All Things Painter There's a Party in Your Computer and You're Invited! by John Derry

I'm both thrilled and honored to have been recently selected by Corel to act as Ambassador-at-large for all things Painter. In this role, I have the enviable task of traveling the online world to seek out virtual congregations of Corel® Painter™ users. This gives me the opportunity to see and hear what Painter users are up to and I'll act as a conduit for Corel's Painter-related announcements and special offers. I've also been known to post a tutorial or two of Painter-related techniques.

Generally, the artists that I encounter online can be categorized into three groups: neophyte users asking basic how-to questions, intermediate users exchanging various techniques and displaying their work, and advanced professional artists that are incorporating Painter into their daily tool set. Whatever your level of Painter expertise or area of interest, there is an online watering hole awaiting your participation.

Most online forums today are moderated in some fashion and require some form of registration. In my opinion, this is a good thing. There's something about artists and the subject of art itself that can quickly lead to—shall we say—lively discourse. Registration and the presence of a moderator helps to keep things from quickly getting out of hand. You can choose to either be an active participant or simply lurk in the wings, absorbing others contributions.

If you're just getting started with online forums, it can initially be a bit disorienting. It takes awhile to develop a sense of what I call, "virtual place". At first, forums are just words on your computer screen; but eventually you develop a sense of being in a space with others. Once you make the transition to virtual place, navigating from forum to forum is a lot like being at a rather large party where groups of people in various rooms are discussing diverse aspects of Painter. Just like an actual social event, you're likely to repeatedly bump into the same people over time. Some of these individuals can end up being online friends.

There are more Painter-related forums online than I have room to tell you about in this column. I'll describe a few that should pique your interest. You can visit the Corel® Painter™ IX Community Goodies page for an exhaustive list at http://apps.corel.com/painterix/community/links.html. For beginning Painter users, the Painter Can forum at In Depth Arts (http://www.indeptharts.com/forumdisplay.php?f=12) is a good place to start. At In Depth Arts, more than 700 members display and critique artwork, exchange techniques, and generally discuss Painter.

I would be remiss in my ambassadorial duties if I didn't mention that at the Painter Can and other forums, you'll almost certainly discover Painter's online patron saint, Jinny Brown. Jinny is seemingly online everywhere at once. She has tirelessly amassed an encyclopedic knowledge of Painter's inner-workings and generously shares her knowledge whenever a Painter question arises. Jinny has a veritable warehouse of Painter information at her Web site: www.pixelalley.com.

If you are at the professional end of the Painter spectrum, then you'll want to give CGSociety a serious look. There are dozens of forums here, with one specifically dedicated to Painter: http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=112. Many members of the Corel Painter forum are world-class artists working in the entertainment industry. A visit here will give you an appreciation of what is possible—and seemingly impossible—with Painter. Even if you don't consider yourself a pro, it's worth a visit for the jaw-dropping artwork alone.

Painter Master Marilyn Sholin recently launched Paint Outside the Frame, www.digitalpaintingforum.com, a rapidly growing forum of more than a thousand Painter users. A lot of the discussion is geared towards the creative interpretation of photographs with Painter. If you're among those who claim to be unable to draw a straight line, then you'll find Paint Outside the Frame an interesting place to visit.

The Circus Maximus of online art forums has to be WetCanvas. With more than 65,000 registered members, there is something here for everybody. For Painter users, the best place to start is probably the Digital Art forum at: http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=33. If you choose to browse a bit, you'll find endless art conversations going on simultaneously.

I've literally described only the tip of the online iceberg; there are many more virtual gatherings operating 24/7 and awaiting your attendance. I highly recommend that you put on your virtual dancing shoes, go online, and join the party. You can stand in the shadows and soak up the ambiance or join in the conversation and make a contribution. In either case, you're likely to discover aspects of Painter that you never knew existed.

If you know of a Painter-related online forum that I either haven't mentioned or that isn't on Corel's Community Goodies page, I'd love to hear about it. You can email me at enewsfeedback@corel.com.

Who knows, we may run into each other online—I'll be the one with the lampshade on my head!

John Derry
Somewhere in Kansas

John Derry is a pioneer of digital painting and one of the original authors of Corel® Painter™. Since 1985, he has leveraged his background in drawing and painting to advance the look and experience of traditional art-making tools on the computer. John has a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in Fine Art and is a practicing artist and photographer. He is currently serving as Corel's Ambassador-at-large for all things Painter. John's Web site is at www.pixlart.com.