The Complete Guide to Digital Painting. Volume One

260 Pages·2016·74.99 MB·English

by  Cole Jo (Ed.)

D I G I TA L

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T H E C O M PL E T E G U I DE T O…
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PA I N T I N G
TUTOR IALS FOR CR EATING DIGITAL M ASTER PIECES
VOLUME ONE
256
Pages of guides
for Windows
and Mac
Learn to paint digitally today!
FROM THE MAKERS OF…
Official Magazine

Welcome

This is the ultimate art package for people wanting to
start digital art, or those looking to extend their skills
It doesn’t matter whether or not you have natural artistic ability – with
Corel Painter on your side you can create luscious pieces of digital art.
This title will show you exactly what can be achieved with the program.
We have dedicated tutorials on turning photos into art, where the
Imagine Publishing Ltd brushes take colour and shape information from the source photo. If
Richmond House you’re more con�ident, use the tutorials that begin with a line drawing
33 Richmond Hill
Bournemouth
Dorset BH2 6EZ and see how to apply layers of digital paint to build up a masterpiece.
☎ [phone]
Website: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk We also delve into the arena of traditional art. The Paint Like tutorials
Editor in Chief show how to re-create an artist’s style in Corel Painter, from Van Gogh’s
Jo Cole
Sun�lowers to the iconic work of Edward Hopper. Our Art Skills section
Designed by
Lora Sykes
brings together some fundamental techniques for creating better
Production
Rosie Tanner artwork, looking at topics such as composition, perspective and using
Proofed by light and shade. You’ll �ind tutorial source �iles on the disc along with a
Helen Laidlaw, Daniel Peel
and Amy Squibb
90-day trial of Corel Painter X, so load them up, pick a tutorial and have
Group Art Editor
Ross Andrews a go!
Editorial Director
Dan Slingsby Happy painting!
Printed by
William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall,
West Midlands, WV13 3XT
Disclaimer
The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material
lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of
Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced
in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher.
All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose
of criticism and review. Although the magazine has endeavoured
to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and
availability may change. This bookazine is fully independent and
not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
Trademark(s) or registered trademark(s) of Corel Corporation and/or its
subsidiaries in Canada, the US and/or other countries. Screenshots
are ©Copyright 2008 Corel Corporation, reprinted by permission
The Complete Guide to Digital Painting © 2008 Imagine Publishing Ltd
ISBN 978-1-906078-08-9
72 Get to grips with the Corel
Painter brushes
An in-depth guide to the program’s most
useful brushes
80 Chiaroscuro charcoal portrait
Produce a classic charcoal portrait drawing in
Corel Painter
86 Paint perfect skin
Give character portraits a fl awless complexion
92 Paint a Victorian portrait
Create this traditional style from scratch
32
06 Get to know Painter
98 Design a concept car
An in-depth guide to the features of Painter X
Lessons in how to create the ultimate dream
machine completely in Painter
16 Get creative using Clone Color
Achieve amazing artistic effects with cloning 10 4Interview: Chet Phillips
The master of character art reveals his secrets
26 Quick Clone
Create a painting with this command 11 0Perfect portrait underpainting
104 Discover how to build up beautiful fl esh tones
32 Clone and Glaze
Create a stunning oil painting from a photo 11 8Coloured pencil still life
with this technique
Transform the humble pencil into a wonderful
intricate art form
38 Watercolour masterclass
Discover the wonderfully washy world 12 4Paint realistic fur
of watercolours
A comprehensive guide to painting lifelike
animals good enough to stroke
44 Resources
118
Extend the capabilities of Painter
50 Interview: Bruce Dorn
The inspirations and techniques of this
amazing artist
56 Impressionist landscapes
Use the Impressionist Cloner to paint in the
style of Monet
60 Painting a still life
Create a stunning timeless painting
80
66 Improve the backgrounds
of photos

Give images a boost with this nifty range
of techniques

04
130 Art skills
section
21 6 Art Skills introduction
A roundup of all the artistic techniques
you will learn
21 8 Understand the rules
of perspective
Learn to use depth and proportion
correctly in your work
22 4 Understand the rules
13 0 Paint dramatic seascapes
of composition
Whip up the waves to create this stunning
Discover what makes a perfect
stormy image
visual arrangement
110 14 0 An introduction to airbrushing 23 2 Understand light and shade
Create an authentic Art Deco travel poster
Illuminating advice on shadow and
with this great effect
highlight application
14 6 Create ice-cool images
24 0 How to paint trees
Refi ne your colour palette to paint a winter-
Get to grips with troublesome trunks and
themed portrait
tricky twigs
15 2 Interview: Daniel Conway
24 4 How to paint hair
Learn how this amazing Painter Master honed
Learn the art of painting luscious locks
his skills
24 8 How to paint clouds
15 8 Create metallic textures
From light and fl uffy to dark and angry
Get the perfect sheen and gleam with these
metal effect techniques 25 2 How to paint fabric
16 4 Paint like: Vincent van Gogh Achieve perfect fl ow and texture with
this guide
Paint the famous sunfl owers for yourself
244
17 2 Paint like: Edward Hopper
Re-create this iconic American painting
18 0 Paint like: Claude Monet
Try your hand at his Impressionist style
18 8 Paint like: Paul Gauguin
Produce one of his bold, bright classics
19 4 Paint like: Constable
Reproduce one of his famous beautiful
English landscapes 25 6 Get online
Discover how to create your own
194 20 2 Paint like: Edvard Munch web gallery today
Re-create one of the most iconic images about
25 8 What’s on the disc
20 8 Paint like: L.S. Lowry
Take a look at the complementary
Paint in this unique ‘matchstick’ style interactive disc

05
Feature Get to know Corel Painter X
Get to know

Read on for an in-depth look at the new
and enhanced features in Corel Painter X

Original artwork by Philip Straub
Corel’s Painter software has always been dedicated to
bringing users the ultimate digital art studio. From its
very beginning, the program has merged real media
effects with digital technology and enabled tens of thousands
of users to produce art above and beyond what they had ever
dreamed of. For years, the program has allowed professional
artists, designers and photographers to edit and create images
to be proud of. Digital creatives from the entertainment industry
use the program to make matte paintings, design characters or
manufacture special textures. Corel Painter has been used to
make popular videog ames as well as movies from household
names such as Lucas�ilm and Disney. Professional photographers
have also been drawn to the program, having noticed the
potential Corel Painter provides in turning their photos into
paintings. This has provided them with a new client base and
helped increase revenue.
Within its diverse audience, the
program is most popular with �ine
artists, with more and more moving
from traditional methods of creating
art to working in Corel Painter. Artists
can get such outstanding results that
their work is being exhibited around
the world. And this is the perfect
demonstration of what Corel Painter is
all about – acting as a bridge between
traditional art techniques and cutting-
edge digital technology, giving users
the best of both worlds.
While it’s true that the professional community absolutely loves
the program, it can also be found in the homes of curious creatives
who are eager to try their hand at digital art. Whatever a person’s
ability, there is a function in Corel Painter that will allow them to
create something to be truly proud of. Whether it’s using a photo
as a basis for a painting or sketching out a form freehand and then
applying layers of virtual paint, there’s enough functionality to
keep everyone’s imagination busy.
With Painter X, Corel has built and expanded on all of the core
features and produced a program that blurs the distinction
between traditional art media and the digital format even more.
Corel worked closely with the world’s best Painter users and
responded to their ideas and suggestions about how the program
should develop. The result is a piece of software that gives users
the ability to emulate the look of real media like never before.
Features include the new RealBristle Painting System, which
delivers an incredibly responsive brush system; the Divine
Proportion tool, for composing images using traditional art
theory; and the new and enhanced features of the Photo
Painting System, giving �irst-time users an excellent automatic
base to start from.
Over the next few pages, we’re going to look at these features
in more depth, guiding you through these new elements of Corel
Painter X, and providing some handy hints along the way. So sit
back, see how Corel Painter X can improve your work and then
get creating!

7
Feature Corel Painter X
DIVINE PROPORTION
The Corel
Alongside the new Layout Grid tool,
Painter X the Divine Proportion option lets
you bring up a guide that helps you
workspace compose your artwork or photo
according to a ratio used by famous
Find your way around artists such as Leonardo da Vinci.
the new workspace
and see where the
new features live
Anyone who is familiar with Corel
Painter won’t be too horrified when
they open up the new version. The
overall look is the same as previous
versions of the program, although
once you start delving deeper,
there are many new goodies to
be found.
We’re going to look at the new
features in more depth on these
DODGE AND BURN
pages, providing you with the basis
to go out and create the best Corel These two new additions to the
Painter artwork you can. So here toolbox enable users to highlight
it is, a whistle stop tour of where and darken areas of a photo or
everything lives in the interface… image. By adjusting the opacity
and size, you can apply your
changes very intuitively and
achieve amazing results.
In addition to looking like the real thing,
the RealBristle set also interacts with the
canvas as a real brush would
RealBristle Painting System
ROUNDNESS BRISTLE RIGIDITY
This new brush category
Determines
illustrates the core values of Corel how round the width of the This is a very interesting
brush is. If you start with a setting, as it allows you to
Painter perfectly
round brush, a low value will control how �lexible the
The brushes have always been at the heart of the program and give you an elliptical shape. A bristles are. If you go for a
with this new set, the line between traditional art media and low value on a �lat brush will low value, the bristles will
digital art media is blurred beyond recognition. The RealBristle give angular corners. be more �lexible. Set them
brush category was developed by Painter Master Cher Threinen- BRISTLE LENGTH higher and the brush will be
Pendarvis and replicates traditional art media with phenomenal more rigid.
precision. With this brush category, users can work as they Use this slider to set the length FANNING
would do with a traditional brush. You can see the individual of your bristles. This setting Pretty obvious
bristles of the brush and also determine how the paint �lows and revolves around some maths one this – the higher the
in what direction. As the brush moves, the bristles will splay and – the length is worked out by Fanning value, the more
bend just as if you were working a traditional brush on a canvas. multiplying the brush size by spread out the bristles.
The brush variants of this category replicate what you would the length you set. So if you FRICTION
expect a ‘real’ artist to use. The different brush tips give you all have a size 15 brush and you Sets how the
the control you need to create exactly the art you want but they set the Bristle Length to 2, the bristles glide over the canvas.
can be further tweaked with the RealBristle palette (found in bristles will be 30. A low value will result in
Enjoy the look Window>Brush Controls). From here you can determine the PROFILE LENGTH smooth brushstrokes; a high
of a fan brush dynamics of the brushes. You can start by clicking an icon to setting will give much more
with the new
set the tip pro�ile and then further re�ine your choice using This sets the length of the textured results. Use this
RealBristle
brush category the subsequent sliders. Here’s a look at what they do: brush’s pro�ile. setting alongside the Rigidity

8
The RealBristle
REALBRISTLE
PAINTING SYSTEM
variants in full
MATCH PALETTE This exciting new brush
category allows users
The Effects menu houses a new addition Helping your image blossom
to mimic the effect of
in the shape of the Match Palette effect.
traditional brushes to
You can use this to match the colour
the extent of revealing
values of one image to another.
individual bristle marks!
Real Blender Flat
Real Blender Round

Real Blender Tapered
Real Fan Short
Real Fan Soft
UNIVERSAL MIXER PALETTE
Mixing colours has never been easier
than with the new Universal Mixer Real Flat Opaque
palette. When used with the right
brushes, you can mix colours up and
apply them directly on the canvas.
Real Flat
Real Oils Short
Real Oils Smeary
Real Oils Soft Wet
The RealBristle
setting for some category allows you
to emulate traditional
spectacular results.
brush effects like
HEIGHT never before Real Round Bristle
This
setting is very interesting
indeed. A traditional artist
Real Round
will change how much of the
brush is pressed on the canvas.
This setting does the same – a
high value will only use the Real Tapered Bristle
very tip of the brush, while low
values compress the bristles
against the canvas. This causes
them to spread out. Real Tapered Flat
This brush category will delight any artist who
works from scratch and will be very intuitive
Real Tapered Round
to anyone who has worked with traditional art
materials. But you can also apply the RealBristle
palette settings to the existing Static Bristle,
Camel Hair, Bristle Spray and Blend Camel Real Tapered Wet Flat
brushes and turn them into RealBristle brushes!

9
Feature Get to know Corel Painter X
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Leonardo da
Vinci applied the
principles of divine
The options within the Divine proportion in his
Proportion box give you total control work, including on
over the tool the Mona Lisa
Compositional tools
Before any painting can take most useful. It’s possible to change the size, angle and orientation
place, an artist needs to work out of the guide and also save out certain presets for common tasks.
By using this tool, you can arrange your photos or paintings
the arrangement of a piece, and
according to tried and tested artistic methods. Even if you don’t
the next couple of new features we’ll look follow it exactly, the guide can be used to see where the important
areas of an image are, and will help you position accordingly. You
at help with exactly this
can use it to roughly mark out a blank canvas, or apply it to a photo
The Divine Proportion tool takes a classic compositional theory before cropping.
and brings it direct to your digital art studio. It works around the Another great compositional tool is the new Layout Grid. This
ratio of roughly three to �ive, which results in a composition that’s works along similar principles to the Divine Proportion tool, in
aesthetically pleasing. The term ‘divine proportion’ was created that it allows you to visually divide the grid up into sections and
by Luca Pacioli way back in 1509. He wrote a treatise about the plan where your most important features go. It comes with three
subject, which was illustrated by none other than Leonardo da presets ready to use (Rule of Thirds, 3x5, 5x5) but you can use the
Vinci, who also applied the ratio to his own work, such as the Mona Layout Grid palette to create divisions of your choosing. Simply
Lisa and The Last Supper. adjust the Divisions slider to the setting you want.
The concept is simple. According to the ratio, there are certain The Layout Grid is an exceptionally useful feature. For example,
‘hot spots’ in an area. By placing focal points of an image in these if you are creating a painting from a photo reference, you can apply
hot spots, an artist can ensure that as a viewer’s eye travels around the same grid to the source image as to your canvas. This allows
an image it will �ind the points of interest. you to break the reference down into separate chunks and you can
The Divine Proportion tool is found in the toolbox. Once enabled, then sketch the information in each of these chunks to create the
a guide will appear on the canvas consisting of a grid, a spiral and basics for the painting. It is also a good way of seeing how best to
an axis. You can keep all lines on, or just select the ones you �ind crop a photo or image according to where the lines lie.

10