Corel Painter - 07 - Magazine, Art, Digital Painting, Drawing, Draw, 2d

ISSUE SEVEN 6.00ISSN 1753-3155

9 7 7 1 7 5 3 3 1 5 0 0 0

0 7

TEXTURES | REFERENCE FILES | VIDEO TUTORIALSGradients

Apply gradients to photos for instant improvement

Life drawingBecome a better anatomy artist with our in-depth guide

DegasRe-create the light and texture of a typical Degas painting

PC and Mac

Issue seven Visit us online w

ww

.paintermagazine.co.uk

Of cial Corel Painter TM M

agazine

FREE CD INSIDE

Calligraphy brush artFrame your images online

Helpful tips for artists

digitally today!

Learn to PAINT

Pain t dramatic

Over

45pages oftutorials

Learn how to capture the magic of the ocean with a special 10-page guide

Perfect sunsetsMASTERCLASS

Maura DutraDiscover how one Painter Master merges mediums to great effect

Ink artworkUse the Liquid Ink brushes

to paint fluid images

FEATUREDIN THIS ISSUE

www.paintermagazine.co.uk

Official Magazine

seascapes

Turn to page 60 and discover the skills you need to paint rich and opulent sunset scenes

Soft portraitsSee how blending techniques

can create better portraits

001_OPM_7 COVER.indd 1 25/7/07 15:41:14

Imagine PublishingImagine Publishing

5

Jo Cole, Editor in [email protected]

WelcomeAs soon as the sun makes itself known, a trip down to the beach is no doubt high on many peoples list. And with good reason. In addition to cooling off by taking a quick dip, the sea offers the artist a

plethora of creative opportunities. From wild and stormy waves crashing into rocks, to calm blue ripples, seascapes are a very rewarding subject matter. Turn to page 22 and dive into our special feature on painting the sea. Theres loads of helpful tips and techniques on perfecting your watery scenes and weve also put together a collection of reference images and videos for you on the disc.

But when you tire of your sea legs, we have loads of other great content. Our interview this issue is with Maura Dutra. Her beautiful images have earned her the title of Painter Master and you can see why on page 14. We also have an excellent tutorial on using the Pen brushes to create stunning images (page 52) and you can discover how to re-create the look of Edgar Degas on page 40.

Happy painting!

This is THE magazine for anyone wanting to further their Corel Painter skills or learn how to become a better artist

ISSUE SEVEN

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

Calligraphy brushes

Pg 58

Action artwork is just a stroke away!

Perfect sunsets

Pg 60Inject drama into your

paintings by perfecting the art of sunsets

Drawing 101: Life drawing

Pg 66

Top tips for sketching the human form

005_OPM_07_welcome.indd 3 27/7/07 14:49:30

Regulars in every issue

Pg 34

08 Subscriptions Become a subscriber and

you could enjoy a discount of up to 40%

10 Corel Painter community Get news of the best creative

websites and see what others are saying in the Letters page

38 Painter showcase Pages dedicated to the very

best Corel Painter artwork out there

74 Art Class Helpful advice on common

artistic and Corel Painter-speci c questions

92 Readers Gallery This is the place to come and

discover what other readers are creating

Reviews

6

96 Readers Challenge Fancy testing your

creative prowess? See what you can do with these images

98 On the disc Get all the information

of the art resources on this issues disc

82 Nikon D40X Zoom Kit Does this consumer digital SLR

have enough options for the artist? We take it for a test drive to see if it does

84 Pantone eye-one display 2 A colour calibrator that aims to

give you all you need for perfect hue harmony. See how and if it works here

86 Books We look at the best titles to

expand your knowledge and teach you new skills

88 YourFramer Discover more about this

company thats making it easy to present your artwork in the best possible way

WIN!YOUR WORK

PRINTED TO CANVAS

pg 96

Seascapes

Regulars

P99 GET STARTED WITH DIGITAL PAINTING

FREE CD-ROM PACKED WITH ESSENTIAL RESOURCES FOR CREATING

DIGITAL ART

P60 STUNNING SUNSETSEVER LOOKED UP AT THE SKY AS DUSK FALLS AND WONDERED AT THE MAJESTY OF ITS COLOURS? LEARN HOW TO RECREATE THAT HERE

ON T

HE F

RONT

COV

ER

Soft portraits pg 32

GET STARTED WITH GET STARTED WITH

company thats making it easy to present your artwork in the best

Learn how to paint waves and sand with our 10-page special

pg 96this issues disc

Original artwork by Dee Gordon

Featurepg 22Pain t dramatic

006-007_OPM_07_contents.indd 6 27/7/07 12:13:19

766 Life drawingHide your blushes we delve into the world of life drawing and reveal the best techniques for achieving realistic shape and form when it comes to drawing bodies

32 Paint portraits with blending techniques

Capture the softness and blended feel of traditional paints with this guide

40 Paint like: Degas Take a journey into Edgar

Degas world of sophisticated lighting and soft pastels

52 Paint with ink Use the Liquid Ink brushes

coupled with watercolour touches for a delightful and stunning effect

60 Paint the perfect sunset Ensure drop-dead gorgeous

skies with our special step-by-step guide to painting simply beautiful sunsets

PrimersGet up and running58 Brushes: Calligraphy Think the Calligraphy brushes are

only good for the obvious thing? Discover how they can inject movement into artwork

Feature focusGet to know your tools48 Gradients Discover how to use, create and

load gradients, plus see how they can make your images something special with minimal effort

Traditional artistic techniques

14 Maura DutraWe talk with Maura Dutra and discover why after 20 years in Hollywoods lm and animation scene, she swears by Corel Painter

Meet professional users

www.painter magazine.co.uk

Visit ourwebsite now!

tutorialsCreate inspirational art

66 Life drawingHide your blushes we delve into the world of life drawing and reveal the best techniques for achieving realistic shape and form when it comes to drawing bodies

Traditional artistic techniques

Paint like Degas pg 40 pg 40

Original artwork by Maura Dutra

Traditional artistic techniquesTraditional artistic techniques

Drawing 101

Paint like Degas pg 40Paint like Degas pg 40Paint like Degas pg 40

Ink artworkpg 52

Meet professional users

Interview

006-007_OPM_07_contents.indd 7 27/7/07 12:14:31

news even ts resources even ts resources even ts letters websites websites websites letters websites lettersTutorial xxxx

10

hances are you will all be familiar with the deviantART site as a place to view amazing images and get your ill of

inspiration, but have you ever explored the Resources category? Here youll ind loads of generous creatives who have uploaded their work for others to use in projects. We always search this part of

RESOURCES

High-quality landscapes and backgrounds to inspire your Corel Painter artwork

Stock up on resources

deviantART to see if any providers leap out as being particularly useful to Corel Painter users, and were delighted to discover IWS-stock. Pay a visit to http://iws-stock.deviantart.com/gallery and you will discover a haven of quality 3D stock images. These cover a broad range of objects and subjects from sci-i and fantasy igures, through to buildings, backgrounds, clothes and trees. Files download as a high-resolution JPEG ile, so they are ready and primed for loading into Corel Painter.

Although there is loads of great stock to choose from, it was the backgrounds that particularly caught our eye. Theres a great range on here, from dark and brooding landscapes through to beautifully lit underwater worlds. These are an absolute dream for Corel Painter artists, as they can be imported into the program and then used as part of a composition or to turn into a fully ledged painting.

In addition to the 3D stock artwork, you can also access a variety of stock photos that cover such diverse subjects as holiday objects, landscapes and clouds. All of the stock is free to download and use for Deviant Artists, but if you want to use it for outside the site, check with the creators irst. Either send a note via deviantART or email them at [email protected].

Commun ityNEWS EVENTS RESOURCES LETTERS WEBSITES INFO FORUM

Check out the Resources section of the deviantART

website for some great 3D characters

and backgrounds

deviantART to see if any providers leap In addition to the 3D stock artwork, you

projects. We always search this part of 3D characters

and backgroundsdownload as a high-resolution JPEG ile, so they are ready and primed for loading into

particularly caught our eye. Theres a great

dream for Corel Painter artists, as they can

010-011_OPM_07_news.indd 10 26/7/07 12:45:58

websites websites websites info news even ts resources even ts resources even ts letters website letters website letters info news even ts

11

Learn to draw and painto get the very best from Corel Painter, it helps to have a basic understanding of how traditional

art mediums work. But there is plenty of free help online if you previously led an artless life. Bob Davies has put together a fantastic resource site that includes free tutorials for different mediums, such as watercolour, oils, pastels and acrylics, step-by-step guides to learn techniques such as painting scenery, plus there is an extensive section on drawing shapes.

Another feature that really makes it shine are the video tutorials. Visitors can watch as he creates various objects and scenes. Visit his site at www.how-to-draw-and-paint.com or pop along to www.youtube.com/user/BobDavies88 for larger versions of his videos.

Instructional site improves your knowledge of art and drawing skills

ere always on the lookout for good websites for Corel Painter help and advice, and think that ArtMixer is

one of the best. Point your browser to http://artmixer.com/index.asp and you can access free tutorials in addition to purchasing high-quality tutorials and prints. The sites creator, Torbjorn Bergsdal, has produced some really nice tutorials here. Although quite small in number, you can

learn techniques such as using the Brush Creator or painting a landscape. You can also enjoy free prints of some of the images to download (see below) to get inspired.

Mix it up with a site that offers tutorials and prints

t seems as though more and more stock providers are recognising the huge market for affordable stock

photography. The latest company to drop prices is Cadmium.

In addition to the bank of images aimed at professionals, you can now access a wealth of quality photos that start at just 4.90. You can enjoy a vast range of choices, from objects and buildings to people and skyscapes, and its really easy to search the site. Just type in a search request and then examine the bountiful supply of results!

Take a look at www.cadmiummicrostock.co.uk to discover more. The company recognises that design budgets are subject to be reduced, so you might ind yourself making it your irst place to visit the next time you need high-quality photos.

Affordable photosEnjoy artwork and instruction at the ArtMixer websiteTUTORIALS

RESOURCES

ArtMixer has a good selection

of tutorials to enhance your Corel

Painter usage

Bobs site has lots to offer Corel Painter

users looking to expand their drawing

skills or art knowledge

STOCK PHOTOS

The website includes a vast range of royalty free, high-quality stock photography to choose from

Stock images becoming cheaper as companies recognise demand

here. Although quite small in number, you can learn techniques such as using the Brush Creator or painting a landscape. You can also enjoy free prints of some of the images to download (see below) to get inspired.

Painter usage

SEPT

In shortCreative happenings from around the world

Painting channelThose with digital TV should tune into the Painting and Drawing channel. Found on Information TV, this half-hour program teaches various traditional artistic techniques. Visit www.thepaintinganddrawingchannel.com to watch previous shows.

ApologyWed like to apologise to Tina Harkin who wrote last issues tutorial on painting realistic fur. Unfortunately her contact details were left off the tutorial, so wed like to pass them on now. To see more of Tinas work, visit www.tinaharkin.co.ukor send an email to [email protected].

13 Issue 8 of OPM goes on sale!Grab the latest issue of Official Corel Painter Magazine from your newsagent today! Guarantee your copy every month or just save yourself the effort of leaving the house by taking out a subscription via www.imaginesubs.co.uk.

Two great companiesIf youve ever used the PhotoBox printing service, you can now access the YourFramer service (featured on page 88), too. Both companies have teamed up, meaning the next time you visit PhotoBox to order a print, you can make it a high-quality framed print in one fell swoop! Visit www.photobox.co.uk for more.

010-011_OPM_07_news.indd 11 26/7/07 12:46:49

12

news even ts resources even ts resources even ts letters website letters website letters info news even ts resources resources resources even ts resources even ts

Sticking with traditionI know this is going to sound like a complete grovelling email, but I just wanted to say how much I am enjoying the magazine. I moved to Corel Painter a couple of years ago, but my roots lie in traditional art (my irst love is oils). I have looked at a few tutorials in the past, but they all seemed to offer no variety in terms of subject matter, or they were too simplistic and obviously digital.

So I was very happy to ind your magazine. The Drawing 101 section feels like visiting an old friend, as it reminds

our Lettersme of my art school days, and the variety of tutorials constantly amazes me. Ive always thought that the Painter software had more to do with traditional art than it did digital art and it seems like you feel the same! Dont ever change!

Oliver Jacobs

Ha ha, bless you Oliver. Cheques in the post and all that! You are correct when deciding on what to include in the magazine, we go according to an art style or discipline and then translate that into Corel Painters tools. Its such a vast and infi nite program, that weve never

thought of something that it couldnt handle! Its also amazing how traditional art books can also help with the program theres always a way to use the skills in Corel Painter, so never be put off buying one of these books!

Photo to artHere is an image I have produced which I hope is of good enough quality for you to publish in your magazine. I am a passionate black-and-white photographer. This image was taken on the north Devon coast using a Canon DSLR in what was quite bright sunshine and cloud. It was converted to black-and-white from a RAW ile in Photoshop CS3, and manipulated to accentuate the contrasting lights and darks within it.

Welcome to the part of the magazine where you can come

and share your thoughts on anything you fancy!

Featured galleryOur favourite readers gallery this month

Anne Pogodawww.paintermagazine.co.uk/user/Azurelle

Anne is a relatively new member to our website, but her work has impressed us with its variety and texture.

Her Too Sweet Gothic Girl painting took the Picture of the Week award as we felt it was a stunning image that drew the reader completely into it. As you can see here, her other work is just as accomplished and we look forward to seeing more of her work in the future. To see more of Annes artwork, visit her site at www.darktownart.de.

Our favourite readers gallery this month

member to our website, but her work has impressed us with its variety and texture.

took the Picture of the Week award as

drew the reader completely into it. As you can see here, her other work is just as accomplished and we look forward to seeing more of her work in the future.

Anne Pogodawww.paintermagazine.co.uk/user/Azurelle

Her took the Picture of the Week award as we felt it was a stunning image that drew the reader completely into it. As you can see here, her other work is just as accomplished and we look forward to seeing more of her work in the future. To see more of Annes artwork, visit her site at

Seras

Red Wing

Of cial 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 [email protected]

Send your letters to...

Oliver enjoys the variety of traditional art styles in

the magazine. What do you think? Are you fans of

variety or would you like more of one style?

Babies Have Blue Eyes

Readers tipReaders tipShare your Corel Painter wisdom

Grainy oilsI love the Artists Oils but could never seem to get really textured effects. Then someone told me to try using one of the Blender brushes. Now I paint with the Artists Oils and then apply grain and texture where I want with the Grainy Blender brush. Genius!

Isobelle ThomasIf you have a creative tip youd like to share with others, send it in to us and well print it.

012-013_OPM_07_letters.indd 12 27/7/07 12:24:39

13

The latest from our forum and website

resources resources resources letters website letters website letters info news even ts resources letters website letters website letters info

It then occurred to me to attempt a charcoal/chiaroscuro effect in Corel Painter X, as exempliied in previous issues of your magazine. I chose French Watercolor paper, reduced a lot of the detail with the Soft Vine Charcoal brush, set to clone from the original image and then brought back a little detail into some of the areas with the Soft Cloner.

I am very excited about the overall painterly effect, which still manages to maintain the sense of drama within the image. I hope you agree!

Dr. John Fontana

Very well done, John. We love seeing how easily photos can be transformed into artwork and it really is amazing what a spot of cloning can do. It seems like your style of photography also works perfectly for the chiaroscuro effect,

especially in the clouds and rock textures. Black-and-white photography allows so much freedom to experiment with tones and contrasts. Be sure to send in more of your striking creations!

Corel Painter X updateIf you have bought Corel Painter X, make sure you go along to the Corel website and download the new free update. Corel Painter X v10.1 brings a greater stability to users and is available for both the Mac and PC platform.

In addition to general improvement to performance and stability, there are more targeted improvements. For example, customised workspaces are now quicker, with no refresh issues when switching between workspaces that have different window sizes. Brush Ghost is also improved, especially when using the RealBristle brushes with Wacoms 6D Art Pen, and the program now also supports longer ilenames in Mac OS X.

For a full list of improvements, visit www.corel.com/content/painterx/10-1/Readme.htm and then head to the Support section of the US site (www.corel.com) and go to Patches and Updates on the left-hand side.

Too Sweet Gothic Girl

John has taken one of his photos and enhanced it by using the Clone tools and brushes in Corel Painter. Its a good example of how easy it is to go that extra mile and create an image to be proud of

www.paintermagazine.co.uk

This issue comes on sale a few weeks before our third website challenge expires, so heres a quick look at some of the entries weve had so far. First up is Sandria Savoys butterly image, which has a great sense of dynamism to it. In the middle is Sue Stevens colourful take on the lobster pots. As Sue proves, experimenting with colour is a great way to add interest to a normal photo. Finally, we wanted to show you Ata Allashis improvements of the house photo. Colour is used once more to turn a dowdy shot into one that is crackling with life.

Check back next issue to see the results and if you werent successful this time around, or youd like to enter for the irst time, visit the website for the latest competition. You can download the supplied images and then email us your entry. Oh, and you can enter as many times as you like!

Website challengeSome of the best so far

John has taken one of his photos and enhanced it by using the Clone tools and brushes in Corel Painter. Its a good example of how easy it is to go that extra mile and create an image to be proud of

Dont be shy everyones welcome to enter! Go to www.paintermagazine.co.uk/competitions

ENTER THE WEBSITE CHALLENGE

012-013_OPM_07_letters.indd 13 27/7/07 16:45:32

Interview Maura Dutra

14

ith 20 years in Hollywood and a background in ilm and animation, Maura Dutra embraced both Corel

Painter and Adobe Photoshop early on, keen to develop her traditional painting skills digitally.

In demand for her stunning painterly style, Maura is also known for her training seminars, workshops, photo safaris and range of new Corel Painter Photo Impressionism digital painting training, available to order from Mauras website. Mauras long list of awards includes Kodaks Professional Innovators Award, the Seybold Juries Digital Imaging Show, Clio Art Directors Award for Animation and Visual Effects, and Corel Painter Master.

On the eve of a US nationwide seminar tour, Nick Spence meets Corel Painter Master, Maura Dutra

Maura DutraHow did you make the move from a career in lm-making, animation and visual effects to being an award-winning Corel Painter Master?One phase ends, another begins, and soon you have the chapters of a career. Mine started with high school dreams of being a character animator. After studying ine art and graduating with a bachelors degree in Illustration, I landed an entry-level job as a cell animation ink-and-paint tech. Soon fate was to offer me the opportunity to assist storyboarding the effects sequences for the irst Star Trek movie, and that led to a career in visual effects and post-production supervision, ending with a stint as a director for a few television commercials.

After spending 20 years in ilm production, my husband and I made the decision to embark upon yet another career in the arts. Enter Corel Painter. I had painted with natural media in college, but this clever program struck a chord with my irst investigations. In no time at all I had created a series of botanical loral paintings that were licensed for interior dcor usage around the world. I moved on from that phase several years ago, but my involvement with Painter has only intensiied.

Youve been working with Corel Painter since version 3. Over the years what have been the indispensable new features and tools?The tools in Painter have improved greatly in their performance over the years. In early versions of this program,


In demand for her stunning painterly style, Maura is also known for her training


Maura DutraAn interview with



WEBSITE www.idcphotography.comJOB TITLE Freelance photographer and artistCLIENTS Canon, Warner Brothers and Cond Nast Publishing

[BELOW]Maura at workArmed with her camera, scanner, tablet and computer, Maura is able to create her delicate and textured paintings

014-020_OPM_07_interview.indd 14 27/7/07 13:12:12

15

BritannyThis image is full of Mauras

trademark brush strokes and texture, which exist happily

with the softness of the original photo

All o

rigi

nal a

rtw

ork

by M

aura

Dut

ra

The tools in Painter have improved greatly in their performance

over the years



16

Ellie Mauras use of composite modes allows her to add lots and lots of texture in paintings and give them an exquisite depth


17

the larger brushes were very slow to render a stroke and would sometimes cause the program to freeze.

The newer versions of Painter each offered improvements in rendering brushstrokes and now facilitate my preferred approach to painting with an energetic application of large, sweeping brushstrokes.

Other new indispensable features for my work include the masks, layers, and Composite modes. I can now apply textures in Painter using layers and the Masking tool to control the placement of my textural interest exactly where I want to see them. Using the Composite modes I am then able to season the image to taste with different layer blending effects.

As a photographer, how much of your work with Corel Painter is done through the eye of the lens?I always start with the best possible capture I can manage. Ive tried to reine my eyepiece composition over the years and crop only when the proportion of my frame isnt appropriate to the inished piece I have envisioned. After

my RAW ile has been processed with a baseline colour temperature, I investigate different colour toning and enhancements before painting begins. I enjoy exploring expressive colour directions in my paintings and ind the work of colourist painters such as Wolf Kahn and Wayne Thiebaud very exciting and inspirational.

If the project is a portrait, I will also look to smooth any complexion issues, and punch the saturation and contrast in the eyes, using Photoshop before bringing the image into Painter. I allocate all detailed retouching to the beginning

[MIDDLE TOP] On locationMauras photographs play a pivotal role in her work, and she works hard to perfect the shot in the viewfinder

of the project in order to allow a loose and spontaneous energy for my work session. A photograph is the starting point for much of the digital painting I do these days. My approach begins with thoughtful consideration as to what the inal artwork might like to evolve into. With an end result in mind, I decide upon a media substrate for the inal print at this time. This important decision dictates the corresponding brush style I will choose to work with in Painter; ie, oil, watercolour, chalks, or pastels. Understanding that oil painting is an

A photograph is the starting point for much of the

digital painting I do these days

Windy WishAnother excellent example of Mauras large and expressive brush strokes here to convey the feeling of wind and movement

[MIDDLE BOTTOM] Horse PlayFor her personal projects, Maura enjoys creating horse, figure and landscape artwork



18

addictive medium, I begin by making a medium-toned under-painting for my Painter oil pieces. Moving from large and loose brushwork to the smaller and more detailed application of wet pixels sampled from my source photo, I focus on building the form. Strong character of both colour and brush stroke to deine form is my goal in Painter.

I often employ post-printing handwork to create a dimensional patina on my inkjet prints by using natural media such as pastels and acrylic gels. These embellishments serve to transform each print into a unique piece of art. We have found that the addition of the artists handwork to the archival print will increase the real and perceived value of a inal piece.

You print and sell large-scale work measuring up to 40 x 60 inches. How do you ensure what you see on-screen is faithfully reproduced big?Good colour management from start to inish, which enables accurate soft-prooing, is essential. A few test prints are also worth their weight in gold. It isnt that dificult with proper attention to this aspect of your worklow.

When you work on commissions, are you ever reliant on other peoples source material and if so what challenges does that offer?Whether the source photograph is one I have produced or comes from another photographer, the ultimate appeal of a painted portrait will depend greatly upon the source photograph containing all the essential elements for a successful image: a strong compositional statement, an engaging gesture and form-deining light. One should be very discriminating when considering a source image.

My husband, Bruce Dorn, and I have developed a new series of Corel Painter X training DVDs, which will be ready for release mid-August 2007. These initial training sessions focus on painting portraiture from photographs. The images used in these sessions were chosen from portrait shoots where Bruce designed the lighting and did the shooting, while I worked with our client on colour palettes and wardrobe choices. This is a common collaboration in our studio and produces images which I like to think of as the best of the best! Painting from his beautiful captures is a real privilege and honour for me!

[RIGHT] Part of Mauras service

includes large-scale prints, for which she

relies on accurate colour management

Brianna Blues Maura is a big fan of expressive colour and uses it to create portraits with real power

[LEFT] A lovely side of Mauras work is how she will use traditional media such as pastels and acrylic gels to enhance her inkjet prints of the Corel Painter creations

Good colour management from start to finish is essential


19

Cowboy BluesClyde, the original steed of the iconic Marlboro Man is still at work. Here he carries a wrangler across an icy

Wyoming river to round up some strays. Bruce and his wife, Painter Master Maura Dutra, hold an annual

digital workshop in Jackson Hole each September

KiersaAfter editing the original photo, Maura can then use Corel Painter to create something wonderful

A Rose KiersaMaura and husband Bruce Dorn, have created a series of Corel Painter X DVDs that teach how to paint portraits from photos

Your stunning images of owers make use of a atbed scanner, can you explain the process?I constructed a cardboard box, lined with black velvet that sits on top of my 11 x 17 inch Epson scanner platen and encloses the lower completely. This box keeps any stray ambient light out of the equation. Depth-of-ield is, of course, quite shallow with this type of capture. Although that particular aspect of this sort of capture can create a lovely and dream-like effect as the background details fall off into darkness, the scanner process is a bit limiting for both subject size and lighting. Since I had planned on creating my Botanical Floral series with this particular effect in mind, the effect served my ultimate goal. I was happy, however, moving on to working with more versatile capture opportunities using my Canon 5D.

And is it dif cult to build up such subtle evocative textures in your pictures of owers? Yes, it began as a time-consuming and elaborate process, but Ive recently streamlined the steps using Photoshops actions. Many of the images that appear

A Rose KiersaMaura and husband Bruce Dorn, have created a series of Corel Painter X DVDs that teach how to paint portraits

A Rose Kiersa

Your stunning images of owers make use of a atbed scanner, can you explain

When attempting your own

portraits from photos, take a leaf

out of Mauras book and spend a bit

of time editing the colours, boosting

hues and generally creating a good base

to work on. The trick is to push

things further than you would in a

normal photo. Once youre

in Corel Painter, youll find the

brushes respond well to slightly

unnatural colours.

Before retouching

After retouching



20

with this article utilise my textural effects. While working on my Botanical series, I investigated many techniques for achieving the ultimate cracked varnish effect on my inal ink jet prints. I was thrilled when I eventually found the perfect product, but quite disappointed when I learned that it had been

discontinued shortly after. I used the small quantity I had to create an archive of craquelure effects on hardboard. We photographed these textures at high resolution and created iles suitable for digital layering. I now offer a varied collection of artistic textures for digital

imaging application, which can be applied in Painter or in Photoshop.

How has the perception of digital art and software tools like Corel Painter changed over those years?Every creative tool, natural or digital, has its advantages and disadvantages

and as an artist it is both my pleasure and challenge to experience them. Far-sighted collectors and galleries will be rewarded in due time. This is the dawn of an emerging medium. Let history decide where each of us its in the scheme of things. Im just excited to explore.

Mauras Botanical Series of images made excellent use of traditional textures, such as crackle glaze and vintage stamps

You have developed a distinctive style called Photo Impressionism, can you explain what this involves?Photography is a medium unmatched for its capacity to capture a unique moment. We take inspiration from the Impressionist era and approach the digital canvas with as much energy and spontaneity as we can muster. The lighting, composition, colour palette and story come from the original photograph, while our looser brushstrokes emphasise the impression and provide the poetry.

Bruce and I feel that the term Photo Impressionism perfectly describes our style of digital painting. These days, even artists must be conscious of the value of marketing and to that end we registered the term Photo Impressionism. It helps our clients better understand the product that we offer while simultaneously establishing our brand.

Every creative tool, natural or digital, has its advantages and disadvantages


22

When done correctly, a good seascape can look absolutely

amazing. From the swell of the waves through to the water gently

lapping at the shoreline, Jeff Johnson has created an indispensable guide

to help you get started on this challenging but rewarding subject

Feature Paint dramatic seascapes

Pain t

022-031_OPM_07_seascapes.indd 22 27/7/07 15:53:32

23

seascapesdrama tic

or most of us the sea conjures up fond memories, whether its of family holidays full of ice cream and mischief, or romantic strolls

along a sunset-lit beach. The sea is also a worthy subject of paintings and never fails to reward the artist with scenes that are packed with drama and mood.

Over the next few pages, were going to look at how you can paint the sea in Corel Painter, concentrating solely on the waves. Well show how its possible to capture the movement of a wave crashing against the shore, as well as how to paint calm waters. Youll learn which brushes are the best and what colours are needed.

In addition to the tutorials, weve also put together a reference pack on the CD. In here you will find lots of photos of different seascapes and theres even some small videos for you to get the feeling of how water moves. As ever, send us what you create and well print it!


24


24

Colour palette

Ca lm seas White water

Calm sea stormy sea

Colours are obviously closely linked with the time of day and general weather conditions, but heres a palette from the images in this tutorial. As you can see,

Horizon

DeeP Water

miDDle grounD sHaDoW

sHalloW Water

C: 86% M: 62% Y: 42% K: 29%

C: 75% M: 48% Y: 29% K: 5%

C: 54% M: 31% Y: 23% K: 0%

C: 38% M: 22% Y: 15% K: 0%

C: 49% M: 32% Y: 22% K: 0%

C: 59% M: 41% Y: 32% K: 0%

C: 28% M: 23% Y: 20% K: 0%

C: 34% M: 36% Y: 44% K: 1%

colours in the sea get lighter the further you come into shore, and you need to mix pale beige colours to give the impression of water over the sand.

Dont forget that the sea also has green in it, especially in deep water and also as waves break. And make sure your light source doesnt get lost in all the action!

C: 5% M: 1% Y: 1% K: 0%

C: 32% M: 17% Y: 11% K: 0%

sHaDoWs

sPray

C: 4% M: 2% Y: 2% K: 0%

Deep seasHorizon

DeeP Water

miDDle grounD sHaDoW

Sk y Sand

C: 90% M: 78% Y: 43% K: 48%

sHalloW Water

C: 28% M: 9% Y: 24% K: 0%

C: 25% M: 1% Y: 6% K: 0%

C: 3% M: 0% Y: 4% K: 0%

C: 12% M: 0% Y: 0% K: 0%

C: 41% M: 9% Y: 34% K: 0%

C: 48% M: 15% Y: 4% K: 0%

C: 83% M: 60% Y: 44% K: 30%

C: 89% M: 74% Y: 36% K: 29%

C: 79% M: 46% Y: 51% K: 21%

C: 84% M: 61% Y: 25% K: 7%

C: 65% M: 36% Y: 53% K: 8%

C: 66% M: 32% Y: 17% K: 0%

C: 68% M: 42% Y: 58% K: 18%

C: 77% M: 47% Y: 11% K: 0%

toP

Bottom

C: 90% M: 63% Y: 20% K: 4%

C: 79% M: 49% Y: 11% K: 0%

C: 62% M: 29% Y: 18% K: 0%

C: 44% M: 17% Y: 15% K: 0%

C: 6% M: 20% Y: 25% K: 0%

C: 44% M: 46% Y: 62% K: 12%

C: 9% M: 8% Y: 11% K: 0%

C: 8% M: 6% Y: 24% K: 0%

C: 30% M: 28% Y: 64% K: 0%

C: 6% M: 4% Y: 13% K: 0%

sanD

Breaker sHaDoW

Wave refleCtion

sanD

Breaker sHaDoW

Wave refleCtion

C: 21% M: 10% Y: 10% K: 0%


25

Brushes

CHARCOAL PENCILA Charcoal Pencil is good for creating an initial sketch and getting shadows in place

BlendersThe best way to learn how to paint the sea is to look at the sea! So weve put together a resource pack on the CD that has plenty of photos of waves, sand and foam, in addition to short videos that are good for visualising how the sea moves.

The best way to learn how to paint the sea is to look at the sea! So weve

On the CD

DIGITAL AIRBRUSHA fabulous brush for laying colour down for skies and calm water scenes

FINE CAMEL BRUSHExcellent for blocking in colours for stormy and choppy seascapes great for texture

SMEARY ROUND Another good oil brush for building up tones and movement in seas

TAPERED ROUND OILSGood for wave ripples as well as painting in the shadows under the waves

SOFT BLENDER STUMPInvaluable for merging sky tones as well as softening sea colours

GRAINY BLENDERBuild up realistic breaking waves with this brush and also add texture to clouds and foam

SMUDGEFor fluffy, explosive waves, the Smudge brush can work miracles

Reference pack for your seascape painting adventures! Movies

Photos


26

Time to enjoy a tranquil afternoon beach-side, is what we say. This tutorial will take us step by step through an uncomplicated rendering of a quiet little ocean-side scene. As to the mood of our effort, think of a bright sunny day with a light breeze and the softest of waves gently pushing ashore. We will be using a bare handful of brushes, layers and colours to render a quiet ocean all the way from the far

horizon, through the soft breakers lapping the shore, past the foamy surf and onto a warm, inviting beach. Once we establish the most basic of layouts, we will quickly

build up our scene, relying principally on the Tapered Round Oil Brush, the Digital Airbrush and a couple of nifty Blenders.

horizon, through the soft breakers lapping the shore, past the foamy surf and onto a warm, inviting beach.

build up our scene, relying principally on the Tapered Round Oil Brush, the Digital Airbrush and a couple of nifty Blenders.

Calm seasCalm seas

Prepara tionThere are various points to keep in mind when attempting to paint calm seas. The most important is to decide on the medium watercolour or airbrush work well. Here are some more pointers:

Although you are painting still water, you still need to include ripples

Keep colours light at the foreground to give the impression of water over sand

On the horizon01 Bands of water02

Blendin g03Shadows04

Create a horizon line two thirds up the canvas, use the Tapered Round Oil Brush 15 and the darkest of the deep water colours. Also outline the modest foamy breaker, positioned just above the one-third point. Use the Digital Airbrush to spray in the sea blues, going from dark to light.

Next grab the Digital Airbrush. Add a strip of the almond re ection colour under the foam of the wave. Then ll in the two values of shallow water as shown, with the Sandy colour closest to the beach. Leaving a small strip for the foamy edge of the receding wave, block in the basic sand colour.

Open up a Darken layer, to quickly colour near the horizon without colouring into the water. Using an enlarged Digital Airbrush, block in the four tones of the sky. Flatten the image. Using a Soft Blender Stump enlarged to 80, blend in the various values with soft horizontal strokes. Spend time on smoothing the transitions in the sky, as some irregularities in the water will be bene cial.

The Tapered Round Oils 15 is capable of producing a very thin mark with minimal pressure, and just like a natural media round, will give a fat blob of colour if pressed rmly enough. Draw in small shadows under the foremost breaker with the darkest sandy tone. Use canvas white to draw more foamy crests further out into the water and begin to embellish the near wave with a few details. Use loose, gestural strokes.


On the horizonOn the horizon01


27

Bands of water02

Lighten thin gs up05

More shadow

06

Follow the foam07

Cloud glazin g08

Sand tex ture09 Values, va lues10

Reduce the size of the Tapered Round Brush to 7. Take a sample of the water tone next to the horizon and paint into the next lightest tone with light, skittery horizontal strokes. Repeat the process in reverse by painting some of the lighter colour into the darker eld with the same light, thin strokes to represent the furthest waves. Resize the brush to 15 and repeat the whole process in the shallow water area between the breaker and the foam, this time pushing harder to make broader strokes.

Open up a Default layer. With the Tapered Round set to 15, use the two middle ground shadow colours to make fat and thin waves, with the darker colour used for the foremost waves. Sample some white and create the pattern of the sea foam. Using a large Eraser set to 40% Opacity, lightly reduce the brightness of any stark foam. Flatten the image.

Set a 30 Digital Airbrush to 30% Opacity. Paint a little of the sand colour into the edge of the water to suggest a slight shelf. The Grainy Blender 30 brings it together. Working at full size in the foreground and reducing the brush size down to about 10 near the horizon, make soft horizontal strokes along waves and directional strokes following the foamy threads to blend edges together. Add spray at the top and bottom of the near wave as a nice detail.

Using the Digital Airbrush 30 for the large cloud and the Tapered Round 15 for the smaller ones, paint in the clouds. Sample two medium tones from the middle ground water. Then, using the Grainy Blender 30 with strokes following the contours, blend the edges of the clouds a bit into the sky.

Open up a Gel layer. With a large Digital Airbrush set to 30% Opacity, cover the water in a very light yellowish white. Switch to the variable Spatter Airbrush sized to 40 or so. With canvas white as the colour, paint about the middle third, making sure to work towards the edges a bit. This leaves a nice subtle texture on the sand.

Lighten thin gs upLighten thin gs up05

Cloud glazin gCloud glazin gCloud glazin g0808

Sand tex tureSand tex tureSand tex tureSand tex ture0909Use the Apply Lighting command at the end for the nal burst of sunlight, using these settings as an example.


28

We have a very nice setting for some really dramatic shoreline action. There is a cliff face, a bunch of rock outcroppings, and even a secluded sandy beach for the truly adventuresome swimmer. Lots of opportunity to explore some of the interplay between sea and shore. All that is needed is a few mammoth breakers smashing into the rugged rocks and a turbulent set of swells set to follow. All waves have distinct shape and dimension and can be lit predictably, but the kind of shoreline action we require needs huge rolling breakers with their distinctive tubular shape. They are particularly fun additions to a seascape, and have an anatomy that is easy to understand and paint.

Some strong gestural drawing is all we need to start. Then we will introduce some of our darker values, gradually building to peaks of spray and curls backlit by a strong light. The viewer will then be left with a sense of the ebb and low of a sea constantly in motion.

Breaking waves

Drawn to the sea01

Choosin g a brush and jumpin g in

02

It pays to look at lots of references, and have a few on hand that are most similar to your idea. Start with a quick rendering of the various waves. Nothing too elaborate, but enough to get a real sense of the shape and direction of the waves. The Charcoal Pencil 7 of medium dark value combined with the Smudge tool is a nice combination.

Size the Fine Camel Brush to 40, and start with a mid-tone blue. Open up a Multiply layer so the drawing isnt obscured until the basic values are blocked in. Repeat with green in areas that light would pierce or that are in shallow water. Change the layer to default and atten the image.

we require needs huge rolling breakers with their distinctive tubular shape. They are particularly fun distinctive tubular shape. They are particularly fun additions to a seascape, and have an anatomy that is easy

Some strong gestural drawing is all we need to start. Then we will introduce some of our darker values, gradually building to peaks of spray and curls backlit by a strong light. The viewer will then be left with a sense of the ebb and low of a sea constantly in motion.then be left with a sense of the ebb and low of a sea constantly in motion.


Prepara tionWhen it comes to breaking waves, you need to think about the movement of the sea. Use the videos on the CD to look at how water moves. Build up a rhythm in your mind and then paint it. Sounds crazy, but you need to visualise the movement in order to paint realistic waves.

Introduce green or yellow highlights to the centre of breaking waves

As waves break, they draw up upon themselves, so include lines to suggest movement at the side and front

Merge the foam white with blue and yellow


29

After adding a little lighter green to the top of the big wave, do some directional strokes with rst the brush in hand and then the Smudge tool, located in the Blender Brush library. Follow the contours of the wave and try to show some of the force used on the cliff face.

Gestura l strokes03

Now for a little rounding out of the forms of the foamy spray. Medium-light blues and greens, applied to shaded areas with our Camel Brush, enhance the sense of three-dimensionality of our wave. Time to add a few more darks elsewhere and at the same time start re ning the various edges throughout.

Now the Smudge tool does some good stuff for us. With the various values blocked in, it is time to really churn up the surf. Using various sizes of the Smudge tool, work directionally wherever a little gesture is needed. If things get muddy, just paint back into the area a bit and start over. It is pretty fun and effective.

Shadows04 Smudge05

edges throughout.

N ew waves06 Foam marblin g07

Well, as the big wave is looking ne, a little time spent on the rest of the area is needed. More waves are needed and more facets of re ected light. This shot shows the result of alternating between a small Digital Airbrush, for the sharpest edges, and a small version of our Fine Camel Brush, with blending done with our Smudge tool. The areas of brightest light are directly underneath the sun.

Last, an important surface detail is added to top things off nicely. The preceding wave and the foam it created are being sucked back into the coming wave, and the foam pulls back in a pattern that resembles marbling. Using a small Soft Camel Brush, paint in the foamy lines with a medium to light blue, then blend them in with the Smudge tool, adjusted to size.

ShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadowsShadows

Foam marblin gFoam marblin g0707 Foam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin gFoam marblin g07 Foam marblin g07 Foam marblin g07 Foam marblin g0707

Now for a little

ShadowsShadows0404 ShadowsShadowsShadows0404


So much for the ireworks! Now we are left with the various transitions that low from those big waves to the rest of our setting. One is to the less tumultuous greater body of water. It is a bit more dificult to get right, as there are more waves with less distinct shapes, but they are every bit as necessary to do up in proper fashion. We are left with the interplay between the sea and the shore, with fun bits like the foamy

receding water that follows a spent wave as another builds, complete with rivulets of runoff water lowing

from the rocky shores. Have you ever noticed how the foam in a retracting wave causes a pattern resembling

marbling? Well include how to re-create that, and even build up a nice sand bar, created by constant wave motion, as

our inal touch.

the sea and the shore, with fun bits like the foamy receding water that follows a spent wave as another

builds, complete with rivulets of runoff water lowing from the rocky shores. Have you ever noticed how the

foam in a retracting wave causes a pattern resembling marbling? Well include how to re-create that, and even

build up a nice sand bar, created by constant wave motion, as build up a nice sand bar, created by constant wave motion, as

30

Using a large Fine Camel Brush, about 30, block in the values to the horizon. Picking a mid-tone colour for the farthest reaches of the big wave area will do nicely. Make the right side of the water a bit darker for compositional purposes. Use a slightly more saturated blue for this area to enhance the illusion of it being a bit closer than the horizon.


So much for the ireworks! Now we are left with the

Choppy waters

our inal touch.our inal touch.our inal touch.

Using a large Fine Using a large Fine

The big drink

01

Broaden the ran ge 02

Now we have a small bit of work broadening the range of the values, including adding a bright highlighted area in the patch of water directly underneath the sun. Notice that the strokes are pretty much horizontal in the background, but in the foreground they are beginning to suggest waves with small peaks as they get closer.

More smudgin g03Working back and forth between a small version of the Smudge tool and our Camel Brush sized to order, some of the details are nalised. A small Smudge tool between three and ten, scratched across the edges of the brush strokes in sympathetic direction helps blend them into the body of colour.

Prepara tionIf you have breaking waves, you need to then work in some choppy water to join them together. The trick with this is to build up lots of blues and greens to suggest waves churning away and also paint the sand to look like the water is dragging it out.

Use Grainy Blender to pull away foam bits

Use the Tapered Oils brush to add white squiggles and dots to look like foam ying in the breeze

Introduce green and yellow to the heart of the waves


31

More of the same04

This shot shows the result of about ten minutes of the back and forth workings of the previous step, applied to the water in the bay. This is not aimless brush pushing. It helps to visualise a few large swells covered with smaller surface waves. The idea is to create a number of subtle facets, some of them very crisp, so too much blending can atten things out in an unfavourable way.

Now draw an interesting and logical line where the wash from the previous breaker has extended to. There is a lot of nice space to utilise in the foreground, so leave off short of the rocks. Fill in the area with a lighter green using the Camel Brush set to about 30 in the eld and made smaller for details. Take a little time with the Blender around the rocks to work the edges to a nice level of detail.

Now take a large Digital Airbrush 45 set to 20% Opacity and lightly paint over the leading edge of the wash with a light sandy brown, to give the illusion of translucent water thinning at the outer reaches. Then blend it in with a large version of the Smudge tool.

Just like those done on the breaking waves, the strings of sea foam in the wash are rst laid down with a small Camel Brush. Then they are carefully blended to integrate them into the foreground. Any sharp edges desired can always be painted back on and lightly blended. Something to keep an eye on is the plane that the wash is on, so the marks enhance the sense of realistic space.

Alternating between the Airbrush and the Fine Camel Brush, with both adjusted to sizes tting for the scale of detail, paint little rivulets of runoff water.

Just like those done on the breaking waves, the strings of sea foam in the

More marblin g07

the leading edge of the wash with a light sandy brown, to give the illusion of translucent water thinning at the outer reaches. Then blend it in with a large version of the Smudge tool.

Alternating between the

Now draw an interesting and logical line where the wash

Ashore a t last05

Now for the beach. A simple line along a likely path describes the contours of the ridge created by constant wave motion. Then it is a snap to paint in values of a sandy tan on either side of the ridge line. The Soft Blender Stump 30 works best to mingle the various values to sandy smoothness. Voila!

Now for the beach. A simple line along a likely path describes the contours of

09 Drawin g a lin e in the sand

Runoff08

unfavourable way. unfavourable way.

Translucen t wash06


Tutorial Use blending techniques for soft portraits

32

epending on the style and techniques you favour, you could approach a portrait in Corel Painter in any number of

ways. But as you might imagine, to truly get the best results you need to be able to command a variety of techniques and brush types.

The more you work at it, the faster youll get at making the right selection for the right job. When you no longer need to think about what you need to do next, thats when your style is really working for you. But, of course, if using

As well as the Blender brushes themselves, a variety of techniques are at your disposal for merging your media for super-smooth results

Use blending techniques for soft portraitsUse blending techniques for soft portraitsUse blending techniques for soft portraitsUse blending techniques

Artist

Time needed

Skill level

On the CD

Sam Gilbey

2-3 hours

Intermediate

Source photofinal image

Tutorial info

Choose either the portrait provided or one of your ownSetting up

01 Step up Create a new document thats 24cm by 31cm at 300dpi. Open the portrait photo from the magazine disc and copy and paste it onto the canvas. Go to Effect>Scale>Orientation>Free Transform and scale the photo up so that it lls the canvas. Were only using it for reference so it doesnt matter that its low resolution.

02 Push it back Select the Fill tool, and pick a colour from the background of the photo. Reduce the Opacity of the photo layer to around 35%, and select the canvas layer. Fill the canvas with the deep orange tone. Next, create a new layer above the photo.

Setting up

03 Were not doing the obvious 2B joke Choose the 2B Pencil from the range of variants in the Pencils brush category, and set the width to 3px and the Opacity to around 50%. Choose a dark grey tone. When you start to draw on the layer, the blending mode will automatically be set to Gel. Set it to Normal.

an assortment of brush categories and variants, the risk is that your artwork ends up lacking the continuity that great pieces always have. This means that the Blender brushes become a crucial part of your digital painting arsenal, fusing two seemingly disparate methods. When working with Corel Painter you can combine realistic replications of natural media, but you can do this in ways that you couldnt actually do in real life.

Additionally, though, were not just talking about the Blender brushes per se, as typically they get used towards the end

of a piece, literally to smooth out some of the rough edges. What were also looking at here is how to give a blended feel to your digital painting throughout. Many of the brushes can be set to blend with existing colours on the canvas, so you can develop the soft look as you go.

Weve included the photo we used on the disc (thanks to Sarah Ferber for permission to use her self-portrait), but the techniques explained here can be used for portraits in general, so feel free to use a different image from your own digital collection.

032-036_OPM_07_blenders.indd 32 26/7/07 14:28:51

33

TutorialUse blending techniques for soft portraits


34

Splitting hairsDont be afraid to use lots and lots of layers, especially when it comes to painting something like hair. It needs to look smooth, soft and shiny, but also needs detail and depth. Trying to do all this on just one layer means that your details will just get smudged, and that sheen will be lost.

Explore the depths of the portraits layersUse your tools

04 Key features Work your way around the piece, softly marking the key features as you go. This is so that everything is proportional, and it will save time trying to perfect the likeness later. The pencil marks wont be very visible at the end, but still, try and keep them fairly neat.

Use your tools

05 Double size When youre done, try hiding the photo layer to check that youve got enough reference lines. Select the canvas layer, and go to Canvas>Canvas Size. Add the current image width to the right of the canvas, ie, 2,835 pixels. Reveal the photo and move it to the right side.

06 Flat tones Create a separate layer for each key area of the portrait (face, neck, hair, arm, knee, T-shirt, eyes and lips). Making sure the Resat is set to 100, pick a mid-tone from each of the key areas, and on the appropriate layer, paint the areas in with at colours. Dont worry about going over the edges.

07 Masking the edges Select the face layer and go to Layers> Create Layer Mask. In the Layers palette, click on the mask thumbnail. Use the Wet Detail Brush 5 from the Acrylics set (at any size though), ensuring the Resat is at 100%, and paint in black to hide the overlaps. Repeat for the other layers.

08 Chalky texture Once youre happy with the masks on each layer, select the Blunt Chalk 10 from the Chalk range. Set the brush size to around 50 with the Resat at 100%, and with a dark green, start to mark out the shadows on the T-shirt layer. Keep the pressure quite light so you get the chalk texture.

09 Gold blend The Resat level is crucial when it comes to blending your artwork. Reduce it to 12% and increase the brush size to around 80. Now when you paint, youre still working with chalk but you can push and pull away from different tones to spread the shading. Work in a variety of tones.


Splitting


35

TutorialUse blending techniques for soft portraits

Resat and OpacityIts crucial to master the Resat and Opacity levels in your techniques, especially when youre going for a blended look as we are here. Setting the Resat down to 3% will really keep it soft, but bear in mind youll need to increase it somewhat when you need to bring in some darker tones. Keeping the brush Opacity low means you can blend it all together gradually.

Blend to your hearts content Define the shine and lines

13 Just Add Water The Just Add Water blender comes in very handy here, because the Soft Blender brush will have left really obvious brush strokes. Once youve softened it, use the Wet Detail Brush from Acrylics, but this time set the Resat to 12%. With the brush size around 20, continue to develop the shading.

14 Shiny eyes Use the same brush to add various colour tones to the eyes, but then use the Coarse Oily Blender 10 from the Blenders, at a size of around 4, to drag these tones around and add lots of detail to the eyes. All the marks should radiate out from the pupil.

Define the shine and lines

10 Softer still Change the Resat value to 3%, and reduce the brush size to around 50. Youll get a slightly streaky look, but thats what we want here. Select the Just Add Water blender from the Blenders and with the size around 70, proceed to blend the T-shirt tones into one another, being careful to follow the folds.

11 Keep working at it The airbrushes are essential for this blended look. Use the Soft Airbrush, at a variety of sizes and in a variety of tones, to further accentuate the detail in the T-shirt. Then use the Round Blender Brush 30 from the Blenders menu, to further soften the detail where necessary.

15 Hair time Use some chunky charcoal strokes to start to de ne the highlights and shadows in the hair. To blend these in, use the Loaded Palette Knife from the Palette Knives, following the contours of the hair, with the Resat around 12% and the size around 20.

Resat and

16 Distortion and more blending In the Distortion category youll nd the Distorto brush. With the size set to 40, youll nd this is a great way to add thin streaks into the hair, all the time increasing the range and depth. Next, use the Flat Grainy Stump from the Blenders, at a size of 15, to just soften those marks.

12 Just like real brushes The Artists Oils run out of paint, just as they would in real life. Use the Soft Blender Brush in this category to start adding highlight and shadow to the face. Note that when you have run out of paint, you can continue to blend if you dont lift your brush from the surface.


36

Bring out the contrasting textures for a remarkable effectThe final flourishesThe final flourishes

17 Build it up Create a new layer above, setting the Opacity of the layer to around 65%. Check the Pick Up Underlying Colour box on the Layers palette. Use the Wet Detail (Acrylic) Brush at a size of 20 and with 3% Resat, to add extra sheen to the hair, blending a range of colours in as you go.

18 Smear is also useful Where theres a contrast in tones on esh, like at the edge of the nose or the chin and cheek, the Smear blender is a great tool to use. You can drag the highlights or shadows around without them becoming overpowering. Also use the Just Add Water blender to retain the softness.

19 Final touches Using the techniques weve shown, complete the image, softening it where necessary, but keeping some stronger lines in view (lips and eyes for example). Add a layer above everything, setting it to Screen blending mode, and use a large red airbrush to add a glow to key areas of the esh, hair and clothing.


Traditional artists blend paint as they go, and the technique is especially good for when you are painting portraits. Blending allows you to merge colours together and soften out any hard brush marks. This not only enables you to create flawless skin, but it is also excellent for smooth hair and soft fabric.

Weve used various blending techniques throughout this tutorial, but heres a look at the brushes we used for each task, along with how they were used. Practise with this photo and then use your new skills on your own image!

Using blending techniques in portraits

Hair The hair started with charcoal shadows, blended in with a Loaded Palette Knife, the Distorto brush and the Flat Grainy Stump. A semi-opaque layer of Wet Acrylic strokes, and some airbrush highlights just brought it to life.

Facial detail A variety of Blenders and paints were used here, but the important thing is to know where to retain sharper lines, and where to blend everything as softly as possible. See how the highlights follow the edge of the nose and the cheek.

Clothing For clothing to be convincing, again it needs to have clearly defined contours, but the blend between light and shadow must be soft. Be careful not to overwork things!

01

02 03


showcase

038-039_OPM_07_artspread.indd 38 27/7/07 14:38:21

DENIS FOKIN TITLE All Alone WEBSITE www.denfo.info JOB TITLE Digital artist

Denis has an amazing range of work, from dark and brooding pieces such as this example, through to bright and cheery fruit paintings and humorous illustrations. Visit his site for more great examples of artwork.

038-039_OPM_07_artspread.indd 39 27/7/07 14:38:59

Tutorial Paint like Edgar Degas

40

egas was born in 1834 in Paris, France, to an aristocratic family and started painting very early in life. His well-to-

do family was supportive of his talent; his banker father did expect the young Edgar to go to law school, but when this path proved fruitless, his chosen career in art was nurtured.

Degas studied art in France and travelled to Italy where he lived for three years, mastering the works of the classics including Raphael and Titian. His hard work and passion for Renaissance art created a highly accomplished and skilled painter, who continued to evolve throughout his career.

Although part of the Impressionist movement, Degas employed a somewhat different approach and style. He favoured drawing with more control and less of the spontaneity that typiied Impressionism. He painted a great deal from sketches and notes made at the scene, as well as from memory unlike some Impressionists who preferred an immediate transfer of their impression of light to canvas.

Famous for his images of the Paris ballet scene, Degas was an Impressionist with a difference. Learn which tools to use in order to create a Degas-inspired masterpiece

Edgar DegasFamous for his images of the Paris ballet scene, Degas was an Impressionist with a difference. Learn which tools to use in order to create a Degas-inspired masterpiece

Artist

Time needed

Skill level

On the CD

Hannah Gal

4 hours

Intermediate

Start sketch and final file

Tutorial info Like fellow Impressionists, Degas had an interest in modern city life with its dance halls, cabarets, racetracks, opera and, of course, ballet stages. Racing track and ballet dance life provided the disciplined movement that fascinated him. He recorded the gestures, nuances, ambience and atmosphere of the ballet scene, producing art pieces that have fascinated the world ever since. It is worth noting, however, that this versatile artist also studied the everyday life of milliners, dressmakers and laundresses. He did so with great passion, to produce immaculate paintings that are distinctively different from the pastels of later life.

Degas technique is both unique and highly accessible. It is the result of a photographic eye and experimentation with unusual art methods and materials. Among other techniques, Degas would mix pastels with liquid ixative to make a colourful paste, and transfer the excess of pigment from one drawing onto a clear sheet to make an inverse proof of the original.

When etching, he inked the unetched plate and drew with a brush in this layer of ink, then he removed all the ink in places to obtain strong contrasts of light and dark. The multitude of experiments gave birth to richness of surface effects and a great variety in style.

Degas often combined pastels and oil in a single work but the mid 1870s saw him

working increasingly in pastel, eventually abandoning oil completely in favour of pastel for which he is best known. Pastels gave the work qualities of lightness, which complemented the subject of dancers perfectly. He handled this delicate medium with conidence and created a body of work that includes some of the most famous art pieces ever created.

We will create The Star using a mixture of oils and pastels. Like Degas, we will start with a drawing, move to oil paint and pastels, and explore variants including the Square Pastel and Smooth Pastel.

The pastels are used with a chosen textured paper. Unlike the original, our ballerina is placed on a white background. For colour reference, we will create a colour background on a separate layer that can be turned on and off when needed.

Paint like: Famous for his images of the Paris ballet scene, Degas was an Impressionist with a Famous for his images of the Paris ballet scene, Degas was an Impressionist with a

Paint like:

For more on Degas life and works, visit www.expo-degas.com

We imitated Degas by using pencil and charcoal, using the Smudge variant of the Blend brushes on the latter

Our ballerina is placed on a striking white background, which affects our judgement of colour. In a separate layer, we created a colour background which can be turned on for reference

Degas often mixed oil paint with pastels. Over our layers of oil paint, we applied pastels to add a quality of lightness. Soft Oil Pastels give a smooth feel, where the Square Hard Pastel brings texture and grain

040-046_OPM_07_degas.indd 40 27/7/07 12:19:45

41

TutorialPaint like Edgar Degas

040-046_OPM_07_degas.indd 41 27/7/07 16:16:37

42

Youll feel the benefit of the layers later onOutlines and layers

01 Brush Tracking The sensitivity of the stylus is crucial to the making of this piece. Open a new image and set the background colour to white. Before you apply paint to paper, set Brush Tracking by going to Corel Painter>Preferences>Brush Tracking. Try several strokes before deciding, considering the pressure and speed of your application.

Outlines and layers

02 Paper At the bottom of the toolbox, click open the Papers menu. Out of the list of surfaces, choose Thick Handmade Paper. This surface can be changed at any point of painting so if you nd it is not to your liking, reopen this list and choose another. Alternatively, from the Papers palette choose Launch Palette and adjust paper settings.

03 Drawing Degas often started work with a detailed drawing. Go to Window>Show Brush Creator and select Pencils>Thick and Thin variant. Draw the ballerina and select Charcoal>Soft Charcoal for thicker textured lines. To complete the drawing, choose Blenders>Smudge to soften some of the lines. Alternatively, load the sketch from the disc!

04 Layers This image is made of many layers. This might slow down progress considerably, but is essential for control at this stage. In the Layers palette create a separate layer each for the dress, face, skin, drawing, original for reference and colour background. A re nement layer is optional at this point, as this is the very last stage of the process.

05 First oils As you work, be sure to have your Mixer palette and Color Sets open. Remember to select the right layer as you apply paint to different parts of the image. From Brush Selector or Brush Creator choose Artists Oils>Bristle Brush and set Opacity to 6-8%. Choose Draw To Colour and Depth and set Depth to 10%.Start applying colour to the sketch.

06 Darker shades Use the same brush to add detail to the ballerina. Increase Opacity and adjust brush size as you progress. Observe the original and use the Color palette or Mixer to create the desired shade. Alternatively, double-click on the foreground colour and move the slider slightly towards the dark end.


Brush to blendPainting with pastels involves blending layers and areas with one another. You can use any of the Blenders brushes for this purpose. Alternatively, turn any brush with Resaturation (Resat) option into a blender. Once you select your brush and variant, go to the Options bar (Property bar) and simply drag the Resat slider to zero.

Brush

040-046_OPM_07_degas.indd 42 27/7/07 12:20:30

43


Bringing the drawing to lifeColour and tone

10 Darker tone Adjust brush size and Opacity value as you paint and continue to apply Bristle Brush strokes. If you feel con dent, apply high Opacity strokes. Otherwise, build layers up gradually. You can start with one end of the canvas and work your way using the Move tool to progress, or cover one layer at a time.

11 Add in the owers The owers add vibrancy to the dress. Their shape can be a little hard to see from reproductions. Use the Artists Oils>Bristle Brush or Smooth Pastel within the Pastels category, to apply dabs of these spots of colour. We will re ne their shape and tone later on.

Colour and tone

07 Grids The features on the face might prove a challenge due to the effect of perspective shortening. Use the grid to help you get proportions right. In the main menu choose Show Layout Grid>Enable Layout Grid. Set your vertical and horizontal lines across the face to guide you.

08 Face Once the main lines are in place, you can disable the Grid lines or reduce their Opacity. Use the Bristle Brush at a low 8% Opacity to apply rst details to the face. Add more horizontal and vertical lines for further help if needed.

12 Colour background Earlier on we created a separate layer for a colour background. This layer, bearing the background colours similar to the original, serves as a guide for correct sense of the colours of the ballerina. Select this layer and apply paint strokes using the paint and brush used for the main gure.

TextureWe added texture to our complete painting by using Surface Texture. We also used texture while creating the image, within the Pastel brushes and the Papers palette.It is important not to mix too many different textures and scales within one painting. Try to use the same texture for a more natural look and feel.

Bear in mind that the paper you worked with while creating your piece would still be chosen in the Paper Selector, so at any point you can open it and see the settings used. Choose Paper from the Apply Surface Texture dialog box, and adjust settings to complement texture applied so far.

13 Pastels Once we have our oil colour layers in place, we can start concentrating on the pastels. These give the piece a feeling of lightness and texture. Choose the Pastels brush and select the Square Hard Pastel variant, subcategory Grainy Hard Cover. Set Grain to 8% and Opacity to 50-55%.

09 Skin Staying with the Bristle Brush, set Opacity to 20% and use the Mixer palette to create the right shade for the skin. Click on the Skin layer to select it and apply long strokes to arms and leg. Start with long strokes of the dark shade and use the Color palette to nd a lighter shade. Repeat until you reach a near white shade.

CustomiseInstead of reaching for the Brush Creator or Brush Selector each time, customise a palette to include all the brushes. Start a new palette by choosing Pastels from the Brush Selector bar. Choose a Pastel variant, drag the variant thumbnail from the Brush Selector bar and release it. You will see a new palette titled Custom appear. Enlarge it by grabbing the lower-right corner. You can now add variants to your palette by dragging a variants icon onto the Custom palette. The icons on the palette can be moved around by pressing the Shift key and dragging the icon to a new position.

Customise

040-046_OPM_07_degas.indd 43 27/7/07 12:21:04

44

Offset shade to bring the character to prominenceUsing pastels to add textureUsing pastels to add texture

14 Paper texture The Pastel brush works with the paper selected earlier. Work at 100% zoom level and judge the texture. If you feel it is not grainy enough, go to the papers list within the toolbox and adjust paper choice or settings. Alternatively, use the Brush Creators pad to test a stroke at different Grain levels.

15 Darker shades Apply the rst layer of Pastels, sampling colour off existing colour as you progress. Increase Opacity and apply a second layer using the Hard Square variant. You should see the textures of the paper mix with the oil you applied before.

16 Oil Pastels In the Oil Pastels category, choose the Soft Oil 20 variant. Choose Grainy Flat Cove and set the Expression to None. Go over the pastels already applied at a 20-30% Opacity.


Make an impression like DegasThe Degas effect

Thin linesIn some reproductions the thin lines on the fabric is bright white, where in others it is a striking yellow. Pick what works best with your preferred tones. The thin lines are applied as short strokes from the waist down and outwards.

Hint of yellowThe light is facing the ballerina and is slightly yellow tinted. It falls dramatically on the skin of the face, arms and leg. To add a touch of drama and accentuate the highlight on the skin, we used a smoother brush. The hint of yellow would not be as effective on its own. It is meant to complement the white layer underneath.

Pastels>Tapered Pastel 10

LightingTo set the Light Controls according to the light falling on the image, choose Apply Surface Texture>Light Controls. Direct the light to face the dancer from her bottom left by clicking Apply Surface Texture>Light Direction. Control the colour of the light with Apply Surface Texture>Colours.

Blenders>Grainy Water

Pastels>Square Hard Pastel

Square Hard Pastels covering Oil Pastels>Soft Oil

Fabric effectThe light filters through the thin fabric of the dress. Layers of green, pastel peach and white paint have been applied to cover the dress with a Oil Bristle brush. The layer of white pastel paint is less opaque than the thin lines on the right. The stroke is wider and longer.

White lightsThe dancers raised head shows her neck and chest beautifully. The light is reflected from the light skin and calls for a bright, high-opacity, white colour. The top white layers of paint add drama and clearly show where the light is coming from.

Blenders>Grainy Wate

Pastels>Tapered

040-046_OPM_07_degas.indd 44 27/7/07 16:12:56

45


Mixer paletteThe Mixer palette is an essential tool. Take a few minutes to familiarise yourself with the tools at the bottom of the palette. Dirty Brush Mode, Apply Color, Mix Color, Sample Color, Sample Multiple Colors, Zoom, Pan and Clear are all incredibly useful. Some use it continuously while working, others only turn to it when the Color palette fails to provide the shade they need. Most handy are Apply Color which applies colour to the pad, Mix Color tool to mix the colours, followed by Sample Colour to sample exactly the right shade you were after.

19 Adding layers of Hard Pastels Go back to the Hard Pastels as in step 13 and apply another layer of this at 8-10% Opacity. Applying a single high-opacity layer will not achieve the multi tones that several low-opacity layers do. It lengthens the process but is essential to getting the airy feeling. Use light strokes and vary their length according to image details.

20 Detailing using Hard Pastels Use the Hard Pastels brush at a low Opacity to apply light strokes around the edges of the dress. These are short to medium length strokes that go from the outside in to hint at folds in the fabric and add uffy feeling to the ends.

Bring out the richness of the imageOils and pastelsOils and pastels

17 Background oilThe background is made of heavy brush strokes that are loaded with paint. As this is only there for reference, apply colour loosely without paying too much attention to detail. It is the feel of the layer we are after. Use Artists Oils>Bristle Brush at 35-40% Depth to apply paint.

18 Colour background oils In the Layers Palette, select all layers besides the colour background. Click on the top-right triangle to open a menu and choose Drop to create two layers: Colour Background and Canvas. Choose Blenders from the Brush Selector and use the Grainy Water variant at 10-15% Opacity to smooth paint. Go over an area, repeatedly, with the same stroke for a smooth blend of colours.

21 Darker Hard Pastels Zoom in to 100% and create a new layer. This is the nal Pastel layer and is meant to concentrate on variations in tone within areas of the image. This is time-consuming but creates the effect of richness. Examine the original to spot the many shades along and around her left arm for example, and apply.

Mixer palette

22 Blacks When you feel the image is well covered, layered and is looking rich in tone, select black from the Color Palette and spot the darkest points in the image. Apply dark black to these areas. If unsure, add a layer titled Blacks rst. Alternatively, go to Preferences>Undo and increase the number of Undo levels.

040-046_OPM_07_degas.indd 45 27/7/07 12:23:02

46

Soften and blendPastel paintings are made of many tones blended into another. The mix of colours and shades creates a rich palette.

You apply colour to several areas, and then blend these together for a softer overall look.

There are several ways to achieve the softening effect. You can use the Blender brushes with their multitude of variants, or any of the Oil Pastels variants. We used Blenders Grainy Water here, working in the direction of the painting. Dont worry about over-smoothing an area as you can easily add texture to it later on.

Rounding it off with emphasisRefining the image

23 Whites The very top layer of Pastels on the dress is made of high-opacity white colour. These are short to medium strokes that go from the dancers waist down the dress. Choose the Tapered Pastels variant at a high 90-100% Opacity and a small brush.

Refining the image

24 Re neGo over the image at 100% magni cation level for re nement and add details to every part of the image. Darken blacks, whiten whites, add fabric folds where needed, add shadows or highlights and so on. Create a new layer for your re nements and drop it when done. From Pastels, choose Pastel Pencil 3 and use a dark shade to deepen shadows in places like waist, under and along right arm and so on.

25 Canvas In the toolbox, click on the Papers palette. Choose Artists Canvas and launch the palette. Adjust settings to 224 Rows and 224 Columns. The texture of the canvas here is highly visible but it is a matter of personal preference how prominent you want this feature to be.

26 Canvas texture Go to Effects>Surface Texture>Apply Surface Texture. Select Using Paper, Amount to 30-35% and Picture to 80-90%. We set Shine to 40% and Re ection to 0%. Apply and view at 100% zoom. Undo and adjust Canvas settings if needed.

27 Turn background layer on for a true Degas effect The dancers Canvas texture needs to be applied to the background. To match, open the paper texture and adjust the settings. Go to Apply Surface Texture, place the Preview window at the meeting point of the dancer and background layers and observe while adjusting settings.

28 Fade and erase Open the Fade dialog box. Observe the Preview box while adjusting the Fade amount to reach the level of effect you are after. Go to the tool box and choose the Erase tool. Use at low Opacity to remove some detail around the dancer, and reveal more of the texture of the background underneath her.


Soften

040-046_OPM_07_degas.indd 46 27/7/07 12:23:38

48

magine a world without gradients. A world where everything was lat and evenly coloured, where everything existed in sharp

contrast to its neighbour; a world without gradients would be a visually stark place indeed. Long having been a staple for the art world, the contribution of gradients has not been overlooked by technology, which is why many graphics programs (including Corel Painter) come with special tools to make it easy for artists to manipulate and use gradients.

In this tutorial, well take a closer look at Corel Painters exhaustive gradient capabilities. Well use the Gradient palette to pick out preset gradient swatches and apply them with the Paint Bucket tool. Well also show you how to easily edit and create your own gradients swatches with the Edit Gradient command. Further in, well see how gradients can be used in conjunction with layer composite methods to produce even more dramatic and stunning effects.

For advanced users, weve also included more information about the various functions found within the Gradient palette and Ed

Documents

Corel Painter - 07 - Magazine, Art, Digital Painting, Drawing, Draw, 2d