Painting with Pattern Pens!
They are amazing horses!
Painting With Patterns
Recently I visited Skip Allen’s virtual studio to discuss the finer points of creating and painting with patterns. It was not long before I was totally engrossed in creating amazing pattern pens which I found were delightful brushes to sketch and paint with. For the complete tutorial on creating expressive pattern pens please visit the About.com tutorial.
Friesian Mare and Foal
Sketching becomes a completely new art-form where each brush stroke can be planned or a complete surprise! Once you create a pattern and capture it as a pattern you can go on to create papers textures as well. The watercolor painting, “Friesian Mare and Foal” was created using a custom pattern and applying it with the Masked Pattern Pen variant.
Layers
If you create something you would like to share, please let me know and I will be happy to post it here. For hours of fun, try this one!
Painter 12 Brushes!
While waiting for Painter Talk and DAA to come alive again! I thought I would upload some brushes for Painter 12 you may have fun using. The first set is called Clouds Around the World and is a wonderful collection of cloud brushes. Enjoy!
The second category is called Happy Zen. These brushes are expressive Sumi-e type brushes and are too much fun to play with. So where do I find these brushes? You will find these brushes located on the right column in the folder called, “Karen’s Brushes”.
Clouds Around the World
Happy Zen
Summer Open Studio-Master Landscapes
Summer Open Studio is all about fun and learning. Join me as we paint the summer landscapes using our photos for reference. This course will help you to get the most out of your photos. Using a photo for a reference can be an important part of building a great painting. You are going to discover how to use photos to create pleasing compositions that excite not only you, but the viewer. It is important that if you are working hard to become a great painter, you must work to please others as well. Keeping this point in the back of your mind all the time will help to push you to perfection.
Learn how to crop and create drama and mood in your paintings. You will learn what you must to do to create great paintings from your photos. All this and more in the next Summer Open Studio! Students will enjoy weekly live sessions which are recorded for you. This class is open to 40 students only and will be offered again as an Open Enrollment option in July.
As digital artists it is not always possible to work En Plein Air. Instead we must bring the outside into our studios and try to express the beauty we captured outside hours, days or years ago.
During this course you will learn to consider a photos strengths rather than its traps. A photo no matter how true it appears lies to us. Values are darker than they actually would be and shadows turn to black. By learning to ignore certain values our paintings will become more true to their surroundings.
This is a new way of looking at your photos and contradicts much of what you have heard or studied over the years. Photos are a wonderful tool but they must be used properly in order for your paintings to sing.
Students will create one painting each week that will be critiqued by Painter Master Karen Bonaker.
Register and More Information:
Open Studio-Master Landscapes
Week One
Cropping the photo
Making corrections to the photo reference before painting
Why the value scale is important
Selecting your photo
Correcting the photo
What can go wrong when selecting a photo reference
Week Two
Learning about Shape
Combining shapes
Focal point
Edges
Mapping the masses
Why thumbnail sketches are important
Week Three
Trees and Foliage
Taming Garish Green’s
How to control green in your painting
Week Four
Creating the 3D plain on a 2D surface
Students will work on their final landscape painting for critique.
How to apply edges to elements from diffused to lost and found
Open Studio-Abstract Painting with Painter
Abstract painting is perhaps one of the most expressive and exhilarating forms of painting. When we think of abstract painting, we feel free to express ourselves in ways we never imagined. Most of the stress of painting that perfect painting is left behind. We give ourselves permission to experiment freely with color, texture, form and line.
What about the discipline of abstract painting? Is it just a matter of splattering down paint or is there more? During this Open Studio session we will learn that abstract just like any other form of art has its disciplines, but they are just a bit different! Things like “center of interest” are still very important to the abstract artist as well as color and shape. In fact, without these elements the abstract painting is viewed as unorganized and confusing.
In general abstract art is any form of art that does not have anything to do with the physical things found in the world. Oftentimes, it is viewed as an abstraction of the intrinsic qualities of a physical object or space and transformed into a visual art that does not physically represent any material object. It is by simplifying that the artist is able to convey the idea or message.
Join me for a four-week immersion in the art of abstract painting. You will enjoy live sessions once each week as well as guest speaker Painter Master and Residence artist Peggy Gyulai who will discuss the process and inspiration of abstract painting.
Class starts: March 2nd at Digital Art Academy
Register
Skill Level
Intermediate to Advanced. This is not an introduction to Painter class and therefore students who have never used Painter before may encounter some frustration. Consider taking one of the many Introduction to Painter classes offered at DAA.
Learning to simplify
Your instructor will have you complete several exercises that will help you to simplify. Abstract art is the simplification of form. Students will choose several images and paint them in the abstract impressionist style where all recognizable features are lost, yet color and shape is retained. Abstract Impressionist art is defined by its emphasis on emotional or spontaneous content not based in reality. Students will take the time to plan your image and start painting. It’s a common misconception that abstract expressionist paintings are totally spontaneous and require no artistic talent. While they do convey a sense of spontaneity and are often highly emotionally charged, many abstract expressionist works are very large, making the need for planning out the image beforehand all the more important. When planning the image, determine in advance the materials you’ll use to create the image, what the image should convey to the viewer, the color combinations you’ll be using, the size of the image, and what the image will represent to you personally. Once you have a firm idea of how the image should look, start painting.
A live session is scheduled this week which will be recorded for you should you not be able to attend.
Week Two
Abstract Variants-What brushes to use? When Music is Your Muse
This week you will explore the many possibilities of expressive brush marks with Painter brush variants. From Watercolor to Oils students will create several paintings using a combination of brushes from Painter’s brush selections. You will enjoy a live session this week and exploring other types of Abstract painting styles.
Students will enjoy painting to their favorite songs this week. Lots of surprises to come!
Week Three
Painting the Landscape in Abstract
Students will learn how to paint a landscape in abstract this week. Students will study the landscape to see the shapes and colors that exist within it. Emphasis will be on form and not details as you decide on the colors you want to use to paint your landscape. A live session is scheduled this week which will be recorded for you should you not be able to attend.
Week Four
Final Painting and Critique
Students will work on their final painting this week
Why Abstract Is Important
- I could do that!
- That is art?
These are some of the most frequent comments I hear in regards to abstract art. As a representational artist I need, and relish the idea of being able to express my inner most feelings through abstract art. It is a time when I can really express what I am feeling at the moment from the inside rather than from the outside.
Abstract art or Modern Art as it is termed, is for the most part misunderstood in its complexity. In many ways Abstract art is the art that turns heads and elicits an emotional response like no other. We usually love it or hate it and have strong opinions why we do so as well! We love it for color and texture as well as finding something meaningful to us.
The artist has done their job if their work engages you, moves you through the piece and captures your imagination. However in Abstract art you are often left wondering about the symbolic meaning of the painting; just what was it that the artist was trying to interpret. What does the shape mean? Why were specific colors used? What is the symbolism? Much of the time we are left to interpret the painting and make our own conclusions. To me this is part of the fascination I have with abstract paintings. They often break all the rules! You are not held to traditional methods and rules; we simply are left to feel every brush stroke, every color, and every shape as the painting develops.
One of my favorite abstract artists is Peggy Gyulai. Her work is inspired by music, her inspiration is music and her paintings literally dance on the canvas. Her palette of subtle and beautiful hues further adds to the magical feel of her paintings.
Embrace abstract art and give it a try! It is a time to unleash your inner creativity in ways only you and the brush can express.
New Update for Painter 12.2
Hey everyone! Yesterday Corel posted a new update for Painter 12.2 that Mac users as well as PC users are going to love! As always remember to read the instructions for updating and check out Skip Allen’s post on the update as well!
Here You Go!
Today, the Corel Painter team released a free service pack that is available through its notification system, and on Corel.com. This patch includes several documented bug fixes and performance optimizations for both Mac and Windows.
The patch includes a specific performance optimization option for 64-bit Mac systems that have traditional SATA hard drives. Because Painter 12 for Mac is a 32-bit application, and the 64-bit version is still in progress, our team wanted to deliver this service pack as a sign of good faith and to let you know the Mac platform is equally important to us.
So what does the Mac performance optimization option deliver? The option, which is called the Mac Memory Manager, lets you take advantage of more your system’s available RAM. It also lets you control how much of your system’s RAM you want to designate to Painter. When you install the service pack, the Memory Manager is NOT enabled. For information about enabling the Memory Manager, please refer to the Read Me.
You should notice dramatic performance improvements when:
- working with large documents with several layers;
- working with large clone sources;
- copying and pasting objects between (or across) many open files;
- working with large documents and documents that contain many clone sources.
Since standard 32-bit software applications can access only 2 GB of available memory, the software moves information out of RAM and onto the hard disk to complete tasks (such as switching or moving layers). As you may have witnessed, this process, referred to as caching, slows down the software.
The Memory Manager bypasses the caching process and, ultimately, speeds up your work.
If you do not allocate enough memory in the Painter performance preferences, you should not expect considerable performance gains. In addition, if you have other applications running at the same time, the Memory Manager will only use the RAM that is available.
Check out these two comments from users that participated in pre-release testing.
“Hi Corel. I finally was able to play with the last Painter Beta. I made a 300 pip file 15×25″ in size. I had 42 layer with 1/3 raster, 1/3 watercolor, and 1/3 liquid ink. I tried to keep going until it crashed but it never did. I think it was a good workout. Everything rendered very quickly and with no glitches at all. The final file was 120 MB.”
Marcia Fasy
“Hi Painter Team. Just wanted to give you some quick thumbs up feedback. I am having good results using the newest build SP1 on MacPro for a complex collage project. Thus far I have experienced fast responsivity working with a 220 MB file, 6000 px x 2000 px, with 17 layers, while another 17 images are also open in Painter . I’ll keep you posted if I experience any slow downs as the file grows. So far very impressed at the handling of large files with this build.”
Jeremy Sutton
To download the Painter 12.2 service pack update, please check for updates within Painter, or click over to our support page to learn more.
Painter Tip! How to Evaluate Tone While Painting
Evaluate tonality in your painting quickly by using the Color Composite Method.
Classes are Underway at DAA!
This is the current listing of courses offered for Open Enrollment at DAA. Please check this page often as additional classes are added frequently.
For Open Enrollment courses, all lessons, materials, and instructor support will be made available to you when your registration is confirmed.
To Begin:
Please log in to register for your class. If you have not yet registered at DAA you will need to create and account before registering for a course.
For more information on DAA please visit our FAQ page.
______________________________________________________________________________
OPEN ENROLLMENT COURSES
Corel Painter Self Paced Courses- All four weeks of content is available to the student once you complete your registration and enroll.
Note: Full instructor support will be available for these classes. Please post any questions you have regarding the lessons in the applicable forum (i.e. lesson 1 questions in the lessons 1 forum, etc.).
Please see the FAQ page for refund criteria.
Corel Painter 12 Courses
REGISTRATION OPENS JANUARY 1st
Introduction to Corel Painter 12: Part 1
Instructor: Elaina Moore-Kelly
Introduction to Corel Painter 12: Part 2
Instructor: Elaina Moore-Kelly
Introduction to Corel Painter 12: Part 3
Instructor: Elaina Moore-Kelly
____________________________________________________________________________
SPRING OPEN STUDIO
Abstract Painting with Corel Painter
Join me Painter Master Karen Bonaker as we explore Abstract Painting with Painter!
____________________________________________________________________________
OPEN STUDIO- SELF PACED-Open Enrollment
Open Studio Impressionist Painting with Painter Master Karen Bonaker
Impressionist Painting
Fall Open Studio Repeat Course-Landscapes and Water with Painter Master Karen Bonaker
Fall Open Studio-Landscapes and Water
Ho Ho Ho! This just In! Santa Posts Blue Sky Brush! Thank you Santa!
This just in! Santa Skip has just given his OK to post Blue Sky Brush for you all to try! Enjoy! and Thank You Santa!
