Painter IX

November, 2004

Eclectic Academy

Using Artists' Oil Brushes, Instructor Madeleine Jacobs

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6

After realizing that the Painter class I began in was probably a bit basic with emphasis on the interface, I had asked for a change and am now enrolled in Using Artists' Oil Brushes. My first work in the other course is here, pencil drawings of cats. All thumb nails will open to a new window.

November 17, 2004

There were many choices for week 2 and here is the first selection for my work. Floundered around several days, trying to paint the 'whole' picture. Finally decided to crop it down to the 2 front windows. Here is the original, the thumbnail will open to a larger image if anyone wishes to see the original.

I used many different brushes and made lots of changes in size, opacity and blending. The brushes I used most were:

• Wet Oily
• Wet Oily Impasto
• Soft Blender Brush
• Bristle

I probably ended up using almost every brush in the Palette! I have developed some favorites, I must say and have begun to have 'feel' for what each will do. It is not as easy as it looks and I have been struggling.

Another problem for me is light and its direction. I am mostly going on an inner feeling than the actual science of lighting!!! I certainly was unable to create the shadow I wanted above the right window.

It is Wednesday, so I have time to try another for this week. I think I feel better working in close as opposed to vast expanses of buildings or landscapes.

Just a few words about the crashing of Painter while doing this painting...my classmate, Sharon recalled (when it happened to her) that the prebuilt brush file in Painter can grow to enormous proportions and cause the crash. I found mine in C:\Documents and Settings\[your name]\Application Data\Corel\PainterIx\Brushes at 177 megabytes! I also learned that it is a hidden file and has to be made visible. Click on this small image to see with your own eyes just how big that brush file was!

Didn't change the rock image too much except, as suggested, to lighten the grass in front of it. Gave it a different sky, too. The brushes I used are:

• Soft Grainy Impasto
• Smeary Impasto
• Impasto Palette Knife
• Tapered Oil
• Dry Brush and Palette Knife...and perhaps a few others! I sometimes just grab brushes and if it does what I want, use it without making a note!