Creating a Brushed Metal Look for Type and Graphics
By Cher Threinen-Pendarvis

This tutorial features a creative graphic treatment for designers that was built in Corel Painter IX.5 using a powerful dynamic layer effect. The Bevel World dynamic layer in Corel Painter IX.5 allows artists to quickly try out an endless variety of custom bevels on a layer, without time-consuming masks and channels. To create this three-dimensional title treatment, I used custom lighting, a complex bevel and a shadow.

1 Creating a textured background. Begin by creating a new file (File, New). My file measured 1200 x 700 pixels.

To add depth and color to the background, I applied a lighting effect to give the type dimension. Choose Effects, Surface Control, Apply Lighting and in the dialog box, click on the Warm-Illumination choice. To change the color of the light to a warm gold, click the Light Color button and when the Colors palette appears choose a deep gold color. When you are happy with the color, click OK to close the Colors palette, and return to the Lighting dialog box. In the Lighting dialog box, click OK to apply the light.

Now, to add the texture, in the Paper Selector in the Toolbox, choose the New Streaks texture. Next, choose Effects, Surface Control, Apply Surface Texture. In the Using pop-up menu, choose Paper, and set the Amount to 51%. Click the 5 o'clock Light Direction button. Leave other settings at their defaults, and click OK.

2 Setting the type. Now that the backdrop is finished, you're ready to create the type. Choose a color in the Color picker that coordinates with the background. (I used the Dropper tool to sample color from the background.) The color will automatically fill the text as you type. Select the Text tool in the Toolbox and in the Property Bar, choose a font and size. Click in the image with the Text tool and enter the type. We set 400-point type using Futura Condensed Extra Bold. (If you don't have the typeface we used, choose a bold font with broad strokes to accommodate the beveling effect to come.)

3 Beveling the type. With the text layer still selected, click the Plugins button at the bottom of the Layers palette and choose Bevel World from the menu. When the Commit dialog appears, click Commit to convert the Text layer to a default layer. To build a 3D effect with a chiseled shape that will show off the texture that I planned to add, I used these settings: Bevel Width slider to 2% (for narrower sides and a broader top); Outside Portion, 0%; Rim Slope, 0° (for a flat top); Cliff Portion, 50%; Cliff Height, 50%; Cliff Slope, 45; Base Slope, 45°; and Smoothing, 5% (to smooth any ridges, while retaining the chiseled shapes). When you have the settings as you like them, click OK to close the Bevel World dialog box.

4 Adding texture to the typeface. First, make sure that the New Streaks texture is still chosen in the Paper Selector. With the beveled layer active, choose Effects, Surface Control, Apply Surface Texture. A dialog box will appear, asking if you'd like to Commit the Plugin layer to an image layer. Click Commit to accept. Now, in the Using pop-up menu in the Apply Surface Texture dialog box, choose Paper, and set the Amount to 51% to match the settings that you used in Step 1. Set the Light Direction to 5 o'clock, as you did in Step 1. Leave the other settings at their defaults.

5 Adding a shadow. Finally, to increase the depth in the image, I added a shadow above and to the left of the letterforms using the Corel Painter automatic drop shadow feature. To build your shadow, select the beveled, textured layer and choose Effects, Objects, Create Drop Shadow. In the dialog box, I set X-Offset to -20 pixels, Y-Offset to -20 pixels and increased the Opacity to 100%. For a softer shadow, I set Radius to 30.0 pixels, I set Angle to (90°) and left the Thinness setting at 45% setting. (A low Thinness setting creates a streaked look similar to a motion blur.)

Congratulations! You've completed the creative type treatment tutorial. Happy painting!

Content and images: © 2006 by Cher Threinen-Pendarvis

An award-winning artist and author, Cher Threinen-Pendarvis has always worked with traditional art tools. A pioneer in digital art, Cher has created illustrations with the Macintosh® computer for two decades. She has been widely recognized for her mastery of Corel® Painter™, Adobe® Photoshop®, and the Wacom® pressure-sensitive tablet, and she has used these electronic tools since they were first released. Exercising her passion for the artist tools in Corel Painter, Cher has worked as a consultant and demo-artist for the Corel Painter developers. Her artwork has been exhibited worldwide, and her articles and art have been published in many books and periodicals. Cher holds a BFA with Highest Honors and Distinction in Art specializing in painting and printmaking, and she is a member of the San Diego-Museum of Art Artist Guild. She has taught Corel Painter and Photoshop workshops around the world and is the principal of the consulting firm Cher Threinen Design. Cher is the author of The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book: Creative Techniques in Digital Painting and all seven editions of The Painter Wow! Book. The Painter IX Wow! Book is the latest edition of this highly praised volume of techniques and inspiration.

To learn more about Cher, please visit her Web site at www.pendarvis-studios.com