Art Blog: ColorSketches by Edward Sine » Painter

Creating Seamless Textures

Ed — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:21:39 +0000

I use textures very frequently in my work, and a very simple trick can make them a lot more useful. It is often advantageous to have the texture tile seamlessly. To put it simply, have the pattern repeat, but in a way that is not apparent to the viewer. Usually signs of a repetition appear at the pattern edges. By using the “Offset” filter, which is found in Photoshop under Filter | Other | Offset, you can shift the pattern so the edges are visible. Set the horizontal and vertical distances as appropriate for your image, and check the Wrap Around radio button. The pattern will shift revealing the edges.

Once the edges are visible, rub them out with a sampling of the pattern. Run the Offset filter again, and look for any edges you might have missed. Repeat this exercise until edge lines are no longer visible. While rubbing out the edges, pay close attention to any distinguishing features in the pattern that might jump out as the pattern repeats. These should be rubbed out as well.

The final step is to fill a large area in a test file with your new pattern. If you cannot see any obvious repetition, your new pattern is a success!

Quick Brush Selection in Painter

Ed — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:00:42 +0000

When using Painter, the media and brush selector appear in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Selecting different brushes using this palette can be a little inconvenient. A quicker method, which does not interrupt your work flow, is to right click your input device. This calls up an onscreen display of all brushes in the current category. When creativity is flowing, easier brush selection can make a huge difference in your work.

Grain in Painter

Ed — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:24:38 +0000

Here is a quick tip on Corel Painter. If you are trying to adjust the amount of paper grain that shows through in your brush stroke, adjust the “Grain” percentage in the brush toolbar.

A lower number creates more apparent grain. A higher number reduces the amount of grain. If you are like me, this seems to be a little backward, but Painter treats the higher number as deeper penetration in the paper.

Traditional Colors

Ed — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 00:36:29 +0000

One of the issues I have always had in digital painting, is choosing the right colors. Each type of traditional media has limitations based on the pigments available. Watercolors, for example, have a limited color range even when mixing various paints. Paint software, however, offers an unlimited number of colors, regardless of the medium you are trying to emulate. Using watercolor brushes, but unrealistic colors, will not create a traditional looking painting.

An interesting feature in Corel Painter exists in the color swatch dialog. It can really help you build an appropriate color palette. The first step is to open an image, a scan of an actual watercolor or oil painting for example, that contains the type of color palette you wish to use. Then select the triangle at the upper right of the color swatch dialog. A menu appears with several options available.

Select “New Color Set from Image”. Painter will sample and create a color set of the swatches available in the image. Providing you use an appropriate source, you should now have a proper color range that will allow you to create a more true to life traditional painting.