Here is something really new. I just noticed that Corel Painter has a new product available, Brush Packs. There are nine different brush packs created by professionals in specific fields. All look very interesting.
Don’t have Painter 2015, no problem, six of the sets are compatible with Painter X3 and 12. Three of the sets are particle brushes and those, of course, are not compatible with versions earlier than 2015.
I haven’t downloaded and played with any of the brushes, but I will. I’m reviewing them now to decide what I want to buy. There is a watercolor set; I must have those. 🙂 I am very curious about the Particle sets, so I am sure I will try one of those.
OK…go check the New Brush Packs out. As soon as I download one and give it a try, I’ll let you know what I think.
I am still tweaking my new watercolor variants, but I decided that I would share a few brushes with you and even a couple of watercolor papers. One of the brushes, Skip’s Real Water, actually flows almost like traditional watercolor, but unfortunately, it does require a lot of computer power to render in a timely fashion. I will explain more later in the Tutorials at the end of the post.
In the first example from the class, I made the chops in the upper right corner. I downloaded the calligraphy from one of the sites that will translate your name. I hope it is my name; I really don’t know. The square chop has my name placed in the four corners, but you cannot read it…sigh. Karen gives us a few pointers in the class and I made better chops later.
Lonely Pine, Corel Painter 2015 Watercolor, Skip Allen
My second image continued with the same theme.
Life, Watercolor in Corel Painter 2015, Skip Allen
The chops were my two again, but I added some chops provided by Karen that mean Yin Yang, Hope, and Learn from Nature.
Next, I tried my hand at creating a new chop. I do not believe I created one that is intensely personal or spiritual; I need to try again. Here are my two attempts.
Watercolor in Sumi-e style with my chop, Corel Painter 2015, Skip Allen
I like the soft feel of this painting, and the linear quality is very important to me. I made pots for nearly 3 decades and my surface decorations were always linear. The chop is also linear. I do have my name in English running up the right side. The S is at the bottom and the P is at the top. It is kind of strange, right? The second chop is identical, but I used my name in calligraphy.
Strong Bamboo, Watercolor in Corel Painter 2015 with my chop, Skip Allen
THE TUTORIALS:
OK, would you like to see how I did the above images? I hope so. In this first video, I mainly talk about the brushes used and paper and flow maps play an important part. Actually, the brushes are useless without proper manipulations of the paper and flow maps. The Expressions settings are also very important. For instance, I may use Pressure or Velocity as an Expression. If I do, then you need to have your brush tracking or brush calibration set properly for your hand. Otherwise, you will not get the same look and feel that I get. Also, I use a Wacom Art Pen almost exclusively. The Art Pen allows barrel rotation, meaning you can rotate the pen in your fingers and get the same look and feel of a traditional flat brush. If you are using a Grip Pen, then the brush will remain rigid…it will not twirl as you see mine do. For more information go to Art Pens.
Video 1: Tips and Tricks, Corel Painter 2015, Wet Watercolor
After the first video, I decided to paint a piece similar to the ones done in class and capture the experience for you. It wasn’t that easy. Some tutorials are easy, and then others are full of challenges. I actually made two complete sets of tutorials. I had so much difficulty with the first set that I remade the videos. There is a lot of stuff in the first set that might be useful, so I may post it anyway. I haven’t decided, yet.
OK…here is the painting that I created in the tutorials.
Isolation, Watercolor in Corel Painter 2015, Skip Allen
Before I actually start painting, I usually create a paper layer. I like seeing the paper texture; it makes me think I am actually painting on paper. Check out how I do it in this video.
After I created the paper texture, I started the painting. Using three layers, I painted the sky and mountains.
In the next video, I added another mountain and the isolated tree. Establishing the focal point was crucial. I did this as someone from the West. The Asian focal point is very different, I believe.
In the last video, I place a texture over the image. The texture came from Media Militia. This is an incredible free resource of textures. On their website they state: “All of our resources are free for personal and commercial use. We put a lot of time and energy into creating them. If you found something useful, help us out by making a donation. Even a donation of a buck helps pay for the crazy bandwidth costs. Thank you!” If you do go to their site and download materials, do donate. The service offered is well worth a donation and it is so helpful to get them. I seldom get donations, but when I do, it’s delightful. It is so rewarding and inspires me to produce more. Plus, it helps with expenses. When you donate to Media Militia, think about donating here, too.
That was the last video. I give the brushes, papers, and flow maps used, except those from Tim Shelbourne, in the following link.
PLEASE NOTE: I made the tools (brushes, flow maps, and papers) in Corel Painter 2015, and they are not compatible with other versions. Do not install in earlier versions. If I get many requests for an earlier version set , I’ll produce and post it.
I have decided not to post the other videos. I may change my mind later, but the image was pretty awful. In a week or two, I’ll check them again and see if the information is valid and would be helpful to you. If so, I’ll post them
Skip Allen Paints 