Corel Paint Jam Tomorrow – Come see Karen, Peggy and Me – It will be fun

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Everyone,

Tomorrow at 3:00 PM EDT Join Painter Masters Karen Bonaker, Peggy Gyulai, and yours truly…me, for this hands-on, three-part Jam series that covers everything you wanted to know about creating digital art from a traditional artist’s perspective.

Sign up for 1, 2 or all 3 live dynamic sessions that cover the entire artistic creation process—from starting with a blank canvas to creating your final artistic masterpiece.

  • Session 1: Sept. 11, 2013
  • Session 2: Sept. 18, 2013
  • Session 3: Sept. 25, 2013

Don’t have Painter X3? No problem. Download a FREE, 30-day trial version and join in the jam!

Download free trial

Jam Session 1:
Meet the artists

Get to know Skip, Karen and Peggy and find out what fuels their creative process. Each artist will take you on a colorful trip down memory lane as they show and tell how they became professional working artists. Plus, they’ll provide invaluable tips for tackling that blank canvas and avoiding artist’s block.

Date: Wed. Sept. 11, 2013
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. EDT

Register Now

Jam Session 2:
Digital Paint Jam!

Watch as Skip, Karen and Peggy paint live. The session will rotate from one Master to another as they collaborate and inspire each other’s progress. Paint along with them and put their Painter knowledge and skills to the test!

Date: Wed. Sept. 18, 2013
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. EDT

Register Now

Jam Session 3:
Grand finale

See the finishing touches applied to the Masters’ paintings and learn what challenges they came up against, what brushes they discovered and what lessons they learned that they’ll take with them for their next project. Plus, get some insight into what to do once your work is complete, with topics covering mixed media inspiration, social media and selling your newly created masterpiece!

Date: Wed. Sept. 25, 2013
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. EDT

Register Now

NOW FOR THE REAL STORY!

Attend tomorrow and see how I changed from this:

OMGosh...that's circa 1980

OMGosh…that’s circa 1980

to this:

Good grief, what can I say. HO HO HO I guess.

Good grief, what can I say. HO HO HO I guess.

Hope you can join us on the 11th, 18th, and 25th of September.

Enjoy,

Skip

My You Tube Channel; Corel Painter X3 Artists’ Oils Brush Panel

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Everyone,

I have a You Tube Channel, Skip Allen.  I started the channel because it made it easier to add videos to my blog with a link instead of processing via WordPress.  I can also make the videos true HD at 1080 p.  Most of the posts that are on the blog are also on You Tube.  BUT…not all videos on You Tube make it to the blog.  I’m finding that it is easy to answer questions found on various forums by doing a video and adding it to my You Tube channel.

I thought maybe some of the subscribers here, might like to subscribe to my You Tube channel as well.  I actually hope that you do because I plan on doing more short very specific videos there.  I do have a request to do videos about animation in Painter from a You Tube subscriber.  Something that complex would probably be posted on the blog, too, but I’m making no promises.

Following is an example of a video posted on my You Tube channel that didn’t make it to the blog until now.  If you like this video, then I would recommend subscribing to my channel.  I have 277 subscribers on You Tube and slightly over 1600 here.

I saw a question on Painter Factory specifically about the wetness slider in the Artists’ Oils brush control Panel.  After a couple of written replies it just seemed easier to answer with a video.  OK, true confessions, I would prefer to always answer with a video.  So that is what I did and provided a link to the video in the forum.  If you like this type of quick response, then I would suggest subscribing to my You Tube Channel…Skip Allen Channel.

“Why do you want a blog and a You Tube channel?”

“Oh my gosh Kevin, where have you been?”

For those who are new to my blog, Kevin is a good computer virus that lives in my computer.  He says he is like Glenda the good witch in the Wizard of Oz.  He wasn’t happy in my previous computer because it was too small.  I now have 9 TB of internal and external hard drives, so he disappears for days or months even.  He is always on my case about something.

“I’ve been here and there…no where in particular.  Why?  You don’t care,” he responded rather brusquely.

“That’s not true Kevin.  I do care…just not a lot.  I want to keep a watchful eye on you.  If you turn into a bad computer virus, I’ll be there with my trusty, virus eradicating gun.”

“Look, I asked you a question.  Are you going to answer it or should I just leave for my private island created in the bowels of external drive two?”

“Private island…in the bowels…”

“Answer the question doofus?” he shouted.

“I already said.  It is easier to link to You Tube for the blog.  I get a better resolution.  And I want to do more quick videos about a specific subject without having to come here and develop a post, check the grammar, and  post it.  I will be able to do more videos that way.”

“Who cares about your silly videos anyway?  I think it is something else.  I think you are a megalomaniacal, egocentric doofus.  Wait, I used doofus before…change that to dummy.”

“Kevin be nice.”

“I am being nice; you should have seen what I really wanted to say!”

“Come on Kevin, I’m not a bad person.”

“In the computer virus world, buddy you stink, and so do most other humans.  You kill our buddies, the evil viruses, and in the process take out a few million good viruses, too.  And you say you are not a bad person.”

“Are you sure we kill good viruses, too?”

“Look it up, it’s on the internet, which makes it true.”

“Really?  I had no idea.  That’s terrible; I don’t want to kill innocent viruses.  What can I do to make up for this horror?”

“I’ll get back with you on that one.”  Odd, he then left snickering at first, and then belly laughing until he was out of earshot.

OMGosh, I’ve been killing innocent good viruses.

Enjoy,

Skip

Painting Without Boundaries, Fall Open Studio with Karen Bonaker, Digital Art Academy

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Everyone,

Corel Master Painter Karen Bonaker has announced the 2013 Fall Open Studio, Painting without Boundaries.  I can’t wait; it starts August 31, 2013, just over a short two weeks away.  You can register or get more information here:  Fall Open Studio 2013 – Painting Without Boundaries.  You cannot beat the $42.00 price tag.

I can remember when I began using Painter back in 2008, I had difficulty getting started.  I could make the software work; make strokes on the page in other words.  I could clone, but it looked like the photograph.  So, I decided to take some classes at the Digital Art Academy owned by Karen.  If memory serves, my first class was with Marilyn Sholin, which helped me understand how to get a more painterly look to my clone.  I knew I wanted to go beyond cloning, too.

I graduated from Art School with a BFA in Pottery, and I had a couple of painting classes and a lot of life drawing classes.  I wasn’t very good at two-dimensional work.  The struggle with trying to paint with Corel Painter was very real.  Then I started taking classes with Karen.  She has a knack for making painting in Corel Painter fun and not the least bit stressful.  I didn’t turn into a painter over night, but I could see big improvements the more I worked with Karen.

Take it from me, I have first hand knowledge; Karen teaches you how to paint with skill and grace.  You do not want to miss her classes.

Here are a couple of examples of Karen’s work:

Corel Painter Master Karen Bonaker, Corel Painter X3

Corel Painter Master Karen Bonaker, Corel Painter X3

Corel Master Painter Karen Bonaker, Corel Painter X3.

Corel Master Painter Karen Bonaker, Corel Painter X3.

Corel Master Painter Karen Bonaker, Corel Painter X3

Corel Master Painter Karen Bonaker, Corel Painter X3

Corel Master Painter Karen Bonaker, Corel Painter X3

Corel Master Painter Karen Bonaker, Corel Painter X3

Corel Painter Master Karen Bonaker, Corel Painter X3

Corel Painter Master Karen Bonaker, Corel Painter X3

I love the last one, since I have a new cat, which makes two total.  Karen works in various styles…all her own.  She can jump between watercolor and chalk and then bring in oils.  If you would like to see more of Karen’s work, visit her blog, Karen Bonaker Art.

Fall Open Studio 2013, Painter without Boundaries  is for intermediate and advanced Corel Painter users.  You can use either Corel Painter 12.2 SP1 or the new Corel Painter X3 for your class assignments.  For more information and to register do go to the link provided.

Y’all hurry!  Class time will be here before you know it.  Go ahead and register; it will be the best $42.00 you have every spent.  I can’t wait for class to start and I hope to see you there.

Enjoy,

skip

Clone Source Image, Pin Point Accuracy, Corel Painter X3

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Everyone,

A student asked an interesting question in my class, Discover What’s New In Corel Painter X3.  Registration for this session closed Friday evening, but the class will be offered again in a few weeks.

We know that with Corel Painter X3, we have enhanced clone features including a Clone Source Image.  We can manipulate the image in multiple ways and then save it as a new clone source, or update the current clone source, or simply discard it.  I thought you could do almost anything to the Source Image; you can.  Just check out this video.

Tony from Australia asked if we could bring in a clone source that is smaller than the original source and place it in the source image perfectly aligned.  I tried it and at first I thought it couldn’t be done, but as I played, I realized that it could be easily done.  Check out the video.

I cloned the following image in Corel Painter X3.

Ginger Lily, cloned and painted in Corel Painter X3

Ginger Lily, cloned and painted in Corel Painter X3

Hope this video was interesting and it gives you some ideas for cloning in Corel Painter X3.

Enjoy,

Skip

My Class, Discover New Features in Painter X3 is open for registration.

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hey Gang,

This happened a bit faster than I realized.  Karen has opened the registration for Discover New Features in Painter X3 at the Digital Art Academy.  Karen listed the class as Open Enrollment, but I’m asking that it be changed to regular enrollment.  That means you will need to register by the end of the first week of classes, or by Aug 2.  Either way works.  Regular enrollment means we all start at the same time.  Open enrollment allows folks to enter at any time.

The class begins on July 27th.  You can download a free trial version of Painter X3 at the beginning of the class.  That way you will be able to discover what is new in X3 and then decide if you want to buy it.  I am sure you will want it.

Hope to see you in the class,

Skip

 

Corel Painter X3 Is Here; View the Videos for a Quick Look at the New Stuff

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Friends,

I am so excited.  Corel Painter has announced the launch of the newest version, Corel Painter X3.  There are some fabulous new features and enhancements.  Let’s get to the videos.  They are all short and meant to give you a quick overview of the new stuff, but they do not give all the details.  Look for an announcement of my class taking you through the new stuff in detail.  Registration will be open soon for my class at the Digital Art Academy, probably tomorrow.

Have you ever had trouble finding a brush.  Not any more.  Check out the new Brush Search function.

The next video describes the new Reference Image, which I particularly like.  I am not cloning as much as I used to, so the reference image fits my work flow.

I find the enhance stroke preview very helpful when making brushes.

I really hope you like the next new feature.  We have new mixer pads made by several artist, including one from me.  Check it out.

There are wonderful new brushes in X3, using something called Universal Jitter.  I’ll speak about that in the next video; in this one I’ll give you a taste of what the Jitter Brushes can do.

You’ve seen how the Jitter brushes work…here is what makes them tick…Universal Jitter.

If you adjust brushes, you are familiar with the minimum slider in the Size Brush Control Panel.  Guess what?  Added to multiple brush controls are minimum sliders.  I love it.

I can’t help it; this is one of my all time favorite things in Painter X3.  The Advanced Brush Control makes adjusting brushes so easy.  I know you will love it.

OMGosh…the new perspective guide is incredible.  Like the other quick videos, the functions of this tool are not shown in-depth.  I will have a class that will give you all the new features in greater detail.

Enhanced Cloning is a misnomer.  I think the new Clone Source Image will revolutionize the cloning work flow.  If feel like a new feature, not an enhancement.  I love this enhancement.

The development team improved layers; they are very stable.  Also added is the ability to transform across layers, even groups.   This is an amazing addition.

I think this is one of the coolest new features.  Now when making a color set, you can set the number of colors you want returned.  Created color sets are very useful.

And the final video concerns the return of Onion Skin when making movies or animation.  But this video will also tell you about new papers, flow maps, and patterns.  And, I do not want to forget that even though Mac users will not have a 32 bit version of Painter X3, an added memory extender allows Mac users to use extra memory.

OK…whew…that’s it for today.  I’ve tried to give you a quick intro to all that is new in Painter X3.  As I have mentioned, I will have a class at the Digital Art Academy called Discover What’s New in Painter X3.  We are in the process of setting up the registration page.  As soon as it is up…probably tomorrow…I’ll let you know.  I hope some will join the class and learn the details of what’s new in Painter X3.

Enjoy,

Skip

A Fun Color Set and a Few New Variants for Corel Painter 12.2

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Everyone,

A week or two ago, Marie left a comment about the Traditional Colors of Japan.  She posted two links; The Traditional Colors of Japan from Wikipedia and from Ki Do Raku Japan – Traditional Colors of Japan.  They are both terrific but the first one gave RGB equivalents for the colors.  That meant that I could create the color in Painter and add it to a color set.  Why would I want to, I hear you saying.  Good question.

I’m fond of the art of Japan and China, well all of Asia.  The color is a major part of the attraction for me.  So, when I saw a site that had all the colors listed, I had to make a color set for myself.  I cannot tell you that the set is accurate.  Color management on the Web is non-existent, which doesn’t matter in this case, as long as the RGB numbers are correct.  I have no way of knowing if they are.

The Traditional colors of Japan have an interesting history.  Apparently they date back to 603…that’s quite a history.  That is all I know.  I haven’t taken the time to research the colors.

Once I made the set, I tried a simple watercolor with colors only from the set.  I can’t say the painting was a rousing success, but I can say that I do love the color set.  While painting, I used several new brushes that have not been published.  Last time that disappointed many folks because they wanted to follow along.  So this time I provided a brush category that has all the brushes used.  Look for all the downloads at the end of the post.

Here is the image that I created.  After finishing, I did use the default equalize and then faded it by 50%.  I didn’t show that in the video.  The flowers are forsythia.

Forsythia Flowers, Corel Painter 12.2, Watercolor

Forsythia Flowers, Corel Painter 12.2, Watercolor

And for your viewing pleasure…or not…here is the video of painting process.  Sorry it is so long; I hadn’t planned on it being over 25 or 30 minutes…oh well.  I hope you enjoy it.

You can get the color set, the brushes used for the Forsythia Painting and the Airbrush Wet’s Paper category from the following links:

Japanese Traditional Colors

Air Brush Wets Paper Category

Forsythia Painting Category

I hope I remembered all the brushes and stuff.  If I left something out, please let me know.

Enjoy,

Skip

Corel Painter 12 and a Wacom Art Pen, It Doesn’t Get Any Better!

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Everybody,

UPDATE:  Sorry, but I forgot to take video 5 off private.  I have set it correctly now and it is available for viewing.  I can’t help it; I’m a dunce. LOL.

I follow Painter Factory, a forum for Painter users provided by Corel Painter.  It is a great forum; you can ask questions or answer them; you can even suggest enhancements and new functions for future versions of Corel Painter.

I notice a thread that someone who is new to Painter asked if an art pen would be proper for a newbie.  All the answers were terrific.  But, it gave me the idea to follow my post about setting up the Intuos 5 with posts about the Wacom Art Pen and how you can tame it in Painter 12.  It is a fabulous tool, and I would highly recommend it to traditional artists.

I have created 6 videos, each around 5 minutes long.  This first video shows the enhanced brush ghost as the best cursor to use with Art Pen, and I explain the advantages of barrel rotation.

In this video, part 2, I take a look at a variant that doesn’t have any rotation function and try to change it to a variant that does have rotation ability, however, I found that Expression Rotation in the Angle Brush Control Panel doesn’t always work…why?

In this video, part 3, I find what dab types will work with rotation and which ones will not.

In this video, part 4, I discover the RealBristle brush control panel; I will explore it next.

In the fifth video we explore the RealBristle brush control panel. It has lots of sliders all geared to help you make the perfect variant based on traditional values.

In the last video, I review what I have learned.  I also talk about sample multiple colors and how the realbristle brushes can use sample multiple colors…very cool.

Well, there you have it.  My take on the Wacom Art Pen.  I love mine and when not demonstrating, I use it exclusively.  I hope you will give it a try.

Have a great week,

Skip

Wacom Intuos 5 Touch and Corel Painter, A Perfect Match! How I Setup My Wacom Intuos 5 Touch

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Everyone,

I love Corel Painter and I love my Wacom Intuos 5 Touch.  I have been rather busy of late, and since we have had several new Wacom Tablet Drivers, I messed up and lost my preferences.  I hadn’t set them up completely anyway, and I had always planned to do a series of videos about how my settings, so now seemed the perfect opportunity to do a series of videos showing the how and why of my settings.  I tried to keep each video under 5 minutes, but failed miserably.  I don’t think I had one over 8 minutes though.

Please note, I am using a Wacom Intuos 5 Touch.  If you are using an Intuos 4 or an Intuos 5 without Touch, I think the videos will still hold interest.

The first video is a quick introduction to Wacom Tablet Properties.

The second video talks about programing the Grip and Art Pens.

The third and fourth videos concern touch.

The fifth video is about Express Keys.  Since we can only program functions that have shortcut commands, I needed to create shortcut commands for several functions.  This video explains making shortcut keys.

The sixth video is also about Express Keys.  I demonstrate how to make the Express Keys work only in Painter.

Video 7 is all about the Touch Ring

Video 8 explains the Radial Menu.

And the last video…number 9…wraps it up with saving the preferences.

OK, that’s it for this post.  I do need to apologize for never finishing the painting using Painter Lite.  I got sidetracked and simply lost interest in the painting.  Then, everyday, I put pressure on myself to finish it.  It was awful.  I may or may not finish the painting.  Right now I want to do some other stuff in Painter.

For those of you who enjoy hearing about Kevin from time to time, I have to report I haven’t seen him in a while.  I don’t know where he is; I assume he is still living in my computer.  I recently moved a whole bunch of stuff to an external hard drive; I hope he didn’t get lost in the move.  Anyway, as soon as I can find him, I’ll give you a report on what he has been up to.

Take care my friends, and I hope you enjoy this post,

Skip

New Wacom Drivers Available 6/18/2013

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Everyone,

I’ve been out and about and not doing anything on the blog…I’m so bad.  But, I had to jump in and let you know that Wacom has new drivers available.  That’s all folks.  There are posts on my blog that will tell you how to install and uninstall your Wacom Drivers.  There is a search feature above…it will take you to other posts about the Wacom Driver.

I’ll be back soon, I promise.

Later,

Skip

Additional information:

Sorry, I made this post very fast and left out some information that might be helpful.

I have not checked the regions other than the Americas, so it is possible if you live outside of that region, the drivers have not been updated for you.  All regions are usually updated within a week or so of each other.

Here is the link for the Wacom Drivers in the Americas.

You can find how to uninstall and install Wacom drivers for the PC and Mac on my blog here:  Uninstall and Install Wacom Drivers.

The Wacom Drivers can fail from time to time when launching.  Look at this blog post for some answers to that problem.

Ok…hope these links help.