Learn to paint digitally today!

Official Corel® Painter TM Magazine

Artistic advice
and inspiration
Official Magazine
Using the Surface Controls
Work the Artists brushes
Issue three

Your questions answered

FEATURED QUICK START

IN THIS ISSUE GUIDE TO
USING COREL
Chet Phillips PAINTER
Meet the man who is putting ON THE DISC!
woodcut effects on the map

Low light serenity

Capture the calm mood of a sunrise
with this special tutorial

Paper factory
Choose and customise paper
texture to improve your work Paint like
Create this image! See page 20
Learn how to re-create a

Paint perfect classic Impressionist painting

portraits Use traditional art techniques to build c

Visit us online – www.paintermagazine.co.uk

Ma
and
up realistic colour in your paintings P C

www.paintermagazine.co.uk
Free CD inside
PHOTOS | PAPER TEXTURES | FONTS
ISSUE THREE
ISSN 1753-3155 £6.00
Light subjects Botanical art Coloured pencil 03

The fundamental rules for Karen Carr reveals how she Load the Colored Pencil brushes 9 771753 315000
drawing with light and shadow creates her detailed artwork and create a still life masterpiece

OPM_03-CoverJOfinal.indd 1 2/4/07 14:26:32

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

As we all know, Corel

ISSUE THREE
Painter is closely linked with
traditional art techniques,
Pg 30 and we decided to make this
Paint in low light the focus of our cover this
Capture the serenity and issue. Jeff Johnson used the
drama of a sunrise with traditional verdaccio method
our special tutorial
to turn a rough sketch into the glorious piece of
art you see on the cover. By slowly building up
layers of colour, it’s possible to achieve beautiful
portraits with realistic skin tones. See exactly
Pg 46 how it works by turning to page 20.
We’ve also turned towards the light a bit this
Paper textures issue, including a tutorial on capturing a low
Discover how to
load, use and create
light scene on page 30. If you’d like to �ind out
paper textures the technicalities behind how light and shade
works in art, turn to page 66 for our Drawing
101 guide. And speaking of light, our Paint Like
tutorial this issue looks at Claude Monet. Pay a
visit to page 38 and discover how to re-create
Pg 38 the beautiful soft lighting of this master.
Paint like:
You can also enjoy guides to emulating a
Claude Monet coloured pencil sketch and learn how Karen
Emulate the style of this Carr produces her intricate paintings. Ooo, and
Impressionist master
don’t forget to enter our Readers’ Challenge on
page 97!
Happy painting!
Visit our website!
If you find that the magazine isn’t 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
jo.cole@imagine-publishing.co.uk

005_OPM03_Welcome.indd 3 4/4/07 16:48:32

 Paint in low light pg 30
ON THE FRONT COVER
P20 PAINT
PERFECT PORTRAITS
INCORPORATE TRADITIONAL
SHADING TECHNIQUES TO BUILD UP
REALISTIC SKIN TONE IN YOUR ART
Regulars in every issue
08 Subscriptions
Sign up to subscribe to the
magazine and save yourself up
to 40%!
10 Letters
Share your art and Corel Painter
comments with other readers of
the magazine!
28 Artwork pages
Luxuriate in unadulterated Corel
Painter creativity with the art
pages dotted around the mag
76 Art Class
A hotbed of solutions to
creative queries, as well as
specific software questions
94 Reader’s Gallery
Rommel Bundalian is a familiar
face on our website – discover
more about him here
006-7_OPM03_Contents.indd 6
Karen Carr
P99 GET STARTED WITH
DIGITAL PAINTING
FREE CD-ROM PACKED WITH
ESSENTIAL RESOURCES FOR CREATING
DIGITAL ART
97 Reader’s Challenge
Load up the supplied
images and enter our
regular challenge
98 On the disc
All the content found
nestled on this issue’s
special CD-ROM
Artwork supplied by Rommel Bund
Pg 58
Interview and tutorial
Learn how Karen uses Corel Painter for
mammoth-sized natural history projects
Pg 34
Courtesy of Audubon Institute/copyright by Karen Carr
WIN! Reviews
YOUR 84 Samsung GX-10
Read our review and discover
WORK whether this prosumer camera is
PRINTED the perfect model to charge up and
get creative with
TO CANVAS 86 Epson Perfection V350 Photo
Pg 97
Scanners are often overlooked
when it comes to creative products,
but they can be a powerful tool.
See how this model fares
alian 88 Books
Three more fantastic titles that
will inspire you and expand your
working knowledge of traditional
art techniques
90 Breathing Color
If you have a decent inkjet printer at
home, think about purchasing the
papers from Breathing Color. From
photo to canvas paper, it’s all good!
4/4/07 17:30:45
 Coloured pencil
pg 50
Paint perfect portraits
pg 20

Interview:
Chet Phillips
pg 12

Create the cover

Produce professional art
20 Paint perfect portraits
We explore the verdaccio technique for applying
base shades to portraits as a way of
achieving exquisite results
Visit our
website now!
www.
tutorials painter
magazine.
Create inspirational art
co.uk
20 Paint perfect portraits
Traditional techniques for
Primers
achieving realistic tones
Get up and running…
30 Paint in low light 36 Effects: Surface Control
Capture the serenity and Apply texture, light and other
calmness of early morning with special effects to images with this
this handy guide flexible group of commands
38 Paint like: Monet 64 Brushes: Artists
Load these brushes up and use
Experience how Monet applied
them to get the look of famous
his brush strokes and create

Drawing 101
your own Impressionist art
50 Coloured pencil still life
Traditional artistic techniques
Work with the Colored Pencils
for excellent textured results
66 Light and shade 58 Natural history art
We take a look at how light and shade can help you define form and See how Karen Carr used Corel
texture in your work, and also discover how to get realistic shadows Painter to produce a mural of
in your drawing and painting epic proportions
artists in an instant!
Feature focus
Get to know your tools
46 Paper textures
Discover how to load, use and
create paper textures and improve
your art

006-7_OPM03_Contents.indd 7 4/4/07 17:31:44

 eve n ts res our ces let ter s we bsi te info n ews eve n ts res our ces
n ews

ou r L e t t e r s
Welcome to the part of the magazine where you can com
e
and share your thoughts on anything you fancy!
Send your Is cloning a cop-out? wasn’t ‘real’ painting and how I should get

letters to...
Official Corel Painter
Magazine, Imagine
Publishing, Richmond
House, 33 Richmond
Hill, Bournemouth,
Dorset BH2 6EZ, UK
If you’d prefer to contact
us via email, send your
message to opm@
imagine-publishing.
co.uk
I’m new to Corel Painter, but I have some
friends who have been using it for quite
a while. One of them was over the other
night and asked how I was getting on with
the program and I showed them a couple
of pieces that I had created to get their
opinion. To begin with it was favourable –
complementing the colours I had used and
the brush work, but then I mentioned I had
used the Quick Clone to do them. Well, it
was like there was a bad smell in the room
– my friend’s face wrinkled up and I had to
listen to a ten-minute lecture on how that
out of that habit. Obviously I am going to
ignore my friend and do what I want, but
I thought I’d write in as I wondered what
you and other readers thought about the
subject. Am I making a creative faux pas?
Tom Fisher
You’re not making a faux pas. There’s always
one tool in a program that some users sneer
at – with Photoshop it’s the filters – but if
you find them useful then it matters not a jot
what other people think. The Quick Clone is a
brilliant tool for people who have just started
Readers’ Challenge
Problems with your emails
There had been a slight problem with the
Readers’ Challenge email address given out all
the way back in issue one. Unfortunately the
challenge@paintermagazine.co.uk address
seems to have some serious gremlins in it, so
please send any entries to opm@imagine-
publishing,co.uk with Reader’s Challenge
in the subject heading. And if you have tried
to use the other address, please send your
entry again to the new address otherwise we
will never see it!

using the program because it means you can

concentrate purely on the brush strokes. We
think it’s one of the best ways of getting used
to what they all do and is a lot more creative
than making a few squiggles on a blank
canvas! But like Tom, we’re interested to hear
what you all think. Is the Quick Clone a lazy
way of painting or is it a valuable learning
tool? Let us know what you think or post your
opinions on the magazine’s forum – www.
paintermagazine.co.uk/forum.

Creative community
Where is the ‘Work in progress’ section
Tom is an advocate for the on the forum? You mentioned it in the
Quick Clone tool and we
also think it has its place in
Letters page of issue two but I can’t seem
the creative arsenal. What to �ind it anywhere. I’ve sketched out a
do others think? scene and I can’t decide whether to make

Featured Gallery Garden Fireworks Canvas

Our favourite reader’s gallery this month

Ken LaPlante
www.paintermagazine.co.uk/
user/KenLaPlante y
Pathwa
Ken is a relative newcomer
to the magazine website,
but his expressive and
colourful creations have
impressed us. A Corel Painter user for a
few years, Ken says that he has “worked
hard to melt together my understanding
of traditional media such as oils and
acrylics to the digital media.” See more
of Ken’s work on the magazine website,
or visit his online home at www.
kenlaplante.com.. You can also see his
kenlaplante.co Trees Update 8001
traditional paintings here.

10

010-11_OPM03 letters.indd 10 4/4/07 17:56:05

 s we bsi te info n ews eve n ts res our ces let ter s we bsi te info
ces letter
Corel Painter is all about incorporating traditional art methods and looks, so we will do exactly the same!
it daytime or night time and would like
some feedback.
Samuel Walter
You’ll find the section in the Feedback area.
Just go along, upload your image and then
wait for the comments. If other readers
have missed it, we can move it to the main
area. Then as it grows, we can divide it into
styles of art.
Stick with tradition
I must say I have been enjoying your
magazine (bought the �irst issue today).
It’s taken me a while to get into Corel
Painter and I was toying with the idea of
buying the new version and then saw your
magazine. My hunt for books hasn’t really
led to much, so your magazine will give
me a nice regular dose of inspiration and
Cottage Dreams
010-11_OPM03 letters.indd 11
www.paintermagazine.co.uk
The latest from our
forum and website
Website challenge
Some of the best so far…
By the time this magazine hits the shelves we will
have posted details of our second challenge, and
the winner of the �irst challenge will have been
announced. But we have had so many excellent
entries that we thought it worthwhile having a
look at some more. First up is Kathy Pilgrim’s
beautiful �lower study, with some fabulous use
of background texture. Then we have Dave
McKeague’s entry, which displays a clever use of
brushwork that emulates traditional painting.
Finally there’s Lynne Mitchell’s exquisite blossom
painting that is packed with texture, yet still
manages to remain soft and delicate. Will any of
these be crowned the winner? Or will someone
help! I had one question, though, I notice
else pip them to the post? Check back next issue to
in the �irst issue that you touched upon
see the results and if you weren’t successful this
traditional art methods and I wondered
time around, or you’d like to enter for the �irst time,
if you were going to do this each issue?
visit the website for the latest challenge.
I’ve always wanted to learn more about
art theory.
Ray Petersen
We certainly are, Ray. The Drawing 101 section
is a regular feature of the magazine and will
look at an art technique or drawing practice.
This issue we look at using light and shade in
your artwork and next issue we’ll show how
to sketch faces and work with anatomical
proportion. In addition to this section, you can
also enjoy tutorials that incorporate traditional
art techniques into a Corel Painter workflow.
ENTER T
FORUMHE
This can be anything from an art style, such
as the Chiaroscuro technique in issue one,
through to a shading technique such as the CHALLE
one used in our cover tutorial. Don’t be NGE
shy
welcome – everyone’s
www.pa to enter! Go to
int
co.uk/co ermagazine.
mpetitio
ns
11
4/4/07 17:56:44
 Interview Chet Phillips

WEBSITE www.chetart.com
JOB TITLE Freelance illustrator
CLIENTS American Airlines, JC Penney, Warner Brothers, The New York Times

An interview with…
Chet Phillips
With his humorous characters or evocative scenes, Chet’s work shows
that illustration can be a rewarding art style to pursue

nyone who has been using
Corel Painter for a while will
no doubt have seen some of
Chet’s work in the promotional
material. His recognisable style leaps
out from the traditional paint effects and
proves how versatile the program can be.
His life as a freelance illustrator started
in the early Eighties, and has seen him
produce work for a variety of clients, from
advertising agencies through to book
publishers and massive corporations.
Like a lot of Corel Painter artists, Chet is
trained in traditional media and holds
a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and
Drawing. He moved over to digital in 1992
and uses Corel Painter to create what he
calls his “digital scratchboard.” Since then
he has become instrumental in the Corel
Painter community, appearing in many
books where he shares his expertise and
wonderful vision.
We caught up with Chet to discover
more about his methods of working and to
see some of his best creations.

What is your proudest creative moment

Musical Penguins so far?
One of four penguin There are lots of projects that have given
scenes used by a me a high level of satisfaction over the
book store chain for
advertising and
years. They qualify as the ‘perfect storm’,
in-store signage if you will, of high pro�ile exposure, a
during the holidays great creative director and the chance to
use my best visual strengths. Beyond the
day-to-day creative challenges however,
I would qualify my proudest moment as
taking that blindfolded step off of the
traditional creative cliff into the digital
realm 15 years ago.
How do you start a digital painting? Do
you have a typical workflow process or
does it differ according to the particular
piece you are doing?
My process of creating an image always
starts with paper and pen. I work on a
large sketchpad with a ball point pen,
composing small thumbnails and listing
important concepts or themes as a �irst
step. I enlarge these thumbnails by
Earth Tiki
Guardian of the Earth within it’s celestial path and
responsible for the growth of all living things
scanning and printing them out. From
there I add details and compositional
elements with pencil and overlay tissue.
Sometimes one level is required. Other
times the process continues through
several iterations. The �inal sketch is then
scanned in to begin work on the �inished
digital �ile.
Did you move from traditional painting to
digital painting? Do you think it helps to
have an understanding of how traditional
media works?
My college schooling was under my belt

12

012-18_OPM03_Interview.indd 12 4/4/07 16:53:16

 Trojan Bird
A twist on the ancient
tale of deception.
This promo piece was
created in a fashion
that softened the edges
of my traditionally
crisp and hard edged
digital scratchboard
All original artwork by Chet Phillips – www.chetart.com

13

012-18_OPM03_Interview.indd 13 4/4/07 16:53:31

 Interview Chet Phillips

“I would qualify my proudest moment as taking

that blindfolded step off the creative cliff and
into the digital realm”

14

012-18_OPM03_Interview.indd 14 4/4/07 16:53:52

 well before digital painting became
the norm in the creative community. I
received a BFA degree in Painting and
Drawing in 1979 with a heavy inclination
towards all forms of printmaking. The
idea of working on a master plate or block
and manipulating it to form a family of
prints was a highly satisfying process for
me. That fascination made my work more
conducive to the world of digital media.
I feel fortunate that I was able to begin
my study of art with the basic concepts of
design, an intensive study of art history
and the use of traditional tools on canvas.
What inspires you?
Studying the techniques of the masters.
Travel. Imaginative �iction and �ilm.
Sur�ing the web and �inding an in�inite
�irst Macs for package design in their
respective companies. During a trip to
MacWorld San Francisco in 1991, they
discovered a new natural media program
and picked up a brochure for me. It was
this crazy computer program packaged
in a paint can. I had played around with a
computer graphics system in the Eighties
that took up the space of your average
work cubicle and found it frustrating and
unsatisfying. So when I �irst saw Corel
Painter in action with its clean and simple
palettes, the variety of brushes and
textures and the addition of a pressure
sensitive pen, I was hooked! I plunked
down an obscene amount of money for
a Mac IIci system and started to play
with the �irst version of Corel Painter,
hoping that somehow my clients would be
[ABOVE] Monster Cake
October calendar page
created for a company
celebrating its 35th year
in business. The theme
of the calendar was
birthday cake
One of Chet’s latest products
Monkey Decider. This is a set is the
eight quality cards where you of
the monkey do the talking for let
you feel. Pick the one that sumhow
your sentiment and display it s up
world in a special stand (or use to the
[OPPOSITE PAGE]
Vespa Ride

the smaller, hand-held cards). one of

This landscape piece
number of energetic creatives through willing to hire me and accept digital �iles utilised two additional
sites such as Drawn! (www.drawn.ca) in a world that was still �irmly rooted in
traditional media. I was fortunate to have
layers of line work
that were softened
Ace!
a couple of high tech clients that were with pastel work Buy them from www.chetart
Why did you start using Corel Painter and
to help give a more .com
when did you start? very open to trying out this different atmospheric distance
Two friends were using the very approach of accepting artwork. Others with the background

15

012-18_OPM03_Interview.indd 15 4/4/07 16:54:29

 Interview Chet Phillips
demanded that I supply a print out of
the artwork so it could be drum scanned
by the printer like my traditional art.
Fortunately in a short amount of time,
companies and printers were up to speed
with all the technology that allowed for a
seamless interaction.
What are your absolute favourite Corel
Painter tools?
The focus of my style is obviously the use
of the Scratchboard Pen variant, so that’s
always up front �irst. Unlike the days of
16
012-18_OPM03_Interview.indd 16
using traditional scraperboard, I enjoy
integrating a lot of pastel and airbrush
layers into the digital version with a
variety of textures.
What is your favourite piece of Corel
Painter work that you have created
and why?
You may as well ask a mother which of
her children ranks as her favourite. I’ve
created a lot of images with Corel Painter
over the last 15 years or so. A handful
have hit the mark, but none ranks as
“When I first saw Corel Painter
in action with its clean and simple
palettes… I was hooked!
the pinnacle of satisfaction in my mind. [ABOVE]
Cosmos
Honestly, my favourite piece is always the
A surreal play on
one that I’m working on. an area of the landscape
acting as a backdrop
Is there a style of art that you would like for an alternate,
celestial environment
to try?
I really like the look of limited colour
screen prints. I hope to experiment
with this look in future projects and
incorporate it into merchandise.
What Corel Painter artists do you admire
the most?
First and foremost I truly appreciate
folks such as John Derry, Cher Threinen-
Pendarvis, Karen Sperling and Jeremy
Sutton. They represent the admirable dual
positions of both artist and Corel Painter
evangelist/teacher. They’ve given so much
of themselves from the very beginning of
Corel Painter to solidify it as a serious tool
for artists. Others that continue to amaze
me with their vision and talent include
people like Hiroshi Yoshii, Don Seegmiller,
4/4/07 16:54:55
 Jumping Through Hoops
Created for a client ‘thank you’
card enclosure

The Pirate
This pirate is a re-work of a version done for a newspaper
article on the resurgence of all things pirate after the release
of the first Pirates Of The Caribbean movie. Originally, the
article title was placed within the treasure map area

17

012-18_OPM03_Interview.indd 17 4/4/07 16:55:24

 Interview Chet Phillips

Ryan Church and Robert Chang, just to

name a few.

Can you tell us what your creative goals

for the future are?
Having one or both of our tabby cats win
a Daytime Emmy Award. Also, to �ind
new ways to express myself through
my artwork that both satis�ies me and
entertains those that stumble upon it.
In conjunction with my commercial
and personal work for galleries I want
to continue exploring self-motivated
projects such as my Cafepress online
merchandise shop www.cafepress.
com/chetstore.
Both Corel Painter and the internet
have been unbelievably powerful tools
that have allowed me to reach the largest
audience ever imaginable with my
particular foolishness. And… as always…
no electrons are harmed in the process.

How did Chet create it?

01 02

Monkey magic 03 04
I did a handful of screen shots during the creation of The Good,
The Bad and The Monkey. The black line work layer was converted
to Gel in the Layers palette. Free form cloud shapes were drawn
with the Lasso tool and the selections were feathered before
painting colours in with the Artist Pastel Chalk brush. The face
and body were painted with both the Artist Pastel Chalk brush
and the Scratchboard tool using various colours. The Star Maze
weave was applied on the green shirt area with opacity pulled
down to approximately ten per cent.

18

012-18_OPM03_Interview.indd 18 4/4/07 16:55:52

 Tutorial Perfect portrait underpainting
01
Perfect portrait
underpainting
Explore the indirect verdaccio painting technique, utilising subtle
glazes of colour over an underpainting to create flesh tones
eople paint other people. A
Tutorial info lot. They always have, and I
rather suspect they always will.
Painter master People are very hard to paint,
Jeff Johnson truth be told. They make things dif�icult
by being so different from one another,
Time needed
and every one of them is a very complex
3 hours
bunch of shapes, colours and textures.
Skill level Undaunted, painters have persevered
Expert and have developed many techniques to
help them paint folks with a fair degree
On the CD of accuracy. A common hurdle has
Sketch and been handling a very tricky substance
progress shots everyone has in common, namely skin.
Skin wrapped around bone, muscle, fat,
veins, arteries and the like is remarkably
rich in textures, contours and colour
variation, which can make the job of
someone trying to paint it faithfully a
tough one. It is also translucent, meaning
that light penetrates into the skin before
it bounces back to our eye, which creates
20
020-027_OPM_02-Portrait.indd 20
02 03
04
optical effects that have challenged
countless artists throughout history to
reproduce. The Renaissance spawned
05
an oil technique for creating just those
kinds of very realistic effects. It is called
verdaccio (the root being verde, or green),
and it is still in use today.
Verdaccio is a form of indirect painting,
which is generally a way of resolving the
values of a painting �irst by painting a
detailed monochrome underpainting, and
then glazing a number of thin layers of
colour over areas of the same value. It is
a very powerful technique for rendering
complex or highly detailed works, and
realism in general. You may have already
discovered that trying to balance all of the
formal elements of a painting at once gets
exponentially harder as the complexity
of the picture increases. The job is much
easier if you can break the process down
into manageable steps. For instance,
4/4/07 10:45:05
 Tutorial
Perfect portrait underpainting

21

020-027_OPM_02-Portrait.indd 21 4/4/07 10:52:49

 Tutorial Perfect portrait underpainting

colour harmonies have such a profound an advantage it proffers concerning skin

effect on a painting that they can make
dealing with value at the same time a
challenge. If you could only limit the hues
to a range of greys from black to white,
for instance, creating even a very complex
scene would be a fairly straightforward
process. Then all that’s left would be
to mix up value scales of the various
hues required and map them onto their
corresponding value areas of the black
tones by using a scale of cool grey/greens
for the monochrome underpainting.
Several thin glazes of various mixtures of
orange and red are applied over top and
because the thin glazes are ultimately
translucent, light gets down to the
green layer. When it bounces back, the
compliments and near-compliments
optically mix, vibrating off of one another,
creating rich and convincing skin tones

“Light penetrates into the skin before it bounces back to

our eye, which creates optical effects that have challenged
countless artists throughout history to reproduce”
and white underpainting. Hey, we could
even make the job easier by thinning out
the paint so you can put it on in multiple
layers with much more control. Well,
there is just such a process, and it is
called grisaille, and it is the other major
method of indirect painting to come out
of the Renaissance. It is perhaps the most
widely used form of indirect painting,
and is de�initely a nice tool to have in your
locker, but it doesn’t solve the problem
of skin’s translucency as neatly as its
cousin, verdaccio.
Verdaccio has the same merits as
grisaille in terms of allowing the artist
to focus the initial stages of a painting
on value alone. Its principle virtue is in
that have a life and depth that is hard to
match with any other technique. Start
doing a little research into the subject
and you will �ind large numbers of
artists who have found this approach
to lead to satisfying results. Probably
the most famous painting created using
this technique was Leonardo Da Vinci’s
masterpiece the Mona Lisa, renowned to
a great extent for its luminous skin tones.
Many painters employed – and still do
today – mixtures of verdaccio, grisaille,
and direct painting (painting without
any underpainting) techniques in the
same work.
Doing a verdaccio digitally is pretty
much like doing one in oils. I will start
with a rough drawing of the model and, The Renaissance artists,
working in a single layer over top of it, such as our friend
create a monochromatic underpainting Leonardo da Vinci, used
of a greenish hue. This will take some the verdaccio technique
in the Mona Lisa
time, and it should! The better the
underpainting faithfully represents form,
value, and nuance, the easier the task.
Then a number of nearly transparent
glazes of colour will be applied that
modify our lovely green lady’s skin tones
into what I hope are very convincing
natural ones.

Pick out your colours

Preparing your palette for action

01 Mixing
palette
a
The
general technique for
creating a verdaccio
underpainting is
pretty simple. Create a
palette of cool greens
by mixing green with
varying amounts of
black and white, then
make an underpainting
using those colours to
create a monochrome
version of your work. I
made a scale of greys
using only black and
white and added small
amounts of green to
each to create a nice
02 Lighten the drawing Before I started painting in the greens, I decided to make my job a bit
easier by lightening my drawing (on the disc). First I chose Effects>Adjust Colors>Values and
raised the value to 76%. Then I opened a temporary Lighten layer and, using my Digital Airbrush, picked a
range of 10 values. mid-grey and lightened any dark marks. Now it will be easier to paint in my darks.

22

020-027_OPM_02-Portrait.indd 22 4/4/07 10:46:19

 Start building up the underpainting
Define your light source
03 Painting in the darkest value I opened up a Default layer
to paint on. I do this in order to be able to make any corrections
without affecting my drawing. Choose the Soft Grainy Brush from the Artists’
Oils brush menu. Using the largest brush possible to paint in the various
details, apply the darkest value of grey. Let’s call this grey value number 10.
06 Painting
in values
number 5 and
4 Painting rapidly, I
blocked in the next
values throughout
the painting where I
surmised they would
go. Remember those
excruciatingly dull
black and white
renderings of spheres
and such you had to
endure in drawing
class? Turns out that
05 Painting
6
in values number 7 and
Now I progressed down the scale, still
using the Soft Grainy oil brush. I had to rely a bit
practice is very useful
in visualising how light
creates shadow on
on experience, as my photo reference did not have even a form as subtle
the light I wanted in my painting. as a face.
07 Painting in value number 3 Cruising right along. This is a bit
like drawing with a traditional brush, and every bit as easy to rework
once all the values are in place. No need to get too fussy yet. I fully expected
to take more time making the underpainting than the rest of the project
combined, and I was right.
020-027_OPM_02-Portrait.indd 23
Your face is
Tutorial
your friend
04 Painting Any references you
can find of subjects
in values similarly lit and posed
number 9 and 8 are useful. I make
You will notice that I use of a (plastic) skull
chose to go from dark I have. Most often I
Perfect portrait underpainting
to light. Apart from reference my own
being the way I was mug. Properly lit, my
taught to render, it face can tell me quite
seems easier. I have a bit about any other
imagined a light face I may want to
source above and paint. There are so
in front of our sitter many nuances that
are suggested by a
and a bit to her left.
mere glance at my
My darkest shadows face (or any other
(about the value of face for that matter)
her eyelashes) will
therefore be opposite
the light. I also painted
that I always have
a mirror propped
up and my face
the lighter tone into appropriately lit.
the hair in places. There was a nice
photo reference for
this project, but the
light was slightly
wrong for my needs,
so I improvised.
08 Painting in value number 2
started to get a bit tricky imagining
It
09 Painting in value number 1
last value and it is already becoming
The
the light at this point. My photo reference is too
washed out to be of use in searching out values
on the light side of her face. What to do? Find
clearer how this will look when finished. There’s
lots of blending and such to do, but this is best left
until after all the values are blocked in, at least to
someone to sit under similar light. I wasn’t going my thinking. It is easier to judge how and where to
anywhere for a while, so I volunteered. blend when you can see the structure.
23
4/4/07 18:45:44
 Tutorial Perfect portrait underpainting

Bringing back the detail

Whip out the Blending Stump

Glazing and
edges
Every mark you make
on a canvas has an
edge, and learning
to control edges is a
very necessary part
of a painter’s skill set.
The idea of glazing
suggests a nice,
easily controllable
way to sharpen or
soften edges. Practice
varying the opacity of
the layers you paint
on, paying special
10 Blending the values together
I started in with a Soft Blender Stump
enlarged to about 50, and began to blend
attention to how easy
it is to finesse edges
to be just that bit
together the different values. I tried to resist
zooming in on any details at this point, just get
the big shapes right. Blending is drawing, and it’s
11 Blending some of the details Now I reduced the size of my
Blending Stump to 16 and got some of the details worked out. If I
noticed that a shadow seemed to define a form poorly, this was a chance to
more soft (or sharp easiest to start big and work towards small. fix that. I zoomed in and out a number of times.
for that matter).
Use a very soft large
eraser to pull back
any unwanted marks.
Soon you will be on
top of one of the more
difficult things to
manage in painting. 12
detail
Painting
back some
Some of the
features were softened
a bit too much, so I
painted them back,
most especially some
details around the
eyes. Then I began
blending again,
working towards
Mount your
tablet
smoothing out every
transition and giving
every surface/plane its
13 Honing in on the nuances Now things were taking shape.
Consulting the reference photo helped me with some structural
issues. I worked back and forth with the stump and my brush until the details
appropriate value. Be started to look good. The whole rest of the painting is based on the level of
I struggled for quite
some time with wrist, patient – this can take detail in the underpainting, so it pays to be patient without getting caught up
back and neck issues some time! in detail that doesn’t improve the overall illusion of three dimensions.
due to my sloppy, in-
the-lap handling of my
tablet. For those using
a mouse to paint,
bless you. For those
with a graphics tablet,
consider doing what I
15 Time
flip
to
Flipping
the canvas (Effects>
have done. I mounted Orientation >Flip
a small flat piece of Horizontal) is a
thin wood directly to great way to pick up
the outer edge of my any problems such
computer table at a as unintentional
45% angle, centred. I asymmetry. Even a very
then used double- practised painter can
stick mounting tape be led into structural
and placed my tablet
errors through
on it. That was several
months ago, and it something akin to
has made a world of
difference. Having a
stable platform has
14 Getting a background value painted in Now that I had the
features going in the right direction, I decided it was time to put a
background value in. It was getting a bit distracting to have her with such a
fatigue. This incredibly
simple trick gives
you ‘fresh eyes’ in a
greatly improved my bright backdrop. I selected the white space using the Magic Wand and filled snap. Here I am solving
accuracy and speed the area with the cooler middle-value green on my Mixer. Then, using a large some of just those kind
as well. Digital Airbrush, I painted back to the figure where there were still voids. of problems.

24

020-027_OPM_02-Portrait.indd 24 4/4/07 10:48:09

 Speed up
17 A finished

Tutorial
verdaccio your colour
underpainting
I place it side by side application
with my original
Why drag your stylus
sketch for comparison.
all the way over to
Many verdaccio the Colors palette
painters go for each time you want a

Perfect portrait underpainting

incredible detail and colour? I paint dabs
many handle this of my colours on an

16 Details, details Another round of

painting back some of the details. With
so many changes going on around the figure, it is
stage looser than
what you see here. I
have a level of detail
out-of-the-way place
on the canvas. With
my stylus’s bottom
necessary to continue to redefine rhythmic points and ‘finish’ I am happy button set for the
of interest. There is a little bit of music in balancing with. There are still Eyedropper tool, I can
out a picture. Create a little space for details, place things minor and not reach over quickly and
them rhythmically throughout the picture, and so minor to fix, but the get the colour I want.
Often I only need to
you can avoid overburdening your paintings with process ahead makes
reach over an inch and
stuff that drowns out the melody. those changes easy. grab a bit of colour
from somewhere
near on the painting.

Bringing the picture to life I hate reaching for

the keyboard or the
toolbox for a tool
Glaze in to her eyes… change, and the
Eyedropper tool
is by far my most
used tool outside of
the paintbrushes.

19 First layer
of glaze
opened up a Default
I

layer and set it to 30%

Opacity. With my
Digital Airbrush set

18 Mixing a palette for glazing

basic method of glazing a verdaccio
The

underpainting is to mix a range of flesh tones that

to 12%, I mapped in
colours as described in
the last step. I set the
you can map onto areas of similar values. I did this, opacity of the airbrush
making a range of 10 values. I add two warmer very low so I could
tones for areas I want slightly warmer, and two get a feel for how this
grey/greens for some variation in the midtones. might progress.

21 Glazing
layer 2 Here
is a shot of the next
glaze going onto a
separate layer. I want
the same flexibility
someone working in
oils has, namely the
ability to wipe off or
otherwise tinker with
a layer and not destroy

20 Lesser of two evils I soon saw that I was going to have to paint
back details too often or else be more careful. Both bad options. I
decided to paint some of the details on a layer separate from my glazes and
the layer underneath.
Advantage computer,
as there is no dry time
above them. in the virtual studio!

25

020-027_OPM_02-Portrait.indd 25 4/4/07 18:46:39

 Tutorial Perfect portrait underpainting

23 layer
Glazing
4 As
my values got closer to
my target, I paid more
attention to shaping

22 Glazing layer 3 Using the same airbrush on a new layer, I glazed

the next coat. Things were starting to shape up quickly. The whole
approach was very easy to manipulate as no layer made huge changes, and
the eyes, lips, nose
and other features. I
wasn’t covering up the
the underlying method is tried and true. I was purposely leaving some of the green completely on
green to show through in selected places a bit. I even started painting in some this layer – notice how
greenish reflected light on her shoulder before I realised I could just lightly it still shows through in
erase the two layers beneath. some areas.

Know when
to take your
time and
when not to
It takes an enormous
amount of practice to
train yourself to work
from the broadest
issues of basic form
and composition down
to the final details.
Most folks simply
can’t resist lingering
over a promising
passage and quickly
lose sight of the
overall impact of the
whole image. The first
stages of a painting
or drawing should, on
the whole, be done
fairly quickly, focusing
on the basic dynamics.
Detail should be built
up over the whole
canvas at once and
over time. If you have
developed a good
technique, even the
juiciest details will
have been worked
26 One more time
closed that layer and made a few minor corrections before the final cleanup of
out in-process. the initial glazing phase.
24 Building
back a
little personality
I opened up another
Default layer of 30%
Opacity. Using a 20%
Digital Airbrush of
varying sizes, I added
more definition to
many of the features.
Often a little redrawing
helps in various stages,
in order to maintain a
rhythm of points
25 I see the finish line After tinting the whites of the eyes and
fussing around the lips, I did some direct painting on some areas that
needed adjustment. Then I opened up a fresh low opacity Default layer and
of interest. painted one more round of values with my trusty low opacity Digital Airbrush.
Adding a touch of warmth
On the final furlong
27 Final
details
and corrections
Working on a Default
layer set to 40%
Opacity and using a
very soft version of
the Digital Airbrush,
I did the last few
adjustments that
popped out when I
took a close look. I
really took my time on
This time I painted in a very light layer of my
warmer midtone and even a bit of the red to selected areas. Then I
this stage, doing minor
stuff to the chest,
shoulders and around
the face.

26

020-027_OPM_02-Portrait.indd 26 4/4/07 10:50:10

 Zoom way in

Tutorial
for the finish
When I am satisfied
that I have got all I
can into and out of
an image, I still have
work to do. I paint
fairly loosely, partly

Perfect portrait underpainting

because it fits my
temperament and
partly because I
prefer slightly looser
29 Adding colour to the dress and wall I chose the colour of
my lava lamp (unplugged) for the dress and wall. Inspiration comes
from all directions. I opened up a Default layer set to 100%. With my Digital
renderings. Combine
that with the realities
of painting digitally

28 Done with the figure (for now!) And there it is, all the glazes
I want to apply (for now). Time to paint in some clothes and a
background, after which there will likely be some integrating needed. At this
Airbrush set to around 30% Opacity and of varying sizes, I worked in the
colour. I find it easier to paint over the edges a bit, and then erase to the edge
later. I created a shadow for her head with a slightly deeper and less saturated
and there can be some
leftover curiosities
that have to be
point I consulted my original drawing to check my progress value of the same hue. I tried to leave some hint of the green. attended to. I zoom
in at 200% to smoke
out and alter those
unwanted marks. I go
The finishing touches over every square inch
of my work before I
A portrait to be proud of completely finish.

31 HairdoUsing the
Eyedropper tool to
pick local colour,
I painted in more
convincing forms to
the hair on her right
side with a large

30 Adding detail to the dress

I opened yet another Default layer
reduced to 30% Opacity. With a Digital Airbrush
Next Digital Airbrush set to
roughly 40% Opacity.
I added a few bluish
set to 30% and varied in size to fit my needs, I highlights to the left
painted in some details that helped suggest both side and finished
the underlying form and some surface qualities of by softening
the velvety fabric of her dress. I gradually increased throughout with
the opacity of the airbrush as I worked towards various sizes of the
the final detail. Soft Blender Stump.

33 Adding a
warm tone
to selected areas
I opened up a Default
layer and set it to 10%
Opacity, selected a
warm pinkish orange
and using a size 78
Digital Airbrush, I
made light passes over
the highlighted areas
around the cheeks,
nose, forehead and
chest. Finally, I hinted

32 Placing a little light on her cheek There should be a little

bit more light on her left cheek. First I opened a Default layer set to
about 60% Opacity. Then, using a size 90 Digital Airbrush set to about 30%
at a plane change on
our wall with a nearly
horizontal highlight
Opacity, I painted in a little of the number four value skin tone (because it is of the lightest blue on
receding in space it won’t get a lighter value than that). Then I simply erased her dress to add some
what I didn’t want. This gave me a chance to modify the edges. interest to that area.

27

020-027_OPM_02-Portrait.indd 27 4/4/07 18:47:32

 showcase

028-29_OPM_03_Spread.indd 28
LUIS NUNEZ DE CASTRO
TITLE Plushgirl
WEBSITE www.luisnct.com
JOB TITLE Professional illustrator
Luis has a staggering array of artistic styles on his
website, from illustrations such as this image here,
through to traditional paintings. His subject matters
range fom space scenes, though to character
renditions right up to fantasy/sci-fi scenes.

4/4/07 09:23:05
028-29_OPM_03_Spread.indd 29 4/4/07 09:23:20
 Tutorial Paint in low light

30

030-034_OPM_03-light.indd 30 3/4/07 14:36:58


Paint in low light
Capturing a natural low light situation can reap many rewards when it comes to impact.
Here’s a guide to getting it right
Tutorial info ainting a full colour scene with
Painter master
a sunrise, sunset, or even a
Jennifer Miller spotlight can be incredibly
tricky. What colours to use,
Time needed what to highlight, what to shade, where
2-3 hours to begin? If you are just starting to tackle
dif�icult lighting, hopefully this tutorial
Skill level will get you started in the right direction.
Intermediate Or, if you have tried it before and are
unhappy with the results, you may learn
some new tricks.
Low lighting can be both very dramatic
and visually appealing. Essentially
Get the mood right
Give yourself a good starting base
01 Start with an idea An optional but
beneficial step; decide on mood/tone for
the overall piece and consider your palette. Colour
thumbnails work best for this. I usually use a new
layer to block out my general idea. Use whatever
tool you are comfortable sketching with (or
download this one from our website).
030-034_OPM_03-light.indd 31
it can be the difference between an
aesthetically boring painting and one
that manages to catch your viewer’s eye
and pull them in. There are countless
applications for applying low and/or
directional lighting to a piece.
Make no mistake, a single tutorial
can’t replace years of practice and good
artistic basics, but I’ll go over some of the
key elements that make lighting work
in a painting. Learn why saturation and
colour are so important to pulling off
vibrant, beautiful lighting and why
02 Base colour and roughing in
I usually shrink the sketch to a thumbnail
so I can reference without it obstructing too much
when painting. Lay down a purple base colour on
the canvas (use the Fill Bucket for this). Rough in a
few horizon lines with the Oil Pastels for reference.
Tutorial
Paint in low light
using white can often make a painting
lifeless and dull.
Even though in this tutorial I’ll be
demonstrating these techniques using
a sunrise/landscape painting, the basic
ideas expressed here can be applied
to any painting with low or strong
directional lighting. If you like to paint
skyscapes and scenery (or want to learn),
then it’s an added bonus!
If you are new to working with light
and shade, it may be worth visiting the
Drawing 101 section on page 66 �irst.
03 Start to paint Use the Chunky Oil
Pastel tool to start working in some
yellow and pink tones. These are the base light
colours that will receive more detail later. I set
the eraser end of my stylus to blend by using it to
select Blenders>Grainy Water. I often switch back
and forth between painting and blending.
31
3/4/07 14:37:47
 Tutorial Paint in low light

Building up the clouds

Slow process of painting and blending

04
Establishing a
light source I usually
just use the Basic paper
and tone it down by
setting the paper’s
scale to 30% and the
contrast to 20%. I set
my Oil Pastel to about
60% Opacity and 80%
Grain, and using a large
brush start roughing in
the lights and darks. It’s
vital to work out your
light source! See ‘side
tips’ for some useful
05 Rendering the clouds I continue roughing in the scene with
large brushes, blending along the way. I always work in terms of
distance – the sky is farthest from the viewer, then the distant hills, then
thoughts on how to the foreground. I don’t use layers for this but feel free to do so. Work in the
choose colours. different colours of the sky –in this case it’s violets, pinks and yellows.

The colour 08 Refining the clouds With

consecutively smaller brush sizes,
of light
Scientifically, light is
06 Working the details gradually
It’s time to start refining detail. Hide the
thumbnail layer for now. I work details gradually
07 Using the Eyedropper for colour
Because you are working on the entire
image, you will keep changing colours. Use the
build up the cloud detail. It’s impossible to tell
you where to place every brush stroke, so refer
to the finished image for a good idea. Areas of
comprised of the full over the entire area, which helps to keep any Eyedropper tool to pull colours from the existing highest contrast (such as where light strikes the
spectrum of visible/ one area from being overworked and keeps the painting to keep them uniform. This helps give the undersides) have the sharpest details. If you like
invisible wavelengths.
painting consistent. In this case, it’s applying light impression of light reflecting on the clouds and a soft, dreamy look, you can stop here, but we’re
At sunrise/sunset
however, the sun areas to suggest light on clouds. makes for a more realistic finish. going to apply more detail.
is closer to the
horizon and light
travels through
more atmosphere to
reach our eye. This is
what causes brilliant
colours. I tend to pull
colours from my mind,
09 Finishing
the clouds
I could continue to
but for those with less refine the clouds
sky experience, your indefinitely, but it
best reference is the would be easy to
real thing! Observe overdo it. There is more
the colours you see in atmosphere and haze
a real sunset, take a between the viewer
few art supplies and and distant clouds, so
make some colour those are softer and
studies or even a few
less detailed. It may
photos. You will notice
that nature creates
strong complimentary
colours – yellow/
be tempting to rush
through this stage, but
a hasty background
10 Studying how the light falls When painting strong directional
lighting, it’s tempting to highlight everything, but this will kill the
effect of having the directional light. You must carefully consider the shape
amber highlights with can ruin an entire and form of everything in your painting to learn where the light would strike.
some deep blue/ painting. These clouds Study them to figure out what shape the clouds must be to catch the light as
purple shadows. took me many hours. they do.

32

030-034_OPM_03-light.indd 32 3/4/07 14:38:08

 The advantage of colour over black and white Don’t hide in the shadows

Tutorial
One of the easiest ways to botch lighting
and/or make your lighting look plastic and
fake is to use colour improperly. It’s easy
to abuse black and white. Even though it
may seem logical when painting something
in colour, shading your painting with these

Paint in low light

two is where many artists run into trouble.
If you are struggling with this, take a few
photographs with different light sources
and use the Eyedropper tool to ‘explore’
some of the colours. Though this can be
insightful, nothing beats actual observation
and practice. A good exercise is to do a quick
painting of an object, and use black and
white to shade and highlight, then paint the
same thing not using any black and white.
You might be surprised with the dramatic
difference! When painting with light, ABOVE: Consider this version of the clouds
especially strong ‘coloured’ light such as a using white to highlight/black to shade. While
sunset or sunrise, always consider the colour not a bad piece of art, it’s fairly dull and
of your light source as well as the ambient lifeless. The trees especially look plastic and
colours being reflected from other objects. dull, and everything has a much colder feel.

12 Painting
the rocks
Work the details
gradually over the
entire rocky area,
starting with large
brushes. Decide which
rocks are tallest, as
these will shade other
rocks. Even though
the rocks are probably
grey, our light sources
are yellow (sunrise)

11 Starting the foreground The hills in

the background only need a subtle touch
up, otherwise I’m leaving them simple for depth.
and purple/blue
(ambient twilight).
The ambient light
Don’t add a highlight to them, as most of the light is dimmer than the
would be striking the side facing away from us. sunrise, so try
Using a large brush, start placing some of the sky to be subtle with
light in the foreground. your highlights.

13 It’s all about form I refer back to my thumbnail occasionally to see

where I want the trees to go, and use that as I paint the rocks. I want
someplace for my trees to hold on. As with the clouds, paying attention to
the shape of the rocks will help you light them properly. Flatter rocks tend to
reflect more light upward. Rounded rocks often tend to catch the light
on their far-face.
14 Using saturation when highlighting Convincing lighting is
not only about brightness, but saturation as well. Note that the most
saturated areas are not the highlight itself, but the transition area between
light and shadow. This is something you can observe in almost any strong
lighting. Look at your hand under a strong light and observe where the colour
is the most saturated.

33

030-034_OPM_03-light.indd 33 3/4/07 14:38:29

 Tutorial Paint in low light

Incorporate other elements

Branching out from your usual lighting

15 Starting
trees
the
Make a
new layer for the trees.
That way if you goof
them it’ll be far easier
to fix without marring
the background you’ve
spent hours on! Draw
in the basic shapes
with a darker colour,
still working with the
16 Detailing the twigs At this point the trees are just silhouettes
(the rocks nearly would have been too, but smooth rock is a bit more
reflective than bark). Using smaller brushes, start to add the smaller branches.
same palette. Use a lighter colour to help the appearance of the twigs catching the light.

17 Lighting
trees
the
add some highlights
Time to

to these trees! At this

angle, the sun would
only strike part of the
Some help trunks. Remember
that trees are (basically)
in choosing cylindrical, so the light
colours
A last word about
will strike just the top
of the bark as you wrap
around the tree. Also
18 Bringing it together Getting the trees to blend with the rocky
area can be tricky. A good trick is to draw the roots in among the
rocks, and darken the areas of the rocks that would be in shadow from the
choosing your colours
– sometimes Corel
add a bit of a shadow trees. You could also add a few twiggy things in there, growing among the
Painter can help you! on each tree trunk. rocks, as well as some tiny buds to the trees.
When selecting a
colour for something
– the tree trunks for
example – it’s hard
to know exactly what
colour to use. If you
select a nice brown
that you think should
work, it usually looks
19 Some final
details This
is where I go over the
out of place. Try piece, add any last
using the colour you details I can think of
picked to lightly draw or want to add, and
a scribble onto your fix any obvious errors
existing image. If you I see. Sometimes it
have a light touch, helps to flip the image
the scribble should
to get a fresh look.
be somewhere in
between the colour
you chose and your
background colour.
Here, I’ve added a few
more signs of spring
and a bird in the tree
20 Tweaking the final image
I use the Tonal Control tools, mostly
Finally,

Brightness/Contrast, to tweak the image just a bit

Use the Eyedropper for balance. Just small to pop. High contrast will always pull the eye, but
tool to select this things because much if overdone the image will look too harsh and can
colour – usually it is more and it’ll start be displeasing. It takes a little fine-tuning to get it
the best choice! looking overworked! to where you like.

34

030-034_OPM_03-light.indd 34 3/4/07 14:38:45

 Primer Surface control

PRIMER
EFFECTS MENU
Surface Control
Tweak and manipulate your images with the
help of these effects
OTHER EFFECTS
f all the options found under the All of the Surface Control
Effects menu, the Surface Control effects are found under the
group is perhaps the most helpful. Effects menu. To bring one
With these, you can control the into play, simply select it
paper, colour or light on your artwork, and from the menu.
achieve everything from extra realism through
to surreal effects.
There are 12 options in the Surface Control
group; the most important being Apply
Lighting and Apply Surface Texture. We’ll
take a quick look at these below, as well as the
Color Overlay and Express Texture options, but
here’s a quick overview of the other effects. The
Screen effect takes luminance, paper texture
and three colours set by you to give an image
a three-colour screen. Dye Concentration
SELECT THE PAPERS
Usually when you bring the Apply
improves exposure in a photo by adjusting
Surface Texture effect into play, it is
the intensity of a colour. Image Warp lets you
to make your artwork appear as if it
Extra option manipulate an image and to apply a warp to an has been painted on a certain surface.
entire canvas, the Quick Warp effect is for you. Before you use the effect, you need to
In addition to applying
The Woodcut effect lets you emulate the select a paper texture from the toolbox.
light effects from the
Effects menu, you can look of woodcut or linoleum block prints, by
also apply surface simplifying an image and adding thick black
lighting from the edges. The Distress effect applies your selected
Canvas menu. When paper or pattern onto an image as the basis
done this way, you for the look. Use the Serigraphy effect to give
are presented with a
sphere that you use to
photos a silk-screened or woodblock look. The
set your light position. effect reduced colours to get its look, and each
You can adjust the colour reduction is saved out to a layer, so you
appearance of depth can tweak the effect. And �inally we come to
as well as set a new the Sketch effect. This turns an image into a
light colour. This black-and-white pencil sketch.
option helps to bring
out brush strokes We’ll look at all the effects mentioned here
of impasto or thick in future issues, but for now, let’s examine the
oil paintings. main options in the Surface Control menu.

Adjust Lighting Apply Surface Texture

Let there be light!
Good lighting is essential for an artist and the
Adjust Lighting effect allows you to apply a
certain lighting effect to your image. Upon
opening the effect, you’ll be presented with
some preset options for light setups. You
will also see a preview of your image and can
use the light indicator to set where the light
direction comes from. The sliders let you adjust
how the light works, and you can also change
the light and ambient light colours. After
you’ve adjusted a light source, you can save
it for future use or create new lighting libraries.
The ultimate in realism
You can use the Apply Surface Texture effect to
add a 3D texture to the surface of your image.
This can be used to make the image look as
though it was painted on a certain surface, or it
can be used to enhance the brush strokes. You
can apply surface texture using either a paper
texture, image luminance, original luminance or
3D brush strokes. You have a series of sliders to
control how the texture looks, such as its depth
or how much texture is applied to the image.
It’s even possible to control the direction of the
lighting as well as the colouring of the lighting.

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 ADDING DEPTH
Use these sliders to alter how the Surface Control effects in full

texture interacts with your image.
The Softness slider is also useful
for controlling the texture.
Primer
See what they all do
Sometimes too much choice can be more painful than not enough, and
you may find yourself feeling bamboozled by the amount of choice
available in the Surface Control menu. Fear not, for we have put together
a visual guide to how each effect affects the same image.

Surface control
Apply Lighting Image Warp

Apply Screen Quick Warp

Apply Surface Texture Woodcut

PREVIEW
Use this square here to get an idea Color Overlay Distress
of how the surface texture will look
when applied. To move around the
image, simply click and drag your
mouse in the square.
SET THE LIGHT
To enhance brush strokes,
use the Light Controls to
determine how the light
shines on the texture.
Dye Concentration Serigraphy
Again, you can see the
result in the Preview square.

Express Texture Sketch

A new veneer Increase contrast…

Add a colour or texture overlay
An interesting effect is the Color Overlay one. With
this you can add colour, texture or both to an image.
The dialog window gives you four options for how to
apply the overlay. The first is Uniform Color, which
applies a flat tint to the image. The Paper option
applies colour using your selected paper texture as a
model. Image Luminance will take the brightness in
the image and use this to determine where to apply
the colour. Light areas will receive more. Original
Luminance uses the luminance in the clone source to
determine where the colour should be applied. Again,
more is applied in the light areas.
…and apply texture in one fell swoop
To quickly achieve an interesting effect on your
image, the Express Texture option is hard to
beat. Once selected, this turns an image into a
high-contrast greyscale version of itself. You can
then decide how the effect is applied. This can
be according to the current paper texture, image
luminance, or original luminance. You also have
sliders to set how the final effect should look, such
as Gray Threshold, which sets where the threshold
is between pure white and pure black; Grain to set
how much the paper texture affects the surface;
and Contrast to set levels of black and white.

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036-37_OPM03_effects.indd 37 3/4/07 14:51:23

 Tutorial Paint like Monet

Paint like: Claude Monet

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038-044_OPM_03_Monet.indd 38 4/4/07 18:40:56

 The Water-Lily Pond is one of Claude
Monet’s most famous paintings and gives an
Impressionist record of his beloved garden
mpressionism is probably the
Tutorial info most popular period in art history.
Painter master The name of the movement itself
Hannah Gal is attributed to Claude Monet’s
1872 painting Impression Sunrise. It
Time needed is hard to believe that at the time of
3 hours Impressionism’s birth, the movement
Skill level
was seen as revolutionary. The
Impressionists’ treatment of colour and
Intermediate
light was unlike anything previously
On the CD seen. To a world consumed with religious
Starting sketch scenes they brought day-to-day subjects,
and to meticulously executed paintings
they injected a personal vision. Never
before has a group of artists given such
prominence to everyday life, turning the
spotlight on everyday people and scenes.
These artists brought a new kind of
realism to the world of art. Instead of the
photographic, highly detailed approach of
the time, they concentrated on lightness.
Instead of meticulous planning, they
pioneered the element of spontaneity.
They also introduced innovation with
their technique. Unlike the �lawlessly
smooth norm of the time, they used
short strokes of paint that re�lected and
captured the essence of the subject rather
than its details.
The piece we are working on here is
titled The Water-Lily Pond. It features a
scene from Claude Monet’s own garden,
without doubt one of the artist’s favourite
subjects. Monet painted many paintings
of the waterlilies in this garden over a
20-year period, turning them into an
Impressionist icon. Although the original
masterpiece will be constantly referred
to as we progress, our target is not an
exact copy but an exercise in Monet’s
artistic vision and painting style.
This work is interesting to view
close up as it reveals the actual work
process of the artist. Some of the piece is
made of relatively �lat impasto strokes.
Other strokes look like a rough brush
dragged across the canvas. A great part
of the painting looks like it is made of a
multitude of brief dabs on the canvas. We
will split the canvas into several areas.
Starting with the bridge and moving on
to the light-green long plants just under
it, we’ll explore the purple and lilac areas,
light and dark pink, lilac and yellow dabs
on the water, thick impasto strokes top

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038-044_OPM_03_Monet.indd 39 4/4/07 18:41:18

 Tutorial Paint like Monet

right and top left of the image, dark green
and brown strokes throughout.
We will start by covering the entire
painting in green wash, colouring the
bridge and slowly build up paint layers
with oil brushes. As you work, it is
important to see the detail in close-up. A
recommended site is that of The National
Gallery. You can zoom in on any part of the
painting and easily move across it. The
great magni�ication level means you can
clearly see the direction and nature of the
strokes as well as paint thickness (www.
nationalgallery.org.uk).
We will apply clean paint at increasing
opacity and at later stages, concentrate
on oils and impasto. We will work with
blends where one paint stroke blends
with another resulting in a mixed colour
stroke, and put the sponges to use. We will
use ready-made, single colours but will
also sample and mix multiple colours. The
Color Mixer and Brush Creator will be at
the centre of our screen throughout and
we will test colours and brushes on their
handy pads.
The strokes themselves are varied in
length, pressure, thickness, style and
direction. We will put to use the graphics
tablet’s stylus to simulate the stroke style
and give it the distinctive Monet look.
This is a time-consuming task as the
piece is made of a great number of brush
strokes. It is the subtle variation between
strokes that gives the piece its own
individual style. Besides using textured
Make full use of your Colors palette as you progress. It is
brushes we will add a 3D effect to the a useful tool that can be modified and referred to at all
painted piece. For that we will turn to stages. Take advantage of the information it displays and
Surface Texture tool and its brilliant settings it offers.
Image Luminance setting.

Visit the National

Gallery website (www.
nationalgallery.org.uk)
for a close-up look at
the original painting

For most of the work

process, the Opacity and
Grain Expression is set
to None in the Brush
Creator. This is not set
in stone, though. Feel
free to experiment with
any of the other settings
and see the effect.

Start from the base

Building up your bridge

Work close
to home
Just as Monet used his
garden for inspiration,
you could turn your
own garden into
your Impressionist
muse. Try applying
his strokes to photos
of your back yard and
see what happens.
02 Paint
layer You
can open up a copy of
the original painting,

01 Open the drawing Open the

provided black-and-white drawing from
the disc. The scene is mainly made of plants over
or consult a book for
reference. Open a new
layer and name it Paint
and around the water and the only well-defined Layer. This is where our
object is the bridge. paint will be applied.

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038-044_OPM_03_Monet.indd 40 4/4/07 18:41:38

 Darker/

Tutorial
lighter shade
Throughout the
03 Digital
Airbrush
Go to Window>Brush
painting there are
tiny strokes and dabs.
These are lighter over
Selector to display the a dark area as in the
Brush Selector menu. purple green trees

Paint like Monet

Alternatively, go to the above centre of the
same location to open bridge, and darker
Brush Creator. Go to over a light area as in
Airbrushes>Digital trees to the left, above

04 The bridge
Airbrush>Cover>Soft Set Brush Size to 30-35 the bridge.
To apply slightly
Cover. You only need and Expression to None. Pick a lilac/
lighter or darker
2-3% Opacity. Choose purple shade and with a low 1-2% Opacity, start shade to an area,
any dark green colour covering the bridge at the top part of the image. use the Eyedropper
from the Colors This is all very loose at this stage and is drawn as a to sample it, open
palette and roughly guide. Observe the original as you apply paint to the Colors palette and
cover the canvas. the entire image. move the slider on the
right up for lighter
and down for dark.

05 Artists’
Oils
Brush Selector or
In the

Brush Creator, select

Artists’ Oils>Dry
Bristle. Many of the
oil brushes would be
suitable for this step
so choose any one
that you like. Work at
a high Opacity and a
20-30 size brush to
06 Colour Set Brush Size to 20-25 and
Opacity to 20%. Choose a dark green
shade and observe the original while applying
apply paint over the paint to the dark green areas. When you have
rather faint Airbrush done that, move on to a different colour like light
layer underneath. green, purple/lilac or pink and repeat the process.

Make the bridge stand out

Time for some real colour

08 Bridge
3 Set
Grain to 9-14% and
while referring to the
original continue to
apply paint to the

07 Bridge 2 It is time to apply ‘proper’ thick paint to the piece. Open

Brush Creator>Artists Oils and set Oily Bristle brush to size 16-20 and
Opacity to 60-80%. Viscosity should be set to 0%. We had both a zoomed in
bridge. At this stage
we are applying what
looks like blocks of
part of the original as well as a full size image open, next to our own canvas colour but these will all
for observation. be blended later on.

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 Tutorial Paint like Monet

Brush strokes
Make the most of direction
This piece is made of a huge number of
brush strokes. These are of different
length, thickness and direction. To paint in
the artist’s style we need to apply a great
number of strokes, one after the other. The
stylus needs to be lifted off the canvas after
each stroke in what is a time-consuming
process. The strokes at the very top-left
corner of the painting are longer and move
from top to bottom. Strokes of long plants
under the bridge are thinner whereas
the strokes over the water are short with
medium dabs from left to right.
These strokes also vary in colour with
some strokes being made of blended shades
where one blends into another. Others are
09 Bridge work Cover all or some of the
bridge and move to the top-left corner
of the image. Using the same Oily Bristle brush, 10 Step back Keep the same brush to concentrate on different areas
of the image around the water. Adjust Opacity and brush size as you
of a single colour but touch on a different paint the dark green plants applying long strokes progress. Cover the canvas with paint using long and medium strokes as in the
shade as in the light pink neighbouring of paint from top to bottom. original. Use the Mixer for ready-made shades or to design your own.
the darker shade. For the piece to have
the Monet look, these strokes need to be

Sponge on some texture

applied in the same style as the original.

Really start to layer the paint

12 Pinks Keep Expression set to None at

this stage and move to plants covering the
water below the bridge. The strokes are horizontal

11 Sponge In the Brush Creator select Sponges>Sponge. Under Impasto

These vertical strokes of lighter green help add
depth to the image
set Draw To to Color and Depth and Method to Uniform. With Depth
of 140-150% and Spacing at 90%, set Smoothing and Plow to 100%, In the
General controls, set Dab to Captured, Stroke Type to Single, Method to Cover
and Subcategory to Grainy Hard Cover. Use the pad to test your sponge
and short. The water area is made of a great
number of these strokes and there is no short cut
to applying them. You need to select your colour
and apply many strokes all over before moving on
to a different shade and repeating.

13 Sponge 2
With Grain of
between 25% to 35%,
apply very long strokes
to the bridge. We are
trying to re-create
the rough effect of
the original. Another
way to create it would
be using Pastel or
Chalks. Apply as many
strokes as needed
Mixing up strokes of different directions gives while zoomed in to
the picture texture and keep it in the original 60-100% to see the
Monet style effect. You may wish
to alter Spacing level as
you progress.

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038-044_OPM_03_Monet.indd 42 4/4/07 18:42:13

 Exploit textured brushes No shortcuts
Make your canvas appear rough

Tutorial
in this one
For the true Monet
experience, we’re
afraid there is no
choice but to apply
stroke after stroke.

14 Impasto It takes an awful long

Paint like Monet

Oil In Brush time, but it is worth
Creator choose it in the end. If your
Impasto Oil and go to computer can handle
the Impasto category. it, create a new layer
Here, set Draw To to for each important
Color and Depth and area of work. This
Depth at 40%. With way you don’t risk
ruining something
Grain and Opacity
at 14% and Size to
25-30%, apply strokes
15 Impasto Oil 2 Reduce brush size to
12% and choose an area to concentrate
on. We are going to apply small strokes of darker
you’ve spent hours on.
And as ever, be sure
to clearly name your
to cover the layer shades to a given area to re-create the richness of layers so you know
underneath. This layer the original. If you are working on the dark-green what they are.
is meant to partly area left side of the bridge for example, move to a
blend with the one slightly darker shade and apply short strokes in any
below it to create a direction to the area. Follow with lilac and light
multitude of shades. green strokes.

17 Deep
strokes
Increase Depth to
180-190% and follow
the original to apply
strokes to the image.
These are deep and
quite shiny. The area

16 Even richer Repeat the process to

cover the water area. Here the strokes are
short and horizontal. The easiest way to achieve
top left of the image
calls for long strokes
going from top to
full coverage is to concentrate on a colour or area. bottom whereas the
Make your choice and move to the next area. You area over the water
are applying dark green, light green, lilac, purple calls for short dabs.
and pink tones to the entire image. Strokes are Make sure you move
short and move in all directions. in different directions.

18 Glazing
Sponge
In the Sponges
category, choose
Glazing Sponge 60.
We will try to re-create
some of the oil paint
sheen seen on the
original. Set Grain to
10%, Opacity to 20%
Spacing to 25-40%
and Draw to Depth.
Depth Method should
be Uniform and
Expression set
to None. Simply go
19 Accentuate 1 The extreme high and low points of the image are
crucial to its overall look. Choose a dark purple colour and apply to
the darkest points in the image. You simply find a dark area, sample it, open
over some of the the Colors palette and move the slider to a darker tone. Blend the colour as
strokes applied in the you apply; the stokes should be soft. Move to dark green and apply to all
previous step. relevant areas.

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 Tutorial Paint like Monet

Carry on with the tonal work

Ensure your image isn’t flat

20 Image
highs
need to repeat the
We

process executed in
step 19 for the highs of
the image. Choose the
lightest yellow/green
in the image and open
the Colors palette to
move to a lighter shade
as in the previous step.
Apply to the lightest
21 Image highs 2 Adjust Opacity as you progress applying many dabs
all over. These high points, just like the lows, lift the image and give
it an edge. Again, there is no short cut to this one; you need to continuously
areas of the image. apply lots of dabs all over.

23 Light
plants
green
a small Impasto Oil
Use

brush to apply long-

to-medium light green
strokes all over the
plants in the image,
excluding these over
the water. The density
of these changes. On

22 Red/pink The pink flowers are made

of more than one shade. Create a dark
pink/red shade to apply as a dab to any part of
the right, for example,
they are very dense
but a little less so at the
the flowers. Repeat this with a light pink/white to centre of the image just
apply the high points. below the bridge.

Make it easy
on yourself
Okay, so we lied a
bit in the tip on the
previous page. There
is a shortcut of sorts
with this effect. You
could lay a base layer
of strokes using the
Impressionist variant
of the Artists brushes.
Once you have this
applied, you can then
use the techniques
explained here to
make your own Monet
24 Whites Use a white coloured brush to accentuate white areas
like some parts of the bridge. This can be applied at low Depth or
just Color. Choose your preference under the Impasto category and adjust
25 Image Luminance Go to Effect>Surface Control>Apply Surface
Texture>Image Luminance. Observe the Preview window as you
adjust Amount, Reflection and other settings to find the level of texture you
masterpiece from a Opacity and Grain to suit. There are odd white strokes all over the image. wish to apply. The original is very textured but as we used textured brushes
sketch or photo. Zoom to 100% and us the Hand tool to find them and apply. earlier, you might even find this step unnecessary.

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038-044_OPM_03_Monet.indd 44 4/4/07 18:42:48

 Feature focus Paper textures FEATURE
FOCUS

Using Paper
textures
If your Corel Painter creations are flat, try
GRAINY UNDERPAINTING
For establishing the overall under-
painting in the image, a large chalk, used
using paper textures to their full potential over the Rough Charcoal Paper created
a really nice rough cover. Remember to
s an artist, the surface you adjust the Scale of the paper and to use
paint or draw on is every bit a fairly low Grain setting with the brush.
as important as what you
draw or paint with. Sadly,
many Corel Painter novices overlook this
vital aspect of creating an image. Without
choosing a surface which will exploit the
characteristics of the current variant
you’re using, the results can be rather
disappointing with �lat, featureless brush
marks. Although Corel Painter features
a whole host of very varied painting
surfaces, they are collectively referred to
as Paper within the program, and they
have an entire palette of their own. So,
here we’re going to look at everything
Paper related! We’re going to show you
how to choose them, use them, and even
how to create your own!
Dry media, such as chalks, pastels
Paper lore and pencils are the guys that really take
If your ambition in advantage of surface textures, simply
Corel Painter is to because these mediums work by their
create images which pigment being caught and shaved off by
most closely mimic the tooth, or grain, of the surface. In Corel
traditional media Painter, you can even control the size and
effects, remember
depth of this surface grain, so you can CUSTOM PAPER TEXTURE
to choose a suitable For a particularly rough texture for the
paper texture for the change it from a barely perceptible texture
ground, we created a custom paper
medium you’re using. to a surface as rough as a gravel driveway!
from an Earth pattern. You can see
So, when you’re using Add to this the fact that you can even exactly how to do this in the step-by-
Oils, choose one of use a number of different paper surfaces step walkthrough within this feature.
Corel Painter’s canvas in the same image and you can see just
textures, or perhaps
a watercolour paper
how much choosing the right surface can
if you’re using one of enliven your work! So, if you thought that
the transparent paint all paper was created equal, then read on
category of variants. and revolutionise your painting surfaces!

Invert Paper Scale Paper slider

Peaks and valleys
By clicking this option, you quite literally invert the
grain pattern of the current paper. In effect this
swaps the valleys and peaks of the paper texture,
so what were formerly valleys become peaks and
vice-versa. By using this option, you can create
some really cool effects. Here, for instance, the
red chalk was sketched onto the paper, and then
the Invert Paper option was activated before
painting the yellow. The result of this is that the
yellow chalk is applied only to the peaks of the
paper grain, formerly the valleys, so it fills in the
grain spaces of the red chalk.
Sizing it up
Using this slider, you can determine the size of
the grain in your paper surface. It’s a good idea to
experiment with this slider, with a few test marks
before you start drawing or painting properly.
It’s best if your paper grain looks suitably sized to
match the physical size of your entire image. You
can see to the left how much difference this value
can make. Both of the strokes in the image use
exactly the same size of chalk, but in the top one,
the Paper Scale is set to 100%. In the lower stroke,
Paper Scale is set to 350%. Both strokes use the
Linen Canvas paper.

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 PAPERS
INCREASED GRAIN VALUE
To add the main colour, we Load new paper ON THE
needed a higher Grain setting, still CD!

Feature focus
using the Rough Charcoal Paper, Expand your paper texture choice
so that the chalk penetrated the
paper grain less and created more As you will see over the page, Corel Painter comes with a decent amount
definite, opaque marks. of paper textures already installed and raring to go. But it is so easy to
make your own that you shouldn’t rely on the default options alone. On
this issue’s disc you will find a selection of different textures, suitable
for both Corel Painter IX and X. Just load them up in your Papers palette
and enjoy!

Paper textures
Sharp Peaks Furry

Leaf Thick Paint

BRICKLAYING WITH PAPER! Feather Bumpy

The Worn Pavement paper was ideal to
use beneath the bricks, automatically
creating a very effective, rugged
surface. Increasing the Contrast setting
for the paper exaggerated this effect.

Fibre Wood Wool

INVERTED PAPER
Soft Canvas Glitter
Using a darker tone, we added some
complimentary tones to this area after
choosing the Invert Paper option in the
Papers palette, still using the custom Earth
paper texture.

Paper Contrast Paper Brightness

Higher highs and lower lows
All Corel Painter papers are based on a
greyscale ‘texture map’ image, where the
darker areas in the grain pattern represent
the valleys, or low points of the paper grain,
and white areas represent the high spots or
peaks in the grain. The contrast slider, as
the name suggests, controls the degree of
contrast between these two tones. So, if we
choose a low contrast setting, the grain of
the paper is just subtly featured in the chalk
stroke. At high contrast setting the grain is
very obvious indeed.
Shiny happy paper
The Paper Brightness slider controls the
overall brightness of both the black and
white areas of the paper texture. At low
values, the chalk will fill up more of the
paper grain, because the brightest parts,
or high points of the texture map become
darker. At high brightness levels, all of the
tones of the texture map become brighter,
so in effect, the paper texture becomes
flatter. You will find at high brightness
values, less chalk will be deposited on the
paper overall.

47

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 Feature focus Paper textures
FEATURE
FOCUS
Creating, using and saving paper
Give your library that personal touch
It’s all well and good
knowing how to
choose a paper, but
here we’re going
to show you where
to use them, how
to make your own,
and even how to
share them with the
whole world!

01 Choose a source pattern You can

use any image to create a paper texture
from. Open your source image, which can either
be a digital photograph or a scan of real-world
fabric. Choose the Rectangular Selection tool from
the Toolbox.
02 Capture paper Make sure that the
Papers palette is open (Window>Library
Palette>Show Papers). Now drag a selection
around the area of the image you want to use
as the repeating tile for your paper texture. Now
click the small right-pointing arrow in the Papers
palette. Choose Capture paper.
03 Name and crossfade Enter a name
for your new paper texture. If you want
the tiled texture to have blended edges, adjust the
Crossfade slider. The higher the value, the more
the tiles of the texture will blend together at the
edges. Click OK.

Grainy
variants
Remember, the
variants which exploit
paper grain the most
are the dry media
variants, such as Chalk,
Conté, Pencils and
Pastels. Within these
categories, the variants
which are especially
paper-grain friendly
are those which have
the word Grainy or
Hard in their title. It’s
worth experimenting
with these in the Brush 04 Updated paper library Your newly
created paper texture will automatically 05 Multiple papers Remember, you can
use different textures in different areas of
06 Geometric paper grain You
can also create new papers based on
geometric patterns via the Papers palette. Again,
Creator to see which be loaded as the currently selected paper in the your painting, using a smoother texture for areas start by hitting the small right-pointing arrow and
give you the best palette, and will also have been added to the of detail, and using strong, rough textures for choosing Make Paper from the menu. Choose
effect before starting current library. You can now use the new paper background areas. Simply choose another Paper the pattern to create the paper from, such as line,
painting properly. texture in any of your Corel Painter creations. from the palette whenever you want to. diamond or circle from the drop-down Pattern box.

Grain settings Papers palette

It never grains but it pours
As well as choosing the paper texture itself, it’s
important to understand the effect the Grain
slider has on how much grain shows within your
strokes. At first the principle of this setting can
seem a little counter-intuitive, but you’ll soon get
used to it. At low settings, the grain of the paper
is very evident in your strokes, because at this
setting, Corel Painter treats the paper grain as
being very pronounced so the chalk touches just
the tops of the grain peaks. At high setting, the
brush penetrates the grain further, so it is less
evident within the stroke.
Keep it close at hand
Although you can choose a Paper texture quickly
by clicking the Paper Selector, as you have seen,
it’s vital to have the Papers palette visible at all
times to be able to modify your paper properties.
There are two ways in which you can display the
Papers palette. Firstly, you can go to the Window
menu, followed by Library Palettes and choose
Show Papers. Alternatively, click the Paper
Selector at the base of the Toolbar and click the
small right-pointing arrow. Then just simply
choose Launch Palette from the menu and Bob’s
your uncle!

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 The papers on offer

Feature focus
For all your texture needs
Corel Painter comes loaded with an
impressive range of paper textures straight
out of the box (or tin). If you’ve wondered
what they all looked like, here’s a guide…
Fine Hard Grain Fine Dots

Paper textures
French Watercolor Paper Coarse Cotton Canvas Gessoed canvas

07 Spacing and Angle Use the Spacing

and Angle sliders to modify the pattern
and make sure to give it a meaningful name. Once
Hot Press Thick Handmade Paper Hard laid paper
you’re happy with the pattern, click OK to save
it. Again, it will be added to the papers library. To
choose your custom-made paper, simply click the
paper selector within the palette and choose it
from the swatches.
Pebble Board Simulated Woodgrain Retro Fabric

Linen Canvas Charcoal Paper Artists Rough Paper

Italian Watercolor Paper Artists Canvas Small Dots

08 Saving and sharing To save paper

textures, so you can share them with
colleagues or on the internet, click the small arrow
in the Papers palette and choose Paper Mover.
Choose the paper swatch you want to save and Worn Pavement New Streaks Basic Paper
click New, Now save the .pap file to a suitable
location on your PC.

Moving and renaming papers Grain Feature

Organise your bespoke libraries
With the Paper Mover (which is accessed via
the right-pointing arrow in the Papers palette)
you can easily delete, rename or import paper
textures. This is a very handy tool if you wish
to expand or edit your library of papers. If you
wish to rename a paper, click on its swatch in
the Mover and then click Rename. If you have a
store of papers in another folder, on a disc, or
have downloaded a collection from the internet,
you can import them via the Open button. Simply
browse for the .PAP file, and click Open to add it to
the current library.
Getting the expression right
Every brush variant that uses grain has an
Expression control for it. You can find this in
the Brush Controls, or in the Brush Creator. The
Expression option for grain determines which
aspect of your pressure-sensitive stylus, or your
drawing technique, controls the expression of
the grain. You can choose many different options
here, including having the grain effect increase
or decrease via the pressure you apply to your
stylus, the individual direction of your strokes,
the tilt of the pen, along with a number of other
useful options.

49

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 Tutorial Coloured pencil still life

Coloured pencil still life

Coloured pencils really are a great medium for the serious Corel Painter artist. We sharpen our
tools and takes a look at this group of variants
Tutorial info he humble coloured pencil too often passed by with scant regard for We’re also supplying a rough sketch
Painter master
is often overlooked as a their creative potential. as a starting point, and we’re devoting
Tim Shelbourne serious artist’s medium and So, here we’re going to use these an entire page to the different shading
is sometimes more associated wonderful Corel Painter variants to create techniques you can use with these
Time needed with school art rooms and scribbly a still life and, as ever, we’re going to walk wonderful drawing variants. We’ve even
1.5 hours drawings created by toddlers at play you through it step by step. Coloured supplied a colour set featuring the entire
school. In reality it’s a medium which pencils are one of those dry mediums range of colours in the �inished drawing.
Skill level can be used to create very �ine, subtle which rely on the texture of the paper This is a really juicy drawing exercise, and
Intermediate and beautiful drawings which sing with as much as the way you use them, so it’s not just because of the grapes! So, open
colour. This point holds true within the vital that you choose a suitable drawing up Corel Painter, load that starting sketch
On the CD
realms of Corel Painter too, and Colored surface from the Papers library before and get drawing… you’ll �ind a whole new
Rough sketch and Pencils is a group of variants that are far you begin drawing. level of respect for the humble pencil!
colour swatches

Paper and pencil at the ready

Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start…

02
Background shade
Change to a slightly
lighter blue/grey and
shade in the upper
section of the window.
Also, add a little
lighter shading to the
lower area you just
completed to add a
little variety. Make sure
to just shade up to the
outlines of the various
objects in the image.
Choose a light yellow

01 Choose paper and set up a brush Open roughsketch.jpg in

Corel Painter. In the Papers palette, choose Hard Laid Paper. From
Colored Pencils, choose Oily Colored Pencil 7. Set Grain to 15%. Add a new
ochre colour and start
to shade in the window
frame using the same
layer. Now choose a light grey from the swatches and using the brush at 22 rough crosshatching
pixels, start to shade in the background using rough crosshatching. as before.

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 Tutorial
Coloured pencil still life

51

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 Tutorial Coloured pencil still life

Sketch in the rough colours

Lay the colour foundations for later

03
colours
Shade in
the base
Continue to
add the base colours to
the rest of the image,
beginning with the
contents of the plate.
Remember that here
we’re only establishing
the underlying tone
for each of the objects,
so use lots of loose
scribble, following
the contours of the
objects and choosing
appropriate colours
04 Hard and shadow It’s important that you leave any highlights
within the images as areas of untouched white paper showing
through your sketching. Use the finished image as a guide for the placement
from the available of these. Once you’ve painted the pear, make sure to shade in the darkest
colour swatches. areas within the objects on the plate, including the shadows.

06 Hitting
the bottle
Before you begin to
shade in the overall
tones, increase the
Grain setting for the
brush to 48% in the
Properties Bar. In the
main body of the
bottle, we’re just going
to use one colour, a
mid to light green/grey
from the swatch. We’ll
Brush add more detail later
tracking with another Colored
All dry media variants
rely very much on the
05 Contour care With this oily coloured
pencil, it’s best to use short strokes,
following the contours of the area you’re working
Pencil variant. Use
rough crosshatching
in this area, leaving
Brush Tracking being
on. On the plate, and the table top, for instance, any highlight areas as
set correctly within
Corel Painter before use repeating horizontal strokes. white paper.
you start drawing.
This allows Corel
Painter to know how
to respond correctly to
07 Fillglassup the
the Eyedropper Tool
Select
the different pressures
you apply to your and sample the light
stylus and the speed blue/grey from the
you draw at. To set window area. Using
Brush Tracking, go crosshatching, add
to Edit>Preferences> some of this colour to
Brush Tracking. the centre of the glass.
Using your stylus, In the upper area of the
simply make a few glass, set the level of
representative strokes the wine, use the same
within the Scratchpad, colour as the body of
using your normal the bottle. Crosshatch
pressure and speed.
with more blue/grey
Click OK to set the
tracking values. within the very top of
Remember, if you close
Corel Painter at any
point and then re-start
the glass. Finally for
this layer, crosshatch
some mid yellow ochre
08 Another variant Add a new layer and set to Gel. Choose the
Hard Colored Pencil variant. Set Grain to 35%. In General Brush
Controls, set Minimum Size to 75%. Set the size of the brush to 20 pixels.
it, you’ll need to set within the label and Choose a fairly dark green/brown from the swatches. Now begin to add the
Brush Tracking again! the cap of the bottle. darker areas to the bottle.

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 Get the best from Colored Pencils The technical side to scribbling

Tutorial
Because of the very nature of pencils, the
way you create shading and texture within
a coloured pencil drawing is a vital aspect
of this enduring medium. So we’re going
to take a closer look at how you can best
exploit these variants, both in terms of

Coloured pencil still life

the marks you make with them, and by
choosing the right surface to work on. As
with all dry media, coloured pencils rely
on the paper surface, and the ‘tooth’ or
grain within it to pick up the colour as you
sketch. It’s therefore worth choosing your
paper carefully before you begin. Here you’ll
see the dramatically different effects that
various paper surfaces can have on the
marks made with the pencils. And speaking
of making marks, the art of shading and
applying colour does not solely consist of
random scribbling (although this can be very
effective in the right place) but also consists
of a whole range of mark-making techniques
to create different effects and textures. GRAIN SETTING PAPER CAPER!
It’s important to know how to exploit the Here you can see just how much difference the Here you can see just how much of an effect your
paper grain to its best advantage with these Grain setting makes to the quality of the strokes choice of paper surface makes to your drawing. All
variants, and that depends completely on you make. The one on the left has the Grain value four of these samples use the same Colored Pencil
the Grain setting you use with any of the set to 10, which reveals lots of paper texture. The variant (Variable Colored Pencil), but each swatch
Colored Pencil variants. shading swatch on the right uses a 70% Grain uses a different paper texture. You can even use
setting, producing a far denser stroke but with less different paper textures in different areas of your
texture visible. drawing simply by changing it whenever you like!

SHADING AND LINE SCRIBBLE SHADING SHADING

Remember, the use of line is vital with dry media
such as this, so don’t overlook it. You can bolster
and enliven areas of shading with enclosing lines
which not only add interest but can help build up a
framework for the objects in your drawing.
A variation on the previous method, this more
scribble-like shading is again useful for establishing
colours and tones before adding more detail. Make
sure to scribble quickly for this kind of shading and
use lots of different directions.
This classic shading method is good for covering large
areas without introducing too much texture, so it’s ideal
for establishing base colours and tones. Shade carefully
from side to side, applying more pressure to increase
depth and opacity.

HATCHING CROSSHATCHING OVERLAYING COLOURS

Hatching is created by making lots of parallel A variation of hatching, crosshatching is where you One of the great strengths of coloured pencils is
strokes, placed closely together. Although you need hatch with two sets of parallel lines place at 90 the fact that you can overlay colour upon colour.
to leave small gaps between the strokes, be relaxed degrees to each other. This is a wonderful technique Use the crosshatching technique with this to create
about it so as not to make hatching too mechanical. for creating intricate surface detail and interest. complicated and fascinating colour variations.

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 Tutorial Coloured pencil still life

Apply more detail

Building up extra layers of colour

09 Texture and interest Use a

combination of sketch lines and fine
diagonal shading, using very little pressure on your
stylus, and rework over some areas to make them
darker. Use a greener colour, with long diagonal
shading (see shading examples) to fill in the centre
of the bottle. Again, vary the tone of the shading
here to add texture and tonal interest.
10 Sketch and shade Continue to add
tonal detail to the bottle, using a selection
of mid to dark toned colours from the swatches.
Use a combination of sketch lines and diagonal
shading. Using shading in various directions,
indicate the design on the bottle label. Now begin
to add the darker detail to the glass, using a range
of the same colours.
11 Defining lines Make sure to sketch in some horizontal lines to
indicate the upper edge of the wine. Add some diagonal lines of blue/
grey in the top of the glass, making sure to leave the highlight along the top.

12 Onsidethe dark
Increase
the Grain to 82%.
Choose a very dark
green/brown from
Rotating
your canvas
the swatches and
with short, hatching
strokes, begin to
13 Clarify form Now choose a mid tan
colour and add some darker shading
to the light side of the pear. Because of the Gel
shade in the dark side setting for this layer, you can also add some
Sometimes it can of the pear. Because deeper shading to the dark side with this colour.
be tricky working of the nature of this Also, just sketch in an indication of the pear’s
on some areas of
pencil, the more you stalk. Use the same technique with a very dark
your image with the
work over an area, the red/brown on the grapes; reinforce their shape
canvas in its default
vertical position, and darker it will become. with some fine outline work.
you can easily end up
tying your drawing

15 Another
hand into knots and
increase the chance of
the dreaded repetitive
pencil Add
strain injury. But another new layer.
there is a solution! Choose the Variable
In the Toolbox, click Colored Pencil variant.
and hold on the Hand Set Grain to 15%. In
Tool (next to the Zoom General Brush, set
Tool) and choose the Minimum Size to 75%
Rotate Page tool. Now and set Size Expression
move your pointer to Pressure. Because
close to your canvas this variant uses
and simply click and another cover method,
drag to rotate it to you can use it to add
your desired angle.
more definite, opaque
You even have a
rotation value in the colour to the drawing,
Properties bar so
you can easily rotate
it back to its default
14 Build intensity and form Using the
above techniques, add some more dark
shading to the shadow sides of the other objects
starting with some
brighter mid tone
ochres between the
position when you in the drawing, making sure to use lots of lively lighter and darker areas
are done! scribble and hatching. of the pear.

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 Loading a

Tutorial
colour set
We’ve supplied a
colour set which
features all the
colours used in
this drawing. Once

17 Dig for you’ve downloaded

Coloured pencil still life

detail You it from the CD, in
can add some real Corel Painter go
defining lines and to Window>Color
details with this brush, Palettes>Show Color
such as the details Sets. In the Color
on the plate, and Sets palette, click the
small right-pointing
sketch lines around
arrow and choose
the various objects to Open Color Set. Click

16 Vital accents Not only can you add some really effective dark
tones and accents with this variant, but you can also add some vital
highlights here and there, such as on the grapes.
both define and
clarify them.
Load and locate the
downloaded colour
set on your computer.
Once the set is loaded,
click the small right-
The final details pointing arrow again
and choose Sort
Hatch till you can hatch no more! Order>LHS.

18 Successful hatching Now’s the time to add some very fine

hatching to the window behind the objects, to bring some detail
and textural interest to these fairly blank areas. Use neutral colours here and
the brush at a very small size. This hatching will elevate the impression of the
coloured pencil effect, and it’s worth adding plenty of this detail throughout
the drawing.
19 Layer upon layer One of the most vital keys to a coloured pencil
drawing is to build up layers of very fine crosshatching, so that colours
mix optically and the quality of the drawing itself becomes intricate and very
fine. Still using the same brush, you can add areas of hatching throughout the
drawing using similar but subtly different colours to those you have already
laid down, such as the area between the glass and bottle.

20 Adding
highlights
Now you can add
some really juicy
highlights to the glass
to make it sparkle.
Use the brush at a
small size, choosing
near-white from the
swatches. Add the
highlights by using
sharp, deft diagonal
lines. Also add some
bright, pale yellow
highlights along the
21 Final details The point at which you stop adding fine hatching
to the drawing is really up to you. Here we’ve added more hatching
detail to all of the objects in the drawing. It’s really useful to zoom well into
top of the wine in the image and use the pencil at a very small size to indicate detail, such as the
the glass. mould marks in the cheese.

55

050-55_OPM_02-pencil.indd 55 3/4/07 15:15:20

 showcase

JASON ASATO
TITLE Self Portrait (November 16th, 2003)
WEBSITE www.nothinggg.com
JOB TITLE Digital artist
Jason’s work is a wonderfully macabre mixture of characters, all painted
with his distinctive colour palette and brush strokes. His images exhibit
an intriguing softness, even when they depict nightmarish visions. Visit
his website to see more work, and be sure to investigate the Sketches
section for some fledgling masterpieces.

056_OPM_03.indd 44 4/4/07 09:25:24

 Tutorial Natural history art
Courtesy of Audubon Institute/copyright by Karen Carr
Karen Carr shows you how to
Create natural history
art with Corel Painter
Most of us use Corel Painter to create modest-sized art, but Karen Carr uses the program to the
max. She talks us through her latest project and how to create natural history art
Tutorial info hether I’m working on a comparatively small
image or on a monster project like my recent
Painter master murals for the Audubon Insectarium in New
Karen Carr Orleans, I use a variety of Corel Painter tools and
techniques to simplify the project and to share creative input
Time needed
with my clients.
40 minutes (bug)
I recently completed this mural series with the considerable
Skill level assistance of Alaina Dunivan, my studio associate illustrator.
Intermediate And although The Audubon’s building received serious damage
during Hurricane Katrina, the Insectarium is close to opening
this new window into the life of insects.
The opening will represent the end of a fairly complex mural
project for me: in all I painted more than 3,000 square feet of
murals that will be applied inside the carriageway of a 200-year-
old building. The two largest murals extend for 100 feet on either
side of the carriageway and are each up to 13-feet high. To make
the mural layout, design and production processes even more
58
058-063_OPM_03-karen.indd 58
complicated, the walls of the carriageway are not �lat, have doors
and columns at spots along them, and will receive large three-
dimensional bug models, to give visitors a ‘bug’s eye view’ of
the natural world. The role of the Insectarium is to educate and
inform, so each of the hundreds of bugs included on the murals
were carefully reviewed by the Audubon’s entomologists and
scientists. Because the bugs are very large, their anatomy and
presentation had to be spot on.
The murals and all of the individual bugs included in the
murals originated in Corel Painter. I used photos and other
references provided by the client, and viewed them on my project
management website as I drew the images with a Wacom Intuos3
Graphic Tablet on a Windows XP-based Dell PC. I don’t modify
photographs but paint each element by hand in Corel Painter.
Read on and discover more about the mural project and �inish
off by learning how to create your own digital bug that would �it
right into a natural history exhibition.
4/4/07 17:35:38
 Tutorial
Natural history art

59

058-063_OPM_03-karen.indd 59 4/4/07 17:36:00

 Tutorial Natural history art

On a project this size, planning is essential

From rough layout sketch right through to the final piece

Layouts from CAD files Courtesy of Audubon Institute/copyright by Karen Carr

Comprehensive layouts were critical to this project. I had to The best way to prepare layouts and accommodate insects in my ‘cast of characters’ could be wrapped across
include each of the insects, plants and animals requested the positioning challenges on a project like this is to use a column without aesthetic problems (centipedes, for
for the environments while considering the building’s doors CAD files from the project architect as a base layer, so you example). Other insects and animals would look strange if
and other structural components of the carriageway. and clients can see the hall walls in detail. Some of the they crossed structural components of the building.

Working in layers Courtesy of Audubon Institute/copyright by Karen Carr

After the preliminary layouts are complete, I added a would be hiden. As with the initial layout, I usually paint the and retain, even though Corel Painter has a number of
layer showing where the three-dimensional bug models layouts in charcoal and watercolour and typically paint in other tools that would work just as well in this role. I have
and exhibit cases that would fit in front of the image. By monochromes. I was trained in traditional oil techniques, a little more information on this monochrome-and-glazes
doing this, I could make sure no focal features of the mural and a monochrome base image is a technique that I like technique and another project example on my web site.

Tight layouts = fewer problems Courtesy of Audubon Institute/copyright by Karen Carr

Looking ahead somewhat, you can see from the final view In a mural that is 100-feet long, you always have to it was absolutely essential that they managed to fit within
of this wall that the layout and the architectural view figure that there will be some slight changes and other the overall context of a building that has been standing for
served to ‘lock in’ much of the image. spur-of-the-moment creative insights… but in this project two centuries.

Spreading the paint Splitting the work up into sections

Once the layouts are approved, it’s time Courtesy of Audubon Institute/copyright by Karen Carr

to paint (and paint and paint). There’s no

way to work on a mural this large as just
one enormous digital �ile, but that never
seemed like an unrealistic limitation to
me. It is not possible to work traditionally
all at once along a 100-foot mural. I
work digitally the same way I would
traditionally, breaking my layout into
sections and work on them individually,
just as if I was standing in front of a
portion of the wall. The section of the
building shown here has a faux column.
This is shown on this image in yellow as a
Using the plans as a detailed guide, Karen started the long
reminder to the client and me. process of building up the beautiful paintings

60

058-063_OPM_03-karen.indd 60 4/4/07 17:36:27

 Courtesy
of Audubo Courtesy of Audubon Institute/copyright by Karen Carr
n Institu
te/copyr
ight by Karen Ca
rr

Courtesy of Audubon Institute/copyright by Karen Carr

Bugs
Clients love Corel

Tutorial
Painter illustrations.
My clients quickly
learn the bene�its of
digital illustration:
they use sections
of the images
on promotional

Natural history art

materials, websites, and
products – even on their �leet of vans. So
that the Audubon could get the most use out of the murals,
and because each insect, plant and animal had to be vetted
When working on a large commercial project,
by Audubon curators, we created the animals separately on separate layers offer most flexibility
layers. As each animal or other component was approved,
we integrated it into the overall image, balancing colour and
value. Then we cut out these �inal ‘balanced’ critters and
saved them individually for the Audubon.

Delivering a mural
Courtesy of Audubon Institute/copyright by Karen Carr

I am lucky to work with a variety of great production houses and

designers. When I am done with a project, I hand the files over to my
client’s production house along with proof prints from my 60-inch
Roland HiFi printer. Given the size of my murals, a large-format proof
gives the client and production house something they can see and
match colour to.
In the case of the Audubon mural series, these files represented
something like three years of work, so having a good relationship
with the folks who bring your work to life is important. Like you, their
interest is in putting the best possible image onto the wall.
My clients and their designers are the ones who specify the type of
output they want. Sometimes they choose a rigid substrate of plastic
or glass, sometimes a paper or fabric. Occasionally these substrates
may have a ‘whiteness’ that is not pure white – or, in the case of glass,
have no colour at all. In these instances, it is important to work with
your client and production house to balance the images to the white
point of the substrate.
Often the final stage of a project is the installation… and frequently
the output of my work is installed as large wallpaper-like adhesive
sheets. It’s quite thrilling to see folks operating 20 feet or more above The Audubon Insectarium made full use of Karen’s images in extra promotional ideas, such as rolling out a fleet of ‘Insect
ground installing my work, and I much prefer the ground-based view! Express’ vans covered with parts of the mural

Take your first

steps onto
becoming a
natural history
artist by
turning over
for a guide to
making bugs!

Courtesy of Audubon Institute/copyright by Karen Carr

61

058-063_OPM_03-karen.indd 61 4/4/07 17:37:07

 Tutorial Natural history art

Making bugs with Corel Painter

Corel Painter provides great tools for natural history illustration. Here’s how I work

really love Corel Painter and its tools, but I feel my

particular choice of Corel Painter tools is in�luenced
by my training in traditional media. You may like other
tools, and there may well be more than one way to draw a
bug! For this mural series, I used Digital Watercolor, Wet
Eraser in Digital Watercolor, Charcoal, Grainy Blender
30, Photo Blur, Photo Dodge and Soft Eraser. My primary
textures were Caviar, Synthetic Medium Fine, Random
Spottiness and Basketball.
Have your paper texture and Layers palettes handy as
you work. I keep mine on my desktop on the smaller of my
two monitors. Be ready to use the commands Select>Load
Selection, Select>Save Selection and Layer>Dry Digital
Watercolor. And save save save as often as you can! I save
frequently as I work and I am pretty religious about saving
01 The starting sketch Grab a Charcoal
pencil and make your preliminary layout.
I work on a non-white layer, even in the early
02 The mother load Hide your selection
and go to the base paper layer. Leave
your sketch overlay as a top layer, but lock it. Go to
incremental versions with �ilenames like Bug1.psd, Bug monochrome stages, as it makes it easier for me Select>Hide Selection. Use Corel Painter’s Digital
2.psd, and so on. And, yes, I tend to save as PSDs as my to see and inadvertent white pixels as a select Watercolor to put in a general ‘mother colour’
primary working format. and copy. Make your selection around your bug. and use Wet Eraser at 27% Opacity to pick out
Reverse the selection and save the selection as highlights. Dry the Digital Watercolor by going to
‘bug’ using Select>Save selection. Layers>Dry Digital Watercolor.

04 Touchy
feely
Time for texture and
highlights. Here I used
a light blue Charcoal
and the Caviar paper
texture which I
reversed on the Papers
palette. Use the Papers
palette to adjust the
size and contrast of the
paper texture. Begin
adding highlights that

03 Finish the underpainting Use Watercolor and add an overall

dark layer. Then pick out lighter areas again with a Wet Eraser.
Now you have a bug modelled with light and dark. I find this monochrome
define edges. Do this
on a layer over the
base image, so you
Controlling underpainting is a good time to consider and resolve issues of lighting on an can erase anything you
Digital image or image component. don’t want.

Watercolor
Corel Painter’s
Digital Watercolor
is a fabulous tool,
but one with some
characteristics of
which you should
be aware. Digital
Watercolor sometimes
leaves hard edges or
digital artifacts in
an image. Watch for
these, using zoom to
look closely before
signing off on any job
as ‘complete’. You
07 Balance it out As you add colour
you’ll notice that it will dull the
highlights. Bring the highlights back using the
can use the Course
Blender 30 to obscure
the hard edge and
05 More tonal work Next I’ll typically
add more extensive definition, adding
the darkest darks and brightest highlights with 06 Hue time Now let’s add colour! Use
Watercolor at 20% Opacity. Pick a nice
same tools and techniques, adding in some blue
and a warm pale yellow. Again, do this on a layer.
Drop the layer when you are happy with it. Add a
then use the Photo Charcoal, using Caviar reversed texture. Now orange/red for the top and a pale green on the very pale maroon wash in Digital Watercolor and
blur over that to drop the layer created in step four and turn off the lower half. A bit of complementary colour will add a little orange to brighten him up. Use Wet
remove the texture of sketch. Using your Charcoal, add more definition make the main colour more interesting. Then dry Eraser to lift the maroon off the blue reflected light
the blender. to the darkest dark. the Digital Watercolor. and brightest highlights, then dry.

62

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 How I set up

Tutorial
Corel Painter
I like to make my
base paper synthetic
fine, but I have a
range of papers from
different libraries in a
custom paper palette.

Natural history art

I like the way Corel
Painter’s Charcoal
uses the textures. I
use a lot of textures

09 Crisp lines Let’s clean him up a and keep most of the

libraries available on
bit. Select the bug, cut him out and
my desktop.
paste him on a layer. Make your base paper a I use a lot of

08 Adding texture Next, I’m going to

add a tiny bit of basketball texture in
palest green (again using the complementary
little darker to spot any wayward pixels along
his edge. I use a soft-edged Eraser and a small
Airbrush loaded with my darkest colour. Go
10 Fuzzy time Now for the fuzzy bits.
Choose the Random Spottiness paper
texture. Your bug is on your base paper and you
Digital Watercolor,
Salt and Wet Eraser.
I love these effects
colour to add sparkle to the overall red). Just use to Effects>Tonal Control>Brightness/Contrast should turn off any selections using Select>None. in traditional media
enough of the texture to add a sense of detail. and pump the contrast just a bit. When you’re Set your Charcoal to 49% Opacity and 18% Grain, and Corel Painter
I then reverse the texture and use the Papers done, go to your Layers palette and use the little and set the paper texture at the highest contrast does a really great job
palette to increase the contrast. I use Charcoal on arrow at the top right to Drop and Select. Go to and the largest scale, add spots where you want of synthesising the
a layer, so I can erase what I don’t want, and then Select>Save Selection and choose ‘bug’ from the furry fuzz. Do this on a separate layer, so you can techniques.
drop the layer. drop-down menu. feel relaxed as you experiment. I like to create
my own image hose
libraries and use
those for grasslands,
leaf litter and trees.
I collect skies here
in New Mexico with

12 Furry
texture
Remaining on the
a digital camera and
use them as a base
for many paintings. I
think Corel Painter’s
layer, repeat this step cloner is far superior
in various light colours to Photoshop and use
until you build up the it a good bit when
density of fuzz you compositing elements
want. Erase any areas into an image.
that extend where
they shouldn’t. Use a
low-opacity Eraser to

11 Spots begone This is important. Select

the Synthetic Fine Paper texture again.
Get your Grainy Blender 30 from your paint tools
take out the areas that
would be in deepest
shadow under the
and set it at 29% Pull and 30% Opacity. Working carapace. Don’t worry
on the layer created in step 10, gently and lightly if you have some dots
stroke the spots out. showing in your fuzz.

13 Bring together
Drop and select
this layer and save it with
the name ‘fuzz’. Add it
to your bug selection:
Select>Load Selection,
choose ‘bug’, toggle add
to selection and hit OK.
You can now add some
warm watercolour and
some brighter colour spots
to make your fuzz denser
and warmer. Dry your
Watercolor. Use Edit>Cut
and Edit>Paste to put your
finished bug on a layer!
14 Anchor the object I’m going to put him back on the base layer
and use Digital Watercolor to add a shadow. I will Drop and Select,
then invert the selection (so you are not painting on your bug). Use some
Make the background warm greys in Digital Watercolor with Synthetic Fine Paper. Erase the edges
slightly darker so you can until you get the right shape for the shadow with a soft edge. Careful use of
pick up any pixels at the the Photo Blur tool – set to a small diameter and used along the edge of the
edge that you don’t want. bug – and a tiny airbrush will take care of the pixilation from the selection.

63

058-063_OPM_03-karen.indd 63 4/4/07 17:37:59

 Primer Artists

BRUSH CATEGORY
Artists
BRUSH SIZE
The Seurat brush works best at a small
brush size, as this will allow you to get his
distinctive soft look and still retain some
level of detail. In this image here, we used a
brush size of 2.2. If you are working on an
Get a taste for how the masters worked by abstract image though, a bigger brush size
will give you a large stroke of coloured dots.
loading up the Artists brushes
t would be nice to live like one of
the old masters – sitting in a studio
surrounded by canvases and paints,
busily working on the next piece of
art that will hopefully be the one to break
into the big time. Although Corel Painter
obviously can’t whisk you back in time, it
can give you the tools to get an idea of how
some of the most famous painters worked.
The Artists brush category holds some
exciting variants that help you get a feel
for how the master applied their brush SEEING DOTS
strokes. Ever wanted to paint like Vincent The Seurat brush variant
Van Gogh? Simply load up the Van Gogh applies multiple dots
to make up each brush
variant and apply your paint. Each stroke
stroke. These dots actually
will be multi-shaded, giving you the look vary in colour, so you are
of the master without having to train left with a textured image
for years to perfect your craft. Maybe rather than a flat one.
you want the oily, lush feel of a Sargent
painting. Pick the Sargent variant and
then paint away!
For a real time-saver, pick the Seurat
brush. With this, each brush stroke
will be made up of tiny dots to give
the overall image. You can get some
wonderful effects with this variant,

PRIMER
from very loose, abstract �inishes to
much tighter and de�ined paintings.
All of the brushes have attributes
that can be tweaked, some in the
Color Variability settings and others
just with how you apply them. We’ll
look at all the variant options below and
see how you can control them to produce
masterpieces of your own.

Starry starry night Impressionist variants

Paint your palette blue and grey
You have two Van Gogh options
in the Artists brushes. The
first – Auto Van Gogh – applies
Van Gogh-like strokes to a
clone image. Either brush
directly onto a clone or go
to Effects>Esoterica>Auto
Van Gogh for it to be done
automatically. You also have
the more straightforward Van
Gogh option. With this you get a
traditional-looking brush stroke.
Make a good impression
For beautifully soft brush strokes, the
Impressionist variant is hard to beat. With
this selected, you can apply a series of short
dabs in the direction of the mouse, all of
which have a lovely textured feel. Drag quickly
to get a more spaced effect, or really work
the strokes to get a tighter coverage. This
variant is very effective when used on sky or
landscapes, and is more suited to painting
larger objects. Because the strokes are made
up of many dabs, it is harder to achieve
defined lines.

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CONTROL OPACITY
The strokes in this area were applied
with a lighter opacity. Any strokes
tend to be on the dark side, so you
may have to play with the Opacity
slider to get a realistic Seurat look.
MEET THE ARTISTS
It isn’t the largest brush
collection in the program,
but the Artist set offers
Corel Painter users an
interesting collection of
effects and options.
THE VARIABLES
Use the Color Variability to
control how random and
bright the colour of each
Seurat dot is. By increasing
the sliders, you can enjoy
weird spikes of colour in
each brush stroke.
Flat and textured
For confident strokes
The Sargent variant is exceptional for
laying down background strokes, but it
can take some getting used to. You’re
presented with a flat brush, which gives
a heavy texture as if the brush is being
dragged through thick paint. At the ends
of the strokes you get a bumpy effect,
which leads into a straight brush stroke.
If you set a very small brush size, it looks
as though very dry paint has been applied
onto a very textured surface, creating a
thick and luxurious effect.
064-065_OPM03_brushes.indd 65
The Artists variants
Primer
The full choice
This brush category is an interesting one for achieving highly stylised
brush strokes. Not all of them are suitable for every type of painting
– it’s always good to match a variant with that artist’s preferred subject
matter – but they are definitely worth exploring. Here’s a visual guide
Artists
to what they all look like.
Impressionist Tubism
Sargent Brush Van Gogh
Seurat
Create lush landscapes with ease
Although it is great to experiment with for the canvas to show through, make
all of the Artists brushes and get a feel larger strokes. To cover the canvas with
for how they work, we reckon the most a blanket of dabs, make small strokes
useful one is the Impressionist option. that overlap.
The small dabs generated by each The Impressionist brush is excellent
brush stroke are really easy to control. for giving landscape scenes a soft and
For a looser style that leaves area blank textured feel, so try it today!
Tubular bells
The strange and alluring Tubism variant
The Tubism variant gives you a couple of
different effects, depending on how you
move the cursor. Straight down gives you
a bar of gradient, with the main colour at
either edges, slowly fading to white in the
middle. Moving the cursor in a circular
motion and overlapping strokes creates
a wispy effect, with colours overlapping
to become darker areas and other parts
remaining light and transparent. This is
quite a tricky variant to use, but might
work well with large areas of solid colour.
65
4/4/07 11:35:32
 Drawing 101 Light and shade

Understand
Light and shade
Discover some of the fundamental rules for applying light and shade in your images

LIT FROM…

TOP ABOVE SIDE LEFT BACK BOTTOM

BOTTOM RIGHT FRONT SIDE, BACK LEFT SIDE

Practice your
shading skills
Take the guesswork out of
highlights and shadows
It can be tricky trying to imagine how PHOTO
a light source should fall and what the
subsequent shadows will be, so load
STUDIES
up the photo references on this issue’s
disc. These are perfect for anyone keen
ON THE
to improve their drawing skills and
master this important technique.
CD!

66

066-073-OPM03_Drawing.indd 66 4/4/07 16:43:51


ighting is one of the most
important concepts when it
comes to creating art, and it
pays to have a rough grasp on
the various aspects involved in it. These
cover a wide range of effects, from the
basic principles of using highlights and
shadows to de�ine a form right through
to incorporating the theories of colour
temperature into landscape art.
When it comes to talking about light,
it’s impossible to not also venture into
shade. By getting the correct relationship
between the two, you will achieve
in�initely better images. You can use light
and shadow as a way of de�ining form, but
you can also use it to de�ine other factors
such as time of day and even texture.
The journey through light and shade also
takes tonal values into consideration.
By deciding how extreme the difference
between highlights, midtones and
shadows are, you can help manipulate the
mood of an image.
“The strong contrast between light and dark is
a great way of achieving dramatic effects”
This contrast between light and
shade is fundamental to the chiaroscuro
technique. We looked at producing a
charcoal chiaroscuro effect in issue one,
and it has been used to suggest form since
about the 16th Century. Chiaroscuro
is used by many artists to boost their
artworks. The strong contrast between
light and dark is a great way of achieving
dramatic effects, and is especially
effective when it comes to portraits.
Over the next few pages, we’re going
to look at some of the ways that light
and shadow can be used to improve
This photo taken at dawn would make an excellent reference for a painting. Notice how there’s a clear, blue
atmosphere, and the mixture of natural and artificial light gives a soft feeling
066-073-OPM03_Drawing.indd 67
When an image is bereft of colour or
strong contact, the light setup can be
used to add interest and form
Drawing 101
Light and shade
your artwork. We’re going to start by
looking at how an image can be broken
down into light source, shadow and cast
shadow, which is an essential concept
to grasp when it comes to drawing any
object. From here we will move onto
using contrast in your images, and show
what a difference a high contrast and low
contrast effect has on the same scene.
A logical progression from contrast is
to look at how tonal values can be used
in artwork and how the relationship
between highlights, midtones and
shadows work inside an image.
In addition to conveying a mood, light
and shade can be used to give qualities to The lighting in this
objects, such as texture. By showing light portrait helps define
behaving in a certain way, you can easily the woman’s cheekbone
and emphasises the
give the impression of a certain texture. mood in her face
Another important part of working
with light, especially when it comes to
landscape painting, is understanding how
the quality of light changes according
to the time of day. We’ll look at how the
colour of light changes in addition to how
shadows work.
Thinking about light and shade is one
way of making sure that your images look
the very best they can. By keeping your
light source and shadows in check, you
can play with mood and drama, as well as
enjoying more realistic results.
67
4/4/07 16:13:06
 LIGHT SOURCE
Drawing 101 Light and shade

Light source
Decide on a source and stick to it
he starting point when it comes
to working with light and shade is
deciding upon a light source. The
light source affects everything else in an
image, so once you have chosen this, you
can then work out the rest of the image
and lay in the shadows.
When you have decided upon a light
source, work backwards and lightly apply
the tone of the drawing. This example
here started as a rough line drawing of a
group of objects. Once it was decided to
put the light at an extreme angle behind
the objects, it was possible to mark in
where the highlights were (the areas that
the light source hit) in addition to the
areas where no light would hit.
Light source can also play a major
part in deciding upon the mood of
a piece. Our series of images at the
beginning of this guide shows how
different light sources affect how the
same scene works. A diffuse or even
light will give a soft impression, while
a more dramatic light source, such as
underneath an object or to the side,
will give a higher contrast between
light and shadow, and therefore
more drama. Always think about
mood when picking a light source.

Shadows
Picking out the pits and troughs
nce you have decided on a
light source and its position, you
can then pick out the shadows.
These are the parts of an object that
aren’t touched by the light source, and
tend to be opposite the light source. The
shadows are the darkest part of the image
and are often the most interesting parts.
It is generally the shadows that pick
out textures of an object and also bring
attention to the shapes and helps de�ine
the object.
In our example here, the shadows are
quite extreme due to the strong light
source, and their presence helps the
viewer make out the curves and dips of
the objects being sketched.
Shadows also give drama to an
image, whether it is moody atmosphere
in a portrait image or dark areas of a
landscape. It is extremely important to
get the shadows looking right, especially
if you want an image full of depth with the
feel of a 3D object.

Cast shadows
Moving outside of the object
n addition to the shadows on an
object, you also have to consider the
cast shadow. Cast shadows refer to the
shadow created by the physical presence
of an object. Cast shadows do a number of
things. For starters, they emphasise the
light source by telling the viewer where
the light is coming from. They also help
show how strong the light source is. A
weak light source will give a softer cast
shadow, while a strong light will give a
darker and more de�ined shadow. The
cast shadow is opposite a light source,
but it is affected by the surface it is falling
on. A smooth surface will give a smooth
shadow, while a rough surface will give
a rough and bumpy shadow, so they are
also excellent for suggesting the texture
of surfaces.
In our example here, the cast shadow is
long and extreme, which tells us that the
light source is quite low and strong. It also
shows that the surface is smooth, as there
isn’t much distortion.
Of course, the most important reason
for having a cast shadow is to anchor
an object to a surface. Without a cast
shadow your object will look as though it
is �loating in space, so make sure you give
your objects cast shadows. Just remember
to make sure the cast shadows are all in
the same direction!

68

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 Contrast, soft and hard light

Drawing 101
Use light and shadow to evoke a mood
High contrast
high contrast image is one
with very dark darks and
very bright lights. High

Light and shade

contrast images tend to have the
most impact, as they give plenty for
the eye to look at.
High contrast images occur when
the light is hard. Think about a very
bright summer’s day. Light objects
will be emphasised because the light
will shine off them, which makes the
shadows darker.
In Corel Painter, you can alter
the contrast using the Brightness/
Contrast slider in the Tonal Controls
Effects menu. Move the slider to the
right to boost the whites and darks,
making for a high contrast image.

EVEN KEEL
The even tone of
this low contrast LIGHT AND DARK
image is very The strong distinction
calming on the eye, between the highlights
but is lacking in the and shadows in this
drama category. image make it more
visually arresting than its
low contrast sibling.

Low contrast
ow contrast images, on the other
hand, have a more even tone, so the
difference between light and dark
isn’t so pronounced. The shading is very
close together, so there isn’t any great
jump in tone. This type of lighting is also
called ambient light.
Soft light presents a low contrast image.
Think of a cloudy day. All the colours are
washed out, giving an overall grey look to
the scene. Edges aren’t so de�ined in low
PICK YOUR MOOD contrast images, and there’s an overall
These two variants
on the same scene feeling of softness. Unfortunately this
perfectly demonstrate softness can also translate into �latness,
the difference between so for a more three-dimensional images
low and high contrast you need a full range of tones.
images. Both work, but By moving Corel Painter’s Brightness/
for different reasons. Contrast slider to the left you can
reduce the contrast in an image. This is
particularly good if you need to even out
the tone to set up a low contrast effect
before you start painting.

69

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 Drawing 101 Light and shade
Tone and values
Break an image down into sections
hen it comes to shading your
art, you need to venture into
the territory of tone and tonal
values. Tone simply refers to how light
or dark an area is. Tonal value refers to
the gradation of a tone from white to
black. A lot of different factors affect how
tone works in an image, such as what
the contrast is and the quality of light
(whether it is diffused, direct and so on).
You could send yourself mad trying
to paint every single tonal value in an
object, so you need to train your eye to
simplify an image and pick out the tonal
values. You can have any number you
“To see how an image is made up of tonal
values, look at an object and half close your eyes”
want, although three is the minimum
for a decent level of realism, as this will
give you the highlights, midtones and
shadows.
To see how an image is made up of tonal
values, look at an object and half close
your eyes. Pick out the darkest areas, then
the lightest and �inally add the middle
tones. Roughly block them in and then
smooth the edges.
Capturing these tones is known as
shading or adding value. It helps give
Simplify an image
in Corel Painter
Let the program do the hard
work for you
If you find it difficult to see how a photo should
be simplified into its tonal values, you can use
Corel Painter to do the job for you. Here’s how
to set it up…
70
066-073-OPM03_Drawing.indd 70
Use tone in your work
Shade and define form
Before you start drawing or painting anything, you need to decide on how
many tones you want and how simple you want these to be. For example,
volume to an object and makes it seem
in this image we have a small range of tonal values, but because they
like a 3D form. encompass very dark through to very light, the effect is realistic and
When it comes to adding tones to a interesting. Before we applied the tonal values, we quickly simplified the
sketch, there are a variety of strokes object into its tonal areas.
you can use. In painting you just adjust
the saturation of a colour, using Corel
Painter’s Saturation triangle. For
drawings, hatching is a good method of
applying shading, and you can see the
types of brush strokes on page 53.
The best way to learn how to see tone
is by looking at objects and simplifying.
Start off by reducing the image into two
tones and then gradually increase. Try
not to go above nine, otherwise you risk
getting bogged down in needless detail.
As you can have high and low contrast
images, you can also have different tonal
images. A high tonal key uses tones found
towards the higher end of the scale. This
is best used in delicate images. A middle
tonal key image is very balanced, so is
good for giving a relaxed atmosphere.
A low tonal key image has very stark
whites and very dark blacks. This gives a
dramatic effect and makes objects pop off
the page.
01 02
GET RID OF COLOUR SET THE LEVELS
To get a good idea of the tonal values in an image, you first need to Now you have a monochrome image, go to
remove any colour. Load up your image in Corel Painter and then go to Effects>Tonal Control and pick Posterize. Enter a
Effects>Tonal Control>Adjust Color. Move the Saturation slider to the number in the Levels field. The higher this is, the higher
left and hit OK. the number of tones. Start low, say 3. Hit OK to apply.
4/4/07 16:18:04
 Drawing 101
Light and shade
Control your tone
03 Digital options
When it comes to managing the
tones in an image once it is loaded
into Corel Painter, the Effects
menu is the place to visit. In here
you will find the Tonal Controls set
of options, which as their name
suggests, allow you to alter the
tonal values of an image.
You can use these options for a
variety of uses. You may want to
prepare a photo reference before
you start painting, by altering its
tones to get the ones you want.
Alternatively, you might decide an
image needs more tonal interest,
in which case you can use the tools
here to carry out your edit.
The Correct Colors option is
particularly useful, because it
DECIDE ON DETAIL allows you to target different
tonal areas of an image, such as
Here we entered 5 as the number of levels, and have ended up
with a nice distribution of tone. This can now form the basis for contrast and individual colours,
a sketch and you know exactly where to put the different tones. and then use a curve system to By visiting the Tonal Control effects, you can tweak the tonal values of
apply very precise control. your sketch or painting

71

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 Drawing 101 Light and shade

Light and texture

Capture different textured surfaces
Smooth surface
hen light hits a smooth object,
it spreads out in an equal
manner. There will always be a
point of light – the highlight spot – but the
rest will disperse out into the shadows. In
our example of the egg, you can see how
the even distribution of light helps give
form to the shape and convey a smooth
surface. Although there is a de�inite light
source, it spreads out smoothly.
Shiny surface
s you have no doubt guessed,
shiny surfaces re�lect any light
that hits it. The areas of tone are
more de�ined on a shiny surface, and the
light source may even be re�lected in it.
Our example here shows how the light
and shadow areas are very de�ined. The
point where the light hits is a solid shape,
with sharp edges and equally proud
shadow areas.
Rough surface
ough surfaces absorb light and
create pockets of shadow. Light
is important in bringing out the
rough texture and the direction of the
light source will determine how much of
the texture is seen. In our fossil example
below, the shadow is the important tool in
de�ining the rough and bumpy surface of
the object, especially when it comes to the
sharp edges.

Capturing natural light

Bring realism to your work
nyone interested in landscape colour bandwidths are scattered in the
painting needs to understand Sun’s rays at sunrise and sunset, making
how natural light changes. A the light pass at an angle through the

city, for example, will have a duller light
than the country, because the pollution
muddies the light quality. Obviously
the weather affects light as well, since
it alters the amount of sunlight that can
get through. Time of day is one of the
most interesting factors affecting natural
light, though, and the ‘colour’ of light
changes throughout the day. Certain
atmosphere. This means that bluer tones
are reduced, which gives an orange glow.
However, if there are clouds, the sky light
is intensi�ied and this makes the colour
bluer. As the Sun rises, the light becomes
stronger and brighter, giving another
type of colour.
Here’s a quick look at how to capture
the light of different times of day.
Dawn
Up with the birds
You don’t have to get up at four in the morning to capture the dawn light
– just choose your colours wisely and you can capture the mood perfectly.
Dawn light is very cold and very blue, because the Sun hasn’t risen to
warm things up. This lack of sun also means that the light is very soft and
no shadows are cast. Colours tend to be muted and light quality is clearer
because there aren’t as many pollutants in the air.

72

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 Sunrise
Capture the clear drama

Drawing 101
As soon as the Sun appears, the blue colours of
dawn make way for the orangey and pink tones
of sunrise. Shadows will now appear, although
they will be long since the Sun is still quite low.
Because it is early in the day and the usual
pollutants haven’t had chance to build up, the
light is still clear and crisp. Sunrise offers the
artist a lovely range of tones to work with, and
provides calm scenes.

Light and shade

Noon/daylight
Light and bright
The light at high noon is very bright and harsh,
giving dominant highlights and very strong
shadows. Where dawn has a blue quality, the
midday light is white. Atmospheric pollutants
have had a time to build up so take this into
account, especially if you are painting a cityscape.
If you are painting people, the skin tones will be
more bleached out than at other times, and the
light source will be directly above. Obviously if
there are clouds, this will diffuse things slightly.

Sunset
The most dramatic of them all
The vibrant oranges and reds of a sunset whet
any artist’s appetite, so to make sure yours
are as good as they can be, take these tips into
consideration. Air pollution will have had time to
build up, so the quality of light isn’t as clear as it
is at sunrise. This means that you might have a
slight haze to objects, especially in city scenes.
The light is quite strong, so the cast shadows are
nice and dark. Because the Sun is lower in the
sky, shadows are long and dramatic. The light
is perfect for skin tone, as you can play with
sumptuous golden colours.

73

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 showcase

074-075_OPM_03_art spread.indd 74 4/4/07 15:05:55

 MICHAEL PAVLOVICH
TITLE Pirate Party
WEBSITE www.halfchunk.com
JOB TITLE Artist at Electronic Arts

For wild and raucous characters, Michael’s site is hard to beat. Whether
it’s pirates, creatures or real people, he brings his loose and expressive
style to every piece.

074-075_OPM_03_art spread.indd 75 4/4/07 15:06:30

afy ex
Your
Your experts
Stewart McKissick
Stewart is a long-time user
of Corel Painter and is a
big fan of the airbrush and
illustration potential offered
by the program. Here he
answers your questions on creating cartoons
and character design.
Jeff Johnson
Jeff is the man responsible for
our beautiful cover image and
has had many years experience
as an artist. He’s here to answer
your questions about how Corel
Painter can be used to help
improve your artwork.
What you’ll find in this section
Software Don’t get bogged
down in a Corel Painter black hole
– write to us and we’ll 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
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@imagine-
publishing.co.uk
76
076-81_OPM_03_artclass.indd 76
questions answered
Using colours
How do you make a custom colour
swatch in Corel Painter? I �ind I get
a bit carried away if I select on the
�ly, and often ruin my pictures.
R������ M���
Painters are in the colour business, so
one of the things I am always on the
lookout for is a particularly nice hue or
combination of colours. When I strike gold (or
ultramarine for that matter) it is a snap to create
a reference to utilise later. Via Window>Color
Palettes>Show Color Sets I open up the Color
Set palette. Then, via the pop-up menu, I can
easily create a new colour set (from one to
many colours) and name it in such a way as to
easily reference it. For example, by choosing
New Color Set from the Mixer pad, I can build a
set of choice colours, name it by choosing Save
Color Set, pick a name that makes sense to me,
and save the set to Corel Painter’s Color Sets
folder. I can name any single colour by simply
activating the Set Color Name dialog box.
What if I want to take all or some of the colours
from a painting or other source? My screen
saves show how easy this is. Here is a close-up of
a pile of rocks next to
Rolling stone
a rivulet. Notice how Do you have any tips for drawing
many facets or surface realistic rocks or stones? I don’t
planes there are. Also
want too much detail, but still want
01
take note of how a little
brush texture helps a good level of realism.
create an interesting T������ R�������
surface that suggests
the rough, faceted
surface of rocks.
It can be quite a test of your rendering
skills to make a convincing rock from
imagination. Most early attempts fail
to express how subtly shaped, coloured and
textured rocks really are. Rocks have been
weathered, often tumbled, squeezed, shot out
of a volcano and the like, so they end up with
interesting surfaces. Nature patiently removes
really protruding parts and adds pits and
cracks for local colour. You have to keep all of
02 that in mind while rendering from imagination,
or our predisposition for symmetry and order
will creep in and we will end up with a pile of
In the first screen shot uninteresting roundish grey pillows. Looking
I have created a large
and thorough colour
at a rock or a pile of them and then using that
as reference for drawing them is quite a bit
set by choosing New
Color Set From Image. easier, and is essential in training the memory
In the second screen
capture, I have taken
the Eyedropper tool and
for later recall. Drawing nature convincingly
means doing a bunch of studies, either
sampled some of the from references or up close and personal.
basic hues and values, Fortunately for you (and all of us), rocks cover
after which I selected the planet, and it should be a snap finding a
that area, copied it
onto another layer, and
couple and bringing them into the studio to
study. Just try that with dragons though… not
saved via New Color Set
From Layer. quite so easy.
4/4/07 15:32:26
 From photo to
character
I’m not great at drawing but
01 Choose your photo Here’s a snap of
03 03 Find the

Q&A
I want to create illustration a friend – it’s always good to try to have focal
characters of my friends. I was some strong and definite light on the subject to points Using
thinking of using a photo to trace help create clear and interesting shapes. Corel Painter’s
over, and wondered if there were any Quick Clone

Art Class
method to create
02
tips for ‘simplifying’ the photo and
making it more like an illustration. a tracing file,
we’ve created a
N���� W���
line sketch. The
Actually there are several ways you posterised photo
might do this. The secrets are in helps to make clear
Corel Painter’s Effects menu. Under what shapes are
Surface Control you’ll find Express Texture, important to keep
Distress, and Sketch, all of which can be and what may be
used to generalise shapes in a photo. left out. You can
The way we’ve chosen here is under use any brushes
Tonal Control>Posterize Using Color Set. and style you like at
This effect breaks the photo into shapes this point.
based on the number of colours you have
in the current open Color Set.

01

02 Converting to black and white

We’ve made our colour set with just a
few shades of grey plus black and white in order
to make the result high contrast and simple. Go to
Effects>Tonal Control>Posterize Using Color Set.

Stay in the lines

I’d like to keep the black outlines
on my drawings. Is there a way for
me to draw the outlines and then
colour in without worrying about losing
all the strong de�ining lines?
A��� G�����

Luckily for you Alan, there are actually

several different ways to do this in
Corel Painter. Let’s have look at the
easiest here.
The first and simplest approach is to use one
of the brushes in Corel Painter that puts down
colour transparently. Digital Watercolor will not
g
cover your lines and works right on the Canvas Stay inside lines by choosin
layer. It stays ‘wet’ until you go to the Layers your brushes carefully
and employing the
menu and ‘dry’ it, allowing for lots of control Composite Methods
and glazing of colour over your drawing. The
black lines will show right through.
Using a layer is another easy technique.
Corel Painter’s Watercolor brushes are

77

076-81_OPM_03_artclass.indd 77 4/4/07 15:33:21

 Q&A Art Class

a different category than the one we’ve
mentioned – they are also transparent but
automatically create their own special layer to
work on. They have advanced effects that even
more realistically mimic the real media.
However, you can use just about any brush
in Corel Painter if you make a new layer yourself
in the Layers palette and then set its Composite
Method to Gel – this makes the whole layer
transparent and your black lines will show
through it.
We’ve used both techniques here in our
Stonehenge sketch – a pen drawing from our
sketchbook was scanned in and then painted
with both categories of Watercolor brushes.
On a Gel layer additional details were added
using Chalk brushes.
like your character’s mouths to look somewhat
more real?
Paying a bit of attention to real space and
anatomy can help. Here we’ve drawn six
mouths. In the first, everything is very flat and
graphic, with all the lines square to one another
– this results in a very stylised look. In each of
the subsequent ones we’ve started drawing
them with more variety of sizes – this lessens
the ‘row of bricks’ effect.
In the last two we’ve kept in mind anatomy
– teeth are set in a hole in the head, and grow
out of gums. They vanish in perspective as
they go back. And we’ve also shaded them in
to show that varying their colour and adding
shadow and some detail can help make them
less false.

Mouthing off Barking mad

I’m having trouble drawing cartoon
mouths. The teeth either look like
a row of bricks or just really false.
Have you any advice?
B���� B�������
I’m struggling with achieving
correct texture for trees. Any
advice? I don’t mind what type of
tree, just one that looks suitably gnarled!
S���� R�����

Of course cartoons may look just Understanding the way detail

about any way you wish them to
– that’s why we enjoy drawing them
so much! But your question sounds as if you’d
diminishes over distance is a subject
unto itself, so I will concentrate on
This hasty rendering
is a decent example
of the kind of natural
variation I am talking
about. Gesture is actually
improved by a jittery
hand. I modelled the tree
with an upper-right light
source in mind and used
the Grainy Dry Brush
from the Artists’ Oils set
to about 40% Opacity for
the most part.
trees no more than several paces away. The
bark of different kinds of trees varies greatly,
but there are some general rules of thumb.
Follow a single ridge of bark along its traverse
up a tree. The first thing you notice is it follows
every contour. Because it has an edge, you can
easily render those contours convincingly if
you can handle that edge (think topographical
map here). The tricky part lies in just how
complex that edge is. There is a good deal of
variation in width and depth along a ridge of
bark (depending on the type of tree), and few
smooth transitions. Using the right brushes
pays dividends – one with fairly sharp edges
naturally leaves an edge where the stroke
stops and starts, so you can quickly learn to
manipulate those qualities towards speedy
rendering of those ridges that as a whole make
up the skin of a tree.

There are many
different ways to create
mouths and teeth and
the difference a few
touches can make is
clear for all to see
In on the action
I want to give a feeling of speed
and movement in my drawings but
I’m having a little dif�iculty. What’s
the best way?
R�� N����
Speed and movement are essential
in drawings, especially cartoony
ones because it makes it clear to the

78

076-81_OPM_03_artclass.indd 78 4/4/07 15:34:25

 A good base
Can you tell me what
the best paper texture

Q&A
to use for realistic oil
paintings is?
O����� M����

The texture I use to
emulate canvas is
Corel Painter’s default
Artists Canvas. The trick is in
how to get the kind of effects
associated with oil on canvas.
In general, choose brushes
with a Grain slider, and
experiment applying colour
with them.
In traditional oil painting,
varying the thickness of paint
gives control over how much
of the tooth of the canvas
is left visible. The same
should hold true for digital
emulation of oil painting,
and it does, but once the tooth
of the digital canvas texture is
covered up, it is very hard to get
it back. However, I have a nice
technique that helps managing
this issue and lends itself to
some very nice results.
Art Class
02 A reduced-opacity layer Now I copied that textured clone
onto the painting as a separate layer via Select>All, Edit>Copy, then
Edit>Paste. I then reduced the Opacity of that layer to about 60%. It already
looks better.
03 New layer Now,
with the original
clone set as the clone source
via File>Clone Source, I started
making directional strokes
with various sizes of the Oil
Brush cloner, located in the
Cloners tool set, concentrating
on following the contours
of forms as if I were painting
01 Apply a texture First I made a clone of
an existing painting. Via Effects>Surface
Control>Apply Surface Texture, I chose Paper (which
them again. I focused chiefly
on creating areas of thick and
thin paint in appropriate places,
was set to Artists Canvas) and applied it to my image. and appreciated being able to
Note that none of the tooth of the texture is covered separate these considerations
up, making the effect a bit forced and unappealing from the actual formal process
at this stage. of making the image.

viewer what’s going on. A classic method

for imparting a sense of movement is to use Just a few lines can help give the
motion lines. These lines indicate a path that impression of movement
the subject has followed and make reference
to the blurring the eye perceives when
something moves very fast.
In our cartoon of a girl throwing a baseball,
we’ve drawn the traditional versions, but we
have also used a couple of features available in
Corel Painter to add to the effect.
Before colouring in the line drawing, we
selected the Photo Brushes category and
used the Blur and Diffuse Blur variants on the
ends of the motion lines to soften them up
just a little.
We then used the Lasso tool to select just
her throwing arm. We copied it and pasted
it on its own layer – twice. Using the Free
Transform command from the Effects menu
we rotated the copies and placed them in
the arc the arm has travelled while making
the throwing motion. We made each layer
transparent using the Gel Composite Method
in the Layers palette.
We blurred these entirely and lowered
the opacity of the layers to ‘ghost’ them
back. Lastly we painted the drawing on one
final layer. The Digital Airbrush created soft
colour trails along the motion lines to enhance
the action. The final image is one that clearly
suggests the movement of the arm and the
ball, essentially bringing the piece to life.

79

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 Q&A Art Class

Composing portraits into thirds vertically and horizontally. According to

I’ve recently got into Corel Painter and
wondered if there’s a ‘killer’ composition
to use when painting portraits?
S�� F������
There are a couple of nice options that work
very well, including the rule of thirds. It’s
a classical method of dividing the canvas
compositional theory, the four points the intersection
of these lines create are the best places to put points
of interest. The point in the upper-right corner is
understood to be the best place to put the focus
of a painting, and we’ll call it point number 1. In
portraiture, the other upper point would be a close
second, so we’ll call it point 2.
Two schools of thought have evolved on how
to take advantage of this scheme in portraiture.
Both involve bringing the eyes up to the two-thirds
line. You then decide which eye is the primary focal
point. In the first scheme this eye is placed on point
1, with a balancing second point of interest placed
diagonally opposite on what we’ll call point 3. In
the second scheme the eye is placed near the centre
of the canvas, between points 1 and 2. Let’s take a
composition that is almost a portrait, do a little digital
reworking and by applying the rule of thirds in these
two ways, see if we can create a killer portrait.

01 Is this a portrait? I would classify this

work of mine as something other than a
portrait. The composition here puts the surroundings
on nearly the same level of importance as the sitter.
If I were to compose a portrait, it would be more like
the others shown here.
02 Composition 1 Here I’ve moved closer
to my subject and lowered the eyes to the
two-thirds mark. I have oriented the eye I want as the
focus onto the number 1 point. For balance, I have
oriented the figure so that the cup and hand are on
the diagonal opposite point (number 3).
03 Composition 2 Here I keep the eyes on
the same line, but shift the focal point to
near-centre. Do a little research and you’ll be amazed
how many portraits follow this motif. Notice how
zooming in has given the figure more of an impact. If
there is a killer portrait composition, this is probably it.

Shift from saturated, darker

From a distance
I want to paint a thick forest
background. What’s the best way to
give the impression of lots of trees in
the distance?
W������ G������
There are three major considerations
at hand when drawing trees in the
background. One is the basic shape
of the trees, repeated faithfully with good
drawing practice. Another is colour change
over distance, and the third is perspective.
Perspective in trees you say? Oh yes, try to
avoid it and you will create an illogical pictorial
space that will interfere with the mind’s green in the foreground
towards lighter, less saturated
desire to suspend reality and walk into that
forest. Trees diminish in size over distance blues and violets in the distance
according to the same rules as everything else,
and determining the scale of trees at various
distances is going to really make a difference.
Trees also change colour, lightness and
saturation over distance, becoming more blue,
lighter and less saturated, owing to the nature
of our atmosphere and light together.
Finally, similar trees tend to grow together,
so most of the trees in your forest will have a
similar shape. That shape must be repeated
throughout the field of trees at appropriate
intervals, with natural variation to help add
another sense of realism.

80

076-81_OPM_03_artclass.indd 80 4/4/07 15:41:10

 02
In the background
Should I pick a 01 02 Now to
separate
Notice how moving
contrasting background even slightly towards

Q&A
colour or one in a complimentary colours
similar hue? has created a marked
A���� E����� separation between
the subject and her

Art Class
Remember the colour background. In this
wheel? Two colours instance, I am moving
directly opposite one the background towards
another on the colour wheel are purple and the skin
contrasting, or complimentary, towards green.
colours. When they are placed
next to one another, the effect
is a dance between them that

03
makes each seem richer than
when seen alone. When a subject
and a background are painted
using complimentary colours, the
effect is one of separation. That
is to say that a subject painted
with a colour compliment to its
background will jump out of its
surroundings. This makes the job
03 All-out
contrast
colour
The
values are precisely the same
of creating realistic space easier
than by just altering the value and
hue intensity.
01 Same hues Formally speaking, she blends
into her surroundings, doesn’t she? This would
be a nicely effective ploy if she had something really
as in our first example, but
with the use of complimentary
hues there is a sharp
If creating such a separation scary in her (cropped) hand, or maybe something cute separation between the figure
is counter to your intent, you and cuddly, and I wanted to make it the subject. I would and her surroundings. If I
can and should use background simply put a little blue in it and it would be the first wanted the witch front and
colours of the same hue as thing the eye went to. Then we would notice who was centre in my design, this is
the subject. Lets look at three holding the goody, for nice narrative effect. how I might go about it.
different treatments of an image
to get a sense of the possibilities.

Field sports
What’s a quick way of painting
a �ield? I would like for it to be
interesting, but don’t want to be sat
there for hours painting every single blade
of grass!
L���� F�����

The short answer is selective detail

mixed with texture applied with
variation. Firstly, there are likely to
be a few places in the painting where the
field has some edges . Maybe there is a tree
or a fence post or a pile of rocks. Maybe the
field has some hills or a cliff. Maybe a shadow
from a bird serves to highlight a few blades
or a small area. These are excellent places to
spend a little time on, as the eye is drawn to
the intersection of objects, values and planes
(aka edges) naturally, and you therefore have
a captive audience for some well-rendered
blades of long grass or a nicely defined edge of
some sort.
Secondly, the vast area between the edges
needs to represent the kinds of variation you
expect from experience. There will be tufts
Here’s a small portion of a field that demonstrates what I mean. There are four edged areas, namely the small outcropping of foreground grass,
scattered randomly, with some variation in the two shadows under the deer, and the shoulder of the hill. I have spent the most of my detail allowance there. For the open areas, I like to paint
height and length. dabs of value variations throughout the field and pull the blades of grass across areas of different value rather than simply painting them in.

81

076-81_OPM_03_artclass.indd 81 4/4/07 15:41:53

 Using the
products
We scanned in a texture
on the Epson V350
Photo and ovelaid it
on
a photo taken with
the
Samsung GX-10

Use this section to discover what

creative products can boost your use
of Corel Painter, learn about the best
artistic books and discover ideas for
displaying your artwork

The creative products on test this issue…

SAMSUNG GX-10
When you need that bit more
control over your shots and
demand quality results, we
reckon this Samsung model is a
force to be reckoned with!
EPSON V350 PHOTO
SCANNER
A scanner is a fantastic creative
tool, so we were delighted to
find this affordable and reliable
model. Read our full review
BOOK REVIEWS
Start to explore traditional art
books and see how they can
help improve your work. You’d
be amazed at what tips and
techniques you pick up
Reviews
OUTPUT
This is our regular look at
companies or products for
printing out your work. This
issue we look at the inkjet papers
available from Breathing Color

83

083_OPM03_reviews.indd 83 4/4/07 09:34:56

 Reviews Samsung GX-10
Samsung GX-10
£599 | A great value camera for taking exceptional source shots
f anyone has been investigating the
prosumer market, let us get one thing sorted
straight from the bat. Pentax and Samsung
struck a deal to jointly develop digital SLRs,
so this model is pretty much identical to Pentax’s
K10D, but there are enough small differences
that mean they can still be treated as completely
separate models.
On �irst holding the GX-10, it’s noticeable how
comfortable it is – the GX-10 has a reassuring
weight to it, although it is considerably heavier
than its other rivals – as with any camera, make
sure that you check whether you feel comfortable
holding it if you’re thinking of buying it. The
Navigating ergonomically designed grip makes keeping hold
your on-screen of the GX-10 very easy, whether you have huge
options
The Capture Menu is your hands or dainty digits, and all of the controls
first port of call for all are easy to reach and operate. The controls are
of the main functions, thoughtfully laid out, with dedicated buttons or
but the Custom and Fn shortcuts to most of the functions you’re likely to
Menus feature more
in-depth camera setting need, along with a few extras.
adjustments, enabling you In addition to the usual dials and switches,
to customise the way the there is a dedicated AF button that focuses on the
GX-10 works to suit you subject and allows the user to check for proper
metering before taking a shot, which could prove
useful if you suffer with a heavy ‘trigger �inger’.
The Optical Picture Stabiliser button is another
handy feature, which can help avoid blurry shots
when shooting in poor lighting conditions, but
you’re reluctant to switch to a higher ISO setting,
for example.
Capture Menu
Custom Menu
101 mm
Fn Menu
Info button
Playback Options
84
084-85_OPM03_camerareview.indd 84
Adjustment of key controls, like ISO, white
balance, �lash or drive modes falls to the Function
(or Fn) button, which is nestled next to the bottom
right-hand corner of the LCD. This button calls up
Connections
The chunky plastic door that covers
a menu on the LCD that can be navigated around the connections panel fits flush
using the d-pad and OK button. Once you’ve against the side of the camera body
selected the setting that you wish to adjust, a and manages to form a tight seal
when closed
sub menu appears to allow for �ine-tuning. The
ISO sensitivity can then be selected, or you can
limit the range of ISO settings the camera can
choose from when ISO Auto is selected. This is
particularly handy if you know you’re going to
be photographing certain subjects that you don’t
want to be obscured by digital noise.
There is a really good white-balance control
on this camera. It uses a graphical representation
of colour temperature, with a moveable point
that can be shifted to alter the current colour
temperature settings until you get a satisfactory
�inal result. By rotating the main switch to the Batteries
You can expect to get between 320
Preview position, the camera takes a test shot and 510 minutes of shooting time
that appears in the background on the LCD and (depending on flash use) and 300
provides a preview of how the shot will look at minutes of playback time from
different colour temperature settings. the GX-10’s rechargeable lithium-
ion battery
Those of you who like to switch between
shooting JPEG and RAW will appreciate the RAW
button on the front of the camera. Located to the
left of the lens, this can be pressed easily without
having to take your eye off the view�inder and
offers the same set of RAW and JPEG combination
shooting options offered by the K10D.
Focus position
dial
Memory card
The GX-10 has the ability to
accommodate SD and SDHC cards,
providing the possibility of up to a
whopping 8GB of storage for your
images on just a single card, which
should be enough for anyone!
Exposure
bracket
button
Lens
The 18-55mm kit lens may feel a
Fn button little lightweight, but in terms of
sharpness and performance, it
offers very good value for money as
142 mm part of a kit deal
4/4/07 09:06:39
 Exposure
Samsung GX-10

camera specs
mode dial
Price Exposure modes
£599 A, P, AP, SP, M,
Megapixels (effective) Sensitivity priority
10.2 Flash modes
Max resolution A, M, A+RE, M+RE,
3,872 x 2,592 SS, SS+RE, Trailing
Lens data curtain sync
Front e-dial By lens Connectivity
Zoom USB, AV (NTSC/PAL)
By lens Weight
Focus/Macro 710g (excl batteries)
By lens Dimensions
Self-timer lamp/ Shutter speeds 142 x 101 x 71.5mm
remote control 30-1/4000sec Batteries
sensor ISO sensitivity Lithium-ion
A, 100, 200, 400, Storage
800, 1600 SD, SDHC
Metering options LCD
MS, CW, S 2.5”

on the front
Build design Metering
The GX-10 is heavier than most of its key competitors, but mode
this gives it reassuring solidity. It’s comfortable to hold, lever
and the controls are well positioned around the body

“The ergonomically designed grip makes keeping hold of the

GX-10 very easy, whether you have huge hands or dainty digits”
Shutter
button

One way in which the GX-10 differs from the
K10D is in the layout of its menu system. You’ll
�ind the same wealth of features and settings
to play around with, but navigating through
them is, in some respects, simpler. The Custom
menus are particularly interesting, with each
setting leading to a sub menu, which has a brief
Mode
Nikon. The camera would support an amateur dial
photographer on their journey to becoming a
more sophisticated user, with equally innovative
Auto and advanced Manual settings. It faithfully
reproduces colour and records detailed textures
across the board. In fact, with a street price of
only £599 with an 18-55mm kit lens included, the

on the top
description of the selected function underneath, GX-10 works out at signi�icantly better value for
so that even �irst-time digital users will be able money than its Pentax equivalent – something Rear dial
to understand the technology. Users can set that Pentax might want to rectify very quickly if
the camera to warn them if they set the ISO it doesn’t want its own sales to suffer as a result
sensitivity above a certain value, as well as being of the Samsung deal.
What we like What we don’t like

we say
able to turn Noise Reduction on or off, adjust The GX-10 looks and feels great, and produces
the bracketing order, or program the function good results. It certainly provides some healthy More affordable than Evidence of
the Pentax K10D overblown highlights
carried out by the customisable Green Button. competition for its peers, and is de�initely one to and shadows
In terms of price and resolution, the GX-10 consider if you’re looking to upgrade from your
Intuitive controls
Excellent range of Remains a rebadged
fares well as a credible alternative to Canon and entry-level DSLR. Pentax K10D
functions

Test shot
This image reveals the The GX-10 has Features
verdict

GX-10’s remarkable a lot to offer 9.1

ability to capture fine
detail and texture, even
advanced Ease of use
at extreme close range amateur 9
photographers
who are looking Quality of results
to improve 8.9
their skills Value for money
8.7

Overall
8.9
D-pad control
The ultra-responsive d-pad delivers

score
efficient menu navigation and allows
you to pan through your images
with remarkable ease when you’re in
Playback mode

85

084-85_OPM03_camerareview.indd 85 4/4/07 09:07:12

 Reviews Epson Perfection V350 Photo

Epson Perfection
V350 Photo
£99.99 | It’s official – we have fallen
in love with this scanner!
his member of Epson’s scanner
family is a good all-round
performer. It not only produces
scans of a fantastic quality but
boasts an impressive list of innovative
features to enhance the way you scan
a range of different documents such as
books, �ilm and slides.
One of the most outstanding features
of the V350 is its auto-feed �ilm loader,
which enables you to scan negative and
positive strips of �ilm. Pressing on the
hatch in the scanner lid makes it spring
open, ready for you to place your �ilm into
the feeder. Then just press the button for
the unit to feed it in and scan.
The Epson V350 can scan up to six
frames of 35mm �ilm at once, making
it the ideal solution if you have a large
collection of negatives that you want to
scan quickly and easily. Alternatively,
if you feel more comfortable with
the familiar type of �ilm holder and
transparency adaptor, you can opt to use
that instead.
The high-rise lid on the unit is another
of its selling points, as it can be lifted to
an angle of 90° or 180°. This allows you The design of the unit is also very to Epson’s Matrix CCD technology, the
to scan a multitude of different types appealing – considering its lid is capable scanner’s 4800 x 9600dpi scanning
of documents that are both �lat and of being lifted back completely so it’s lying capability and 3.2 dynamic range. These
three-dimensional – no more struggling �lat, the scanner is surprisingly slim. Its impressive speci�ications mean you can
to �it thick magazines and books into the shiny silver �inish also makes the unit produce excellent enlargements of your
scanner. With the lid closed you can scan look very stylish and modern displayed on scanned images that retain a high level of
documents up to 25mm in width, and your work surface. detail and accuracy, resembling scans of
with the lid open they can measure up to Scan quality is extremely crisp with a professional quality. The V350 really is
an inch in width. a high clarity of detail. This is all thanks fantastic value for money, because with a

Easy film feeder

The V350 has developed
the traditional way of
scanning film using
a transparency holder
and has a loader that
you feed film into from
the top

Amazing quality Stylish design At the touch of a button

Features include Epson’s Matrix CCD The V350 not only scores highly on The four buttons on the front let you
technology, 4800 x 9600dpi scanning performance, it’s also slimline, shiny scan, copy, attach the scan to an
capability and 3.2 dynamic range and modern email and create a PDF of the image

86

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 Scanner specs
You don’t even have to open
the lid when scanning your
Epson Perfection V350 Photo
film, as it can be inserted into Price PC Requirements
the top of the V350 using the £99.99 Windows 98SE,
Automatic Film Loader Website 2000, Me or XP
www.epson.co.uk Mac Requirements
Operating systems Mac OS X 10.2.8
Mac and PC or later

The V350 is not only suitable

for scanning slim documents;
it can also cope well with
larger magazines and books
due to its high-rise lid

resolution such as this you would expect a much
higher price tag.
The software included with the unit, Epson
Scan and Epson Creativity Suite, is easy to use.
Epson Scan also has the option of different
modes – Full Auto, Home or Professional – so
gives more advanced users a higher level
of control over their scans. And the Epson
Easy Photo Fix Technology enables you to
you can carry out scanning or create a copy to
attach to an email or create a PDF. A common
mistake with the design of scanners that
feature buttons such as these is that they are Flexible lid
placed wrongly on the unit and are easily The lid can be opened to either 90° or a fully open 180°. Its
extendable hinge means that thicker documents can be
pressed by mistake. The V350 does not suffer scanned easily
from this problem. This means that if you need a
scan immediately you don’t have to worry about
opening up the software to carry it out, which is What we like

we say
easily improve photos, with automatic colour perfect if you want to quickly scan a photo and Flexible lid that Additional software
restoration for faded photographs. attach it to an email with minimum hassle. enables scanning of such as Epson

“The design of the unit is very

With such an excellent array of features, the larger documents Creativity Suite
Epson Perfection V350 Photo is a great choice Automatic Film Loader and Epson Scan

appealing. Its shiny silver finish

for those wanting high quality scans at an enables you to feed (featuring Epson
affordable price. film quickly into Easy Photo Fix

makes it look very stylish and

the scanner Technology)
Impressive quality of
What we don’t like
modern displayed on your
scans due to Matrix
CCD technology and None that we can

work surface”
4800 x 9600dpi see!
resolution

Using the new Digital Dust Correction Affordable price Features

verdict

technology, the unit also detects and then and unique 9.2
removes dust particles from photographs. features make it
The most important thing about this process
Ease of use
is that it doesn’t result in deterioration of the
perfect for the 9.7
home user
entire image, as it assesses the image and then Quality of results
only removes dust in the areas where it’s most 9.5
apparent. If you have any underexposed images, Value for money
the scanner’s backlight correction feature will 9.6
automatically enhance and correct brightness,
sharpness, colour saturation and balance.

9.5
Scanning is made very convenient using the
V350’s high-speed USB 2.0 interface, meaning
Restoration capabilities Overall
data transfer is even quicker. The handy four
large buttons on the front of the unit speed
things up even more – at the touch of a button
One of many restoration features on the V350, Epson’s Digital
Dust Correction technology detects as well as removes dust
on images
score

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 Reviews Books

Exotique 2
$39.00 | Soak up the beautiful art in this book
ou may remember that we
reviewed another of Ballistic
Publishing’s books last issue
– the fabulous Painter – that
was dedicated to Corel Painter artwork.
This issue we look at the equally fabulous
Exotique 2, which once again manages to
pack an amazing amount of awe-inspiring
art into one volume.
The format is a nice, simple one. The
book begins with an introduction by the
book’s editors before moving along to
the artwork. And that’s an approach that
works well. After all, the point of the book
is to enjoy the art, so it’s a relief to not
have to wade through waf�ly text before
getting to the important stuff.
The tagline of this book is ‘The World’s
Most Beautiful CG Characters’ and it
certainly lives up to this promise, by
This can be dictated by colour, image Edited by
style or even the program the image was Daniel Wade and
Paul Hellard
created in, and helps propel the reader Price
along to the next page. $39.00
The layout of the book is a joy, with the Publisher
artwork being displayed on black pages Ballistic Publishing
to show them off to their best advantage. ISBN
1-921002-34-4
You also get the artist’s name, image title,
where they are from… and that’s it! As
we said before, the artwork is the driving
force behind this title and nothing gets
in the way of that. There’s an index at
the back with the contact details of each
artist, so it’s easy to get more information
about someone whose work you admire.
And there’s a hell of a lot of work to
admire! You can enjoy fantastical �igures,
vicious vamps and macabre monsters in
addition to more realistic renders of the
human form.

“The book’s tagline of ‘The World’s Most Beautiful CG Ballistic Publishing has done it again
with this book. Even just a casual �lick

Characters’ is certainly true, as it delivers a fabulous through gives you more than enough
inspiration to load up Corel Painter and

collection of male, female and otherworldly forms” create your own character!

delivering a wonderful collection of male,

A flood of inspiration
Whatever style of art you’re interested in, we’d be
amazed if you didn’t find something of interest inside
the pages. Each spread is packed with gorgeous work
female and otherworldly forms for you
to enjoy. There aren’t any chapters in
the book, but it never feels like it is just a
mess of images. The book’s editors have
obviously thought long and hard about
which images should be placed together
and so there are kind of mini groupings.

Big and small 3D creations

There’s a really good pacing to this
book, with the pages swapping
between smaller images and full-
page displays where you can see all
the detail
If you’ve been thinking about
getting into 3D programs but
haven’t quite got round to it yet, the
artwork created in 3D will no doubt
inspire you to get started

Big and beautiful A bit of everything

Sprinkled throughout the book are
full page spreads of artwork, which
not only help with the pacing, but
give the eyes a treat as well! Thanks
to these, you can examine the
artwork in close detail
One interesting aspect of this book
is the range of programs that it
covers. In addition to Corel Painter,
you can also see work created in
Photoshop, Maya, 3ds Max, Poser
and various other applications

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 The Encyclopedia of
Drawing Techniques
£12.99 | Inspiration and instruction in one title
Author nyone who enjoyed the Inspiration
Hazel Harrison coloured pencil tutorial on page and guides
Price The final chapter not only
£12.99 50 might fancy investigating
serves as a visual guide to
Publisher the media in more depth, and the major drawing themes,
Search Press this is the perfect way to do it. but it also links back to the
ISBN Although this isn’t the largest book in the tutorials in the book
1-84448-019-4 world, it does manage to pack an awful lot
of information into its 160 pages. It begins
by offering a series of step-by-step guides
to using traditional drawing mediums such
as charcoal, pastel and coloured pencil.
These techniques can easily be adapted
to Corel Painter’s tools and provide lots
of great ideas. However, there is more
Corel Painter-speci�ic advice in the digital
chapter, where the author discusses using
computer programs to create art. The �inal
chapter is perhaps the best, as it deals with
Digital creation Useful techniques
common themes found in drawings and In addition to guides to traditional media, there’s a Although some of the guides will only work with
then directs you to the tutorial that applies, chapter dedicated to digital painting. These won’t turn traditional media, there is still plenty of advice to help you
�inishing off this excellent all-round guide. you into a Corel Painter master, but it’s good to see improve your Corel Painter work

99 Silhouettes
£14.00 | Excellent reasons for going back to black
Edited by he silhouette is an art form sadly
Marie Campbell and overlooked by most people, but
Steve Campbell hopefully this book will help put
Price
£14.00 it back on the creative map. In the
Publisher pages of 99 Silhouettes, you will discover
Début Publications an amazing variety of silhouette images,
Ltd all demonstrating how the simple idea of a
ISBN solid form can work very well as an artistic Photo fun
978-0-9552431-1-0 The photography section is excellent, with lots of
focal point. examples of how the silhouette can be used as a
The book is divided into chapters device to add drama to a simple scene
according to the medium being
represented, covering illustration, stencil
art, photography, mixed media, graphic
design, design elements, logos, �ilm and
symbols. Throughout these chapters
you see examples of silhouette art (the
photography section is particularly good),
along with contact details of the artist and
a few words about the piece. You also get to
enjoy some essays on the use of silhouette,
which adds extra interest to the book.
There are some really nice images in this
book and the fact it covers so many styles The big screen Mix it up
The silhouette is an important technique for filmmakers One of this book’s strengths is its mixture of styles. This
means there is no shortage of inspiration hoping to build up drama and suspense, and there’s a gives a real feeling for how a silhouette can fit into almost
for whatever work you produce. very interesting chapter all about this any type of work

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 Reviews Output
Breathing Color
Inkjet Media
Bring professional-quality printing to your home with
Breathing Color’s range of inkjet papers
Tutorial info ow that it’s possible to get
high quality inkjet printers
Painter master
at reasonable prices, it’s no
Jo Cole
surprise that more and more
Time needed companies are emerging who offer papers
10 minutes speci�ically targeted towards the digital
creative. These papers allow home users
Skill level to print their art onto something that will
Beginner give a �inish only previously obtainable
from a professional print company.
One of the best companies to buy
specialised paper is Breathing Color. Its
US and Canadian site can be found at
www.breathingcolor.com, while UK
customers need to head to the Paper &
Canvas site at www.breathingcoloruk.
com. The company was set up in 2003
by a dedicated team of workers who had
spent years experimenting to �ind the
perfect inkjet papers.
Looking at the products, it’s easy to
see why Breathing Color is so proud of
them. Split into different categories of use,
customers can buy packs of A4 sheets or
if they have a special wide format printer,
some products come on a roll. One thing
The Glamour II Veneer coating is excellent for protecting your prints and canvases
90
090-91_OPM03_output.indd 90
The Paper & Canvas Ltd
all you need for home prin
we should mention here is that although
Breathing Color recommends certain
printers, the products can be used with
any inkjet printer. We’ll concentrate on
the products available in A4 sheets, but if
Use the fine art paper for quality results
“Looking at the products available, it’s easy to see why
Breathing Color is so proud of them”
you have a roll-feed printer, visit the site
for information on the relevant products.
The Fine Art category holds papers
suitable for printing your digital
paintings. Its 310g Elegance Velvet
product boasts a vellum surface that will
reproduce colours beautifully.
The Sterling Rag 210g Smooth paper
is a natural white, water-resistant matte
paper that has no texture at all. The
smooth surface ensures that colours print
at their very best and is perfect for images
with lots of hues.
Breathing Color also manufactures a
canvas product – the Brilliance Chromata
White. This is a truly splendid product,
not only for the fact that you can print
your work onto a lovely canvas texture
using your home inkjet printer, but also
because it holds the colour very well.
One other product we must mention is
the Glamour II Veneer Giclée varnish. This
website has
ting
helps protect your prints from damage
and also enhances the results. Available in
gloss or matte, you can purchase a special
applicator from the site to apply the
varnish in smooth strokes and ensure you
don’t get any streaks. All you need to do is
mix it with water and then apply it to your
canvas or �ine art printout.
You can also buy photo paper and vinyl
paper from the site, as well as poster
paper. All of these are only available on
rolls, but as with the rest of the products,
they offer exceptional quality.
We’ve used the canvas paper to print
out a quick digital painting and then
applied a coat of the veneer. This made the
colours even stronger, yet still allowed
for some �lexibility in the canvas so it
didn’t seem as though it would crack.
Obviously the top results depend on you
having a decent-enough printer, but in our
tests the papers held their own and were
Apply coating with the special roller for superior finishes
noticeably better than similar products.
In short, we would de�initely recommend
the papers available from Breathing Color.
You can even order a special sample pack
from the site, to test the papers out before
you commit to a big buy.
4/4/07 10:01:43
 Print out to canvas Mount art
Mount your art In addition to
protecting printouts,
the Glamour II coating
can also be used to
mount your canvas
onto other surfaces.
Instead of mixing it
with the usual amount

02 Aplanning
bit of
Because the canvas
of water, use a smaller
quantity and apply
to the back of your
will be stretched printout. You can now
around the frame, adhere it to materials
you need to allow such as MDF and enjoy
for a plain border even more options
when it comes to
around your image.
presenting your art.
Just set this up when
you are prepping the
image for printing.

01 Start with the frame The first job is

to construct (or buy) a very simple frame
from wood. The thickness and width of the wood
Of course, you can
print the image larger
so it wraps around
will determine how large you can print your image, the frame, giving a
especially if you are working from A4 sheets. seamless effect.

04 The
coating
Once your image
is printed, you can
protect it even further
by applying the

03 Check before you print Most inkjet

canvases will have a coated side that
you print on to. This protects the ink and stops it
Glamour II Veneer.
This can be applied
using the foam roller
smudging, so make sure you get the right side. or you can apply with
You get full instructions, so there’s no bother with a brush to create a
working it out. more textured finish.

Product prices
Here’s a rundown of how much each product we’ve mentioned costs. We’ve
given the US and UK cost for a pack of A4 sheets. All packs have 25 sheets
apart from the Sterling Rag 210g, which has 50.

NAME OF PRODUCT UK PRICE US PRICE

Elegance Velvet £18.16 $27.43

05 Final
touch
When dry, staple one
Sterling Rag 210g

Sterling 300g Smooth

£18.99

£14.71
n/a

$16.07
edge of the canvas
over the frame, and
Brilliance Chromata White £20.37 $30.36
then work your way
around the other
edges, making sure Glamour II Veneer 1 litre/pints £19.99 $19.95
you pull as tight as you
can. And that’s your RollerFoam Applicator £6.49 $9.95
artwork created!

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 readers’ gallery issue three

Rommel Bundalian has become a firm

favourite on the magazine website, so
we decided to find out more about the
man behind the art
ommel’s interest in art began
Gallery
when he used to sketch with
charcoal in high school, before
progressing to photography
when he attended college. This saw him
take his �irst steps in the digital world and
later, his love of digital art spurred him on
to start teaching himself Corel Painter – a
move which has developed into an award-
winning career, with Rommel picking up a
host of accolades in his native Philippines.
As the images here show (you can also
see more on the magazine CD), if there’s
one thing Rommel isn’t, that’s a one trick
pony; he has a breathtaking array of styles
under his belt.
A keen traveller, Rommel uses his time
away to get inspiration for his paintings,
soaking in the human interest, still life and
landscapes that he sees.
Rommel hopes to become as famous as
John Derry or Bruce Hamilton Dorn, and
we think that if he carries on as he is, then
he’s de�initely on the right track!
To see more of Rommel’s work, pop over
to www.rommelbundalian.com.

01
Title: Bruce Lee
“A tribute to one of Asia’s most popular
icons in martial arts. Original image
taken in Hong Kong.”

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 02
Title: Mona (far left)
“A clone image that I would like to
do realistically.”

03
Title: Mosaic
“I made this using one of the special
features of Corel Painter. Inspired by John
Derry’s mosaic image of a paint can.”

04
Title: Mac
ORIGINAL PHOTO: G-NIE ARAMBULO
“A friend, a graphic artist and most of all,
my mentor.”

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 readers’ gallery issue three
Gallery

05
Title: Bride
“One of my first digital
paintings using Corel Painter.”

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 Challenge
e love seeing how you incorporate the the images, some of them or incorporate existing
challenge images into your art style, artwork – all we ask is that you use at least one
so here’s another batch for you to get of the photos. There isn’t a deadline for challenge
creative with. If you’re new to the entries. Just send them in when you have done them! THE WINNER
magazine, the rules are very simple. Just download And if you are crowned a winner, we will pass your
the images from this issue’s CD-ROM and then entry onto the excellent PhotoArtistry site for it to
WILL GET
use them to create a piece of art. You can use all of be printed onto canvas! THEIR PAINTING
PROFESSIONALLY
PRINTED ONTO
This challenge’s materials CANVAS!

How to enter the challenge…

To share your work with others, send your pictures in to
us and you could be featured on these pages. Just pop
your images onto a CD and send it to:
Creative Challenge, Official Corel Painter Magazine,
Imagine Publishing, Richmond House, 33 Richmond Hill,
Bournemouth, Dorset BH2 6EZ, UK
Alas, we can’t return any CDs.
If your entry is under 2MB, you can email it to
opm@imagine-publishing.co.uk

Remember! You can email your entries to opm@imagine-publishing.co.uk

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 01 02

03 04

PAINT PERFECT PORTRAITS

Building up skin tone is a technique worth mastering and a good
place to start is with traditional art theory. Turn to page 20 and
Official Magazine discover how to gradually build up tone for stunning results

100_OPM_03-back cover.indd 1 2/4/07 14:21:29