Merry Christmas Marta Nael Truly Scene Blast from the Past
December 2011
Merry Christmas! I love this time of year. There is a festive spirit that abounds even when one has to wait entirely too long in the post office line for last minute gift or client deliveries. We save some time by having UPS pick-up. Even though we are fairly low volume we still manage to save money and time with this service. This month in the magazine you will find some really fun stuff. My new friend Marta provides us with a nice tutorial on her method for impressionistic digital painting and gives us some brushes also! Those brushes are reserved for paying subscribers but you can purchase just a single issue if you want. In fact we most likely are going to go to single month issues as a subscription instead of one year at a time. Look for that change at the beginning of the year. Also in this issue John Stevenson is back and has a nice article for you, a new article for video marketing, Nadia comes through with a great masters article on Caravaggio and as always, Victor has blessed us with some toons that make you ponder. So I want to thank everyone for being a part of the Digital Paint Magazine family. This project is one of passion for art as opposed to any financial opportunity although we are almost breaking even now as our subscriber base continues to grow. On a sad note I want to mention that my friend and COO of my company Norvin has been affected by the recent typhoon in the Philippines. While his family all survived, his stepfather was injured, and Norvin’s parents also lost everything. The home where Norvin grew up was washed away. Norvin’s place is currently still waist high in water. Given my past experience (last year) with flooding, most likely he will also have a total loss as well. Many of you know Norvin as he is the tech and email support as well as the one who puts up many of the websites. My family and I are putting together a fund for Norvin and his family. Everyone has a cause to support and every time we turn around someone is asking for money. So what we are doing is donating the sales of all of our products and services for the next couple weeks to Norvin. All of our print sales at timoneillstudio.com, and anything from digitalpaintmagazine.com as well as products from our cooking, gardening and homesteading sites which most of you here may not be familiar with. As our dollar is strong yet in his area even the few thousand dollars we might be able to raise will make a difference. My seven-year-old daughter, Elise, is giving some of her Christmas money to them, she loves Norvin and has talked with him and his fiance many times via Skype.
This magazine is free to distribute by any medium. You can print it, email it, upload it on your web server. You may however not edit any part of this PDF, copy the content, or split the pages. This PDF must remain whole at all times, the content of which belongs to Digital Paint Magazine. All art and trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
If you don’t want any products or prints and still want to give you can send a paypal to me with Norvin in the subject line. All of the money donated (less incoming paypal fees will be sent) We will pay the fees to send it over via Xoom. Even a $5 dollar donation will make a difference. If you choose not to send money please send your prayers or a short note of encouragement. I have posted a blurb about this on the blog and have opened up the comments, there is also a donate button there should you choose to bless them. Blog Post on DPM site. While I am shocked and saddened at the destruction left I am grateful I have the opportunity to give and support someone who has given so much to us. Okay so I pray everyone has a blessed holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply and Speak kindly.
Tim
PS: I forgot to mention more news about the upcoming Digital Art Summit. We have our artists blocked in and are ready to begin the scheduling. We have a sneek peek of the artists inside!
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In This Issue Marta Nael Cartoon
by Victor Lunn-Rockliffe
Truly Scene
By John Stevenson
Old Masters Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio By Nadia Lim Digital Art Summit What’s coming up! A Blast from the Past Stained Glass Manger by Barbara Hartsook
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Marketing Buzz: Cover
By Marta Nael
3 Ways To Make Videos Without A Video Camera by Tim O’Neill
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Marta Nael 1. First off, fill the canvas with a flat colour you think would fit the whole color scheme you want to achieve. It should be a solid neutral color, which should be neither dark nor too bright. I’d rather use a darker one since I prefer to work from dark to light. 2. Unlike many artists, I don’t like starting with a line sketch. Start doing some brush strokes with several brushes. It doesn’t matter which brushes you use, you just want to achieve some abstract / quick sketch feeling. Paint some spots and indefinite forms to a new layer, using several custom brushes and erasers with some texture, to block in the whole scene. 3. Once we are here, just improvise a little bit. Add some textures if you fancy, keep adding some more strokes. I decided I’d add some textures I found in sxc.hu, which is a really useful website for stock images. Then, change layer mode to overlay or soft light. 4. Now you need to teach yourself to see an oversaturated and full of color reality around you. If you see a grey surface on the reference image you’ve always got the possibility of interpreting it as a ‘blue-grey’ or as a ‘red-grey’ for instance, which in turn will make you decide which direction you want to go and paint with a light blue or a light red, Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
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rather than a plain and boring shade of grey. I sometimes find it really useful to paint some sort of a palette with the colors I think I will use the most.
5. At this stage, once you’ve got some kind of a rough painting, you should begin to paint it to the likes of the reference image. Try to make it look as similar as possible but always with big strokes and avoiding doing details at this stage. You just have to get the general idea and forms now. If not, you’re going to lose the impressionism feeling. Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
6. One thing which I think is really important to mention is that you should treat the character just like the background. To the eye, there’s no difference between the colors you have in the background or in the character. This is something you should keep in mind to better integrate the character. This said, you should add some border lines at this stage in order to make the character separated from the background. Just try to keep the lines rough, to separate the character a bit from the background. 7. Since the background is totally abstract, you need something to make you achieve some sort of depth. In order to achieve that, you need to introduce some complementary color to the image to help you 5
pull the character away from the background. In this case, the colors most used are orange, red and purple. Since orange and purple are complementaries themselves, it wouldn’t make any sense using one of this colors. Let’s use green instead, which is the complementary color of red. 8. I like spending more time working on the face since to me it is the most important part and what provides the whole emotion. Keep the first stages of this, zoomed out. Once you feel you want to add more detail, zoom in. You will have to use the zoom a lot to add more details. I decreased the brush size but I still used textured brushes to keep it rough until the end. 9 Keep adding more details. Once we’re happy with the face we should get back to seeing the whole picture by zooming out. Maybe we want to readjust some details. In this case, we’re done! it’s time to flatten together all the layers from the top. 10. Add a sharpen mask filter. This will help you to pop out the whole painterly feeling. In part this is because, as I said before, I don’t feel comfortable when
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having a previous line work which I then have to apply colour to. In any case, I would only consider applying colour to a sketch if, after finishing it, it inspired me to create a realistic illustration from it. This wouldn’t be the case for my usual more impressionistic digital illustrations, as the detail involved in my sketching would distract me and would make it difficult to preserve the freshness and painterly feel that I always strive to achieve. Keeping that ‘unfinished’ touch is something which I keep in mind when doing my digital impressionism series. At school and university I was always told my work could be described as a ‘game of light and colour’. Maybe I fell in love with impressionism due to that, since it seemed it was really similar to what I enjoyed doing in my traditional works. I’ve always admired the impressionism style. At school and university I was always told my work could be described as a ‘game of light and colour’. Maybe I fell in love with impressionism due to that, since it seemed it was really similar to what I enjoyed doing in my traditional works. Unlike many artists, I don’t like starting with a line sketch and neither do I like to have a drawing under the painting I’m going to do afterwards if it’s a digital painting. I think this is something which I 6
also learnt at University whilst doing my fine arts degree. I spent about 8 hours a week painting nudes, and I found myself always starting by shading the whole canvas with a neutral colour that would logically be in the palette for that piece, and then defining surfaces by adding colour but without adding border lines just yet... just some at the end to make the character clearly separated from the background, and sometimes erasing to show the canvas to add texture and volume. That’s how I decided that I should try it out and apply this same technique to digital illustration, something which turned out to be a great means for improvisation and acquire even more knowledge in terms of colour. For instance, if you see a grey surface you’ve always got the possibility of interpreting it as a ‘blue-grey’ or as a ‘red-grey’, which in turn will make you decide which direction you want to go and paint with a light blue or a light red, rather than a plain and boring shade of grey. This results in an illustration with vivid colours and dynamic lighting, that brings the essence of the piece to life. Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
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Marta Nael
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“This cartoon was originally inspired by a story told by Jeremy Sutton about the reluctance of his students to take a break. I later discovered that there was a quotation by Leonardo on the same theme which fitted the story perfectly. So I added a frame to include the Leonardo quote - this seemed to be especially appropriate given the Leonardo exhibition recently opened in London in the National Gallery.”
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http: //cargocollective.com/victorlunnroc Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
Victor Lunn-Rockliffe 12
TrulyScene a column: some software development notes for Digital Paint Magazine John Stevenson john.stevenson@xycod.com
Introduction
only survivor).
A little over a year ago I started preparing a series of columns for this magazine. Altogether I penned six articles. And in the fourth (contributed to the issue of February of this year), my introduction contained the following: “ …I’m going to be taking another major detour in this month’s contribution - to cover just one of the very best things that a Photoshop user with interests in digital fine art and painting could newly find. This is PostworkShop, which is currently a standalone application (developed by Xycod Informatikai Kft., based in Budapest, Hungary), but which will shortly be upgraded to include an Adobe Photoshop plug-in mode of usage.”
To my knowledge, via a dim, personal memory of a program being actually sold on a collection of floppy disks in a one-gallon paint can, Painter itself was available as a well-regarded consumer product in the early 1990s. By the mid part of the decade then it had at least three companion programs: Dabbler, Detailer and Sketcher. The fundamentals that have been retained from this beginning have to do with the objective of natural-media emulation (oils, pencils, watercolors, paper, brushes, canvas, etc.) and the notion that the emulations themselves be dominated by manual control (that is, digital painting by hand).
Well now, many months on, I’ve been an employee of Xycod for more than six months. Time just flies when you’re having fun. And Tim has invited me to add now a new set of columns which cover aspects of digital fine art and painting “told” from the software application and development viewpoints. Which is probably good for me – since my qualifications at the artistic level are notably pretty modest. As for the benefit to you all – the readers – only time will tell! But I promise to keep things brief (hopefully), topical, and not completely PostworkShop dominated. And – as with all that goes into any respectable magazine - the Editor-in-Chief has, in any case, the final say.
Adobe Systems invested Photoshop with some rudimentary painting tools very early in its development cycle. But, on the other hand, then charted a successful course to predominance in the photo-editing arena, seeing off several other promising and early-entrant software companies (Altamira, the innovative developer of the Composer program, being just one key example) while also benefiting greatly by the acquisition of others (most notably Macromedia and its Fireworks platform). All of this, even when taking the leadership role, without seeing the need to pursue much modernization or enhancement of many of its painting category tools and filters. To this day though, the creation of new brushes for use in Photoshop remains a lively and independent cottage industry.
A Really Short (and Historical) Essay Both Adobe’s Photoshop and Corel’s Painter software are now more than a year beyond celebrating their twentieth anniversaries in the marketplace. In many respects, Painter came from a stable with the greater initial ambition. Fractal Design Corporation, the successor to Fractal Technology – had invested in three major platforms for image editing by the end of 1990: ColorStudio, ImageStudio and Fractal Painter (the latter being the precursor to the Painter program, and the
Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
An Updating As impressive as many of the newer features of Painter and Photoshop are, the bigger advances over the last decade or so have been in hardware rather than software. The performance of even mid-league desktop and laptop PCs has reached levels which support an everexpanding range of graphic-intensive software. And sophisticated
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applications utilizing video footage, 3D imaging effects, architectural renderings, etc. are big beneficiaries of this.
(e) full-featured applications which provide for workflows based upon both auto-renderings and freehand work.
It’s unclear to me personally whether the applications which serve digital graphics, painting and other fine art ambitions have used every rung of the ladder in processing power and performance. Obviously each major upgrade of Painter and Photoshop presents such a specific opportunity to Corel and Adobe respectively. But the legacy “stuff” which has to be hauled up that ladder is, at the very same point in time, an evermore substantial burden also.
There is, to be admitted, a little fuzziness here; even some products which are dominantly in category (a) above come with “brushes”, including at least one Adobe
What’s more clear is that the unfolding of this scenario has led to more and more players entering the field-of-play. Anyone with a newly-found interest in digital painting (as a specific case in point) has – today – a bigger choice of software programs to use. Matching code to machine is a good deal more straightforward for the new-entrant software developers. And a decision can be made amongst the players - by a new user - not only according to the number of features a particular program may sport, plus what performance is attainable, but also can take into consideration which can be the easiest to learn and to master.
Simple Categories Let’s take just a moment here to attempt some classification. For software not developed by either Adobe or Corel (sorry guys!), there are products which center on producing reinterpretations of input photographs by either: (a) introducing color changes – either overall or distributed – alone (generally considered to be photo filtering applications), or, (b) the introduction of both color and spatial alterations – always on a localized basis, and inclusive of simulated painting, drawing and other conventional art media effects (so, truly digital art applications).
program far newer than Photoshop. While others which sit firmly in sub-category (d) allow for some manual intervention and overrides. Nevertheless, the bottom line is easy to figure out – sub-category (e) will always provide the largest amount of scope for creativity in artistic image transformations. The ability to sensitively combine auto-painted effects with a separate and/or complementary set of manually-added details is a big advantage to any digital artist, whether they be either aspiring or accomplished in their expertise.
Brushing-Up (on the New Fundamentals) Putting down any pictorial marks with pencil on paper, or with paint on vellum or canvas (just as examples), always involves layering. In the most popular and conventional wet-media case, there have been more than 600 years of accumulated practice using oil-based paints. And countless improvements made to the materials used. Yet contemporary artists still work with underpainting layers and layered glazes; both of these being fundamental components of the initial 15th century practices. The original and the newest techniques in oil painting are often denoted as being the transparent and opaque layering methods respectively. And so it is also with software-based emulations of these schemes. Marks and “strokes” laid down digitally can be recorded in layers. To the ultimate limit – a single mark on its own layer, with full control of its placement, opacity/transparency plus controls for its recoloration and/or resizing. Plus the added feature, of course, that no digital mark is ever irrecoverable.
It is the second category, group (b), which is the bigger beneficiary of new generation personal computing hardware. And contemporary software of this type may also be sub-categorized: (c) programs which support brushstroking”) only,
manual
painting
(“digital
(d) programs which rely on auto-painting algorithms exclusively, and finally,
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three auto-painted components - used as individual Layers in the output
the original photograph - © Alexey Klementiev - Fotolia But, with the vastly improved performance of today’s PC machinery comes new opportunity. The best of what a good desktop and a high-end laptop can provide nowadays will allow all sorts of graphic processing algorithms to be executed far more efficiently than in times gone by. So the digital re-interpretation of any source image can include automatic corrections, enhancements and transformations which simply were impractical in earlier generations of software and hardware. This can really challenge the old paradigms. To the point that sophisticated auto-painting, auto-sketching and other artistic avenues can be explored first. And then manual reworking or retouching can be done as a secondary step.
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I have provided some simple pictorial examples of this in the images which accompany the article here. You will likely have already found the original source image included first. (It’s not an accident that I’ve chosen to use a portrait as a case in point – the newest of the autorendering algorithms can take “better care” of the subtleties of portraiture than did the various forerunners, whether it be in a candid pose, as here, or the output of a formal studio-based session.) The first single panel of images simply contains three fully autopainted outputs (from PostworkShop) which are different by definition/ detailing and by overall color vibrance. These were generated as individual Layers in a stack, and both masked and blended together to produce a multi-component output, inclusive of some localized post-corrections The least saturated sits at the bottom of the set; the most detailed at the top. The combination output image is also included here (below), basically to illustrate what can be achieved without any manual inputs or brushstroking at all (other than on the Masks). Whether or not the viewer (or client) likes it as a final proof is of course a subjective thing – the important things to note are: (a) that it took just a few minutes to construct, (b) changing out the Brush used and substituting an alternative would take just a few seconds, (c) the original artwork is 3000 by 2000 pixels in size, (d) at that full
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size or larger it can easily be modified and retouched, locally or in its entirety, and, (e) it can be printed, even as a working proof, at least 20 inches wide.
three different outputs - from the same source image, at differing levels of detail So, I’m hoping in subsequent contributions here to be able to address topics bearing on exactly that: the making of unique and original art. Note from the last panel of output images that a single input photograph is not only transformed in three different styles, but that the appearance of the subject is changed also (from a calmer, pensive look in the topmost image, towards an apprehensive and brooding mood in the close-up at the bottom). It’s art!
the combination output - constructed from three auto-painted Layers alone
Wrap-up Finally, there is included (last, here) a second three-image panel. Each of the image outputs was constructed from multiple Layers in the same way. The panel is presented simply to give the reader some idea of the scope of the new auto-rendering algorithms which state-of-the-art software can incorporate today. At Xycod, we are not surprised at all at the wealth of new image treatments – as both corrections and enhancements – which new-generation photo-editing software contains. HDR and panoramic outputs are perhaps the two best examples. Adept photographers can even build HDR panoramas! And, in turn, such images can become the source of limitless artistic transformations also.
But I’m aiming also to cover, later on, some aspects relating to the emulation of artists in the classic “wet paint on stretched canvas genres”. For this time however, the bottomline is as follows: if your own software-of-preference does not permit something akin to what’s illustrated in the final two illustrations included here, then you don’t have the best contemporary tools that the digital art marketplace has on offer. Next month’s column is going to feature some extra notes and observations on layering, where we will see that a little subtlety can make a big difference. And, that real transparency can also become a significant influence, one that can be used for direct benefit. (Unfortunately, it may be that actual screenshots will be required viewing at that point!) I’d welcome any feedback or questions you have – please send them by e-mail to: john.stevenson@xycod.com
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The Old Masters Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio By Nadia Lim Every age has its rock-star rebels, and Caravaggio led the pack in his time. Much of what we know about him comes from striking paintings, written criticisms by contemporaries, and a lengthy criminal record. But we also have the impact he left on an astonishing number of artists, including Rubens, Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Velasquez. Michelangelo Merisi (Caravaggio was his family’s town of origin) was born in 1571 in Milan. In his early twenties, Caravaggio wounded a police officer and fled to Rome. Popular Roman art featured Biblical or Greco-Roman themes, but Caravaggio chose to depict contemporary scenes that became immensely popular. The art showed the beginnings of the dramatic lighting technique adopted by the Caravaggisti (artists who studied his style). Works like The Fortune Teller, where a gypsy girl pretends to read a young man’s fortune while stealing his ring, and The Cardsharps, showing a young man being cheated at cards, were repeatedly copied or re-imagined by other artists. Caravaggio turned this sharp realism to religious themes and attracted Church commissions, which brought him fame. Some critics hated his non-idealized paintings and his method of working directly onto the canvas rather than from preparatory drawings, but other artists admired his life-like figures. The controversy over his paintings began a life-long cycle of popularity, commissions, and notoriety. Caravaggio celebrated his success with lavish spending, hired a page to carry his sword, and jumped into arguments, brawls, and lawsuits. Like his life, his paintings became increasingly dark and violent. Occasionally he featured himself in disturbing places, using his own face for the decapitated Goliath, and signing his name in the beheaded John the Baptist’s blood. Caravaggio is famous for exaggerated chiaroscuro (light and dark). Master Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
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from him at least five times. But it was very popular with common people, not to mention rich patrons, who snapped up rejected paintings for their private collections. Caravaggio’s first painting of St. Matthew and the Angel showed Matthew with dirty legs, being closely guided by an angel. It was rejected with the complaint that Matthew looked like an illiterate peasant. They accepted the second painting, with the typical airborne angel counting on fingers. Unfortunately, the rejected painting was destroyed during the Dresden Bombing in WWII. Caravaggio fled Rome after killing Ranuccio Tomassoni over a tennis match. He ended up in Malta, under the patronage of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta. True to form, he brawled with a knight and fled,
artists before him often lit their foregrounds evenly, using shadows to highlight key features. Caravaggio staged his models using one strong light source and played up the contrast. His dramatic foreshortening technique brought focus to unexpected parts of his work. In the second Conversion of Saint Paul (the first version was rejected), the apostle on the ground is severely foreshortened for an excellent freeze frame, but this makes the horse the most visible (therefore arguably the most important) part of the painting. Caravaggio departed sharply from predecessors and contemporaries by painting Biblical (and occasionally mythological) characters not as ethereal, heavenly representatives, but as ordinary people, using peasants and recognizable local prostitutes as stand-ins for saints, complete with dusty feet and worn clothes. The Church leadership objected strongly to this, and refused commissioned paintings Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
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continuing to paint, but becoming more antagonistic and erratic in his behavior. On the journey to receive a papal pardon, he was wounded, most likely by Maltan knights. He disappears from history en route to Rome, aged 38. Recent discoveries indicate he died of a combination of infected wounds and lead poisoning from the high lead content in his paints.
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PostworkShop – an introduction (a free webinar) § artistic transformation software, § that is easy to use, and § produces unique and intriguing images This session will form an overview of the PostworkShop program in its current Pro Edition release. The program itself has a wide variety of features, enabling many different types of artistic endeavors – in this instance we will concentrate on drawing and painting effects. The webinar presentation itself will be divided between: (i) covering some of the primary attributes of PostworkShop, and, (ii) providing insights into proceeding from photographic input to transformed, artistic outputs. Unique features of PostworkShop which will be highlighted: · the built-in Style filters, over 400 in total - for drawing, painting, graphic illustration and photo-filtered effects · alternative workflow options - a standalone application, with four complementary editors, plus Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
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an Adobe® Photoshop® plug-in · the multi-role manual painting engine –as a seamless, freestyle addition to the auto-painting mode, with pressure-sensitivity support for graphics tablets - also for photo-sampled cloning, or retouching – all with sets of custom brushes and with full control of transparency - also for the preparation of image masks
· save-as-you-go Projects - keep a step-by-step record at all stages of your work · a dedicated browser for stock images - access the entire Fotolia collection of photographs and illustrations from within PostworkShop
PostworkShop getting projects done! (a follow-on paid/ subscription webinar, with a 50% software discount) PostworkShop is unique and easy-to-use software for artistic image transformations. With autoand manual modes of operation based upon an unparalleled collection of built-in Style filters and brushes. The user can create signature artwork in simple workflow routines, using either the standalone application or an Adobe® Photoshop® plug-in. The participants in this webinar will be provided all information needed to complete two specific projects. Initially though, the presentation will begin with short reviews of several example outputs, looking at the “before-and-after” aspects of each and covering some of the primary artistic characteristics which PostworkShop has brought to each one individually. In the first project exercise the concentration will be on using the builtin Style filters in combinations (essentially building up multi-layered transformations, based upon both Drawing and Painting components). A second, and more complex, work effort will then be covered. Here attention will center upon assembling a custom Style from the
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PostworkShop Building Block filters. Finally, PostworkShop’s manual painting engine (the Bitmap Editor) will be reviewed, focusing on its use in image enhancement(s) either via the production of masks or photo-sampled painting.
John Stevenson has been taking photographs since childhood, first experimenting in the early 1960s with an Agfa Isoly roll film camera (producing square format transparencies in glass mounts). He first produced digitally composed images in 1995, printing his own work on canvas using a Hewlett-Packard DesignJet machine. Some of this pioneering work was exhibited via his participation in the Art League at the Torpedo Factory, in Alexandria, Virginia. A first solo exhibition of all-digital work – A Shifting Light - digital photorenditions – was presented at the Foundry Gallery in Washington D.C. in 1999. Currently he is the Director of Business Development with Xycod Kft., developer of the PostworkShop digital art studio platform, http://www.postworkshop.net, and also a columnist for Digital Paint Magazine. Some of his most recent exhibited work has featured backlit digital transparencies – a retro homage to that very first camera.
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How to Paint from the Heart, Not only from the Head We will explore those fundamentals necessary to create fine works of art but this course will focus more attention on the internal conflict that every artist experiences between the head and the heart. The objective of this webinar is to encourage the student to turn loose of technique and to allow the heart to become the driving force to creative freedom. Darrell has dedicated the last 32 years to transition from an accomplished master photographer to become a master artist. Two personal characteristics best describe his personality: Persistence and Creative Passion. He holds two masters degrees, an MBA and a Master of Photography. Presently he serves as a professor of Fine Art at a local college, maintains his own business as an artist serving clients throughout America and is a published author of books on the history and unique beauty of his beloved Louisiana. His work can be reviewed on his website: www.darrellchitty.com Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
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Finishing Touches: Taking Your Digital Art To The Next Level You’ve just finished painting your digital masterpiece - now how do you make it just a little bit better? Master Photographer and digital portrait artist Larry Lourcey will reveal his tricks for taking a good image and making it better. Larry will discuss techniques using Corel Painter, Adobe Photoshop and even some Photoshop plugins. He will then walk you through the final steps after the painting has been printed. You won’t want to miss this one!
Plano portrait artist, Larry Lourcey, holds the designation of Master Photographer awarded by the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) in 2007. Several of Larry’s images have been selected for the prestigious PPA Loan Collection, including an image displayed at Imaging Asia in 2005. While Lourcey loves to create vibrant photo paintings, the breadth of his work includes black and white photography, Polaroid transfers, and photographic collages. He derives his inspiration from master painters like John Singer Sargent and Edgar Degas, while embracing the bold styles of more modern greats; such as Pino Daeni. His work was recently featured in Cher Pendarvis’ “Painter 12 WOW” www.lourceyphoto.com Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
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Welcome To Perfect Photo Suite 6 (a free webinar) Join us as we go into detail to show you the NEW Perfect Photo Suite 6. With four brand new plug-in applications added to Suite 6, it is the largest single release in the history of onOne Software. This is the perfect opportunity to learn all about the new products and features of the Perfect Photo Suite and to have your questions about it answered! Ryan Kristin is a Regional Account Manager with onOne Software. Ryan travels the country to show photographers the award winning software from onOne and how it can not only save time in the digital post process but also make it streamlined and easier. Ryan has been shooting his own photography for almost a decade. His favorite subjects are landscape and travel photography. www.ononesoftware.com
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Odwin Rensen Born in a town nearby Rotterdam, The Netherlands, he discovered at a young age his creative abilities. He started drawing many different things and by doing so he found his love for making portraits. Although he went on a different path in his professional career, his ambition to be an artist never left him. Throughout the years he found the ideal mix to combine his passion for painting and curiosity for technique in the form of Digital Painting. He started out with photography and photo manipulation by using Adobe Photoshop. After mastering Photoshop he began making so called smudge paintings where a photo is altered to look like a painting by using the smudge tool. After making smudge paintings for a while he felt that there was something missing. Photoshop did not give him the right tools and freedom to paint the way he would like to, so he stumbled upon Corel Painter, a piece of software specialized in digital painting. This gave him the ability to move away from the smudge technique and started painting in a more traditional way. He still uses photos as a reference, but builds up his paintings in many different layers, adding more and more detail. His style could be described as classic as he is a great admirer of the old Dutch masters like Rembrandt and Vermeer. His ultimate goal would be to become a modern time’s Rembrandt. In recent years he is getting more known for his digital portrait paintings as his work can be found in some Dutch art galleries and fairs. Also has his work been published in several digital media magazines like Advanced Photoshop and Official Corel Painter Magazine. For more information on commissioned portraits or general questions: Odwin Rensen odwin@studioodwin.com +31 6 26096394 www.studioodwin.com www.facebook.com/orensen Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
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Stained Glass Manger
m o r f t s A Bla ast the P
From Blank Canvas to a Doodle to a Painting Barbara Ellison Hartsook This tutorial covers basic instruction of drawing simple shapes, selecting main colors and their shades and tints (values), blocking these values into those shapes to make them appear dimensional, and then adding textures and highlights. The end result is a painting of a stained-glass piece. Mine is a manger scene. Yours can be anything simple you’d like to draw. This tutorial assumes you know how to open a new file. Otherwise the instructions are pretty specific regarding every step to take. If you’re quite familiar with the Painter software, then much of this you will already know.
The Sketch My sketch started life as a doodle inspired by a small stained-glass manger scene made for me by my sister, Nita Mata, several years ago. The artistry of the design belongs to her. In Painter, open a new canvas (approximately 1000 pixels square), and roughly sketch the simple shapes with a Pencil #2. Mine is not exactly the same dimension as Nita’s work, but in a simple drawing of shapes like this one, it doesn’t matter. As you can see, my doodle is very rough and sketchy! Yours doesn’t have to be neat either – it’s mainly for placement.
Save as glass-manger-sketch.jpg. (Or give it any name, just be sure to identify it as the sketch file, in case you paint over it and want to reapply it at the end.)
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I didn’t float my drawing, so you will see that my sketch lines disappear as I paint over them. You can avoid this by putting your sketch on its own layer and making it a Gel Layer as follows:
On your sketch (canvas layer) click Select>All, then Select>Float. That will raise the sketch to its own layer, which will be a Default Layer. You’ll want to change that layer’s mode to Gel. (The area circled in red on the graphic below.) That way you’ll be able to see your paints on the canvas underneath the drawing. If you leave the drawing at default mode, it will be opaque and you won’t see your paint. Lock the sketch layer so you don’t accidentally paint on it. (The lock is a traylock icon, circled in blue below. Click on it and the traylock will appear in the layer itself. You can’t paint or erase or draw as long as the layer is locked. Clicking again on the lock in the layer will unlock it if you need to draw some more. Just remember to relock it for protection.)
Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
Block in the Paints Remember, I painted on the sketch… so my drawn lines will disappear. If you do it like I did, yours will too. And that’s okay. Select your colors for the three figures – I chose red and blue-grey and teal – from the color wheel and triangle, and with your brush just touch each color to the mixer tray, down the center. (See the graphic below.) Click a little above each color (in the triangle) to get lighter values, and put those into the mixer tray to the left of the color. Click a little below each color (in the triangle) and put to the right in the mixer tray. You should have five values of each color, going across. The color wheel in the graphic below is showing the position of the blue that I chose, and the triangle is showing the lightest value I selected to put into the mixer tray. 29
Begin painting your colors onto the canvas with the Artists’ Sargent Brush. Select paints from the mixer tray. The paints will begin to blend on their own just by the nature of the Sargent Brush. They’ll feel like traditional wet oils. Dab the paints on. Don’t worry at this point how they blend. You’re just blocking in values. Save as glass-manger-paint-1.psd. (Or as a jpeg if there is no sketch layer.)
Save as glass-manger-paint-2.psd (or .jpg).
Blend your Paints
Continue Painting Color and Values Select your glass color for the area behind the figures and dab onto the mixer tray. I used a teal-ish blue from the outer circle of the color triangle, clicking on lighter and darker shades of the middle color. On the graphic below, my darkest shade is showing on the wheel and triangle. Paint the glass area. You can see from mine, I also brush-sketched the halos and began to form the dimension of the marble heads by keeping the outside edges darker, the centers lighter. (Remember, darks recede, lights come forward… a key principle when creating 3-D on a 2-D surface.)
Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
Now you can begin blending the paints you’ve laid onto the canvas. Still using the Artists’ Sargent Brush, enable the Cloner Stamp in the left corner below the color wheel by clicking on it. Important! Check the clone source: In the menu at top, click File>Clone Source>glass-manger-paint-2. If you forget this step, you’ll be blending in colors from the current pattern, or whatever is checked in this box. Just blend until you’re happy with the look. Save as glass-manger-paint-3.psd.
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Paint the lead At some point you’ll want to disengage the cloner stamp and add paint to the outside edges for the lead pieces. Create a layer above the canvas, below the sketch if you have one. Choose one (or several) of the greys on your mixer palette to rough in the lead edges. Keep in mind that as you actually look at a stained glass piece, there will be darker areas on the glass where it meets the lead. (Because there’s a tiny bit of shadow.) Also the lead itself is not plain silver but has dark parts here and there. That’s why I used greys from almost white to just past mid-value. (That’s relative, I know – but you are the artist – use what looks right to you.) Also paint the star’s rays with the greys, using a small brush. When you have it as you like it, drop the lead layer to the canvas. Save. Once again blend. Cloner stamp enabled. Clone source: itself.
This whole process will become second nature as you paint more from a blank canvas. Then, in tweaking, ask yourself where you might like a bit more dark, some highlights, maybe an ink line at the glass edges where it meets the lead. I don’t draw around the whole thing – just here and there. You get to decide where and how much is needed to bring out the dimension. Save as glass-manger-paint-4.psd.
Tweak the Painting and Add the Textures The shadow areas around the figures need to be painted and blended using some of the darker greys on your mixer tray. Use the same process as before, putting the paints down, saving, blending with cloner stamp enabled and clone source correctly chosen. Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
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I added glass texture by selecting the Thick Hand Made Paper in the papers palette. Using a grain brush at 0% resaturation, I simply brushed over the areas back and forth here and there. You can try other papers. Select one you like and brush until you like the look.
Keep erasing until all the white is gone. Be a bit careful and work up close, using a small eraser for this step. Save as glass-manger-paint-5.psd. Be sure to keep the layers (.psd) so you can add different textures to the background and the glass.
Save.
Put in Background With the last file still on the screen, click Select>All and Select>Float. Highlight the canvas layer and pick a color you want for the background. I chose night time. Click Effects>Fill and in the Fill box choose Current Color. Click okay. Highlight the painting layer, above the canvas. Choose an eraser from the tool bar on the left of the screen and begin erasing away the white part of the painting layer to reveal the color underneath. I used a large eraser to do the big areas, bringing down the size as I got closer. (If you know how to use a mask layer, you could do that instead. But this works and is simple.)
Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
Adjust Background Color and Add Texture On the background layer (the canvas layer) adjust your color until you have what you want. I darkened mine: Click Effects>Tonal Controls>Adjust Colors. Adjust the sliders to alter hue (color) saturation or value (darkness or lightness). Click OK to make the changes. On the left side of your screen pick a pattern from the drop down menu for its possible textures. I chose a pattern I made myself that, when applied as surface texture, looks like a plaster wall. Play with your patterns and find one you like.
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Drop all layers and save again as glass-manger-bkgrdtexture.jpg. Click Effects>Surface Tonal Controls>Apply Surface Texture. This time select Image Luminance in the top drop down menu, about 90% amount of depth, and no shine. This will work magic on your leaded glass piece! Then select the FX Glow brush and just lightly brush over the heads, the star, and here and there on the glass where the light comes through.
Add the pattern’s texture to the background (canvas) layer: Click on Effects>Surface Tonal Controls>Apply Surface Texture. Choose Original Luminance in the top drop down menu, lower the amount of depth to your liking, and move the shine slider to the left. (You want your background to stay in the back. J ) Click OK.
Sign it! All that’s left to do is sign your work. I make a new layer, sign my name with my favorite pen and then adjust the placement and size of the signature to fit the painting before dropping it to the canvas. Please remember, if you do this piece, give credit to Nita Mata for the original leaded glass design. Thank you. Please make up your own designs too, and your favorite colors in the mixer tray, starting with the main color and adding darker shades and lighter tints to the right and left. I hope to see some of your paintings posted! Save as glass-manger-bkgrd-texture.psd. Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
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Marketing Buzz By Tim O’Neill
3 Ways To Make Videos Without A Video Camera You don’t need an expensive set up to produce great videos. There are many options available that will allow you to create videos without a camera. Let’s take a look at three popular options.
Make A Slide Show: Animoto It is so easy to make a video slideshow with Animoto. Animoto does all the hard work, adding video effects and music to your slideshow to give it the wow factor. Slideshows that are less than 30 seconds are completely free. To make unlimited full length videos that can be download and easily distributed costs $5 per month. Creating a video is a quick process. Simply sign up and click Create Video. Choose your video type (some options are available only to paid members). Grab your images, add text, rotate or spotlight images. Select your music (you can use your own too!) and save. You may also customize video length, image speed and your video cover images. Click to create your video and you are done. You now have a great looking video that you can use to showcase you, your product or your company and services. Animoto, will then give you the option to remix your video, e-mail it, post it online, download it or send it directly to YouTube.
Make A Screen Cast: Jing Don’ t worry if you’re camera shy! You can still make a video (with voice) without you having to be on screen. Let’s say you want to make a video giving a tour of your new website or product. The easiest way to do that is to make a screencast that will capture the activity on your computer screen. A screencast is very simple to do. It lets you record everything that happens on your screen, while also capturing audio. Digital Paint Magazine - December 2011
Jing is a free online browser based screencast tool. Let’s take a look at how you can use the Jing web application to create professional videos. The really cool thing about Jing is that it is browser based. You don’t even need to download the application to get going. While there is a professional version that offers more functionality, the free version of the tool is perfect to start with. Making a video with Jing is as simple as starting up the tool, and pressing the record button. Jing will begin to capture all of your on-screen activity, including audio, for up to five minutes in the free version. When you are done recording your screencast, you have the option to save it or to upload it for free to screencast.com. Hosting on screencast. com is also free for 2GB of storage space, and 2GB of monthly bandwidth. You can upgrade screencast.comhosting to a Pro version. Is the Pro version worth buying? Yes, especially if you’d like the option of being able to upload your screencast directly to YouTube. Also, the Pro version of Jing supports MPEG-4/H.264. The free version records your video as an SWF file which can be played by Adobe Flash player. The Pro version also offers customization options, allowing you to control what appears to viewers. If I were buying a piece of software Jing would not be my first choice. I use Screenflow which works perfectly for my MAC based production in our studio. Screenflow is not available for Windows machines the last time I checked but you can use Camtasia which is very similar although more expensive and not quite as robust.
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Make A Presentation: PowerPoint Let’s take a look at how to create a movie from PPT files that can then be uploaded to YouTube. When creating a movie from PowerPoint you have two options. You can either run the PowerPoint as a fullscreen slideshow and capture the slides using screen recording software such as Ping. This is the least preferred method. You can also make a movie from PowerPoint slide images. We’ll use the latter approach though you won’t see the animations or transitions in the PowerPoint movie. PowerPoint is a very quick and easy way to create slideshow style videos. It can be used for training, presentations, products overviews, tutorials and lots more. There are a whole bunch of options for creating text effects and slide transitions that will give your video a very professional look and feel. PowerPoint allows you to import your audio voice recording or you can record directly within PowerPoint too. To create a video simply add and format your content, choose save File, Save and Send. Then choose the option “Create A Video” and you’re done. It’s that simple. So those are just a few ways you can make quick videos without a video camera or being on screen yourself. We will be going into further research regarding video to boost your business.
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