In this series of post we will take a look at creating paper textures from the simplest and most basic way to more advanced techniques. We can begin bringing in external gray-scale files that we can use as paper grains, remember that these files can be anything from photos to existing textures. In this series we will learn just how powerful Painter is for creating some amazing textures that you can go on to use with your various variants as well as applying them non-destructively.
Let’s begin by creating a basic paper texture using the “Make Paper” command in Painter 12.
Next week we will look at creating paper textures using the Fractal command in Painter 12 and finally we will finish the series by creating fractal patterns that can be used as seamless paper textures to create great runs and flows with watercolor variants especially suited for Skip Allen’s Cool Spring brush variants.
Holiday Open Studio at Digital Art Academy begins on November 19th 2011. Registration is now open! The video link above is from our 2010 Holiday Open Studio called, Let it Snow!
Welcome to Week One of Holiday Open Studio! If you are new to Holiday Studio you are in for a treat. Each week a new lesson will be posted for you written by your instructors, Skip Allen, Elaina Moore-Kelly and me, Karen Bonaker. With this line-up you are going to have some fun and also learn something new along the way. Open Studio courses are relaxed and we encourage constructive critiques. There is no competition in this class only inspiration that I hope you will take from the instructors as well as the many talented students who regularly join our Open Studio sessions. Course work is a guideline for you but you are free to follow your muse which I encourage. The emphasis of this class is to have fun and enjoy the Holidays as we create and paint the season. Enjoy your class!
Open Studio classes are held four times each year. Each session last four weeks. Open Studio classes are held online and students have the flexibility to join the coursework any time day or night to download their lessons and videos. Your instructor is always there to support you through then entire course. This is the last session for 2011 so don’t miss the fun.
Course Syllabus:
Week One
Instructor, Painter Master Karen Bonaker
Flower arranging has been a popular art for centuries with many considering the ability to create a perfectly balanced arrangement a great skill. While styles vary across the globe, many cultures seem to enjoy using floral symbolism, whereby each flower or aspect of an arrangement has a specific meaning. While this is a fascinating and often sentimental concept, flower arranging in the main stream is becoming a lost art as people have less time to nurture their gardens and arrange the blooms they provide. Our goal in lesson one is to learn about how you can create and paint a perfectly balanced Holiday flower arrangement.
Week Two:
Instructor, Painter Master Skip Allen
Skip will take you through the steps of painting snow scenes using Watercolor and custom Watercolor brushes in Painter 12. White space in a watercolor is very important, but a hard technique to master. Concentrating on snow scene landscapes is an easy way to build white space skills. This week we will focus on leaving lots of white space on the canvas and developing simple yet sophisticated winter scenes. Painter IX – 12 will work nicely.
Week Three:
Instructor, Painter Professional and Expert Elaina Moore-Kelly
Have some fun as Elaina demonstrates how to create beautiful greeting cards with Corel Painter 11 and 12.
Karen will demonstrate how to paint beautiful holiday wreaths using Painter. Final class project will be a review of how to paint snow and to paint a final winter scene.
My Fall Open Studio is just coming to an end and I wanted to share with you the brushes that were used in this session and some of the wonderful paintings created by my students. Open Studio is always special and so much individual growth takes place with each artist, it is wonderful to see.
Nature water brushes are not Watercolor brushes, they are derived from a blender brush variant called Water Rake. Please view the videos to understand how to use them in your creative process.
How To Best Use the Nature Water brushes But Please! Experiment!
Video One-Nature Water-How to Best Use These brushes
Getting the Right Perspective on Things-Corel Painter 12
This is a quick tip to help you learn to paint better perspective in your paintings. I remember studying this concept when I was in college taking Art classes and was reminded of it recently by my wonderful natural media watercolor teacher Vinita Pappas. Practicing this technique often, and you will find you may no longer need to draw the actual horizon line. Practice with figures, foliage and buildings. Lets start with figures first and while we are at it, learn how to do a bit of blending with Digital Watercolors.
The painting demonstrates that no matter how many figures you add, the perspective remains correct and pleasing to the eye especially when working on a flat plain such as a street scene. And just what do all these figures have in common? Note that the top of their heads all rest on the horizon line.
Step 1
Begin by adding a new layer. You will create your horizon line on this layer, lock it and then add a new layer for your sketch. Add the horizon line on a new layer and change the layer Composite method to Gel. For this demonstration I added the horizon line by simply using the Sketching Pencil variant from the Pencils brush category in Painter 12 and clicking on the “Straight Line Stroke” option on the brushes Property bar. Once you have added your horizon line and finished your sketch, lock the layers so you won’t be tempted to paint on it. At some point you may want to delete the layer.
But where do I put the horizon line? Where there is no visible horizon line, you will need to depend upon your own judgment as to where it should be placed in the composition. Placing the horizon line just right has much to do with the balance of the image you are working with. For example, two-thirds of the image could be sky while one third is land , or vice-verse. Traditionally the horizon line is placed at eye level.
Step 2
I used the Sketching Pencil from the Pencils brush category in Painter 12 and one of my favorite Digital Watercolor brushes created by Skip Allen, Splashing Water the Digital Sq Pool Blender. I use this brush to both add color and to blend color. Working on the Canvas layer I sketch several figures loosely. I give the indication of the shape of people walking down the street so details are kept to a minimum.
As I continue to sketch it is important to keep the top of the figures heads just at the horizontal line. It is important to note that these figures are on a flat plain. Note that even the largest and the smallest figures heads line up on the horizontal line. This is your guide to showing you the correct perspective based on a flat plain, such as you observe on a city sidewalk.
Step 3
Add a variety of colors or decide to stay with either a cool color palette or a warm color palette. Warm color schemes do not include blue at all, and likewise, cool color schemes do not include red at all. For example, a color scheme that includes “warmer” colors may have orange, yellow, and red-orange in it. “Cooler” colors are green, violet, light blue, etc. This example shows a rather cool color scheme.
For the example I used the Soft Grad Water Dab from Skip Allen’s Real Watercolor brush set. This brush is a Watercolor layer brush and when you begin painting with it, it will add a new Watercolor layer. You cannot paint on a Watercolor layer with most other variants unless you change the layer blend mode or drop the layer to the Canvas layer.
Step 4
Next add a new Default layer and enable the Pick Up Underlying Color option. If enabled, it will appear blue in color.
Step 5
For the faces I used a warm shade of orange and added a bit of yellow and red to it. As you paint the faces keep them small and not too large in relation to the rest of the figure. I used my favorite brush Digital Sq Pool Blender again from Skip Allen’s Splashing Water brushes. This brush is a Digital Watercolor brush and can be used on any layer except Watercolor and Liquid Ink.
Step 6
Painting with the Digital Sq Pool Blender and making sure that the “Pick Up Underlying Color” is enabled you can now blend beautifully into the Watercolor layer below. Add variations of cast shadows to help anchor your figures. Apply light stylus pressure for blending.
Step 7
Paper textures can help to enhance your paintings by adding extra interest. Apply a paper texture but keep it subtle and not too strong. Textures that are applied too strong will distract from the painting.
Step 8
Consider adding some final details. Have fun and use your imagination. Perhaps some pigeons in the street or a dog or two. Bring your street scene alive with color and by adding interesting elements that help to convey your story about the painting. It is all about body language.
Here is another example done with traditional watercolors. The scene speaks more to isolation, and not much interaction between the figures, they are together but alone.
One Point Perspective
Final take away:
One Point Perspective implies that the further away an object is the smaller it will appear on the horizon line. Remember this tool when you are painting. It will help you to keep all things in perspective. And remember that the further away the object appears the smaller it will appear on the horizon line.
Similar to Happy Zen, Skip Allen adds his magic touch creating a very wet brush that flows endlessly on the canvas. Perfect for Sumi-e style painting this brush set is expressive and will keep you entertained for hours.
When it comes to “Workhorse” brushes these are my favorites. Happy Zen is a brush category created for my Sumi-e painting class. These brushes are Watercolor layer brushes. Brushes paint beautifully or use them as dab brushes as well.
Updated on July 20th, 2011 Auryn Ink is one of the best Watercolor Apps out there. I have tried many! This application supports both iPad and iPhone. It does a great job simulating watercolor intuitively and easily. Auryn Inc features wet and dry paper textures, various brush tips, gestural effects controlled by the stroke speed, color wheel, blending, lifting color and water level controls.
Fun Features-Splatter
Tilting the iPad will allow the paint to flow! This was an exciting discovery. Shake it and you add splatter to the canvas!
Paint Flow
If you enjoy Watercolors then give this one a try! I think in time Auryn will improve the functionality of this app, but for pure painting fun it can’t be beat!
Lacks:
Only two undo’s.
Pure watercolor no pencil for sketching however, small brush tips work well for general sketching.
