John's Smart Brushes User: Terry Sita

John's Smart Brushes user Artist Terry Sita writes:

I am sending you two photos of painting I did with your Leroy brush. We raise Thoroughbreds so there are always a lot of horses around to photograph. The foals are born usually between Feb. and May.

I rather like the look of the smart oil, since I am a realist painter, but I am trying to loosen up and get more color in my work, so I thought you would like these better.

After auto painting, all I did was bring back the eyes and a little of the hair on the head. If I used the smart oil, I would have to do a little more work to put color into the piece. I hope you like them. I am still a beginner at Painter 12 and these brushes eliminate much of the work.

You can see more of Terry's work on her website. Terry mentions using the Leroy brush. I named this brush after artist Leroy Neiman. and attempted to imbue this brush with some of the vibrance of his paintings.

Mr. Neiman passed away today at 91.

John's Smart Brushes come with installation videos for the different versions of Painter, as well as a tutorial video to help you get the most out of these interpretive brushes.

John's Smart Brushes are $24.95. You can purchase them using the PayPal link below. Major credit cards are accepted if you don't have a PayPal account.

Two Seasons, Two Tools

I just finished an image with a bit of an interesting story. Our daughter, Logan, is in her senior year at the University of Nebraska/Lincoln majoring in Meteorology. She is a member of Kappa Delta sorority, which holds an auction every year to raise money for the sorority house.

Last year, we donated a print that I did of the sorority house on UNL's campus. I shot the reference imagery in the late summer and then interpreted the photograph into an autumn scene using Corel Painter. The print was purchased by one of the sorority girl's parents and donated to the house where it now hangs in the dining room.

I was subsequently asked if I would create a second version...this time in a different season. For the winter version I used my Photoshop Artists' Brushes. 

I find it interesting to compare the two paintings with the use of each application used to create each in mind. What strikes me—and I think that this should be a goal of the artist—is to not let expressive software impose its signature on the resulting artwork.

Looking at these images, I don't think that either the Painter or Photoshop pedigree is apparent in either painting. Rather, my style —if there is one— is what comes through the pieces.

If you have an image created using John's Artists' Brushes, send me a JPEG and I'll feature it here on the PixlBlog!

John's Watercolors User: Barb Hartsook

Northern Ohio artist Barb Hartsook created Snowy Trees with John's Watercolors. I like Barb's spontaneous approach.

"This is a quickie, done on different layers. Your watercolor brushes give me the feeling of painting with real paints, but without the slowness of Painter’s watercolor layers. With the Wet Rough and Wet Soften brushes, I can get the look of traditional watercolors fading away – a look I like.

I used the following brushes on this doodle: Gel Wash to get the background. Great brush for skies, distant mountains or trees. Wet Bristle to draw the trees. Versatile brush that will do just about anything I want it to. It responds to how I hold it and move it, and with how much pressure. I feels real in my hand. Gel Opaque to paint the snow. Wet Splatter for the fun."

You can head over to Barb's blog, Over Coffee, to see more of her work.

If you have an example of art created with John's Watercolors, send me a JPEG—your work may get featured here!

John's Watercolors are $35. You can purchase these brushes by clicking the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. If you don't have a PayPal account, an option to pay via credit card is offered as well.

If you've been frustrated trying to master digital watercolors, John's Watercolors for Painter are the answer!

Painter Brush Checklist for Non-painting Layers

New—and experienced—Painter users can find themselves stuck when a brush seemingly refuses to paint on a layer.

I have a handy Brush Checklist in PDF format that users may find handy in this situation. You can download it by clicking on the image below:

Hilarious Cartoons Featuring Corel Painter

"Painter Surface Texture"

Run—do not walk—over to Victor Lunn-Rockcliffe's hilarious Painter cartoon page at PBase. I featured Victor a few weeks ago with a piece he created using John's Watercolors.

Victor possesses a distinctly unique way of visually describing his journey while learning Painter. Done in a pen & ink style, he takes various Painter tools and concepts, putting his own detailed spin on them. Anyone familiar with or just delving into Painter will immediately identify with Victor's subjects.

I have to admit that the first time I read through these fabulous insights into Painter, I was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my cheeks! Victor has a penchant for minutely detailing concepts in a manner that is both humorous and revealing.

Do yourself a favor and head over to Victor's colorful Painter cartoon page. It'll definitely put a smile on your face!

It's Official...

I am currently working on a new title for lynda.com: Corel Painter 11: Mastering Brushes. I've been wanting to do this title for a long time, and the stars have finally aligned. In my workshops and emails, I constantly detect a definite "fear factor" when it comes to Painter's Brush Controls.

I'll admit that these controls can look like a 747 cockpit to many, but there definitely is a method to the madness and I intend to create a brush "bible" of sorts that takes the veil off of this crucial aspect of Painter.

Rather than solely relying on Painter's brush presets—Variants—users should feel comfortable adjusting and crafting brushes to suit one's own unique expressive voice. This is the goal of Mastering Brushes. Even though it is titled to reflect Painter 11, this title will be educational for users of any version of Painter.

The release date hasn't been set, but there is a good chance I'll be recording this title at lynda.com in Ventura, CA in December. If you don't see me here as often in the next month or so, now you'll know why!