Karen Sperling's Q&A August 2005

Each month, Painter expert Karen Sperling answers a question from one of our Painter Canvas readers. Here's November's question.

Question:
Is there an easy way to add a little texture to a painting in Corel Painter IX?

Answer:
Yes. Use the Add Grain variant of the Photo brush category.

I photographed a wedding with a Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR and a Nikon 24-120mm lens from Alkit.com and painted (or rather drew, since I created the look of pastels) the portrait in Painter.

I drew most of the image using the Chalk's Square Chalk and Sharp Chalk variants. The Square Chalk creates strokes with more texture than the Sharp Chalk, which is good for details. After a while, I had some chalk marks but not a lot of texture.

This is where the Photo's Add Grain variant came in handy. I used it to paint in a little texture to enhance the look of pastels on the girl's face and neck.

In the final version, I toned down the texture a little by painting over it with the Square Chalk, with a low setting of the Opacity slider in the Property Bar. I also lightened it a little using the Photo's Dodge variant.

Using the Add Grain variant is a great way to make your Painter images a little more interesting!!

Do you have a Painter question for Karen? Email us at enewsfeedback@corel.com.

Artist, author, photographer and Painter Master Karen Sperling wrote the manuals for the first several versions of Painter, authored several Painter books, has had many Painter tutorials published in magazines and has taught Painter to artists and photographers at movie companies, design firms, universities and professional photography organizations. She currently publishes Artistry Corel Painter tutorials and Artistry Tips and Tricks newsletter, and leads Artistry Corel Painter Retreats. She paints commissioned portraits, and her Painter art has been displayed in several group shows. To see Karen's Painter images and for information about her tutorials and classes, visit www.artistrymag.com.