to the libraries within
the program. You may
also add resources
from tutorial discs etc
in expanding your
libraries this will eat up
the memory available
to the program. Strip
out the resources that
you do not need and
save them in libraries
on your hard drive. This
will allow Painter to
work more quickly and
more efficiently, too.
JPEG format
Image modes for printing
Perfect for saving space
Know your colours
The advantage of saving an image in the JPEG format

is one of space saving. When saving a JPEG file
you are given the choice of saving it in one of four
categories: Excellent, High, Good and Fair. If saved
as Excellent the resulting JPEG file is about one
tenth of the size of the same image saved as a TIFF. If
saved as Fair the JPEG would be approximately one
hundredth the size of the equivalent JPEG. However,
this space saving comes with a hefty price detail in
the image is lost in the compression process. It is also
important to note that every time you save a JPEG the
quality of the image deteriorates.
Most commercial printers use one of two image modes. RGB

(red-green-blue) is used by most fine-art inkjet printers
and CYMK (cyan-magenta-yellow-black) is used by many
commercial offset printers.
Painters native colour mode is RGB, however, it can open
files in CMYK mode although in doing so it converts them
to RGB for use in the program. Painter can also allow you to
save a TIFF file in CMYK mode but, unlike Photoshop, it does
not allow you to specify colour mixes in CMYK.
Many artists prefer to work in RGB and if CMYK is required
in their final output, they transfer their final image as a TIFF
in RGB mode into Photoshop for CMYK conversion.
45
1/5/08 13:46:29
Tutorial Paint like Grant Wood
46
046-051_OPM_17 PaintLike FolkArt46 46
1/5/08 13:34:44
Tutorial
Paint like: Grant Wood
Want to paint a farm scene like the old rural master Grant Wood? Then follow along
Paint like Grant Wood
Tutorial info
Artist
Susi Lawson
Time needed
3 hours
Skill level
Intermediate
On the CD
Source photo
rant Wood was a master at

painting the rural landscapes
of his home state of Iowa.
Throughout his life he travelled
to Paris and experimented with other
art forms, but it was the pure realistic
landscapes and portraits that were
in his heart and ultimately made him
famous. This new art form was tagged
Regionalism the art of painting the
land and culture of your homeland.
Although the portrait of his sister and
dentist, American Gothic, is his most
famous painting, his landscapes were
just as impressive. Grants paintings
focus on the simple contours and shapes

of his subjects and although they appear
as smooth as glass, on closer inspection
they are richly and intricately detailed.
With Painter, we hope to get the look
and feel of a Grant Wood piece of work by
applying some of the same elements to
our landscape, such as deining shapes
with smooth contours and rounding out
our trees and repeating patterns, which
are Grants trademarks. And if there
are elements we cant accomplish with
Painter then well resort back to a more
traditional approach and directly paint
over our image.
We found a beautiful farm in Wythe

County, Virginia, where the owner, Mr
Kidd, even gave us permission to take a
picture of him on his tractor!
Well be using acrylic paint for a
smooth opaque look, but well also
explore other brushes to mimic Woods
work. How did he paint those trees so
perfectly? Well, however he did it, you
can accomplish the look in seconds by
using the Distort Bulge tool for instant
tree globes! Well also be using the
airbrush for its smoothing properties,
and the Burn tool for shadows. So come
along for a day in the country
47
1/5/08 13:35:07
Setting the scene

Clone, clean, crop and colour!
Burning
Shadows
A great way to add
depth to any image is
by ensuring that the
shadows are correct
by checking the
direction of your light
source. In this image
the light source is
coming from the right,
which means all the
shadows will be on the
left of all the elements
in the image.
A quick way to
darken or paint
the shadows is by
selecting the Camera
icon in your Brush
menu and using the
Burn tool. This tool
can be overdone, so
be sure to use a low
opacity and glaze in
the shadows for the
most natural look.
01 Starting with the background canvas
Just like traditional

painting, we must start with a good background and build towards
the foreground. So lets open the landscape and go to File>Clone to make a
duplicate layer.
Zoom in close to the half

barn that is quite distracting, and select the Straight Cloner brush.
Now sample the area of the grass above it and clone down to eliminate this
barn as shown. Eliminate the tree beside it as well.
03 Continue to clean and smooth
04 Starting to clone paint
Continue cloning out

unpleasant objects, such as the shack to the right, rocks, poles and
such, until the land is clean and uncluttered.
02 Cloning out distracting elements
Drop the layers and make a new one.

Be sure your Pick Up Underlying Color is checked, and the Use Clone
Color is checked before proceeding.
Painting in
the grass
05
areas
Grants land was

very smooth and exact,
so lets choose the #30
Opaque Acrylic Brush
at 30% Opacity for its
smooth properties, and
start painting over the
entire grass landscape.
Dont go over the trees
or crops yet. Paint in the
direction of the slopes.
(If this creates too many
lines, then go over it
again lightly).
06 Paint over random trees
When
you encounter random trees that have
not been cloned out, just paint right over them.
The colour adds more interest to the land.
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1/5/08 13:35:33
In order to ensure your nal

painting resembles the landscape, make sure that your brushes
follow the natural direction of the land. Notice that in this area we are painting
left to right, rather than up and down as we were in the top hills.
09 Painting the foreground
Make
a new layer and name it Foreground.
Now using the same brush, paint in a left to right
uid motion. Do not paint over the tractor, and
dont worry about overow as we will x that in
the next step.
08 Painting the crop
Make another layer and name it Crops.

Using the same brush, lets carefully paint in an up and down short
chopping motion to maintain the structure of the corn. Zoom in and use a
rather small brush size for this. Yes, this part is time consuming!
10 Painting farmer and tractor
Now
drop all layers and add a new one named
Tractor. Choose the Acrylic Detail brush 3 at 30%
Opacity and, by using your photos colours as a
guide, Alt-click to paint directly over the farmer
and tractor. Be sure to click on the shadows
and highlights as you paint. Do this by using the
Straight Color, not the Clone Color.
If you are not an

artist, using the
Straight Color can feel
very intimidating as it
is much harder than
cloning. However, it
is much easier than
painting on a blank
canvas, as you have
the photo right there
as a reference tool
to guide you through
the whole process.
Remember to keep
sampling the actual
colour on your photo
as you paint, including
the subtle tones
between the shadows
and the highlights, as
this will make your
painting much more
alive and keep it
from looking flat. This
takes practice, but
pays off !
07 Paint in the right direction
Tutorial
Using the
Straight
Color
11 Painting the tractor shadow
Using
the same brush and technique as step 10,
choose a dark olive green and paint a shadow
beneath the tractor using the light direction in the
picture as a reference. Paint the little house on the
left in the same manner as the tractor.
Airbrush
with ease
For subtle effects
12 Painting trees like Grant Wood
One of Grants trademarks

were round trees. Make a new layer named Trees. Take the Round
Marquee tool and select one of the small trees rst to get the hang of it. Select
the entire tree leaves with the circle. Now choose the Opaque Acrylic 10 brush
at 25-40% Opacity and paint in little circles within the big circle. Be sure the
Clone Color is selected.
The airbrush is an excellent

tool for providing graduations
of colour in a very subtle and
quiet way. It is also great at
providing a smooth-flowing
service, whether it is a hillside or
baby hair. But you have to know
the secret to airbrushing, and
that is to use the Opacity sliders
on the brush and the layer you
are working on. Keeping both
opacities low provides the
softest effect. With the airbrush
it is better to build colour rather
than to lay it on all at once. It is
this transparency factor that
makes this brush so versatile.
Notice that we also added smoke
coming from the tractor using a
very low opacity, and airbrushed
puffs of billowing smoke.
49
1/5/08 13:36:02
Picture-postcard perfect
Brushes at the ready to paint in the detail
13 Painting trees freehand
Continue to paint the trees. If you

feel you do not need the circular selection tool then you can paint
freehand using a circular painting motion. It is best to start with the trees in the
background and work forward.
Perspective
Always keep
perspective in mind
when painting. This is
especially important in
a painting such as this,
where the foreground
and background are so
far apart.
Pay attention to the
patterns in the fields
as they flow over hills.
Make sure the lines
get smaller as they go
away from you, and
larger as they come
closer. Notice the tiny
mounds of the trees in
the distance and how
they become larger in
the mid-ground. Even
though this seems
elementary, many
people overlook this
simple fact and it can
really confuse the
viewer if you dont get
it right!
14 Painting the forest
Use the same technique as painting the

single trees. Only use very small ball shapes by painting in little circles,
working from the top of the picture (back) and coming forward. Use the same
brush as step 13. Do this until you have completed all of the trees.
15 Placing a eld in the foreground 16 Painting in the eld rows
Flatten layers and add a new one named

Field. As Grant loved the look of rolling hills, well
add a new one to the foreground. Using the same
Acrylic brush, paint a patch of beige ground as
shown. Be sure Straight Color is checked.
Make
another layer named Rows and decrease
the Opacity of the layer to 50%. Paint eld rows
following the sloping contour using a light brown
colour and a thick Acrylic Round brush for a 3D
look. (Use Straight Color).
17 Painting in shadows
To add depth to
the rows youve just painted, choose the
Soft Airbrush 20 at 10% Opacity. And using the
same colour as step 16, add some soft shadows to
the rows, painting softly at the bottom and top as
shown. (Use Straight Color).
Smooth and
soften the
19
hills
and adding more
grass colour
18 Smoothing
Make a new layer named

Grass. Using the same airbrush as step 17, at 20%
Opacity, paint a smooth line of green in front of
the tractor and above the beige hill, as shown. Add
darker shadows in the same way we did before.
Start with the midground hills. Smooth

and soften them using
the same airbrush on a
brand new layer, with the
layer decreased to 50%
Opacity. Lightly shadow
in the same way in
order to further dene
and contour.
50
1/5/08 13:36:26
Tutorial
the middle of the scene is a beige area

that needs to be more dened. Paint this area
with an even beige with dening edges, using an
airbrush. Now go back and add rows the same
way you did for the foreground (using Standard
Color). Drop the layers.
21
More dening of the trees using the Distort tool Now
choose the Distort Bulge tool at 70%. Use a brush as large as you
want the tree circle to be, and apply enough pressure in a circular motion
to create a circle. Do this to all the foreground trees and some of the
background, decreasing the circle as needed. This is not necessary if you
already like the look of your trees, but this will add a more pronounced Grant
Wood-style roundness.
20
Dening more farm rows Right in
22 Adding sunlight to the trees
Using
the Airbrush 20 at a very low opacity, add
a light green highlight to the right side of some of
the trees to give the illusion of sunshine this will
add more depth. (Use Straight Color). To nish off
the image, go to Effects/Tonal Control/Brightness
and Contrast, and increase the Contrast to add
more colour and denition.
Grant Woods trademarks A distinctive look dissected

The defining elements of a Grant Wood painting can be seen in every single one of his
beautiful country scenes. First of all there is the simplicity of the rural life showing
people working the land, then there is the presence of farm animals (Grant especially
loved chickens, apparently), as well as the pattern of the crops that reminded Grant of
his mothers quilting. Then, of course, there is Grants definite and rather unique way of
painting all his trees as though they were bunches of grapes as you can see, they are
round and full, just like the fruit. Here we will see how these elements were included in
this Virginia farm scene.
PATTERNS
ROLLING HILLS
Our source photo was pretty
good in terms of a hilly vista,
but you can always add more to
boost the effect, as we did.
Here we see the repeated pattern

of the crops that Grant loved. In
this image there is the pattern of
lines in the fore and mid-ground.
ROUNDED TREES
Any tree in a Grant Wood
painting is treated to a bulbous
makeover. You can do the same
in your landscape, either painting
freehand or making use of the
distort tools.
A TYPICAL SCENE
Landscapes were a much-loved
topic for Grant Wood, so when
you try and re-create his style,
keep this in mind.
PASTORAL FOLK
We found this farmer willing
to let his image be used. If you
nd people in the scene you are
photographing, check its okay.
51
1/5/08 13:41:19
Art study How to paint sunlight
How to
Pa in t sun light
Unsuccessfu
If the colour palette is the soul of a

painting, then light must be its pulse and its life!
SPLASHES THAT DONT MAKE MUCH OF A SPLASH
Successful
This is basically the same painting as below, but we left

the sky sort of bland, no area of light source and not much
highlighting in the tree. The atmosphere here is completely
different, even a bit overcast and stormy. Notice that your view
wanders around, trying to decide on a focal point.
TIMID HIGHLIGHTS
x
HIGHLIGHTS
THROUGHOUT
We did add some

highlights and tiny splashy
strokes in the unsuccessful
image, but theyre hardly
noticeable and denitely
not exciting. Wherever
you decide to place your
highlights, they will boost
the energy of the image
and add to its painterly
quality. In this one here,
the highlights on the
waves spring forth.
Highlights and sparkles in the

water dont just happen in
isolation. We have to set the
entire stage by introducing
a light source, then highlight
all the other elements weve
painted into our scene.
Without actually painting
a sun, we brightened
the upper-right corner to
represent the light source.
SPLASHES THAT SPARKLE
Wa ter hi
Have you ever spent idyllic hours, maybe an entire afternoon, happily painting
away, sure this was going to be your nest hour? Only to discover after youd
done your nal save that your painting was a bit of a disappointment? Maybe it
just didnt have that certain something. Chances are you were too sparing with
your lighting. Painting highlights and shadows is not at all difcult. In fact, it can
be the most fun part of painting. It just requires thinking in terms of making your
highlights the focal point the star of the show.
Water highlights can be achieved with various brushes, from Leaky Pen
to FX brushes. Try them all and have fun! Splashes are mainly white,
but vary the opacity and brush size, thinking watery as you work.
Splashes will sometimes have a darker shade of blue beneath them.
In this art study we will take a closer look at adding light throughout the
painting, not just a sprinkling of highlights here and there. Well consider which
colour palettes might be more effective for painting light at various times of day
(especially when were going for a more painterly and less realistic look), how
to paint direct, hazy and dappled light, and well discuss painting shadows in
various lighting situations.
52
052-55_OPM_17 Art Study Sunlight52 52
1/5/08 13:30:58
Art study
How to paint sunlight
For this segment we decided to explore the

challenges of painting three lighting situations:
Direct, Hazy and Dappled.
Again, none of what weve done is difcult
it simply requires that we think about our light
source and how we want it to behave within the
painted image. This applies whether were painting
in watercolours, oils, charcoal or acrylics, and is
usually just as important in painting abstracted
landscapes and scenes as it is in depicting very
realistically rendered images.
The paintings were asked about that dont quite
satisfy the painter usually have less to do with
the artists talent and more to do with them not
paying enough attention to lighting, highlights and
shadows. And its something we all forget at times,
whether weve just begun painting or have been
splashing on the paint for years.
So lets have a good look at the examples on
this page
JEWEL TONES
TO PASTELS
SHADOW AS AN IMPORTANT PLAYER
Direct light applied to your image can be the most

powerful and arguably the most interesting form of
all lighting, as it creates an echo-like image beyond
everything it touches. And of course the more
realistically youre painting, the more painstakingly youll
need to dene this secondary image.
This shadow becomes second in importance as a focal point,

only to the scraggly old paintbrush itself. We took liberties
with the shadow colours, adding in touches of amethyst and
sapphire tones to rescue it from being a blob of black.
The scene before us takes on a romantic atmosphere as we gaze across the meadow
through early morning or late evening haze that rises from the moist earth. The farther
into the distance we can see, the heavier the haze becomes much like depth of eld
in photography.
The progression of
colour from vibrant
to pastel provides
a push/pull effect,
and adds energy to
the painting. Here
were concentrating
more on shadow
than on highlights.
There are many ways to paint dappled light, one being to paint the image somewhat
realistically and then overlay it with a mottled layer (set to one of the Screening blend
modes). We chose another route, and painted this one abstractly in a colour palette that
speaks of dappled light and shadow.
53
1/5/08 13:19:29
Art study How to paint sunlight
Differen t times of the da
For this segment we divided the image into three sections to form a triptych,
and painted the rst one as early dawn, the middle one as midday and the third
one as late evening. Denitely not your typical triptych, but it was great fun
to do! And because we can envision the sun beginning on one side, swinging
overhead and ending on the other, it serves as a good example of how to deal
with sunlight in your paintings.
Dawn
The sunlight is coming from the top-left corner, and as it

spills down it creates shadows beneath the tree branches.
You can see the progression of light from bottom to
top of this panel, and the colours go from drab greens
to yellow-greens bursting with life. Then we thought
about how light would lter through the pine needles to
highlight surfaces below, and brushed on lighter colours.
Its important to consider the time of day when painting, especially with
landscape scenes. Each segment has a denite mood, and you can exploit this
once you understand which one is most relevant. Dawn and dusk are the more
mysterious times of day, with midday offering harsh light and little shadow.
Dusk tends to be hazier than dawn, especially in cities, as the pollution has built
up over the day.
At midday with the sun overhead the colours are harder, as

are the divisions between highlight and shadow. The light
reads as white, and you can almost feel the warmth as it
reects from horizontal surfaces. Compared with the other
two panels, these colours might even seem washed-out.
The story were telling is still about light and the shadow
shapes it carves below the images where it comes to rest.
In the nal panel we exercised our artistic licence with the

colours, opting for cool blues and purples with just a few
rays of golden light peeking through from the right side,
softly touching a scattering of surfaces. Deciding where
it will touch is the most fun part of all. The result of this
exaggerated colour palette is an atmosphere of a summer
evening, quietly waiting for nightfall to descend.
54
1/5/08 13:19:57
Art study
How to paint sunlight
Just as light provides the focal point in paintings, the shadows map out the
shapes and are no less essential in helping a viewer work out the forms in your
scene and move around the canvas.
In the following examples we painted the entire images, but then
desaturated half of each one to show just how perfectly the shadows and
highlights map the image elements providing a map of where to paint light
colours or white, and where to paint deep colours that advance to black. This is
a great trick for complex scenes or if you arent feeling condent with applying
the shadows and highlights freehand.
Its also a good way to make sure your image is tonally interesting. When
youre in doubt about whether your painting contains enough highlight and
shadow, make a copy of it, desaturate, and then squint your eyes as you look
at it. If you see a nice pattern of darks and lights, then you have succeeded. If it
seems at, boost things up!
Shadows in the snow
This cabin in the snow painting was created in a limited palette, but when the image
is desaturated we see even more clearly where the major shapes are. Because we
painted it with a Wide Impasto brush, the brush strokes themselves provide interesting
shapes within the image.
Bell ton es
The little bell shapes in this pretty, white hyacinth painting create a playful, somewhat
delicate vertical pattern, with shadows of the petals describing secondary areas of
interest. Notice that the desaturated side takes on a somewhat sombre appearance,
while the coloured side looks light and airy because our minds respond to colour.
Chalk pa ttern s
This bright painting of ordinary pieces of chalk actually becomes a study in cylindrical
shapes as the shadow map describes those large, dark areas. Notice that the medium
greys were painted with medium colour values, the light greys with light colours and so
on. A useful tool for when youre painting with light.
55
1/5/08 13:20:27
Tutorial Create African art
58
058-062_OPM_17_African Art.indd 58
1/5/08 14:03:06
Tutorial
Create African art
Create African art
Paint in the contemporary colours of Africa, in a style rich in movement and expression
Tutorial info
Artist
Cheryl Blanchard
Time needed
1.5 hours
Skill level
Beginner
he art of Africa is as rich and

varied as the country itself.
One could study the history
for months and still only begin
to scratch the surface of its beauty and
meaning. We can only cover a very small
portion of this vast subject here, so our
focus will be on contemporary painting
and the use of traditional sculpture and
textiles as reference. The styles of modern
painting are as diverse as the people of
this great country. Not art historians by
any means, we will, however, do our best
to introduce you to this subject.
Humans and animals are widely
represented in traditional and
contemporary African art. They are used
to depict aspects of the human experience
rather than to serve as simple portraits.
Most early African art was created
for use in everyday ceremonies: social
and religious. There was no line drawn
between the purely aesthetic and the
utilitarian. Most early art objects served

a purpose, whether it was functional or
representing a spiritual belief or custom.
These tradition-based arts helped shape
and relect the lives of the communities.
African art is deeply integrated into
every aspect of life and relects the full
cycle of life: birth, initiation, adulthood,
death and ancestors.
Some well-known painters of the early
Twentieth Century were inluenced
by African art. Matisse, Modigliani
and Picasso incorporated the beauty
and simplicity of African sculpture
into their work. The long necks of
Modiglianis igures are commonly seen
in traditional African sculpture. Picassos
Les Demoiselles dAvignon combined the
primitive art of African masks with the
classical ideals of beauty. This piece in
particular marked a breakthrough in
modern art, and to some, the arrival of the
irst phase of Cubism.
Many contemporary African

painters are inspired by the art of
their predecessors; abstraction of
form and simplicity are prevalent. The
human igure is often depicted as a
representation of the human experience,
rich in allegory. Sadly, the Western world
has viewed these contemporary works as
borrowing from the Cubists in design and
style, when in fact this is a representation
and culling from their own ancestors.
Because of this misconception, African
art in the Western market has been
mistakenly seen as unoriginal! This idea
could not be farther from the truth.
In this tutorial, well explore the
possibilities of painting in a style of
contemporary African art using Painters
Artists Oils.
For more about the history of African
art, visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Timeline at www.metmuseum.org/
toah/hm/11/af/hm11af.htm.
The start of The Story

Anyone Cudjoe this, you know
02 Artists Oils
01 Create a palette
Using the image

of James Cudjoes painting The Story,
weve created a palette to base this painting
on. Heres an easy way to do this. In Photoshop,
make a black-and-white layout of squares, then
select colour from the original painting and ll the
palette squares.
Artists Oils
might be intimidating if
youve never used them
before. Well only be
using two brushes for
most of the painting; the
Wet Oils brush and Wet
Oily blender. Here are
the settings we will use
for the Wet Oily brush
throughout this painting,
changing only the Opacity
as the layers build: Grain
40 per cent, Viscosity 75
per cent, Blend 66 per
cent, Wetness 82 per cent.
Take a few minutes and a
big brush to experiment
with the Opacity and
blending capabilities of this
marvellous medium.
03 Background colour
Begin by
selecting a background colour from the
palette youve created. Well use a warm ochre for
this painting. Select the colour and use Effects> Fill
to ll the canvas. This gives an overall connection
to the whole painting, as the oils will mix with the
background as we paint.
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1/5/08 14:03:39
Giving The Story some substance

Introduce some texture and a motif pattern to the background
04 Textures
Choose two other similar

colours from the palette and paint some
texture and movement into the background,
suggesting a low horizon and skies in an abstract
fashion. Set the Opacity of the Wet Oily Brush
to 80 per cent so it will pick up and mix with the
underlying colours. Be sure to check Pick Up
Underlying Color in the Layers palette.
African art
colour palette
Dominant earthy tones
The colours used for this painting are based
on James Cudjoes palette from his painting
The Story. Many of the colour schemes
in contemporary African paintings are a
beautiful combination of earth and jewel
tones. From the subtle yellows to the royal
blues and hot oranges, these colours depict
the land and the very fabric of African life. The
most vibrant of the colours, the lime green,
red orange and electric blue, help to bring
excitement and life to a painting. Here, we
are using the darker hues, the deep purples,
browns and blacks to accent the figures and
suggest the richness of earth. Experiment
with these colours and see what catches your
eye. To create this palette you can begin with
the light and dark value of each colour. All the
values in-between and the complementary
hues can be mixed right on the painting as the
work progresses.
Here is a link to this painting and many
more from a variety of contemporary African
painters: www.african-encounters.com/
african_painting.aspx.
05
Textiles Lets introduce an African textile pattern into the painting.
Weve provided a link in the Textiles and patterns boxout so you can
venture out to nd patterns that appeal to your sensibilities. Or you can follow
along with this one. Paint one motif in the upper left corner of the canvas.
06 Copy the motif
With the Move tool

in hand, hold the Alt key (Mac) or Ctrl key
(PC) to copy the layer and drag to arrange a row
of motifs across the top. Then highlight all textile
layers and Group>Collapse to merge all layers.
Create a
repeat
07
pattern
Next, use the

same steps to copy and
drag the line of motifs
down to ll the canvas
and again, perform a
Group>Collapse. Space
the rows evenly to create a
pleasing overall pattern.
08 Adjust textile Opacity
Finally,
adjust the Layer Opacity to 15 per cent
and change the Layer Mode to Screen. This will
create a soft pattern that will blend nicely into the
background colours.
09 Basic shapes
Now were going to

paint three women to ll the canvas with
owing, elongated bodies. Make a new layer and
block in the basic shapes and colours. For this rst
layer of the gures, change the Opacity to 100 per
cent and uncheck Pick Up Underlying Color in the
Layers palette to keep the colour thick and pure.
60
1/5/08 14:08:41
Create a new layer and

change the brush Opacity to 80 per cent.
Add light and dark colours of similar hues to the
clothing and faces to create some depth and
volume. Keep the strokes loose; theres no need
for detail yet.
Now well focus on the

clothing. On the same layer, add brighter
colours and patterns to each womans dress,
making them distinctly different from one another.
For this step, keep the brush Opacity at 80 per cent
and check Pick Up Underlying Color in the Layers
palette. Again, you can use the link to the Textiles
site for inspiration or follow the patterns here.
12 Faces
Often the faces in contemporary

African art are stylised after early African
sculpture. On a new layer and keeping the brush
Opacity at 80 per cent, paint in a suggestion
of facial features to resemble early sculpture or
masks. Try something different and see the myriad
beauty awaiting your creative consideration from
the link in the African sculpture boxout.
The main protagonists

Enhance your artwork with colour, definition and bold outlines
There is a great deal

of two-dimensional
pattern and texture
in African art. Often
a womans dress or
the background of a
painting is created
with a lively and
colourful array of
shapes and motifs.
There are many
great places online
to read about the
history of African
textiles. Many of the
sites have numerous
photographs that
will inspire you to
include some of these
in your painting.
Here is a textile
site worth visiting:
www.marlamallett.
com/african.htm.
Create African art
10 Movement
11 Clothing
Tutorial
Textiles
and patterns
Dene
and
14
detail
13 Blending
Create a new layer for this next step and change brushes
to the Wet Oily Blender. Use this one at 20 per cent with the default
settings. Select nearby colour directly from the canvas to smooth and
blend some of the brushstrokes. Dont blend too much or youll lose the
spontaneous look of the painting. Keep some of those brushstrokes alive and
distinct, especially the strokes that create the patterns in the clothing.
15 Colour accents
With the same brush, paint some bright strokes of

colour throughout the painting to bring it to life, adding an element
of joy and excitement. Focus on the dresses, with an even amount of paint
distributed to each one. Select colour from the canvas or palette and use the
Color Mixer to move to a brighter version of that selected colour.
Now,
lets go back to
the Wet Oily
Brush at 80 per
cent Opacity for
some denition.
Add a little more
interest to the
faces, dening the
eyes and mouth.
Shape the hands
and feet by using
the surrounding
colour, as well as
adding fresh paint.
16 Outlines
Many contemporary African paintings have bold outlines,

adding motion and direction to the artwork. Again, make a new
layer. With the Wet Oily Brush set at 100 per cent Opacity, add loose outlines
around the edges of the gures. Use the same colour for all three as this will
help tie them together.
African
sculpture
African sculpture
inspired many early
modern painters in
Europe. The origins
reach back beyond
6,000-year-old rock
carvings in Niger.
The simplicity and
beauty of the fertility
dolls and evocative
ceremonial masks are
not something soon
forgotten. Study the
shapes and lines of
these pieces and use
them to inspire your
own paintings. The
National Museum
of African Art has a
wonderful collection
of sculpture and art
online: http://africa.
si.edu/collections/
index.htm.
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Epilogue
Finishing The Story

textile
layer
17 Copy
Copy
and move the textile
layer to the top of all
the layers and set the
Layer Mode to Screen.
With the Eraser, remove
the pattern that falls
on top of the gures,
leaving the pattern
around the edges of
the gures to replace
what was previously
painted out. Next, at 30
per cent with the Eraser,
continue to lightly and
selectively erase some
of the pattern in the
background. This will
help add some tonal
variety to the pattern.
Painting
between
the lines
Very often,
contemporary African
paintings are a mix of
collage and realism,
abstract textures
and patterns. When
you begin to create
a piece of art in this
style, develop an
idea, a statement of
meaning. Combine
multiple photos and
textures before you
start painting have a
definitive plan with an
end result in mind. Say
something about the
life around you, your
feelings or beliefs, your
joys or heartaches. Tell
us a story!
19 Add more colours to the background
With a small brush

at 80 per cent Opacity, follow the textile pattern and add some
highlights around the gures to create interest and movement in the
background. Use the colours of the earth and sky to suggest their presence.
21 Unsharp Mask
Bring the image into

Photoshop for some nal adjustments.
Merge all layers and apply Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp
Mask at: Amount: 40, Radius: 4, Threshold: 0;
perfect for dening the Wet Oily brushstrokes.
22 Levels
Next, use Image>Adjustments>

Levels to adjust the contrast. It is not
always necessary to have a high contrast level in
a painting, but this can often add a more striking
range of tones.
18 Colour wash
Create a new layer now to add colour to the

background. With the Wet Oily Brush at 30 per cent Opacity, select
colour from the clothing and gently wash the areas around the gures with
colour. This not only adds interest, but helps tie the gures to the background.
20 One last glaze of colour
Add just a small amount of warm

colour to the faces and skin to help tie them into the rest of the
painting. With the Opacity at 20 per cent, glaze a little colour on here and
there to accent.
23 Hue and Saturation
And nally, use Image>Adjustments>Hue/

Saturation to enrich the colour to a beautiful, vibrant level. Usually, +7
to +15 saturation is just enough to spark up the colour without being garish.
Now, you can use this path to go off in search of your own interpretation of
African art and create a painting to reect those personal discoveries.
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1/5/08 14:04:53
Primer Brush Controls: Bristle
BRUSH CONTROLS
GREENHOUSE BRUSH STROKES
Bristle
In this image, we were trying for an impasto acrylics

or oils on canvas look and employed all four of the
Bristle sliders to create several nice variants, with more
bristle denition in the foreground than in the soft
background, where we painted with less opacity.
Far better than owning hundreds of bristle

brushes, Painters Bristle sliders make
hundreds of variants possible
hile traditional artists must
choose from an array of
animal hair and synthetic
ibre brushes to achieve
specialised stroke effects, which can be
extremely costly, Corel Painter users
have the ability to create realistic brush
strokes with the programs Bristle sliders.
Using Painter you even have the choice
to make Bristle slider tweaks on the ly,
via the Brush Controls palette, working
with your favourite brushes, or you may
opt to open the Brush Creator and spend
an entire afternoon creating dozens
of beautiful new variants. Either way,
familiarity with the controls at the heart
of Painter adds enormously to a digital
artists creative experience. A painting
becomes more individual when you use
your own brush variants. After all, with
these sliders you can change the degree
of size variation within a bristle set, the
density of bristles, the clumpiness of
bristle arrangement, as well as the size of
individual bristles.
To demonstrate exactly what the Bristle
sliders can do, weve painted a couple of
quick images to help us explore this tab,
and weve also given links to the source
photos so you can try out the sliders
on the same pictures at home. So, what
are you waiting for? Its time to explore
exactly whats under that Bristle tab in
your Brush Controls palette.
Rearrange
the Brush
Controls
palette
This palette comes
to you with a default
arrangement. Do
you find yourself
using some of your
Brush Controls tabs
more frequently
than others? You can
rearrange those tabs
simply by clicking on
the dark grey of the
individual palette title
bars (the cursor will
change to a hand) and
dragging them to the
top of the stack for
quicker access. Or you
can place them closer
to the Size Preview
when that tab is open.
CHOOSING LESS DENSITY

Scaling back the Density of our
bristles, still using the Medium Bristle
Oil brush, we found increased bristle
denition for the foreground owers.
This combined with a Color and Depth
Impasto setting allowed us to create
brush strokes like a traditional brush
dipped in thick paint.
The Thickness slider
The Clumpiness slider
From delicate to bold in one brush
Keeping it real
This slider handily controls the diameter of separate bristles.

Move this slider to the left to reduce the density of the medium
applied by the stroke. Push it to the right and it increases the
brush density. If its moved completely to the left, our brush will
leave a faint stroke, even if we set Opacity to 100%. Speaking
in terms of traditional brushes again, this slider lets us choose
between the delicacy of camel hair bristles and the coarse boars
hair bristles and anything in between. Without any other changes
in the brush coordinates, thinner bristles will result in more
space between them. The practical application is that areas of a
painting that call for a delicate brush and areas where we want
bold brush effects are both easily painted using one brush.
Out of the four Bristle sliders, the Clumpiness slider is our

favourite. It applies a random variance to the thickness of each
of the bristles in the set, making some of them appear to be
clumping together, while leaving others separated, and that
clumpiness is proportional to bristle Thickness. Clumping is
gradually reduced by bringing the slider to the left and increased
when we move it to the right. We like this effect because it
reduces the bristle perfection and creates a look more realistic
in appearance and application, as if the viscous medium were
interacting directly with the bristles and canvas. If you choose to
add some Impasto effect now, youll achieve some wonderfully
painterly brush strokes, too.
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PRIMER
A SOFT BEGINNING
Put the brushes to work
Primer
We selected the Captured Acrylics brush,

opened the Brush Creator and pushed the
Thickness slider to the right to make the
bristles thick and soft. We then played with
it in the Brush Creator: Transposer screen to
create a soft brush for the background.
Use the Bristle command to control paint
01
DEGREES OF VARIANCE
With the bottom slider, we
added greater variation to the
bristle set. We like any control
that allows for more random
placement of effects so that
things dont turn out looking
greeting-card perfect, but
instead more painterly. With
the Medium Bristle Oil brush,
we scattered this new variant
throughout the image.
02
04
01: A grainy effect
03: And a rough brush
02: A fine brush
04: Bristle strokes
The Scale/Size slider works

beautifully with the Digital
Watercolor Coarse Dry Brush.
Using a large brush, I left the
other Bristle sliders at default but
pushed Scale/Size to 100% and
got this effect that reminds me of
water media soaking into paper.
I used it at low opacity over most
of the canvas.
TEXTURE ADDS INTEREST

Moving to the Medium Bristle Oils brush,
note how minute changes in Clumpiness
result in some wonderful, random variance
in the thickness of each bristle. We used
this control to create a variant that added
a textural quality to the background. The
dab print of this brush tells the story.
Its time to begin painting in some

detail in our image, and in order
to create a smoother, finer brush
for painting strokes, I used the
Hair Scale slider, beginning at
0%. The result is a brush variant
that retains all of its bristle
definition but paints beautifully
at 34% Opacity.
The Hair Scale Slider
The Scale Slider
For all hair types
Size matters
This slider controls the density of brushes in the brush

dab and, therefore, the number of bristles in the dab or
set of bristles. Moving the Hair Scale slider to the left
gradually reduces the amount of bristle density and
creates a fine-hair brush. Push it to the right to increase
density. Now, take a look at our illustration and note how
vast a difference weve made in the Smart Stroke Acrylics
Captured Bristle brush, taking it from a glazing brush to
a mop all done in the blink of an eye by taking the slider
from 100% on the left to 1000% on the far right. Each
gradation in between provides its own brush variant and
its own possibilities.
Brush Controls: Bristle
03
I wanted some areas, like the

musicians hair, to have some
rougher texture, and the Smart
Stroke Acrylics Captured Bristle
brush with the Impasto Color
and Depth set to 100% and the
Clumpiness also at 100%, I got
the look I wanted, enough texture
to draw attention without going
too realistic.
And finally, The Medium Bristle
Oils 15 brush set to default and
then the Thickness slider moved
to about 25% gives us some very
nice bristle strokes throughout
the painting.
And thats it for the Bristle tab!
Next time well explore the Well
options in the Brush Controls.
The Scale/Size slider controls the degree of Size variation

applied to a particular bristle set. At 0%, there is no size
change applied to the bristles, while a setting of greater
than 0% creates a set of scaled iterations of the dab. Moving
this slider to the left reduces the degree of size variation,
while moving it to the right increases the size variation,
resulting in some wonderfully bristly effects in our brush
strokes. Our interaction with the Bristle sliders is largely
intuitive. We usually dont save setting coordinates unless
we create a variant we plan to use again. Each time we begin
a painting, we enjoy discovering the unique brush attributes
available within the Brush Controls.
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Drawing 101 How to use pastels
NEW
SERIES
Understand how to
Use pastels
Understanding how traditional art media works will help you get a better feel
for how Painters brushes are set up. Over the next few issues we will be looking
at the major art media, starting with pastels
ometimes only the convenience of
pastels will do you could be sitting at
your table after a hard day and even the
idea of getting a pot of water might be
too much effort. You reach for your treasure box
of art materials to seek inspiration. Watercolour
may seem a little insipid, coloured pencils too
labour intensive and grey pencil, emotionless.
This is when you reach for your pastels with a
weary, but inspired tingle.
They are essentially little blocks of pure
colour compressed. They need no wet medium
to invigorate them and work directly, swiftly
and without compromise (in terms of colour)
on paper. They pose a challenge when it comes

to mark making, consequently encouraging
you to experiment and hone your discoveries to
effectively suggest or imply what you observe.
Pastels come in three forms: as pencils, as
hard pastels and as soft. The harder they are
the more colour or pigment they contain. You
will discover through the next few exercises
which ones suit your style the best and see
how their properties have been translated
into Painter. They are all intense in colour but
differ in their application and mark making
capacity. They are very easy to store, to use and
to change, they generously allow mistakes and
joyfully encourage happy accidents, too. So be

expressive, use your imagination, your keen
powers of observation and join a long line of
artists who have used paper and pastel to sketch
out their ideas.
Chalk up some working sketches, enjoy
creating all manner of textures, extend your
repertoire with pastel portraits of animals and
people, and explore the potential of land and
seascapes. Get used to handling the real thing
and then move into Painter and explore the
Pastel variants. Youll notice similarities in how
they work and can therefore control them with
new pastel aplomb!
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Drawing 101
Making marks
with pastels
The techniques used for defining
and shading
How to use pastels
Pastels can seem very alluring,

enticing you to reproduce the babbling
brook or chuckling child that inspires
you. But be warned, its not so much
that they offer an empty gesture,
its just that they need to be handled
carefully to release their potential. If
you feel disappointed with your initial
results, keep on trying, use a rubber
to correct mistakes, and use a lighter
toned pastel pencil to sketch out your
initial image lead pencil can be hard
to cover up or get rid of, so use pastel
pencil irst. As with all materials,
treat them with respect to achieve
rewarding results. To get you started,
heres a look at how to make marks
with the pastels.
01 Simple lines
Leonardo da
Vincis drawings that ranged
from anatomical illustration to pioneering
fantastical inventions were typically done
using black and red chalk on off-white papers.
Use your pastel pencil to achieve similar
delicate, yet condent, marks to describe
shape and form. Sketch in the general shape
lightly and then conrm the outline deftly.
02 Sweeping blocks
Be warned, pastels need to be handled carefully and

treated with respect to achieve rewarding results
This bold mark is intense in colour. Put your pastel where

you intend to begin the mark, for example, the top of the thumb and then
tilting it on its at edge drag it rmly in the direction you wish the block of colour to ll.
Think of it like a calligraphy pen, consider the speed and pressure you are investing in
the quality of your mark.
03 Contoured cross hatch
In contrast, this mark is much more instinctive

and subjective. Feel free to express the shape, form and colour in a personal,
free and experimental way. Follow the shape of the form with your contours and cross
hatch them repeatedly in different directions to add vibrancy in comparison to the at
boldness of the blocked-in colour shown in image 2.
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1/5/08 16:41:29
Shading with pastels

Build up detail and shade
At this stage you may be thinking, How does
this really differ from ordinary coloured pencil?
You could even imitate the sweeping blocks
with the side of a long pencil lead. Well, this is
where pastel can demonstrate its super power:
its incredible ability to blend. You can use all
the above marks in various combinations and
with practice and patience learn to blend them
together to create a huge variety of helpful
surfaces and textures. The most obvious and
tantalisingly tempting blending tool is your
ingers. Gently massage the colours into the
paper, as they merge and mix to create new
colour. Do a test irst, though, in case you are
allergic to the pastels.
The best alternatives to ingers are special
blender tools that you can buy from good art
shops or even a cotton bud will do the trick quite
beautifully with a little more focus and delicacy
than a inger.
01 Finger blending
This technique
works especially well on skin. To begin,
draw a rough sketch, look and choose a pastel
closest in shade and colour to the middle tonal
value of the skin, ours was an orange. Cover with
pastel; notice that if you use pastel paper, such as
Ingres paper, the rough surface will only take up
some of the pastel, leaving some exposed paper.
Spread the pastel evenly, continue to build layers
of dark and light blending and create shine with
more specically targeted white.
02 Pencil blending (below left)
This
subtle technique demands lightness of
touch, and sensitivity to the base shadings colour.
It is a technique that is subject to happy accidents
as well as conforming to the rules or the shape of
the form you wish to work up. It is excellent for fur,
hair, feathers, wood or fabric anything grainy or
soft. First put down a base of both random marks
and scribble and blend gently or leave untouched,
depending on the roughness of the texture. Then,
following the form or direction and length of the
grain or hair, overlay with a lighter tone to blend
and highlight the surface. The pencil does the
random blending for you.
Pastels super power is its

incredible ability to blend
03 Solid blending
This is a much denser application of colour.

Try to get rid of all evidence of the paper underneath; a solid
coloured pupil will not tolerate odd patches of colour breaking through.
Finish the shiny highlights with a brighter than bright pinpoint of light. This
can be done on top of the black, but dont work it in too much or youll
nd it will smudge.
68
1/5/08 16:50:13
Pastel paper
Quick effects
Render objects with pastels
So now its time to look in more detail at
how pastels can be manipulated to render
different effects. Can something chalky
represent something solid and hard and,
even more challenging, something watery
and shiny? We are going to explore in
detail how natural gases, liquids and solids
can be represented with the adaptability
and compliance of pastels.
How to use pastels
The paper traditionally associated with

effective pastel work is named after
the French 19th Century artist Jean
Dominique Auguste Ingres, and it is
textured. Ironically, Ingres produced his
preparatory drawings on very smooth
paper but this is not the effect we are
after today. The various blue, brown and
creamy off-white paper we have used for
this task serve to intensify the contrast
and vibrancy of the compressed pigment
we are using. The preparatory drawing
Seated Nude: Study for Une Baignade,
by Georges Seurat (Cont crayon on
cream paper, Size: 31.70 x 24.70cm,
National Galleries of Scotland, www.
nationalgalleries.org) demonstrates the
textured surface of Ingres paper perfectly;
it suited Seurat as it emulated the dotted,
pointillist style he painted with. In the
next images we hope to demonstrate how
the texture and the contrast of the paper
inluences an image by showing the same
one on dark and light paper. Believe it or
not, the exact same coloured pastels were
used on both examples.
Drawing 101
Complement your colours
DARK PASTEL
Which image do you think is the most successful? We prefer

this one as it was quicker to do and we didnt need to use a
grey. We only used finger blending as a base for the white
fur to reduce the impact of the paper beneath, but raw
black marks were enough to suggest the fur and markings.
LIGHT PASTEL
The light background seems to absorb the image. The contrast

between the white and the background is minimal. We think the
cats eyes have a mischievous air on the darker paper and look
shocked on the light paper. However, the real purpose of coloured
paper tends to be its connection or contrast with the subject.
CURVACEOUS DROPS
AND WATER
Use a white pastel pencil to sketch

out the lightest shapes, smudge
gently with the cotton buds (make
sure you use a clean end) and reduce
the effect of the paper underneath.
Now use a variety of blues to gently
change the colours of the shadows
and smudge again with cotton buds.
Use a pastel pencil to create the
sharp marks as well as the edges of
the outlines.
GRAINY BLENDED
TEXTURES
GENTLY CLOUDY AND SMOKY
Build very gently and thoughtfully smudge layers

of colour. Allow them to merge together and
continue picking out the depths or shadow and
lightest areas. Use curvy marks with the corner of
your pastel or the sharp end of your pastel pencil.
Remember to avoid using a lead pencil; sometimes
it refuses to let the pastel cover it up!
Begin the texture with a layer of

marks that consider the direction and
flow of the grain or particles from
which the surface is made. Sometimes
you might wish to put down a ground
of finger-blended middle tone
beneath. Then take a pastel pencil in
the lightest tone and blend with the
marks beneath to again accentuate
the direction of the grain, hair or
stone particles.
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Traditional and digital

Here we have some of the most useful marks and effects of traditional pastels, with the
Painter counterpart on the other side. When working in Painter, make sure you have a
coloured background and high texture to get the most authentic effect.
Traditional pastels
Painter Pastel brushes
HATCHED LINES
HATCHED LINES
SMUDGY CURVES
TAPERING TONES
SOLID BLOCKS
Great for filling in large flat areas of

colour, and for creating sharp edges.
Firmly draw with a square pastel
Use the Square Hard pastel to lay down

the block and either use pressure to
allow for the tapering effect, or use the
Rectangular Eraser at 1% Opacity
ZIGZAGS
SIDE SHADING
ZIGZAGS
SIDE SHADING
MERGED CONTOURS
ERASER HIGHLIGHTS
MERGED CONTOURS
ERASER HIGHLIGHTS
Great for fine detail, this is a simple,

versatile, repeatable mark that you can
vary in size, amount and direction with a
sharp pastel pencil
TAPERING TONES
A great way to create shadows and

highlights, drag your square block along
a short distance, then use your finger or
blender to pull the colour along the paper
Good again for outlines and fine detail,

sharp shadows for example. Twist your
pastel as you stop going down and start
going up to vary the quality of line
Using a variety of tones overlaid in

pastel pencil can create excellent
speedy highlights. Ensure the marks are
following the direction of the form
SMUDGY CURVES
Good for ripples in fabric or water. Firmly

use the flat end of one side of a square
pastel in a set of curves and smudge with
your fingers to blend
SOLID BLOCKS
To create a sense of texture and to fill

in areas, pull the longest side of your
pastel across the paper to accentuate the
surface of the paper
Smudge carefully over the surface with a

middle tone and use a dark pencil or the
edge of a pastel to create shadow, then
use a putty rubber to make highlights
To work with detailed lines, the Sharp

Pencil Pastel is ideal. It offers a fine tip
and picks up the paper surface grain
really well
Use the Dull Pencil Pastel at maximum

Opacity, 17% Grain and .20 Jitter to mimic
the effect of the pencil. If you have a
tablet, you can set rotation settings
The Pastel Pencil makes light work of

this. You can lower the Grain for more of
a textured effect, or keep it higher for
smoother lines
Use the Blunt Soft variant to lay down the

darker areas of colour and then swap to
the Blenders and pick the Grainy Blender
to move the colour and smudge
Use the Hard Square pastel at high

Opacity and low Grain and then just pull
down. If you want a straight line, hold
down Shift as you draw
Its the Hard Square pastel once more,

this time with a Grain setting of 9% for
lots of texture to come through. If you
have a tablet, set pressure for opacity
Use the Square Hard pastel to lay in the

midtone and shadow colour and mix with
the Pointed Stump at low Opacity. Use the
Erase All Soft eraser at low Opacity to rub
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Your
questions answered
Simply does it
Any good advice for a simple
graphic style? I dont want
to get bogged down in using
lots of colours.

On this issues panel

Wen-Xi Chen
Wen-Xi is a very talented

artist who has created
some outstanding
tutorials for us in the
past. This issue, she
shares her knowledge
for painting.
Jo Cole
Always on the lookout for

quick and easy methods
of photo editing, Jo
examines some nifty
tricks to turn a photo
into a painting, as well as
work with composition.
What youll find in this section

Software Dont get bogged
down in a Corel Painter black hole
write to us and well help you
work harmoniously
Fine art
When it comes
to creating art, you often find
little niggles that ruin your
masterpiece. We sort them out
To make an image simplistic

without edging into dull
is more difficult than may
looks. The best advice we can give
you is be as sparing as possible with
your colours (stick to only a few hues)
and details. Sometimes theres just
no need to explicitly draw out every
single thing in your picture and you
should allow it to be suggested in
a non-invasive way instead. In fact,
why not take a leaf out of the book
of the Minimalists and use clean
sweeping curves and lines? Since
keeping it simple limits your artistic
tools, it is the perfect opportunity
to use both creativity and logic to
make the most out of both positive
AND negative space. To get smooth
graphic-style shapes in Painter, all
you need to do is use the Pen tool
to draw out paths and shapes.
Using the Pen tool is
ideal for this sort of
work, but it might take
some practice to become
comfortable with it
Illustration Make sure

your illustrations are in top form
by following our advice
Send in your queries to
Official Painter Magazine Q&A, Imagine
Publishing Ltd, Richmond House, 33 Richmond
Hill, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 6EZ.
Alternatively you can email us at
opm@imagine-publishing.co.uk
SHARE
YOUR
PROBLEMS!
Send in your questions

for our experts to answer
at opm@imaginepublishing.co.uk
As the image is limited to

mainly
two colours (or lack of colo
ur),
we are forced to find othe
r ways
besides colour to suggest
form.
Rather than drawing in the
curve of the back, its inste
ad
implied by the sweeps of
hair
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Q&A
More than meets the eye
Art class
Id like to feature subtle objects in the background of my

paintings. Id still like for them to be interesting, but how can I
achieve that without making them overpower the main image?

Sometimes it is difficult to work subtle into a painting after putting
all that effort into something you want people to notice it right away!
But more often than not, your viewer will appreciate seeing elements in your
picture that arent immediately obvious. Using very dimly lit objects on a dark
background is one way to achieve this effect, and luckily it is simple to do.
beginnings
01 Dark
Start with a dark

background colour. This
should preferably be
darker than the objects
that will be painted on
top of it. In this way,
when you lower the
opacity of the layer on
top, it will fade nicely
into the background.
02
Foundations
Create
a new layer, and on this
layer paint the subtle
elements in a not so
subtle way! The colours
and brightness dont
really matter at this
stage, but we suggest
trying to use monotone
and just picking out
highlights rather than
going into laborious
amounts of detail.
lip
03 Bottom
Now
turn down the opacity
of this layer and youre
done! You may be
reluctant to lose the
initial impact, but trust
us, itll denitely keep
your viewer intrigued for
much longer.
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Q&A Art class
Scrapbook challenge
I want to start using Painter to make scrapbooks
and keepsakes. I need a way to make quick creative
borders and would like to know more about the
Image Hose option.
D L
The Image Hose is perfect for the job of borders, as
you literally spray an image onto the canvas. Painter
comes loaded with various hoses, although it is easy
to make your own. Use the Help menu if youd like to find out
how or let us know if you want a tutorial.
You select the Hose pattern (or Nozzle, as its called) from
the Nozzle selector at the bottom of the toolbox. Once youve
done this, select Image Hose from the Brush Category menu
and start spraying! For single images, just click once, or click
and drag for multiples. The Image Hose Variants let you alter
how these images are distributed. The Spacing command in
the Brush Creator lets you set how bunched up the Image
Hose elements are as they come out.
Eyes that are not

of their natural
colour can make a
strong focus point in a
painting, but its a fine
balancing act between
subtle and striking
The Spacing command allows you to set how much room there is between
each image. This is very important for tasks such as creating borders
Bright eyes
How can I make eyes look striking without looking like
fake contact lenses?

You can use the variants to set how

the Image Hose behaves, especially
if youre using a graphics tablet
You can pick from a selection of

nozzles supplied with Painter. Use the
Options menu to load some more
Firstly, can I assume you mean those opaque crazy

coloured ones? I must admit some coloured contact
lenses can fool us into thinking they are real. But we
can sympathise! Its so tempting to go for unusual or unnatural
eye colours to make the eyes really stand out, but all too often it
looks gimmicky. The problem with the coloured lens appearance
is that they tend to look very blocky and flat, so we need to work
lucidity into them. Be careful to observe shadows from the eyelids
and eyelashes as well, as any light points may reflect off the iris.
This means the top of the eyes are shadowed, so theres a slight
gradient overall from dark to light. Painting in little details such as
the muscle texture of the iris will help to achieve a realistic-looking
effect as well. This is easy to do, because you can just draw little
lines radiating from the pupil.
Light, shadow and muscle texture will help achieve a natural
look when it comes to painting the eyes, especially the iris
76
1/5/08 17:00:08
Juxtapose
Q&A
How would I go about merging paint elements with

more graphical elements? I like the look of mixed media
collages and would like to create something similar.

Art class
Although Painter is perhaps not the most obvious

software to spring to mind when referring to a graphical
style, there are still lots of very interesting features you can
employ. The Liquid Ink tool is perfect for getting sharp, graphicsstyle lines, and you might even discover a hidden gem with the
Pattern definer. Use bold outlines and flat colouring with realistic
colouring in a Klimt fashion to add interest. There is no need to
limit yourself to the confines of the Painter window either look
around for resources! Commons.wikimedia.org is a goldmine of
public domain images that are free for public use.
decisions
01 Early
The non-graphical
element: a rough
sketch around
a photo gives a
guideline for later
work. Sometimes
this is the best way
of getting an idea off
the ground.
02 Hair dos and donts
Hair is one of those

things that is so well suited to an illustrative
style. Here we focused on swirly decorative patterns to
make use of negative space. The stray inky strands were
done with the Liquid Ink brush (Graphic Flat).
03 Perfect pattern
We need something
pretty for the clothing, so were using a
William Morris pattern here. Select the section of the
image you want to make into a pattern and use the
Capture Pattern function.
04 Pattern Fill
After selecting the area of

clothing with the Magic Wand, ll in the
selection with the Fill Bucket set to the pattern you
captured beforehand. Adjust colours, outline the picture
and youre done!
77
1/5/08 17:00:38
Q&A Art class
Clever chalk
My great wish is to draw
a realistic chalk portrait,
but I can never seem to
get things quite right. Do you
have any advice?
J W
There are a couple of
good techniques for
no-hassle chalk, but one
of the best comes from Jeremy
Suttons Painter IX Creativity book.
He concentrates on getting a
charcoal effect by using a clone
drawing as a paper texture. Once
this is painted over again, the
results are as if youd used real
charcoal. But the technique can
easily be adapted for chalk, and
heres how its done...
01 Go black-and-white
Open your photo

and go to Effects>Tonal Control>Adjust Color.
Move the Saturation slider to the left and click OK. Go
to File>Clone, File>Save As and rename as Chalk. Pick a
chalky brush to get the best texture Square Chalk is a
good one. Make sure the Clone Color icon is checked.
02 Paper and paint
Go to the Papers palette

and pick a heavy texture Artists Rough Paper
is good. Lower the Grain setting and start brushing over
the image. Cover the entire area and save. Push Cmd/
Ctrl+E to open the Equalize box and increase the contrast.
Resave (adding a version number) and then select all.
Choose Capture Paper from the Papers palette. Move
Crossfade to zero and name the paper.
03 Paint again
Press Delete to clear your

canvas and turn the Tracing Paper on to see
your original image. With your Chalk brush selected
again (still set to Clone Color), start to paint over the
details, this time sticking to the shadows and just
suggesting the midtones.
Composition query
Ive just bought Painter X and have been
looking through all the new tools. Ive found
the Composition tools and wanted to ask
a question. I understand about the rule of thirds
and using grids, but can you tell me what the Divine
Proportion tool does? Ive looked it up on the
internet and have got very confused!
R B
There is a vast array of literature about the
Divine Proportion theory that will make
your head spin if you study it too closely. Its
basically a mathematical formula that divides an images

proportions to arrive at the perfect composition. All you
need to know is that the human eye tends to travel in a
certain way, and just as the rule of thirds plays upon this
to come up with hotspots for where to place important
objects, so does the Divine Proportion theory. Open
up the guide in Painter X. Notice how it curls round
into a spiral? These are your visual markers. Plan your
composition so it swoops round and ends up in the
centre of the spiral. Youll be in good company artists
such as da Vinci have sworn by the technique. The Mona
Lisa is a shining example of how it was used.
Follow in the footsteps of da
Vinci by employing the Divine
Proportion rule into your work
78
1/5/08 17:01:26
Watercolour sketch
Q&A
Im from a traditional painting

background, dealing primarily with
watercolour sketches. Is there an easy
way to re-create this in Painter using photos?
J T
Art class
You have a few ways of achieving this,

depending on how much control you want.
You dont say what version of Painter you
have, so well run through them all. The easiest way
is to set up Painter Essentials 4 to do the work for
you, using the Auto-Paint option. This will literally
paint before your eyes and turn a photo into a
watercolour sketch. Alternatively, you can open up
your photo, go to the Sketch effect and run your
photo through that. When happy, create a new layer
and use the Watercolor brushes to introduce colour.
Finally, turn your photo black-and-white, trace the
outlines yourself and then paint.
Option 1
Open up Painter Essentials 4
and select Painting from Photo.
Browse to your photo, select
Watercolor Sketch from the
options and hit the Play button.
Let the program do its job and
either click Stop when youre
happy, or let it run its course.
Option 2
If you havent got Essentials 4,
you can still let the program do
the work. Open the photo and
create your watercolour painting.
Save and rename. Now go to
File>Open and open the photo
again. Go to Effects>Surface
Control>Sketch. Use the Preview
and the sliders to control the
effect and click OK when happy.
Select All, copy and paste into
the watercolour and put the
composite method to Multiply.
Option 3
Your other option is to
open your photo and go to
Effects>Tonal Control>Adjust
Colors. Move the Saturation
slider to the left and go to
Effects>Equalize. Move the
Black and White sliders close
together so you can see the
outlines of objects. Click OK
and set the image up as a clone.
Use the Pencil tool to trace the
outlines and then ll with colour!
Imagine Publishing Ltd

No unauthorised copying or distribution
79
1/5/08 17:02:09
Reviews Canon IXUS 970 IS
Canon IXUS 970 IS

299 | Its small, tactile and lovely to look at. But can it take good photos?
Colour me
beautiful
The test shots reveal that
the Ixus 970 IS handles
colour reproduction
impeccably. Take a look at
the tonal range in these
vivid greens, and the
vibrancy of the pink and
purple flowers
hat a ine-looking specimen the

Canon IXUS 970 IS is. Sleek and
curvaceous, and designed to
perfection, this camera is certainly
a crowd pleaser in the looks department.
Decked in a duo of hardy silver plastic (light on
the front, dark on the back), this is a great model
for those who are a bit obsessive about smudges
and ingerprints, as they most certainly have no
place on this camera body. The chrome lens trim
and shutter button also add just the right amount
of bling to make the camera really shine.
Just as the aesthetics really work, so too does
the layout, playing on a clean, minimalist theme,
which gives a great sense of space. To avoid
the button clutter that many cameras suffer
from, the IXUS 970 IS incorporates the zoom
lever onto the top of the camera, just in front
of the shutter button. Around the back sits a
simple shooting mode dial, for you to make split
decisions between Auto, Manual, Movie and the
scene modes. Directly underneath is the dualfunction D-pad, which doubles up as a high-speed
navigator for scrolling through menu screens and
images thanks to an additional outer scroll ring.
This is a fantastic function for searching quickly
through a large memory card full of images, or
simply setting the various camera functions in
a lash. A few additional buttons also surround
the D-pad for Display, Playback and Menu. All the
controls are really well proportioned and very
easy to operate, too.
Perhaps one of the most appealing parts of
this camera is the separate viewinder, which so
many people miss on modern digital cameras. To
be fair, we dont rate this particular viewinder
very highly due to the extremely small eyepiece,
but the trade-off for this is a decent 2.5-inch LCD,
so its a case of evaluating the pros and cons. The

other slightly disappointing feature is the distinct
lack of handgrip anywhere on the camera, making
a wrist strap an absolute must and handling not
as good as it should be. Grip issues aside, the
build quality is very good, especially the sturdy
connections port and battery compartment.
Under the shiny silver bonnet sit a wealth
of great features. The 10-megapixel sensor is
capable of producing large-scale prints with
ease and the built-in optical Image Stabilizer
technology is a saviour for reducing the effects
of camera shake. There is a high ISO option of
3,200, too, but quite honestly the image quality
is extremely noisy and hardly worth bothering
with. Also sitting high on the rsum are the
in-camera creative options, which enable you to
perform tasks such as panorama Stitch Assist
and colour swapping at the touch of a button. The
camera also features a generous 5x optical zoom
for getting close to the action, as well as face and
movement detection.
In terms of performance, the IXUS 970 IS is a
pretty nifty mover with a start-up speed of just
over 1.5 seconds. Shot-to-shot the camera does
well, although in playback there is a real-time
delay, which is surprising. Much like the playback,
the focusing system can be a bit on the slow side,
although we found it did pick up when using the
centre-spot autofocus setting instead.
In terms of image quality, there is plenty to
shout about. At face value the prints are smooth
and crisp, with no outstanding quality issues
to speak of. Obviously, as with the majority
of cameras, there are a few quibbles at closer
inspection, although casual users will hardly
notice or even know what they are looking for.
The most obvious hiccup was a slight hint of
Slippery grip
Although the smooth pebble-like
ergonomics of the camera feel
great, there is very little grip
provided by the camera body itself,
so fix the wrist strap provided
Dynamic D-pad
This unassuming D-pad is actually
surrounding by a separate dial,
which enables you to scroll through
your images and menu functions at
a super-speedy pace. The normal
D-pad functions also remain
Eye-spy
This camera is equipped with a
separate optical viewfinder as well
as the LCD. However, the separate
viewfinder is extremely small and a
little trick to spy through!
Shooting
mode
Print
Playback
Display
Menu
2.5 LCD
Viewfinder
D-pad
82
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Price
ISO sensitivity
299 A, 80, 100, 200, 400,

Web 800, 1600, High ISO
www.canon.co.uk Auto (3200)
Phone
camera specs
Canon IXUS 970 IS
Exposure modes
0870 514 3723 A, 17 scene modes,

Manual, Movie
Megapixels (effective)
Flash modes
10 A, Fon, Foff, SS, RE
Max resolution
Connectivity
3648 x2376 USB, AV
Sensor information
Weight
1/2.3-inch 155g
Lens data
Dimensions
f3.2-5.7 (37-185mm) 95.4 x 57.2 x 27.4

Zoom
Batteries
5x optical Li-ion NB 5L
Focus/macro
Storage
47cm -inf2cm-inf SD, SDHC, MMC,

Shutter speed MMCplus, HC
15-1/1600 sec MMCplus
Metering options
LCD
CW, S, Evaluative 2.5
Batten down the hatches

One thing this camera certainly doesnt scrimp on is build quality. Its
a solid piece of kit right down to the little details such as the card and
battery compartment. This benefits from a hinged, slide shut door
The IXUS 970 IS is a fantastic all-rounder, perfect for the artist

wanting to start a collection of stock images for their projects
Chromatic aberration
Zooming in on some of our test shots reveals the lens does
produces some artefacts in the image, especially chromatic
aberration (purple fringing) which appears in areas of high contrast
Magic of macro
This cheeky-looking fella is gamely showing us how detailed this
camera captures macro shots. Check out the great texture and tonal
detail shown in this image. Depth of field is pretty good too
Menus
The menu screens are exceptionally bright and legible, making
them easy to read, even in bright, sunny conditions. They are also
very easy to navigate and understand
What we like
What we dont like
we say
The Canon IXUS 970 IS is a very strong

performer indeed, although we cant help but
think Canon has come on a bit too strong with
the 299 price point. Thankfully, you will be able
to ind a deal online. This camera is a fantastic
all-rounder, perfect for the artist wanting to start
a collection of stock images for their projects.
It scores very highly in our books thanks to the
amazing colours, good looks and quality build
and we highly commend it for beginners and
enthusiasts alike.
A really reliable
compact camera,
which is versatile
in all conditions.
There is a limited
manual control
for added
creativity
Features
verdict
chromatic aberration appearing in high contrast

areas of the test shots. This is a very common
occurrence in compact cameras and takes the
form of purple fringing often seen on the edge of
trees and foliage as it hits a bright white sky.
Noise control is exceptional for all ISO ratings
up to 800, which is very good news indeed.
Another wow factor is the superb colour
reproduction, which is truly amazing. Highlight
detail is strong and images look just as vibrant in
print as they do in real life.
Fantastic build quality

Great colour rendition
Histogram and
separate viewfinder
Overall
score
No grip
Signs of chromatic
aberration
Pretty pricey
8.0
Ease of use
8.0
Quality of results
9.0
Value for money
6.0
8.0
83
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Reviews Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS5

200 | Can Panasonics range deliver a worthy performance?
he Panasonic FS5 is one of the irst
models in the Lumix FS range, boasting
a whole host of new features that will
appeal to both beginner and keen
hobbiest photographers.
The outer shell of the camera is sleek and
simple. It comes in a range of colours we tested
the silver model, which is very smart. The front
panel is relatively simple. It consists of a brush
silver fascia, decorated with a shiny silver lens
surround and inger grip panel along the left-hand
side. Along the top strip, youll ind the shutter
button encompassed by the zoom lever. This is
also where the power button is situated, which
differs from many other camera models. To power
up the camera you have to slide the button to the
iA (Intelligent Auto mode), which provides ive

handy settings to help you achieve optimal
shooting results. Included are: Mega OIS (optical
image stabilisation) to combat blur caused by
shaky hands, Intelligent ISO control to help
capture sharp shots in low-light situations,
Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection and
Quick AF functions.
These settings are extremely useful,
particularly for users who are still getting to grips
with what makes a great photo. The hard work
is done for you, enabling you to simply enjoy the
images you capture.
The Quick AF mode is a real favourite of ours.
It starts focusing on your subject before you even
touch the shutter button halfway. This is ideal for
The 30mm wide-angle lens is the most useful feature, enabling

you to capture wide-sweeping vistas as well as fantastic group shots
Test shot
Here, the bright white
rocks maintain detail in
the highlights, although
the foliage does appear a
touch on the muddy side
right, which is a little iddly. Likewise, to turn the

camera off you slide the button to the left.
Around the back is a very decent 2.5-inch LCD
screen, which is bright and easy to view even in
bright conditions. Here youll also ind the menu
buttons and D-pad along the right of the LCD.
There is also a Mode dial to set your shooting
mode, which offers a quick way to access your
settings, although we did ind the dial clunky and
a little stubborn to turn. As a package, the FS5 is
a neat little bundle that is easily transportable in
a pocket or small handbag. This makes it a great
option for nights out, holidays or even for work.
Delving into the innards of the camera reveals
a generous selection of features. First off is the
Memory card
wriggly subjects, such as children or fast-moving

scenes, such as sports.
One drawback is that the control over images is
all decided based on the cameras settings, which
may be the cause of frustration for the more
advanced user. Those looking for manual input
into their shots should steer clear.
One of the biggest selling points of this model
is the 30mm wide-angle lens. This is by far the
most useful feature of the camera, enabling you to
capture wide-sweeping vistas as well as fantastic
group shots. At the widest point the Leica lens
handles itself beautifully, capturing perfectly
crisp shots from edge to edge. The 4x optical
zoom has a fairly adequate reach, although thats
LCD
Batteries
The Li-ion compartment is at the
bottom of the camera be careful,
you have to lock the compartment
shut yourself as it doesnt have a
click-shut system
An SD card slots into the same

compartment as the battery. These
are cheap and readily available from
electronic stores. There is 50MB
internal memory
Lens
The great Leica lens offers a 30mm
wide-angle view. It also offers 4x
optical zoom that offers decent
magnification, although we did wish
for more
Mode Dial
Menu Button
D-Pad
84
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1/5/08 17:20:09
Price
Exposure modes
200 Program AE,

Web Exposure
www.panasonic. compensation
co.uk Metering options
Megapixels (effective) MP
10.1 Flash modes
Max resolution A, RE, Fon, Foff, SS
3,648 x 2,736 Connectivity
Lens data USB, AV
f/3.3 5.8 (30-120 Weight
mm) 119g (without
Zoom batteries)
4x opt, 4x dig Dimensions
Focus/Macro 94.9 x 53.4 x
50cm-inf/ 5cm-inf 22.5mm
Shutter speeds
Batteries
ISO sensitivity
Storage
camera specs
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS5
8 -1/2,000secs Lithium-ion
A, 80, 100, 200, 400, SD, SDHC, 50 MB
800, 1,600 [high internal
sens mode: 1,600 to LCD
6,400] 2.5
Build design
The design is simple and sleek. There are no
extra bells and whistles, it is what it is. The
fashion-conscious buyer may be disappointed
The 10.1-megapixel resolution offers great image clarity - wed be

confident printing up to A3 size without any loss of quality
Connections
There are USB and AV connections with the leads supplied in the
box. Simply hook the camera up to your HDTV and then enjoy your
images in high definition
D-pad control
The D-pad is situated to the right-hand side of the LCD. While
its quite compact, it is still pretty easily operated even by those
blessed with larger digits
What we like
Crisp shots
High resolution for
big prints
Good shadow and
highlight detail
Its a great
camera but
doesnt quite
have the power
to really dazzle
What we dont like
we say
The 10.1-megapixel resolution offers great

clarity in the images, and we would be conident
printing up to A3 size without any loss of
quality. Images also show crisp edges without
oversharpening. The colour reproduction is
not quite so clear cut, however. Although at the
brighter end of the colour spectrum the FS5
handles tones and highlights well, the darker
end of the colour spectrum does tend to appear
muddy, especially when photographing foliage.
This is not a huge drawback, although obviously
is worth considering if youre particularly
interested in nature photography. The saving
grace is that it hangs onto shadow details well,
just like it maintains the highlights without
blowing them into unrecognisable white space.
We do like this camera, but for some reason
it doesnt make us jump for joy. Perhaps its the
so-so exterior, or the fact that so many cameras
these days are offering a similar 10-megapixel
package coupled with features such as face
detection. Our feeling is one of indifference, so
here are the facts to help you make the choice:
its compact, offers great automatic features and
pleasing image quality. On the other hand, its a
little bland, it produces muddy greens and is a bit
slow shot-to-shot. At 200, the price cannot be
knocked however, we suggest you take a look
at what else is on offer in this category before
taking the plunge. Were sure youll ind plenty
of similar options that offer that little bit extra in
terms of excitement.
Features
verdict
not to say we werent left wanting an extra bit of

zoom power.
The FS5 sports a new image-processing Venus
Engine IV LSI, which is said to help reduce noise,
reduce shutter lag and enable the camera to take
high-resolution pictures. As far as noise goes, we
noticed crisp, sharp images that are relatively
noise-free. The reduced shutter lag was not quite
so obvious, however. Shot-to-shot was a little bit
of a drag, which meant some candid shots were
missed while waiting for the camera to catch up.
Muddy greens
Sluggish shot-to-shot
Fiddly power button
8.0
Ease of use
8.0
Quality of results
7.0
Value for money
8.0
Overall
score
8.0
85
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Reviews Books
The Landscape Artists

Drawing Bible
12.99 | Essential techniques to improve your skills
The magic of oils

The book takes you on a discovery of various media
and the effects that can be achieved with them
he saying goes you should never

judge a book by its cover, but if
this cover is anything to go by,
this book is a cracker.
The hardback screams use me thanks
to a practical-based panel of images
delving into the drawing techniques
associated with landscape drawing. The
bright cover image is compelling and,
before you know it, your head is buried in
this juicy info-packed tome.
As you furrow into the depths of
the book, youll immediately notice its
unusual make-up. Its ring-bound and
the pages are slightly thicker than your
average book, giving it the feel of a true
reference guide. The glossy wipe-clean
pages are handy for particularly messy
artists who have a habit of getting paint
everywhere, although Painter users enjoy
the beneits of clean hands after every
painting session, of course.
Keeping things simple, there are
four main chapters: Media and Marks,
Techniques and Tutorials, Gallery and
Photo Directory. Media and Marks guides
you through each drawing medium
and clearly demonstrates how you can
manipulate these with special markmaking techniques. It runs through
pencils, charcoal, pastels, cont and even
ballpoint pen.
The Techniques and Tutorials section

is a wealth of information broken down
into bite-size morsels. There are plenty of
image examples to use as guidance, many
of which are in the in-progress stage of
development to give you a real insight into
the working of an artist.
The Gallery section is a great chapter to
browse through if youre feeling a bit low
in inspiration. There are plenty of great
drawing and sketches created in various
mediums to admire and take tips from.
The inal section is the Photo Directory,
bursting with great landscape images
to use as reference. The subject matter
is really varied to hold your interest and
offers plenty of project possibilities.
Whether youre a traditional or digital
painter (or lucky enough to be both), this
book is sure to appeal. Its full of fantastic
tips and advice, and is a great all-rounder
that you can call upon time and time
again. Highly recommended.
Step-by-step tutorials
The tutorials are beautifully
accompanied with great artwork,
which is printed nice and big for
easy viewing
Creative gallery
If youre lacking inspiration, head to
the Gallery section where a range
of landscapes are portrayed in
different media styles
Authors
Hazel Harrison
Price
12.99
Publisher
Search Press
ISBN
978-1-84448-325-9
Get to know your subject

Discover new painting techniques with
the aid of subject-specific projects,
like this rather rich green, watery
landscape here
Photo directory
The last section of the book offers a
gallery of landscape photographs,
with tips to suggest the best way of
interpreting them artistically
86
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The Watercolour Wheel Book

9.99 | The hands-on guide to working with watercolours
Author
John Barber
Price
9.99
Publisher
Search Press
ISBN
978-1-84448-351-8
atercolour painting is a
fantastic artistic medium,
but its not always obvious
how versatile and exciting
it can be... until you get your hands on this
book. The Watercolour Wheel Book is an
excellent accompaniment for anyone won
over by washes and loose painting styles.
The front cover actually doubles up
as a colour wheel, which you can rotate
to determine the end result of mixing
various colours. This hands-on extra is a
very useable tool rather than a gimmick,
although were not sure how much wear
and tear the wheel will withstand.
Inside, pages mimic the look of real
watercolour paper but without the
thickness, which really makes the images
shine on every page. The projects are
engaging and provide an insight into
how to be bold with the medium rather
than simply sticking to pale washes. Its a
meaty book with plenty to get stuck into
and well worth the 9.99 price tag.
China
Author
Anchee Min
(foreword)
Price
25
Publisher
DK
ISBN
978-1-4053-1627-9
Meet your tools

There is a weighty section
dedicated to equipment
and materials needed in
the traditional medium.
This is also handy for
assessing what Painter
tools are required
Basic techniques
Watercolour isnt just about washes of colour. Here youll
learn about some far more creative uses for your brushes
and paint
Project work
The projects are truly stunning in this book, with plenty
to appeal to even the fussiest artist. We love this vibrant
tutorial inspired by Venice
25.00 | Get an insight into this

beautiful country and culture
book dedicated solely to China

may not be everybodys cup
of tea, but its amazing to
discover how much inspiration
the tome offers aspiring artists.
This hefty hardback features a
beautiful cover shot, backed in deep ruby
red, making it the ideal book to sit pride
of place on the coffee table.
The aim of the title is to introduce the
reader to all aspects of Chinese culture,
from traditions through to society, and it
certainly does this with gusto. The pages
are laden with top-quality photographs
giving you an insight into this fascinating
country and its people.
We love the portraiture in particular,
with plenty of close-ups that would
be ideal for artistic character studies.
The book also provides a wealth
of information on the spectacular
architecture the country has to offer, the
stunning and varied landscapes and the
historical aspects of Chinese art.
This is an all-encompassing guide to an
amazing country and will be enjoyed by
anyone with a passion for the Orient.
Beautiful
landscapes
The book kicks off
with some inspiring
photographs
of Chinas best
landscapes. These
double-page
stunners are great
reference pictures
for your own
artwork
Get to know the locals

Just as the landscape is a wealth of colour and beauty,
China has some colourful characters too. There are plenty
of great images that are perfect for character studies
Strong spirit
The Spirit of China chapter has some amazing examples
of traditional Chinese art. These are really inspirational
and offer studies that you can try re-creating in Painter
87
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Output
Using a mountcutter
Using a mountcutter
Create professional borders to your images from the comfort of your own home,
using the MatMaster product from FrameCo
Tutorial info
Artist
Jo Cole
Time needed
20 minutes
Skill level
Beginner
ver the past few issues, weve

shown you various tricks for
displaying your own work.
Weve looked at building
frames, preparing a document to be
printed as a wraparound canvas and how
to stretch canvas over a stretcher. This
issue, we look at the inal cherry on the
framing cake mounts.
It really is amazing how much impact
a border of mountboard can make. But
although it is easy to pick a pre-cut mount,
it becomes tricky if you want an unusual
size or need a colour that isnt available.
Instead of having to rely on expensive
specialist framing services, you can

instead invest in a mountcutter, like the
one tested here, and create your own
whenever and wherever you like.
We are testing the MatMaster 660B
system from FrameCo. In this pack, you
get two cutters (one straight and one
bevelled), a removable ruler, a border
width gauge, a mat cutting stop and a
solid aluminium base that keeps the
system nice and irm. The last thing you
want is to be wobbling everywhere while
you are trying to cut your lines!
The process itself is very simple you
mark out the area you want to cut away
from your mountboard, then you use the

bevel cutter to make the slice. It takes next
to no time to do and its all perfectly safe.
The bevel cutter has a handle that you
need to push down to activate the blade,
so when its not in use theres no risk of
accidental cuts.
The MatMaster 660B system costs 89,
but you can pick up cheaper systems.
Products can be ordered from www.
clubframeco.com where you can also
pick up advice about framing your own
pictures, along with tips and templates
for cuts. Dont forget to have a look at the
wide range of mountboards on offer, too!
88
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Climb up that mounting

Professional results in minutes
Buying your
mountcutter
to
cut
02 Prepare
01 Marking out
The foundation of your border rests on it being

the right size! Use the ruler from the MatMaster system to carefully
measure how large your print is and then work out how that will sit in your
frame. If possible, try to keep the same width around all edges of your print. If
this is impossible, make it so off-kilter that its obvious that was the intention.
Theres nothing more off-putting than a painting that is noticeably wonky for
no apparent reason. Draw the lines out with a light pencil, making sure you
are working on the back of the mountboard.
With your
four guidelines marked
out, return the ruler to the
metal base and slide the
mountboard underneath
it. This holds it rmly
in place. Shimmy the
mountboard about a bit
until the pencil line is ush
against the edge of the
ruler. When youre happy,
move the backstop down
and tighten the handle.
Now reach for the bevel
cutter and slot it over the
ridge on the ruler.
04 Rotate
03 Slice and dice
When you make your cuts, push the cutter away

from you, so get in the correct position. Theres a little white line on
the cutter, which is used to gauge where the blade is and to make sure you
dont cut too far. Position the cutter so it is just before a pencil mark. Now use
the palm of your hand to push down on the cutter. This will force the blade
down, so push forward, running the cutter along the ridge in the ruler.
We used the system

from FrameCo (www.
clubframeco.com)
and although you can
buy mountcutters
from other places,
we were really
impressed with the
FrameCo service.
The system itself
came with a detailed
instruction pack to
cutting mountboard,
including some handy
cutting templates.
Learning packs are
also featured on the
site, so you can learn
the skills needed for
top-quality frames.
More creative
ideas
The images for these
pages were taken
from a project in
our sister title the
Official Corel Paint
Shop Pro Photo
Magazine. This new
launch, on sale now, is
packed with advice for
using PSPP to create
great images. We used
the cutter to create
a bespoke keepsake
frame for a wedding
gift and each issue the
magazine will contain
lots more in the way of
inspirational projects.
If you are a fan of
Paint Shop Pro Photo,
simply head over to
www.officialpspp.
com today!
When the white mark gets to just before the next

guideline, lift your palm off the cutter and move it along. Pull
the mountboard out from under the ruler and rotate to position the next
guideline against the ruler. If you have an equal border width, you wont have
to adjust the backstop. Attach the cutter again and use the same pushing
motion to make the cut, remembering to place the white line just before the
start of the cut. You should nd that the middle section falls away easily, but if
it is caught in corners (usually because you havent pushed the cutter along far
enough) use the straight cutter to just nip it loose. Dont be tempted to try to
tear it loose youll ruin the crisp edges. Your mount is complete!
89
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Readers gallery issue seventeen
Gallery
Free thinking and positivity are the key ingredients of Dean

James sources for creativity, and judging by his contributions
to this issues Readers Gallery he must be one happy-chappy!
We decided to find out more about the man behind the art
01
Title: Self Portrait

I wanted to do something
different for a self portrait,
so I used a brick wall as
the canvas and painted
myself on it. Painter gave
me lots of versatility and
exibility and I didnt
get into trouble for
graftiing either!
amily man and funny guy Dean

James, 40, says he craves Painter
as its the dogs spherical parts
when it comes to digital art
applications. We caught up with the highon-life crazy creative, to ind out more
about his passion for Painter, as he shows
us his inest achievements adorning his
gallery pages on the Painter magazine
website (www.paintermagazine.co.uk).
How have your work and your
technique progressed?
Ha ha, you answered that for me it is
progressive! Yeah, there are various
techniques I use from habit, but then
Im always looking to try something
different too. And my goodness, Corel
Painter certainly offers the portfolio
of experimentation.
What do you consider your mustuse tools and techniques?

Easy, I take a snap with my digital
camera, open it up in Painter and
use it as a life model. I send the
colours way too far with hue changes and
saturation in the Under Painting control
panel. I add smart blur, then sample the
colours onto a canvas which has been
illed with a colour that stands out as
the most common. Then I use the crazy
Sargent brush and start painting. I get the
Impressionist brush and gradually build it
up, following form, shape and movement.
I look for order in the chaos, turning the
canvas around again and again. Finally, I
lip it and then stand back to take a look.
Tell us about the most recent image or
project you have been working on
I look at everything good and beautiful in the universe, and

say there must be something or someone who created it
How would you describe your style?
Free. If I like something, I will try it.
Currently I am trying to capture artistic
innocence, inspired by my youngest child
who has learnt how to use Painter after
watching me!
Who or what is your muse?
Oh man, I am only visiting this planet. I
look at everything good and beautiful in
the universe, and I say that there must be
something or someone who created it.
I have just posted Tree That Divides, which

represents the common things that divide
humanity and poses the question that
perhaps the things that divide us can also
unite us.
What is the best piece of advice you can
offer a fellow Painter enthusiast?
Loosen up and experiment.
Whats the nicest compliment your work
has received?
The comments on the gallery have been

honest and immensely helpful. They helped
me ind the digital Dean James.
How do you nd other image applications
compared to Painter?
Photoshop has some nice Painter-type
tools, but they dont have the same
kinaesthetic dynamics as Corel Painter.
Manga Studio has a wonderful Pen tool
that can correct lines as you draw, which
would be great in Painter.
Finally, sum up your Readers Gallery
portfolio in ve words
The next ones even better!
Share your art with

other readers
These pages of the
magazine are given over
to you, as a place for you
to share your creations
with readers all around
the world and also to
publicise your gallery
on our website. If
you have a gallery
that youre proud
of, send an email
to opm@imaginepublishing.co.u
publishing.co.uk.
92
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1/5/08 17:42:59
02
Title: Friendly Bird Of Prey

These creatures are usually far from friendly, yet this
one was. I took a snap on a digital camera and used it
as a reference. The blood is emphasis to remind that it is
still a wild bird, but majestic and beautiful nonetheless.
03
Title: Siesta
Longing for the summer to be good, dry, and well,
normal, I painted this with a free and very lazy style. I
was very relaxed and just painted and painted.
93
1/5/08 17:43:16
Gallery
Readers gallery issue seventeen
04
Title: Holiday
Market
A simple holiday snap
can turn into a fantastic
painting, as Dean shows
here. I used the Jeremy
Sutton lesson from issue
14, and this was the
result. It changed the
way I paint.
05
Title: Happy New Year!

Dean explains that this painting was generated from a
variety of sources, including 3D software and pictures
of his wife. The shipwreck background represents the
past put behind, and the focus on the woman at the
front represents the direction to go in.
94
1/5/08 17:44:05
06
Title: Spanish Dance

I can still hear those magnicent Spanish guitars, the
clapping and the maracas! Using the JS style, I danced
the brushes through this one, and really enjoyed
painting it. That really is what Painter is about for me
satisfaction. Pity Mick Jagger didnt have Painter
around when he wrote his song!
07
Title: Archangel
The model for this angel was actually a beautiful
woman my wife! I then painted in the beard and
evened out the chest to make it more masculine. Its
about good overcoming evil.
08
Title: Night Cafe

I was starving when I painted this. I opened the fridge
and everything looked so bright and delicious. I decided
to paint the picture before my midnight feasting!
95
1/5/08 17:44:32
Create your own gallery online

Sign up now at www.paintermagazine.co.uk!
hen it comes to sharing
your work with other
people, the easiest way
is to get your paintings
online. For sharing your Corel Painter
artwork, the website for this fair
magazine is just the ticket. Thousands
of people visit the site every week to
browse through the images posted.
There are no limitations for visiting
the site to look at pictures but if you
want to upload your own, you need to
register and become a member. This is

completely free to do and means you
can then expose your work to a global
audience, leave comments and ratings
on other members work and also invite
comments on your own art.
It only takes a few minutes to sign
up at the site and then its just a case of
simply uploading your own images. To
see exactly whats involved in adding
your artwork, weve supplied you with
the walkthrough below.
Register at the site to upload artwork

A few minutes is all thats needed to get started
01 Register
Pop along to www.

paintermagazine.co.uk. Youll be taken
to the homepage of the website. Go up to the
Sign-up link and click on it. Fill in the form and
make sure you enter the correct email address.
Once completed, click Create User and wait for an
email. Click the link and youre now a member!
02 Your prole
Theres a default avatar,

but you might prefer to add your own
image. This is easily done. Make sure you are
logged in and then click on Edit Prole. Go down
to the avatar bit and click Remove This Image.
Now click Choose File.
03 Set the le
Navigate to where the

image you want to use is and select it.
For ease of use, make sure it is relatively small, but
the image will be automatically shrunk to t the
space. Make sure it is a square format to start with.
Waiting
for approval
When you have
uploaded an image,
there will be a short
delay for the image to
be approved. We have
to do this to make
sure no offensive or
legally questionable
images are uploaded.
We approve images
throughout the day,
but take into account
the time differences
if you are in another
country. We are based
in the UK, so are
tucked up in bed while
some of you are just
starting your day!
of
wisdom
05 Words
04 Uploading
Make any other changes

to your prole and click Update. Now
lets add some images! Go to Gallery Images and
click Add New Image. Make a note of the le
format rules and click Choose File to select your
picture. Use the Description area to give some
information and then click Submit Image.
Once uploaded,
other members
can rate and leave
comments on your
image. When you
look at your gallery
(or anyone elses),
you can see which
images have a rating
or comments and
how many.
97
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1/5/08 17:48:25
Pa ge 28
Pa ge 64
Pa ge 46
Pa ge 58
Official Magazine
100_OPM_17-back cover.indd 1
29/4/08 15:57:56

Corel Painter - 17 - Magazine, Art, Digital Painting, Drawing, Draw, 2d

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Ofcial Corel Painter TM Magazine

Vital brush commands

Top tips for creating the

How to resize images

Paint the cover!

TEXTURES | STOCK PHOTOS | TUTORIAL RESOURCE FILES

Brush Primer: F-X

You might have written

When youre dealing with

Visit our website!

Jo Cole, Editor in Chief

n ews eve n ts res our ces letters web site s

As a certified Corel Training Partner, DAA offers many courses

Something for everyone

illed as the next generation

students are given a rich environment

Painting with Jill Garl

TIPS & ADVICE

Jill Garls six-week course

Tips and tricks for digital artists

Website offers affordable Corel Painter paper

mall but perfectly formed,

howcasing the work of Andrew

Painting In Five showcases QuickTime-based

n ts res our ces

Recently, I changed from Windows XP to

The same happens in Painter Essentials

Thanks for the email. Well see if we can find

In issue 16s Letters, you requested

Lions Cooling Off

Our favourite readers gallery this month

As for the magnifying glass issue, the examples

Free iStockphoto images

Ive just joined iStockphoto.com and

We will start introducing information about the

data may be simply to print it as a large

You are indeed correct, Sally. Members can

Hello Chris, thanks for the email. We are going

Enjoy free high resolution images from iStockphoto

Come and join our

Interview Julie Dillon

www.jdillon.net and www.jdillon82.deviantart.com

How would you best describe your style?

them. I tend to lean heavily on saturated

poses and compositions. From there,

All original artwork by Julie Dillon

Interview Julie Dillon

on a personal painting Ill usually start

As well as working for a number of clients,

Azazel In The Underworld,

Often it takes weeks or months of absorbing

Artwork for an alb

have helped me immensely with both

Interview Julie Dillon

of the commercial arts. The internet has

One of my driving forces is

Feature Readers challenge

The original image

how the same photo can be interpreted in so many

For the rst stage Im

Once we have the

Reader 1: Pere Balsach

Using one brush

Now that we have