Tag Archives: Skip Allen

Fun with Audio Expression Brushes

Posted by Skip Allen on

Happy Holidays Everyone,

I wish you a joyous season and a very happy New Year.

At the Digital Art Academy Community, Karen and I were doing some videos and giving away a few brushes.  I decided to add a bonus brush to my group.  For something different, I made three variants using Audio Expression painting.  I was actually surprised at the results.  The first attempt was a little on the funky side.  I wasn’t sure how to control the variants.  You can get a bit of control, but the excitement of these variants is to let them run wild and play off what the music brings to the table.

OK…so this was the first image I did.

Musical Flowers, Corel Painter 2020, Audio Expression Brushes

In the following video you can see me paint the above image.

After I posted the image and video, I heard from some that they couldn’t get the variants to work like they did for me.  I did a few test and realized it had to be a difference in resolution.  I provided this video.

Then i did a practice landscape and left it soft.

Audio Expression Landscape, Corel Painter 2020, Audio Expression Variants

The next painting I captured in a video.  I do the initial painting and then bring in thick paint and pastels to give a few details.

Mixed media, Audio expression, thick paint, pastels, Corel Painter 2020

And here is the video:

Following are the three new variants I created to make these paintings.  To load them, you need to open Painter, decide which category you want to put them in, then go to Brushes > Import > Brush and navigate to where you saved the variants.  The brush will be installed in the currently active brush category.   These variants are for Painter 2020.  (EDIT) After posting, the variants have been altered to work with 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Relax to Music Brush

Relax to Music 2

Relax to Music 3

Enjoy and have the Happiest of Holidays,

Skip

Tweaking Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint, Making Them Work For You!

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Everyone,

Any new brush set comes with a learning curve and Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint is no exception.  Plus, when I make variants, I make them for me and hope that you like them or can use them.  Most brushes can easily be manipulated especially in Corel Painter 2020.  Everything I do in the following videos can be done in Corel Painter 2018 or Corel Painter 2019, but I will access the brush controls differently than in 2018 or 2019.  Just remember all Brush Control Panels can be found under Window > Brush Control Panels regardless of your Painter version.

OK, so what might you want to change in a brush control panel?  I love texture.  My brushes will always show maximum texture.  I suspect too much texture for most people.  Not a problem, dialing back texture is easy.  I like brushes to be wet and mix easily and quickly.  Again, more than necessary for most people I venture.  All you need to do is change the bleed slider to the setting that works best for you.  Those are the types of things I show you in this set of videos.

I am brave, too.  Most of the images posted are of work done while creating the variants and should never see the light of day.  They are not excellent examples of the paintings, but show you that I struggle, too.  I have the same learning curve you do…sigh.  Let’s start with this one.  I was using 012 Thin Stiff Worn Bristle.  It didn’t take very long to complete, but it served a purpose.  It began to address the learning curve.  Don’t be afraid; paint and have fun.  Allow yourself the freedom to fail.

Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint, Struggling Image 1, 012 Thin Stiff
Worn Bristle

Time to look at the first video:

Same theme, no more successful.  This one has almost too much texture for my tastes.

Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint, Struggling 2, 002 Thin Wet Bristle, 007 Wet Short Bristle

OK, stop laughing and watch the next video.

Maybe the second try will be better…or not.

Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint, Scratchy Roses, sigh, 012 Thin Stiff Worn Bristle

OK, you are hurting my feelings now.  I told you I have a learning curve, too.

I like brushes that can create single stroke imagery or flowers. Karen Bonaker is teaching a fabulous course at the Digital Art Academy called Romantic Roses.  I love the class and thought I would try to see if thick paint could work.  Thick paint can definitely paint romantic roses.  However, I can’t.  I know I will, but this type of work really takes practice and tweaking the brushes will be necessary.  This first attempt is very clunky.

 

Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint, Single Stroke Thick Paint, Oh boy…lots of practice needed.

I love abstracted landscapes.  Thick paint works well I think.  Little by little, I am coming to grips with it.

Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint, Back Bay, 002 Thin Wet Bristle, 016 Grainy Opaque Knife, 022 Grainy Edgy Knife

I have also been in a dark mood.  Painted this one Halloween night.

Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint, River Moonlight, several variants, sorry don’t remember which ones.

Here is a work in progress.  The previous too images started like this.  If and when I finish it…I will  post it.

Work in Progress, Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint, 002 Then Wet Bristles.

Now it’s your turn.  Give the brushes a try and post your work someplace I can see it.  Hey…let’s post some on my blog.  If you are willing to post an image using these variants, tell me in the comments below and I’ll contact you to make arrangements to get the digital version.  I hope somebody will send me some images.

Enjoy,

Skip

You Asked for It; Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint Compatible with Painter 2018 and 2019

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello,

Several folks wanted the variants for earlier versions of Painter.  Thick Paint was introduced in Painter 2018.  I was able to take the brush category back to Painter 2018.  I changed the name to Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint 18.  If you have Painter 2018 or Painter 2019, you can upload this category and use it in either version.  If you have 2020, it will work in it, too, but I would recommend that you download the version I made in 2020.  That version will work best in 2020.  You can download the category below.  Click on the red type.

Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint 18

And don’t forget to donate if you can.

Here is a little teaser.  This is a test piece…I doodle with the brushes as I am making them.  This is an example of a doodle.

Doodle testing Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint. Corel 2020, Thick Paint

 

Enjoy,

Skip

Free Corel Painter Brushes

Posted by Skip Allen on

I have just finished a set of Corel Painter brushes called Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint Category. When Thick Paint was introduced two years ago, I loved it and still do. I like anything painted thickly. Naturally I used them thickly. After all, they were called thick paint. I also noticed that they didn’t seem as popular as I thought they should be.  It appeared folks didn’t like to paint thickly.

The more I used thick paint the more I felt like it emulated oil paint better than any other category in Painter. But my mindset was that thick paint needed to be used thickly. It didn’t occur to me to use them thinly and more like traditional oils that are not painted with a palette knife or gobs of paint on a brush.

I think the turning point came when I was looking at a Sargent painting at Google Arts and Culture.  You can zoom in and look at the various brushstrokes.  I didn’t think the marks looked at all like our current Sargent Brush.  The strokes were bold and simple.  I have always heard that Sargent was the king of Bravura strokes.  I kept thinking that his brushstrokes looked like thick paint…thinner of course.

I created a few “thick paint” brushes that painted thinly. And in no time at all, I developed Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint category for Corel Painter 2020. You can download them for free at the end of this post.  But first, I want to post 7 videos that talk about the brushes.  I am not going to post images at first…I want to see what you do with them.  Please download the variants and paint away.  Post your work on FB or at the Digital Art Community…or anywhere I might see it. I am curious how these variants will be received.  As I said, I love them, but I can’t speak for you.

You can download the brushes here.  Please remember, these variants were made in Painter 2020 and are only compatible in Painter 2020.  And if you like the brushes, please consider donating to the blog.  I really appreciate it.

Click the red type below to download the brushes.

Skip’s Ultimate Thick Paint brush category.

Enjoy,

Skip

Free Thick Paint Brushes; New Papers Available for Corel Painter

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Everyone,

I finally have my new category of brushes finished.  I call them Skip’s Best Thick Paints, and I believe they are my best thick paints.  I wanted a set that included stiff bristles and palette knives.  I also wanted to create a set that would work well with a new set of papers I designed and offered by Corel called Dynamic Papers.  You can get the papers by opening Painter, then go to Help > Welcome > Get More > Dynamic Papers.  There is another set available called Natural Papers that look mighty good, too.

The following videos will tell you about the brushes, papers, and a paper script library that can be downloaded .

The previous post shows some examples of work done with the new variants.  This is a work in progress, but will show you how nice the textures can look with these variants and papers.

Work In Progress, Corel Painter 2019, Watercolor and Thick Paint Variants, and Dramatic Papers

You can download the brushes at following link:

Skip’s Best Thick Paint

You can download the Paper Script Library at following link:

Paper Scripts-1

I hope you enjoy the brushes.  I think they are some of my bests.  If you do like them and find they are useful…consider making a donation.  Thank you bunches.  Skip

Loving Thick Paint

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hey Everyone,

I’m so sorry I haven’t been posting much of late.  I spend most of my time managing my sister’s care.  She had a stroke about six years ago, but was able to continue living at home with help until April of last year.  She cannot walk any more and requires a lot more help.  She is now in a nursing home.  I live in Georgia, but she is in Mississippi.  I spend most of my time in Mississippi these days.  I do have my older computer here and can continue painting.

My Painter 2019 class is still available.  A few folks in that class requested that I do another Painter brush making class.  I did the last one in 2012.  I started it last week and hope to have it available in a month or sooner.

Lately, thick paint interests me.  I have mixed watercolor with thick paint and that has been fun.  I want to perfect thick paint and be able to use it in a very thick way.  I have made some new brushes that I really like.  Some are palette knives but the ones I am liking the most are thick paint variants with very stiff bristles.  Here are a couple of examples.  The first one started as watercolor washes and then I added thick paint.

Corel Painter 2019, Watercolor and Thick Paint variants

In the next one, I am using only thick paint and the variants are palette knives.

Corel Painter 2019, Thick Paint Palette Knives

And the last one is also using Thick Paint, but the variants have very stiff bristles.  I like this look a lot.

Corel Painter 2019, Thick Paint variants with stiff bristles

When I feel like the brushes are complete, I’ll post them.  It has been a while since I have given out any variants on my site.  I like how these are looking and hope you do too.

Enjoy,

Skip

Registration is Still Open for Painter 2018, Is It Real Paint

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Everyone,

You can still register for my class, Painter 2018, Is It Real Paint.  I cover all the new functions released with Painter 2018 and more.  The class includes 115 video demonstrations and many resources, such as brushes, papers, textures, etc.  I don’t think you will find another class that offers as much as this class.  Do register right away.  Everything is available for download to your computer; you can watch and work the assignments at your leisure.  The class will stay open well into the new year, however, registration will close December 31, 2017.  Don’t delay!

I hope to see you in class!  I created this image while demonstrating thick paint.  I had taken a photograph of Cade’s Cove in the Smokey Mountains on a winter day.  It was cold and a winter storm was brewing.  I wanted to express the feeling of the day, plus I was in a somewhat somber mood when I did the painting.  I love the new thick paint brushes and explain in detail how they work and show you how to build your own.  I think thick paint is one of the best new features of Painter 2018.

Thick Paint Landscape done as a demo in Painter 2018 Is it Real Paint

Happy Thanksgiving to those who follow this tradition.  And I want to wish everyone the Happiest Holiday Season and the Best New Year ever!

Enjoy,

Skip

Recorded Live Stream Watercolor Demo from Aaron and Me Is Available

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Everyone,

If you want to watch the watercolor demo Aaron and I did yesterday, it is now available on You Tube to watch.  As promised during the session, I have put together the brushes, papers, and the scripts I used in the demo.  These tools are for Painter 2016.  I’m sorry, but some of the stuff uses newer technology found in Painter 2016 and will not work in earlier versions.  Please do not try to install in earlier versions of Painter.

Watercolor Demo Tools

To watch the recording, click the following video.  You can use the icons at the bottom to expand the videos size or go to You Tube to watch.  I’m still trying to figure out how to put it on my You Tube Channel.  I hope you enjoy it.

 

This is the watercolor I painted during the demonstration:

Watercolor Flowers, Corel Painter 2016, Watercolor Live Streaming Demo

Watercolor Flowers, Corel Painter 2016, Watercolor Live Streaming Demo

 

Thank you, Aaron for inviting me.  I enjoyed the live streaming process and hope to do it again soon.  And a big thank you to all who attended.

 

Enjoy,

Skip

Don’t Forget to Join Aaron Rutten and Me Live…July 1…3:00 PM EDT

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hi Friends,

Wanted to remind everyone to join Aaron and me, July 1, 3:00 PM EDT.  All you have to do is click the image below.  You can watch from here, or click the You Tube icon at the bottom and watch from You Tube.

Hope to see you there,

Skip

Join Aaron Rutten and Me In a Live Demonstration of Watercolor in Corel Painter 2016

Posted by Skip Allen on

Hello Friends,

Corel Master Painter Elite Aaron Rutten and I are having a Live Session on Friday, July 1, 2016 at 3:00 PM Eastern Daylight Savings time.  I hope you can join us live, but if you cannot, do not worry…you can download the recorded broadcast.

Follow this link to join the live stream.  When you click on the link, look at the bottom of the window.  You can click on full screen mode or click on You Tube and go directly to the broadcast on You Tube.  No need to do it until Friday, July 1, 2016, at 3:00 PM EDT.

 

This is my first live stream experience.  Luckily, Aaron is an old pro and knows how to set it up.  I’m just along for the ride.

If I understand it correctly, you view our Painter desktops side by side.  Watch us demonstrate watercolor in Painter 2016 and answer any questions that may come up.

I hope this is enjoyable for everyone.  If so, I can have more live streaming sessions.

See you Friday, July 1, 2016 at 3:00 PM EDT.

Skip