Please advise me...

[Cheshire Cat]

Hello all peeps on the threads,

Ive been to the forums a few times and u seem like a quite a nice and helpful bunch so here goes:-

I really enjoy computer colouring (Paintshop/Photoshop) and I recently got a wacom and now I really want to start workin with Painter, i just love the stuff it can do.

So anyways, Ive started messing around and im getting nowhere, I get as far as laying the base colours down and then for the life of me i cant figure out what to do to start actually blending, painting etc.

So i put it to you, if I were your student and you wanted me to learn, which program version should I use (X? 6? i heard that was a favourite) and what advice tutorials should I be looking at?

My methods in paintshop involved using a mask for the lineart, blocking out the flats, then just building on top of those using layers, adding shadows highlights etc, so I know how to paint i just dont have a clue when it comes to this program.

All advice greatly appreciated ^____^

Cheshire

[jason_maranto]

which medium(oils, pastel, watercolor etc) would you like to try first?

Best,
Jason.

[Cheshire Cat]

I don't know. Most likely oils. Just anything that can get me up and running and comfortable with the program.

[jason_maranto]

I'd recommend Artists Oils version 9, 9.5, and 10... use the mixer pad and set the brush for "dirty mode" to get more authentic results.

Using the same method as you are used to in coloring, flat the picture and then:

select your area to render (hide selection) or move it to it's own layer and set to "preserve transparency" and select an impasto artist oil variant and paint from darkest dark to lightest light... keep blending to a minimum to keep the "painted" look.

Do a dozen or so and post them for crits... you'll learn it in no time.

Best,
Jason.

[Cheshire Cat]

Ok thats sounds a bit complicated, but ill try to follow what you said. Do you have any tutorial/ step by step links?

Im finding it difficult to do even basic things right now.

Thank you for taking the time to reply to me.

[GriNGo]

A question: what does the dirty mode do to an artist oils brush? i really couldn´t see the difference in the Brush creator (ctrl+b) window, so i left it off.

[jason_maranto]

Dirty mode mixes the paint on the brush with paint already on the canvas to mimic the brush getting "dirty" with real oils... so lets say you are painting with yellow on a red background, by using dirty mode the brush would gradually begin applying orange and the red paint instead of pure yellow.

If you want to know more about traditional coloring procedure check out www.gutterzombie.com they have alot of good tutorials... as fas as painter specific stuff I mentioned, painter comes with an excellent help file you can access from within the program that will explain all the things I mentioned in much greater detail than I care to here.

Best,
Jason.

[Jin]

Hi Cheshire Cat,

When Painter X was released, Corel no longer listed the Painter IX newsletter issues on their site, but they contained many tutorials you could use to help get to the point of feeling more comfortable using Painter.

Happily, I have links to each of the Painter IX newsletter issues from October 2004 through January 2007 on my PixelAlley site at http://www.pixelalley.com.

On the main PixelAlley page, right column, click the link named:

Links to All Issues
Painter IX Newsletter,
The Painter Canvas,
Tutorials, and Courseware

There's another link to all issues of the Painter X newsletter issues if you want to read those too. So far, only February 2007 and March 2007 issues, but I'll add to the list as each new The Painter Canvas issue is published.

Have fun painting!


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[Cheshire Cat]

Ok, im going to start an image from scratch and ask questions as they come along. So lets start with the real basics.....

1. I open a piece of Lineart and want to use it as a mask over the image, how do I do this?

2. As my first paint medium (oils?) which one should I be using and how do i blend the colours after i lay down the flats?


Please reply in absolute layman's terms as if you were explaining it to a monkey.

[Wixxi]

LOL monkey-boy...:P

I got painter x since yesterday and I kinda got the same problem,its soooo totaly different from photoshop.
I've followed some tuts allready,followed some tipguides,but well,haven't got quit a positive result :(
I'm still tryin,not given up yet,..but its getting annoying,any tip and hint is welcome! :)

[Jin]

Cheshire Cat,

Though I've already commented in this thread, in response to your PM:

Set time aside to do the following

Use all of the tutorials in the Painter IX and Painter X newsletter issues. Though they may not pertain to the kind of work you want to do, you'll learn a lot that can be used in your work.


Open a large Canvas and test each brush category's variants, from the top of the list to the bottom of the list. Take notes when you find something you like or need to ask a question about a specific brush variant.


Read Painter X Help > Help Topics (or Help Topics in whatever Painter version you're using) starting from the first chapter and reading through all chapters, in order. Use the Favorites tab to bookmark pages you'll want to return to later. Reading Help Topics will help you know where to find specific information when you need it.


Read this tutorial on my PixelAlley site (and other tutorials you'll find there, free for individual use by anyone who visits the site):

How to Ask Corel Painter Questions in Forums Around the Painter Community (http://www.pixelalley.com/tips_and_tuts/how_to_ask_questions.html)


Do an Advanced Search in this forum for all threads started by pixlart (John Derry) and work all of those tutorials.


Visit the two following sites where you can ask questions more related to the kind of art you say you want to do:

GutterZombie : Digital Comic Colorists who Color (http://www.dave-co.com/gutterzombie/viewforum.php?f=5)

Drawing Board :: Index (http://www.sketchbooksessions.com/shanesboard/index.php)

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[Jin]

LOL monkey-boy...:P

I got painter x since yesterday and I kinda got the same problem,its soooo totaly different from photoshop.
I've followed some tuts allready,followed some tipguides,but well,haven't got quit a positive result :(
I'm still tryin,not given up yet,..but its getting annoying,any tip and hint is welcome! :)

Hi Wixxi,

Corel Painter is a very complex program and no one learns it quickly. Not even those who've used it for many years know everything there is to know about Painter.

Pace yourself and just keep practicing, trying things, following tutorials, and doing what I listed in my last post to Cheshire Cat.

You'll learn the program best if you first accept the fact that it's not Photoshop. Learn Painter as a whole new program and it'll be easier on you that way.

..............