6. Using Layers

Introduction

LAYERS ARE ELEMENTS THAT HOVER above Painter’s image Canvas, or base layer, providing a great deal of flexibility in composing artwork. You can move, paint on, or apply a special effect to a layer without affecting other layers or the background canvas. So when building images you can try several possibilities by manipulating or repositioning the various elements. Then, when your layers are as you like them, you can drop them onto the canvas, blending them with the background.

Delro Rosco created this nostalgic scene as feature art on the packaging for Glissade, a Golden Bock beer by Sierra Nevada. This detail shows Delro Rosco’s refined painting technique, achieved by using Digital Airbrushes and custom Watercolor brushes on layers. See the complete illustration in the gallery at the end of this chapter.

DELRO ROSCO

In addition to image (or pixel-based) layers, Painter incorporates other types of “layers”: floating objects, reference layers, shapes, dynamic layers, text layers, and two media layers—Watercolor and Liquid Ink. The controls for naming, stacking, compositing and grouping all of these kinds of layers are found in the Layers panel, as described in “Organizing with the Layers Panel” on page 218. Each layer in a layered file has a Composite Method that affects how it interacts (or blends) with other layers and with the Canvas.

You can preserve layers by saving your file in RIFF format. Saving in most other formats requires dropping, or merging, the layers. However, if you’d like to be able to open a Painter image in Photoshop with layers intact, save the file in Photoshop format. All layers and shapes will be converted to Photoshop layers, with their names and stacking order intact. To read more about working with Photoshop, turn to Chapter 10, “Using Painter with Photoshop.”

Recognizing items in the Layers panel: Layers are designated by a stack of rectangles in the right corner as follows: an image layer by a stack of rectangles, a layer floating object is indented under its parent and has a star, a shape has rectangle, a reference layer is identified by a dotted rectangle with handles, a dynamic layer by a plug icon, a Text layer by a capital “T,” a Watercolor layer by a blue rectangle and a Liquid Ink layer by a black rectangle. In the Layers panel shown here, the Pelicans layer is selected.

An image layer can hold pixels or transparency. When you add a new layer by clicking the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers panel or by choosing New Layer from the panel’s pop-up menu, it’s completely transparent until you paint on it. See “Working with Image Layers,” below.

A layer floating object is an area of an image layer that has been isolated and lifted from the layer, to create a kind of sublayer. Each layer can have only one floating object at a time. See “Working with Layer Floating Objects” on page 211.

Reference layers can be helpful for assembling large images from several separate source files. A reference layer is a 72 ppi screen proxy (or “stand-in”) for an image layer in the current image, or for a placed image that’s linked to an image file outside of the document. (See “Using Reference Layers” on page 212.)

Shapes are essentially a resolution-independent kind of layer that, unlike image layers, can be reshaped or resized without degradation. As described on page 213, shapes are outline-based elements with attributes such as stroke, fill and transparency. Shapes are PostScript-based objects. You can paint on a shape, adding pixel information, but you have to first convert the shape to an image layer.

Dynamic layers are special hovering devices that allow you to make adjustments to an existing image (by adding an Equalize layer or Brightness and Contrast layer, for example), or to create entirely new effects (for instance, a Liquid Metal layer). You can create a dynamic layer by clicking the Dynamic Plug-ins button at the bottom of the Layers panel and choosing a plug-in from the pop-up menu (see page 215).

Painter’s Text layers are described on pages 302–307.

For this flower illustration, the Wash Bristle and Runny Wash Camel variants of Watercolor were used to paint washes on Watercolor layers.

Media layers are special layers that allow startling, realistic painting effects. Read about Watercolor and Liquid Ink layers on page 217.

All layers take up extra disk space and RAM. You can minimize the need for extra space by floating only what’s necessary, and by dropping and combining layers whenever it makes sense.

Working with Image Layers

You can make an image layer by activating the Canvas layer, selecting part of it, and then clicking on the selected area with the Layer Adjuster tool. This process cuts the selected area out of the Canvas and turns it into the new layer, leaving behind a hole that you can see if you drag the new layer with the Layer Adjuster. Alt/Option-click to copy an active selection, even to duplicate the entire Canvas. This creates a new layer from the copy but also leaves the original pixels in place on the Canvas. The selection that defines the area to turn into the new layer can be made with any of the selection processes described in Chapter 5.

There are other ways to create an image layer. For instance, all elements pasted into a Painter document come in as image layers, and you can also drag an image layer from the Image Portfolio panel into your image.

An image layer automatically includes a Transparency mask; when the layer is active (clicked in the Layers panel) its Transparency mask is available to be loaded to select all the nontransparent areas of the layer (Select, Load Selection). An image layer can also include a layer mask, created by clicking the New Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layers panel. The layer mask determines what parts of the pixel information on the layer are shown or hidden. You can load the layer mask for the active layer as a selection (Select, Load Selection), just as you can the Transparency mask described above. In contrast to the transparency mask, the layer mask can be directly modified to hide or reveal parts of the layer or to blend layered images with exciting transparency effects.

Here’s how to work with image layers once you’ve created or imported one:

To activate a layer, click its name in the Layers panel. Or choose the Layer Adjuster in the Toolbox, and then turn on Auto Select Layer in the Property Bar and click on a visible area of the layer. Either way, the name will be highlighted in the Layers panel to show that the layer is active.

To deactivate a layer, click on different layer. Or choose the Layer Adjuster tool, turn on Auto Select Layer in the Property Bar and click somewhere in the image where the current layer has no pixels.

To apply a special effect to a layer, make sure it’s active (highlighted in the Layers panel, as described above). Then choose from the Effects menu. (Of course, an effect applied to a transparent layer with no pixels on it has no effect.)

To paint on a layer, make sure it’s active (highlighted in the Layers panel, as described above). Choose any brush (except a Watercolor or Liquid Ink variant) and paint brushstrokes onto the layer. (Watercolor and Liquid Ink can paint only on appropriate media layers, which will automatically be created if you try to use these brushes on image layers.) For more information, turn to “Painting on Layers” on page 70 in Chapter 3.

To erase paint you have applied to a layer, making the area “clear” again, you can choose the Eraser tool in the Toolbox, and paint on the layer to “erase.”

To hide part of a layer without permanently erasing it, begin by choosing black in the Color panel. Click on the layer in the Layers panel. If the layer doesn’t already have a layer mask, click the New Layer Mask button at the bottom of the panel. Then click the mask thumbnail that will appear next to the image thumbnail for the layer; this activates the mask rather than the layer’s image. Choose a brush (such as the Pens, Scratchboard Tool) and paint on the mask with black where you want to hide the layer. If you want to reveal parts of the image that you have hidden with the layer mask, paint the mask with white.

When creating Neural Pathway, a detail of which is shown here, David Purnell used many layers and shapes. See more of Purnell’s illustrations in the gallery at the end of this chapter.

The most foolproof way to move a layer is to click the layer’s name in the Layers panel to activate the layer, and then choose it with the Layer Adjuster tool (make sure Auto Select Layer is turned off in the Property Bar), and drag anywhere in the image window. To adjust a layer’s position a screen pixel at a time, activate the layer and use the arrow keys on your keyboard.

To merge a layer with the Canvas, activate the image layer in the Layers panel and click the Layer Commands button (far left at the bottom of the panel) and choose Drop from the pop-up menu, or click the triangle in the upper-right corner of the panel and choose Drop from that menu. If you want to merge all of your layers onto the Canvas—much like using Photoshop’s Flatten Image command—simply choose Drop All from the menu in the upper-right corner (this command is not available through the Layer Commands button). Another option, if you want to keep a layered version but also create a “flattened” one, is to choose File, Clone; a duplicate of the image will appear with all layers merged.

To scale, rotate, distort or flip a layer, activate the layer and choose the appropriate command under Edit, Transform.

To change the opacity of a layer, click its name in the Layers panel and use the Opacity slider near the top of the panel.

Working with Layer Floating Objects

To reposition a portion of an image layer, Painter uses a layer floating object. Only an image layer can have a floating object, and each layer can have only one floating object at a time. Besides moving part of a layer, you can also use a layer floating object to isolate part of a layer for editing. The advantage of using a floating object (rather than simply selecting an area of the layer and changing it) is that a floating object can have its own layer mask, which you can use to hide or reveal part of the floating object.

To create a floating object that’s cut out from a layer, make a selection, click on a layer’s name in the Layers panel and choose Select, Float, or click inside the selection with the Layer Adjuster tool. The floating object will be listed below its parent layer in the Layers panel, indented to show the relationship. (If you turn off visibility for the floating object by clicking its eye icon, you’ll see the hole where it has been cut from the parent layer.)

The Layers panel showing the Tomato Slice layer with a floating object

To make a floating object copy of information on the parent layer (without cutting out), make a selection, press the Alt/Option key and then choose Select, Float, or Alt/Option-click with the Layer Adjuster tool. The floating object “copy” will be indented below its parent layer in the Layers panel.

To recombine a floating object with its parent layer, activate the floating object by clicking its name in the Layers panel, click the Layer Commands button (far left at the bottom of the panel), and choose Drop from the pop-up menu. The floating object will also recombine with its parent layer if you do any of the following: paint or make another selection while either the layer or its floating object is active, or paste into the document or drag an item from the Image Portfolio while the floating object is active.

To transform a floating object, activate the floating object by clicking its name in the Layers panel, choose the Transform tool (nested under the Layer Adjuster in the Toolbox) and position the cursor over a corner handle and drag to scale it. Using the Transform tool modes chosen in the Property bar, you can also rotate, skew, distort and apply perspective scaling to the Floating Object.

Using Reference Layers

If you work with large files and your computer slows to a crawl when you try to reposition a big image layer, consider converting image layers to reference layers. Reference layers are 72 ppi proxies, or “stand-in” images. They let you manipulate high-resolution images faster, instead of dragging huge images around your screen. Because you are working with a proxy—and not the actual pixels—you can perform multiple rotations, scaling, skewing and repositioning very quickly. When you’ve finished all your manipulations, convert reference layers back to image layers; Painter will remember all the manipulations you’ve made and will carry them out as a single change, with much less loss of quality than if you had made them one by one on the high-resolution file.

To make a reference layer, select an image layer and choose Layers, Convert to Reference Layer. To get ready to operate on the layer, choose the Layer Adjuster.

To scale a reference layer proportionately, press the Shift key and drag on a corner handle with the Layer Adjuster tool to resize as many times as needed to get just the result you want.

To rotate a reference layer interactively, press the Ctrl/ key and drag a corner handle with the Layer Adjuster.

Rick Kirkman created Postal Cat by drawing shapes, and then converting them to image layers so that he could paint on them. Turn to page 221 to read about his technique step by step.

To skew a reference layer interactively, press the Ctrl/ key and drag one of the original four middle handles with the Layer Adjuster tool.

To turn a reference layer back into an image (pixel-based) layer, choose Convert to Default Layer from the pop-up menu on the right side of the Layers panel, switch the Transform tool, or paint or apply an effect to the reference layer, clicking the Commit button when prompted. If you drag a reference layer into the Image Portfolio panel, the full-resolution version is stored in the Portfolio.

Working with Shapes

Shapes can be drawn with the Rectangular or Oval Shape tool, or the Pen or the Quick Curve tool. Or they can be made from a selection (converted from a selection using the Select, Convert to Shape command) or imported from a PostScript drawing program such as Adobe Illustrator (this process is described in Chapter 5).

The opacity of a shape’s fill can be set in the Set Shape Attributes dialog box (Shapes, Set Shape Attributes).

Before modifying a shape, you need to make it active. You can activate a shape just as you would a layer—by clicking its name in the Layers panel, or by clicking it with the Layer Adjuster tool, with Auto Select Layer turned on in the Property Bar. Or use the Whole Shape Selection tool (solid arrow, the Shape Selection tool with the Ctrl/ key held down) to select the entire shape so you can move it as a unit, without distorting it, by dragging anywhere on its outline.

To drag off a copy of a shape, you can select the shape with the Layer Adjuster tool, and then press Alt/Option and drag.

To scale a shape proportionately, click it with the Layer Adjuster, hold down the Shift key and drag a corner handle.

To rotate a shape, click it with the Layer Adjuster, press the Ctrl/ key and drag a corner handle.

To skew a shape interactively, click it with the Layer Adjuster, press the Ctrl/ key and drag a middle handle.

To scale, distort, rotate or flip a shape, select it in the Layers panel and use one of the choices from Edit, Transform.

To duplicate a shape and transform the copy, choose Shapes, Set Duplicate Transform. Set up specifications in the Set Duplicate Transform dialog box and click OK. Now choose Shapes, Duplicate, and the transformation and will be applied to the copy.

To modify the stroke and fill attributes of a shape, select it and open the Set Shape Attributes dialog box by choosing Shapes, Set Shape Attributes or by double-clicking on the name of a shape in the Layers panel. To use the color wheel, double-click the Stroke or Fill color swatch in the Set Shape Attributes dialog box.) A word of warning: If you paint on, or apply an effect to, a shape—rather than simply changing its stroke and fill—Painter will automatically generate a new image layer above the shape. If you’d like to paint directly on a shape, first convert it to an image layer by choosing Shapes, Convert to Layer.

For this restaurant logo, we drew black calligraphy letters on the canvas using the Brush tool set to the Calligraphy variant of the Pens brush in the Brush Selector. We made a luminosity mask by choosing the New From command from the Channels panel’s triangle pop-out menu and choosing Image Luminance in the New From dialog box. Then we loaded the selection (Select, Load Selection, Alpha 1), and converted the selection to shapes (Select, Convert to Shape). The client planned to use the logo in a variety of ways, so we appreciated that Painter automatically created compound shapes to make the counters transparent for the letter “O,” the two descending “g” shapes and the “e.” Seen here are the selected filled shapes (top), and the logo applied onto Koa wood texture (bottom) from an ArtBeats Wood and Paper CD-ROM. To read more about compound shapes, turn to “Making a compound,” on the next page or to “Using Shapes,” in the Painter 12 Help.

To convert several shapes into individual image layers, you can Shift-select multiple shapes in the Layers panel and convert the shapes to image layers all at once—as long as they are stroked or filled—using Shapes, Convert to Layer.

To make a single image layer from several shapes, first Shift-select the shapes, and then click the Layer Commands button on the left at the bottom of the Layers panel to access the pop-up menu, and choose Group. With the group closed (controlled by the arrow to the left of its name in the Layers panel), choose Shapes, Convert to Layer.

To duplicate, move or transform a group of shapes, you can select the group by clicking its name in the Layers panel and then move or transform it as you would a single shape. (See “Organizing with the Layers Panel” on page 218 to read more about groups.)

To move an individual shape within a group, expand the group by clicking the arrow to the left of the group’s name in the Layers panel. Then click the name of the shape you want to move, choose the Layer Adjuster tool and drag the shape; or click it and move it using the arrow keys.

Blending between shapes. To create intermediate shapes between two shapes, Shift-select both shapes in the Layers panel and choose Shapes, Blend. Make choices in the dialog box and click OK. “Blending Shapes” in the Painter 12 Help contains a concise explanation.

Viewing shape paths (top) and finished objects (bottom). For this filled compound outer object with blended interior object, we began by making a blend. To blend the blue circle with a very small white circle in its center, we selected both circles in the Layers panel, and then chose Shapes, Blend and specified 50 steps. To build the compound of the two outer shapes, we Shift-clicked in the Layers panel to target them both and chose Shapes, Make Compound. The Make Compound command cut a hole with the smaller eye shape, allowing only part of the fill of the outer shape to be visible.

Here’s a useful application for Painter’s Blend command: If you’ve imported an image created in Illustrator that has blends but they don’t make the transition successfully into Painter, zoom in and count and then delete the interior objects inside the blend using the Shape Selection tool and Delete key. Shift-select the two remaining outside objects in the Layers panel, and then choose Shapes, Blend and specify the number of steps to regenerate the blend.

Making a compound. To cut a hole in a shape and reveal the underlying image, make a compound using two shapes: Move a small shape on top of a large one, Shift-select both of them in the Layers panel and choose Shapes, Make Compound. The top shape will cut a hole in the bottom shape to reveal the underlying image. Compounds are made automatically to create counters in letters when type is set or when type outlines are imported, and also when selections with holes are converted to shapes.

Using Dynamic Layers

Dynamic layers are special devices that allow you to create a variety of effects. To keep dynamic layers “live” (allowing changes to be made and previewed on the image without becoming permanent), the file can be saved only in RIFF format. Saving in Photoshop format converts the dynamic layers to image layers, freezing the effects in their current state.

Clicking the “plug” icon on the Layers panel will reveal the Dynamic Plug-ins menu.

Dynamic layers, which are indicated by a plug icon in the Layers panel, fall into three basic categories. The first kind is similar to an adjustment layer in Adobe Photoshop. It allows you to set up a procedure such as a brightness-and-contrast correction or a posterization of the underlying image, without permanently changing the pixels of the image itself. Image correction tools such as Equalize, Brightness and Contrast, and Posterize, as well as special effects layers such as Glass Distortion, Kaleidoscope and Liquid Lens fall into this “adjustment” category. To generate a Posterize layer, for example, click the Dynamic Plug-ins button at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Posterize from the pop-up menu. Click OK to apply it. The posterization will apply to all image layers, reference layers, shapes and dynamic layers listed below the Posterize dynamic layer in the Layers panel, so if you want it to apply to only certain layers, you can drag it down in the Layers panel. (To read more about Painter’s image-correction layers, turn to Chapter 7. For information about creating special effects with this series of dynamic layers, refer to Chapter 8.)

Detail from Hot Beveled Metal. Beginning with a text layer, we used a Bevel World Dynamic Plug-ins layer to commit the live text to an image layer and to create a 3D effect. Then we layered two more copies of the bevel—we painted on the first copy and we created the glow using the second copy. To learn more about type effects using Bevel World, turn to Chapter 9

For a second kind of dynamic layer, you choose an image layer and apply a special effect procedure to the selected image layer, the “source image layer,” turning it into a dynamic layer. The dynamic layer is “live,” so you can preview changes and then modify the effect and preview again, or even return the source image layer to its original condition if you choose. Three of the dynamic layers—Bevel World, Burn and Tear—require a source image layer to perform their magic. To make this kind of dynamic layer, activate a layer in the Layers panel and choose Bevel World, for instance, from the Dynamic Plug-ins menu. Make adjustments to the settings and click OK. (If you start with a selection on the image Canvas, clicking Apply will automatically generate a new dynamic layer from the selection.) Read more about these dynamic layers in Chapter 8.

The third type of dynamic layer allows you to build special-effects imagery on a new layer. Liquid Metal falls into this category. To read about exciting techniques using Liquid Metal, turn to “Painting with metal and water” on page 292 in the introduction to Chapter 8, “Exploring Special Effects.”

To change a dynamic layer’s appearance, double-click its name in the Layers panel, make changes to the settings in the dialog box and click OK.

To convert a dynamic layer to an image layer, so you can add a layer mask or convert the image layer into a reference layer (to scale it, for instance), click the triangle in the Layers panel’s upper-right corner and choose Convert to Default Layer from the menu. The following actions will also convert a dynamic layer to an image layer: transforming using the Transform tool (to scale, rotate or distort); applying an effect from the Effects menu (such as Effects, Surface Control, Apply Surface Texture); painting on the layer; applying a dynamic layer special effect (such as applying the Tear special-effect layer to an active Burn layer) or merging a group that includes a dynamic layer.

Using Text Layers

When you select the Text tool in the Toolbox and begin to set type on your image, the type is set on a new layer that appears in the Layers panel, designated by a “T” icon. Controls for specifying text settings are located in the Property Bar. For creative techniques using Text layers, turn to Chapter 8, “Exploring Special Effects.”

Janet Smart used Watercolor brushes and their special layers and Digital Watercolor paint on layers to paint Pelican.

Working with Media Layers

Painter includes two media layers, Watercolor and Liquid Ink. Special brushes must be used to paint on each kind of media layer. When the Canvas or an image layer is selected in the Layers panel and you attempt to paint with a Watercolor brush or Liquid Ink brush on any other kind of layer, a new Watercolor or Liquid Ink layer is automatically generated. Chapter 3 includes in-depth information about Watercolor and Liquid Ink, including “A Painter Watercolor Primer” and “A Painter Liquid Ink Primer” as well as step-by-step techniques for using both media.

Using Watercolor layers. Painter offers Watercolor layers and special Watercolor brushes, making it possible to add wet color on separate layers. Watercolor layers can be edited using selections to restrict the changes to the selected area. A Watercolor layer can also have a layer mask, which can be edited by clicking on the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel and targeting the mask in the Channels panel, and then editing the mask. (You’ll have to choose a different brush to edit the mask, because Watercolor brushes don’t work on masks.) For a step-by-step technique for using selections with Watercolor layers, turn to “Mixing Media on Layers” on page 230.

The Layers panel showing the pop-up menu that includes important commands for use with Liquid Ink and Watercolor layers.

Using commands found in the triangle pop-out menu on the right side of the Layers panel, you can stop paint from diffusing on a Watercolor layer by choosing Dry Watercolor Layer, and you can re-wet a Watercolor layer by choosing Wet Entire Watercolor Layer. Or you can add the content of the Canvas to a Watercolor layer as wet paint, or create a new Watercolor layer if none is active, by choosing Lift Canvas to Watercolor Layer from the Layers panel menu.

Using Liquid Ink layers. Liquid Ink is a thick, viscous ink medium. A Liquid Ink layer is not pixel-based but resolution-independent. To paint on a Liquid Ink layer, you must use special Liquid Ink brushes found in the Brush Selector. (Choosing a Liquid Ink brush and painting automatically creates a new Liquid Ink layer except when a Watercolor layer is active.) A Liquid Ink layer can have a layer mask. To constrain paint to a specific area, make a selection and then target the Liquid Ink layer before painting. For more information about Liquid Ink, see “A Painter Liquid Ink Primer” on page 129 in Chapter 3.

John Derry created Capitola using Liquid Ink layers.

Organizing with the Layers Panel

In the Layers panel, Painter assigns sequential names to layers and shapes (such as Layer 1, Layer 2 and so on) in the order they were created. Rename them by double-clicking on a name (or click on the name and press the Enter key) to bring up the appropriate dialog box. Enter the new name and click OK.

In the Layers panel (above), for Delro Rosco’s Apple illustration on page 230, he organized some layers in groups and locked other items so he wouldn’t accidentally select them with the Layer Adjuster.

So that you can more easily work with underlying items, you can hide layers or shapes by clicking to close the eye icons next to their names. Click the eye open to show an item again.

To lock an item (making it impossible to select it in the image window, even with Auto Select Layer turned on), target the layer in the Layers panel and click the lock icon near the top of the panel. To unlock, click the lock icon again.

Using groups. Grouping layers or shapes is an ideal way to organize related elements in the Layers panel so the panel doesn’t take up so much space on the screen. To group layers or shapes, Shift-select the elements in the Layers panel, and then click the Layer Commands button at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Group, or press Ctrl/-G. To ungroup, click the Layer Commands button and choose Ungroup, or press Ctrl/-U. If you want to apply effects (other than Scale, Rotate, Flip or Create Drop Shadow) to a group of layers or shapes, you’ll need to open the group, select individual items and then apply the effect. Like individual layers, groups can be hidden or made visible by clicking the eye icon, and they can also be locked.

Using the Image Portfolio. Open the Image Portfolio panel by choosing Window, Media Library Panels, Images. To store a copy of an element for later use or for use in another file, hold down the Alt/Option key, click the button in the upper right of the Image Portfolio panel and choose Add Image to Portfolio. (To remove the element from the current file as you store it in the Portfolio, use the Layer Adjuster without the Alt/Option key.) To remove an image from the portfolio, drag it to the trash can at the bottom of the panel.

Create an empty image portfolio by opening the Image Portfolio panel (Window, Media Library Panels, Images). From the pop-out menu on the Image Portfolio New Image Portfolio. Drag items from the current Image Portfolio into your new Image Portfolio. (To learn more about using Painter’s media libraries, turn to Chapter 1.)

Layers and Their Masks

Layer masks allow for transparent effects. You can edit layer masks using either brushes or special effect commands (such as Effects, Surface Control, Express Texture, with which you can apply a texture to a mask). To view a layer mask, target the layer in the Layers panel; then make sure the Layer Mask is also targeted in the Channels panel. For more information, see the “Dropping and Saving a Layer Visibility Mask” tip on this page.

Importing a source file with an alpha channel. Because it’s faster to work with fewer layers, many artists assemble pieces of artwork in source files and then import the pieces into a final composite file. Consider preparing a mask in a smaller source file that you plan to import into a composite (using File, Place) and storing the mask in the Channels panel. When you import the file, in the Place dialog box, check the Retain Alpha check box, and click OK to place the source as a reference layer in your document. The imported layer will include the transparency created by the alpha channel mask. To turn the reference layer into an image layer, select it in the Layers panel and switch to the Transform tool in the Toolbox. (For more information, see “Using Reference Layers” on page 212.)

Composite Controls

Painter’s composite controls can give you nifty special effects with very little effort. With a layer selected in the Layers panel, choose from the Composite Method pop-up menu on the Layers panel. The options include many of the same blending modes found in Adobe Photoshop, which are listed below the ones that are unique to Painter. (Not included are Photoshop’s Color Dodge, Linear Dodge, Color Burn, Linear Burn, Exclusion, Vivid Light, Linear Light and Pin Light.) “A Visual Display of the Composite Methods” on the next page shows these controls in action.

You’ll find Painter’s Composite Depth pop-up menu near the top of the Layers panel, to the right of the Composite Method menu. Painter’s Composite Depth controls work only on impasto paint (see “A Painter Impasto Primer” on page 123 for more information about Impasto). The default Composite Depth method is Add. If you paint with an Impasto brush on a layer, Add raises the thick paint. Ignore turns off the thickness for the paint on the layer, and Subtract inverts the paint thickness on the layer, making brushstrokes on this layer excavated rather than raised on the surface. Replace changes the paint depth of Impasto on the underlying layer to the applied layer’s depth wherever the layers overlap.

We applied one of Painter’s Composite Methods to each of these marbles floating over a blue-and-white background. The top marble uses Gel and the bottom one uses Reverse-Out.

Working with Shapes and Layers

Overview Draw Bézier shapes in Painter; fill and name the shapes; convert the shapes to layers; paint details on the layers with brushes; add and edit layer masks to achieve transparency; apply textured special effects with Color Overlay, Surface Texture and Glass Distortion.

RICK KIRKMAN

SHAPES BRING POWER AND VERSATILITY to Painter, saving many illustrators a trip to a drawing program to create Bézier paths for import. With Painter’s Pen tool (now similar to Illustrator’s) you can completely create and edit Bézier paths, add a stroke and fill, name them and organize them in the Layers panel. After you draw shapes, you can convert them to pixel-based layers and add paint and special effects.

1 Setting up a template. Kirkman began by scanning a pencil sketch, saving it as a TIFF file and opening the scan in Painter. The file measured 2374 × 3184 pixels.

Kirkman’s scanned pencil sketch

2 Creating shapes. To create your outlines, you can work either in Painter or in a PostScript drawing program. If you plan to trace a template—as Kirkman did—set up shape attributes so that you can draw with a precise skeletal line. For Windows, choose Edit, Preferences, Shapes, or for Mac OS X choose Corel Painter, Preferences, Shapes, and choose these settings: Under “On Draw,” uncheck the Fill and Stroke check boxes; under “On Close,” uncheck the Stroke check box and check the Fill check box; click OK. Using the Pen tool to draw Bézier shape paths, Kirkman carefully traced his sketch. Before he started drawing each shape, Kirkman clicked the Fill swatch in the Property Bar and chose a color close to the color he would finally use, so the shape would fill with the color when he completed the path. To make adjustments on the fly while drawing a path with the Pen tool (like adjusting a control handle or anchor point), press the Ctrl/ key to temporarily switch to the Shape Selection tool.

Setting the Shapes preferences

Choosing a colored fill before drawing the “nose” shape with a flesh color

Dragging with the Ctrl key held down to adjust a control handle on a path while drawing.

The color filled shapes

As soon as he had created each shape, he double-clicked its default name in the Layers panel and renamed it. As he worked, he adjusted the opacity of the shapes (using the Opacity slider near the top of the panel), so he could see the layers below more clearly. When his color-filled shapes were complete, Kirkman Shift-selected them in the Layers panel and chose Shapes, Convert to Layer.

3 Shading individual layers. To constrain your painting to stay within the edge of the element on a layer, turn on Preserve Transparency in the Layers panel. To paint on an individual layer, target it in the Layers panel. To create a grainy look (similar to colored pencil on kid-finish illustration board), Kirkman chose Basic Paper texture in the Paper Selector (Toolbox) and added shading to the clothing using the Brush tool with the Fine Spray variant of the Airbrushes. For a smoother look on the man’s skin and eyes, he added strokes with the Digital Airbrush variant. Overlapping elements on the layers helped Kirkman create the cast shadows. For example, to paint the shadow under the fish’s lips, he targeted the underlying body layer and then airbrushed the shadow directly on it.

Painting the shadow on the fish’s body using the Digital Airbrush variant

4 Editing layer masks. Kirkman added and edited a layer mask on the layer he called “R piling” to achieve a transparent look. To achieve transparency—like Kirkman’s—on your layer: Target the layer in the Layers panel, and then click the New Layer Mask button at the bottom of the panel. Click on the new layer mask’s thumbnail to target the mask. Next, choose black in the Color panel, choose a the Digital Airbrush variant of Airbrushes and carefully paint into the mask to partially hide the layer. (See “Melting Text Using Layer Masks” on page 228 for a more detailed description of this technique.)

The layer mask for the “R piling” layer is targeted in the Layers panel. The heavy black border around the thumbnail shows that the mask, not the image, is targeted.

5 Adding details, texture and an irregular edge. Kirkman added the pattern to the tie using Effects, Surface Control, Color Overlay, Using Paper to apply the Op texture (Painter 12 application folder, Extras, Paper Textures, Crazy Textures). To add details to the water, he used Color Overlay to apply a colored texture using Globs from Wild Textures 2 (Painter 12 application folder, Extras, Paper Textures), scaling it larger using the Scale slider on the Papers panel. To add more interest to the water, he added Effects, Focus, Glass Distortion, Using Paper with the Blobular texture from Molecular Textures (Painter 12 application folder, Extras, Paper Textures). You can copy the Extras folder from the Painter 12 DVD-ROM to your Painter 12 application folder.

Kirkman targeted the “fish body” layer in the Layers panel before choosing Apply Surface Texture to add texture to the fish’s body.

Using Apply Surface Texture to add the 3D texture to the fish

Adding dimension to the fish’s teeth by airbrushing along a selection edge

Using Effects, Surface Control, Apply Surface Texture, Using Paper, he applied a 3D texture to the fish with Random Bubbles (Molecular Textures). He used these approximate settings: Softness, 1.0; Amount, 50%; Shine, 0; leaving other settings at their default values.

The final embellishments he added were the man’s mouth, the fish’s teeth and the separation of the man’s pant legs. To paint these details, Kirkman drew on his many years of experience as a traditional airbrush artist using a technique very similar to traditional airbrush friskets. Using the Pen tool, he drew a shape for each element and converted each shape to a selection by choosing Shapes, Convert to Selection. To save each selection as a mask in the Channels panel after he had converted it, he chose Select, Save Selection. When he wanted to use a selection as a frisket, he chose Select, Load Selection and then chose the appropriate mask from the Load From pop-up menu. When loaded, each active selection acted like a traditional airbrush frisket. For instance, to paint the fish’s teeth, he targeted the layer containing the teeth, loaded a selection and then airbrushed along the edges of the selection, letting the selection create the hard edge where he needed it. He let the spray from the Airbrush fade out across the selected area. This technique added more dimension and created a rounded, cushiony effect.

Finally, Kirkman created an irregular edge for the background. He used the Lasso to make a loose, freehand selection on the background canvas and turned the selected area into a layer. (Drag with the Lasso to select and then click with the Layer Adjuster.) After the area was on its own layer, he targeted the canvas again (click on the Canvas name in the Layers panel) and turned it white (Ctrl/-A, then Delete), to create a white border area. Then he clicked on the new layer he had made and dragged it to the bottom of the layer hierarchy just above the white Canvas to serve as a background element, and he renamed it Sky. To give the sky layer a smooth edge, he added a layer mask (using the process described in step 4) and feathered the mask 3 pixels by targeting the layer in the Layers panel, then targeting the layer mask in the Channels panel, and choosing Feather from the panel’s pull-down menu (accessed by clicking the triangle in the top-right corner of the Channels panel). After he had feathered the edge, he added a drop shadow based on the Sky layer by choosing Effects, Objects, Create Drop Shadow. To flatten the image, he dropped all layers (choose Drop All from the Layers panel’s pull-down menu).

Collage with Cloning and Brushes

Overview Create a collage image from a variety of source photos; use point-to-point cloning with multiple brushes; painting portions of each source image on its own layer.

CAROL BENIOFF

FOR WISH, A NARRATIVE COLLAGE, Carol Benioff combined photographic elements by painting on layers using Cloners brushes and custom brushes that incorporate Clone Color.

1 Gathering elements. Benioff began by assembling digital photographs and scanned elements that touched on her childhood—her grandmother Nana at 18, the lily pond from the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers near her childhood home and wishbones saved from family Thanksgiving dinners. After you have assembled your photos, open a new file (Benioff’s measured 4 × 4 inches at 300 ppi). Save the image in RIFF format.

The source photographs and scans

2 Capturing and applying a colored texture. Benioff wanted a monochrome lily pond image that would sit behind the other collage elements and help to unify the elements. To accomplish this, she captured the pond photo as a paper texture that she could use in applying a monochromatic color effect. Choose a photo that you want to use as a texture, and then use the Crop tool to crop a square area of the image. Choose Canvas, Resize to resize it to the same size as your working composite file. Next, select the entire photo image (Select, All). Open the Papers panel by choosing Window, Paper Panels, Papers, and then click to open the panel’s menu and choose Capture Paper. To get semi-transparent edges, Benioff left the Crossfade setting at the default of 16. (Crossfade is designed to blur the transition between the tiles of the paper texture.) Name your texture (Benioff named the paper texture Lily Pond). Select it from the list of papers in the Papers panel. To apply the new paper texture to the Canvas of your image using transparent color, choose a Main Color in the Color panel (Benioff applied a blue color from her custom Color Set), and choose Effects, Surface Control, Color Overlay. From the Using menu choose Paper, leave Opacity at 100% and click the Dye Concentration button. Then, to lift the image to a layer, choose Select, All and then chose Select, Float.

The photograph of the lily pond that is captured as a paper texture

The Color Overlay dialog box and Benioff’s Custom Color Set

The captured paper texture applied as a Color Overlay to the image Canvas

3 Cloning. With this technique, you select a starting point on your source file and on your target file. As you paint, with your brush on your target file, a crosshair cursor follows, pinpointing where you are painting from in your clone source file. First, create a new layer in your file by clicking on the New Layer button in the Layers panel. Benioff planned to create a layer for each new element in the collage. To keep track of the layers, give each layer a distinct name. Double-click on the layer in the Layers panel to open Layer Attributes, where you can type in a new layer Name. Next, Benioff opened a black-and-white scan of a portrait of herself that was taken when she was a child. To clone, select the Cloner tool in the Toolbox, and the Soft Cloner variant of Cloners in the Brush Selector.) Arrange the two images on your monitor so both are visible, and at the same magnification. With the source image active, press the Alt/Option key and click in the area you want to clone in the source image. A green circle with a number 1 appears, indicating where Painter will start to clone information from in the source image. Next, make the target image active (choosing it from the Window menu). Click in the target file where you want to begin painting. As you paint on the target file, a crosshair cursor moves in sync on the source file. Benioff carefully watched the crosshair cursor to make sure that she picked up only the information she wanted from the source file. This allowed her to paint selectively from her clone source image to her target image Wish.

The clone crosshair cursor visible on the clone source file (left) and the brush cursor visible on the target file (right)

4 Changing an Acrylics brush to a cloning brush. Next, Benioff selected the Glazing Acrylic variant of the Acrylics. To change it into a cloning brush, in the Color panel, choose Clone Color by clicking on the rubber stamp button. With Clone Color enabled, the Color panel will gray out. It’s a good idea to save your new variant. Choose Save Variant from the pop-up menu on the Brush Selector, name your variant (for instance Glazing Acrylic Cloner and click OK). Then restore the Glazing Acrylic to its original settings by choosing Restore Default Variant from the same menu on the Brush Selector.

The Glazing Acrylic brush is transformed into a cloning brush by clicking on the Clone Color button (rubber stamp) in the Color panel.

5 Cloning images. Now choose the new Glazing Acrylic Cloner brush in the Brush Selector, establish the cloning point on the source image, and then paint in your target image. Benioff used her Glazing Acrylic Cloner to create light, sweeping strokes that followed the contours and shapes of the clone source photo. To re-establish some of the detail from the clone source photograph, she used the Cloner tool, moving in a light circular motion. Then, she used the Iterative Save function (File, Iterative Save) to save the file in progression.

Cloning with the custom Glazing Acrylic Cloner brush

Cloning with the Glazing Acrylic 20 brush and Soft Cloner brush

Cloning with the Pencil Sketch Cloner brush

Changing the Composite Method of the pond layer to Multiply

When you have your first image painted into your working file, close the first clone source and open your second source image. Benioff opened her next source photo, Nana, a photo of her grandmother. Repeat the processes in steps 3 and 5 to add your new image. Create a new layer in the target file. Use the same two cloning brushes, the Cloner tool and the Glazing Acrylic Cloner from step 4 to softly paint from the source photograph. As you paint, follow the contours and shapes of the forms. After you finish painting from one clone source, use the Iterative Save function, saving the file in sequential steps. Benioff created 14 iterative saves.

For the wishbones, Benioff created a new Wishbones layer. She opened her photograph of multiple wishbones on a painted background. This time, she chose the Cloner tool and the Pencil Sketch Cloner variant of the Cloners brushes. Benioff carefully drew with short strokes to paint one of the wishbones from the source file onto the new layer in her target file. Then, she switched to the Soft Cloner variant of the Cloners to add more detail from the wishbones photo.

Benioff envisioned the wishbones fading in and out of the two figures and the pond. To achieve this, she selected the Wishbones layer in the Layers panel and dragged it below the Pond layer. The wishbone image was now hidden by the pond image. To “see through” the pond image without changing its opacity, in the Layers panel, she changed the Composite Method of the Pond layer to Multiply. Next, she selected the Layer Adjuster tool and with the Wishbones layer active, she repositioned it to overlap both of the figures.

6 Duplicating and arranging layers. To create a second wishbone, Benioff duplicated the Wishbone layer (Layers, Duplicate Layer), and then she named the layer Wishbones 2. She used the Layer Adjuster to reposition the second wishbone so that it overlapped the lower half of the woman’s dress. Then she enlarged the second wishbone by to 115%, using the Edit, Transform, Scale dialog box.

Detail of the image with the second wishbones layer in place

7 Transforming layers. To paint in the orchid blossom, she opened the photograph that contained the orchid. She chose the Sharp Pastel Pencil 3 variant of Pastels, enabled Clone Color on the Color panel, and used it on a new layer at the top of the layer stack with the cloning technique to draw the outline of one of the blossoms. To paint the interior of the flower, she used the Soft Cloner.

Drawing the outline of the orchid with the Sharp Pastel Pencil Cloner (top) and adding detail with the Soft Cloner (bottom)

Rotating the orchid layer using the Free Transform feature

To duplicate the orchid layer, Benioff repeated the same duplicating and arranging steps that she used for the layers in step 6. Then, she selected the Layer Adjuster to move the Orchid 1 layer to overlap the girl’s neck. To make the orchid transparent, she set the opacity of the Orchid 1 layer to 90% in the Layers panel. Then, she duplicated the orchid layer (Layers, Duplicate Layer). She named the duplicate layer Orchid 2 and selected Edit, Free Transform, so that she could rotate and scale the image simultaneously.

The Free Transform function retains the quality of an image so that it does not degrade with the transformations. There are eight handles surrounding an image that is in Free Transform mode. To rotate the image, press the Ctrl/ key. To constrain the aspect ratio when scaling the image, press the Shift key as you drag on a corner handle. When Benioff was happy with the size and angle of the Orchid 2 layer, she fixed the changes by selecting Edit, Transform, Commit Transformation. Then, she used the Layer Adjuster to position the second orchid into place on the woman’s dress.

8 Adding the blue flower. For the final layer, Benioff opened the photograph of a blue flower. She chose the Chalk Cloner (Cloners), which would reveal the paper grain. For her paper texture, she selected Basic Paper from the Paper Selector. In the Wish file, she created a new layer. With both the source photo and the target file visible, she used cloning to draw in the flower. She painted with short, quick strokes and varied the brush size as she worked. If she picked up some of the photo background, she used an Erasers variant to clean up the edges. She used the Edit, Free Transform function to rotate and scale this final layer and then she used the Layer Adjuster to move the Blue Flower layer to the lower-right corner of her image.

Cloning using the Chalk Cloner variant

The final layers panel for the Wish image

9 Applying lighting for more depth. As a last step, Benioff used lighting to give her image more depth. She clicked on the Pond layer in the Layers panel and then chose Effects, Surface Control, Apply Lighting. In the Apply Lighting dialog box, she clicked on the Library button and loaded her custom lighting library. She chose a soft Globe light from the library and clicked OK. She applied the same light to the Blue Flower layer to complete her image Wish.

Two layers with the applied lighting effect

Melting Text Using Layer Masks

Overview Use the Text tool to set type over a background; convert the text to selections; float two copies of the type, one to be used as a drop shadow; use feathering and Dye Concentration to add dimension to the type; add layer masks and paint on them to “melt” the bottoms of the letters.

CHER THREINEN-PENDARVIS

YOU CAN ACHIEVE A DRAMATIC TRANSLUCENT EFFECT using Painter’s brushes to paint on a layer mask. In the image above, we used the Digital Airbrush variant of Airbrushes on the lower part of two layers—the type and the soft shadow behind it—to create the illusion of type melting into sky and water. You can get a similar result using other backgrounds such as stone or wood.

1 Setting text and converting it to selections. Open an image to use as a background; our photo was 1200 pixels wide. Choose the Text tool and select a bold font and a large point size in the Property Bar. We chose 95-point Arial Black. Open the Layers panel (Window, Layers); you’ll be able to see the Text layer appear there when you type. Click the Text tool in the image to place the cursor and begin typing.

Converting the Text layer to a default layer

To achieve the result in the image above, using the text outlines to float portions of the background, it’s necessary to convert the text to a default layer, then to selections. With the Layer Adjuster tool chosen and the Text layer targeted in the Layers panel, choose Convert to Default Layer from the pop-up menu on the right side of the Layers panel. Next, reduce the layer’s opacity to 0% using the Opacity slider near the top of the Layers panel; the text will disappear from your image. Choose Drop and Select from the pop-up menu on the right side of the Layers panel; the type will reappear in your image as animated marquees.

To save your selection as a mask so you can use it later, choose Select, Save Selection. Open the Channels panel (Window, Channels) to see the new mask (named Alpha 1).

With the marquee still active (in preparation for making the soft shadow layer), choose Select, Feather; we used 30 pixels. Click OK. Now save this selection as a mask by choosing Select, Save Selection. This mask (named Alpha 2) will appear in the Channels panel.

2 Using selections to make layers. To make the two layers needed for this technique, begin with the active feathered shadow selection (if it’s no longer active, you can load Alpha 2 by clicking the Load Channel as Selection button at the bottom of the Channels panel). Choose the Layer Adjuster tool, press the Alt/Option key and click on the active text selection to create Layer 1. (Holding the Alt/Option key makes a copy of the selected area, leaving the background intact.) Click on the Canvas to deselect Layer 1. Now load the text selection (Alpha 1) by choosing Select, Load Selection; when it appears, Alt/Option-click on it with the Layer Adjuster tool to create Layer 2. Double-click on the Layer 2 name and rename it “text” in the Layer Attributes dialog box. Do the same for Layer 1, naming it “shadow.”

Alt/Option-clicking with the Layer Adjuster on the selection to make the Text layer

Selecting the text Alpha 1 in the Channels panel

The Layers panel after naming the layers

3 Distinguishing the layers. Next, you’ll make the Text layer stand out from the background. In the Layers panel, click once on the Text layer to make it active. Now, change the color of the layer by choosing Effects, Surface Control, Dye Concentration, using Uniform Color; we dragged the Maximum slider to 53%. Click OK.

Using Dye Concentration to lighten the text (left) and to darken the Shadow layer (right)

The Layers panel showing the Composite Method for the shadow layer set to Multiply

To create a soft, saturated shadow using colors from the image, click on the shadow layer in the Layers panel. Change the color of this layer by choosing Effects, Surface Control, Dye Concentration, using Uniform Color; we dragged the Maximum slider to 500%. Click OK. Set the Composite Method of this layer to Multiply.

4 Offsetting the shadow. In the Layers panel, move the shadow away from the bottom of the type by nudging the shadow up and to the right using the arrow keys on your keyboard. To make the type appear to stand at an angle to the background, as we did, skew the shadow: With the shadow layer selected, choose the Transform tool in the Toolbox (nested under the Layer Adjuster). Click the Skew button on the Property Bar and drag the top center handle of the bounding box down and to the right. When you are pleased with the skew of the shadow, click the Accept Transformation button (the check mark) on the Property Bar.

Using the Transform tool to skew the shadow

5 Painting into the layer masks. To “melt” the lower portions of the letters into the water, you can add layer masks to both text and shadow layers and use a brush to partially erase the layer masks.

The Text layer mask is selected.

Using the Digital Airbrush variant on the text layer’s mask (left) and the shadow layer’s mask (with the text layer hidden) to reveal the underlying image

To add each layer mask, target the layer in the Layers panel and click the New Layer Mask button at the bottom of the panel. Choose the Brush tool with the Digital Airbrush variant of Airbrushes. For more sensitivity, set the Opacity in the Property Bar to 5–9%. Choose black in the Color panel. Now, click the Text layer’s mask in the Layers panel one or two times until a dark border appears around the mask thumbnail to show that it is selected. Brush along the bottom of the letters to make the lower part of the Text layer disappear. If you need to restore part of the text, switch to white paint. To complete the effect, target the shadow layer’s mask in the Layers panel and brush black along its bottom. You may find it easier to work on the shadow layer if you hide the text layer temporarily. In the Layers panel, click the text layer’s eye icon to close it; when you’ve finished working on the shadow, click the text’s eye icon open again.

Mixing Media on Layers

Overview Scan a pencil sketch; make masks to constrain paint; lay in color with Airbrushes; paint transparent Watercolor glazes on layers; add final details.

DELRO ROSCO

ILLUSTRATOR DELRO ROSCO WAS COMMISSIONED to create this book cover illustration for the 3 Apple-a-Day Plan, published by Random House. Rosco’s work has been honored by the Society of Illustrators of New York and Los Angeles, American Illustration, the National Watercolor Society, and Print magazine.

Rosco built selections and masks to limit the “paint” (just as he uses friskets with conventional airbrush) and then he airbrushed flat colored areas. Using the same mask add glazes and interesting paint texture, using the same masks, he painted diffused washes on Watercolor layers above the airbrushed paint. “The Watercolor layers make my work look more like my traditional wash and dry brush paintings, which are done using conventional watercolor on Arches hot press watercolor paper with very fine sable brushes,” says Rosco.

1 Sketching and scanning. The art director gave Rosco a proposed layout to use as a starting point for the illustration. Rosco began by sketching with traditional pencil on tissue paper. He scanned the sketch at 100%, at 350 ppi, saved it as a TIFF file and then opened the scanned drawing in Painter.

The scanned pencil drawing

Scan a sketch or create a drawing in Painter using the Brush tool with Pencils variants. When your drawing is complete, put it on a layer by choosing Select, All and then Select, Float. To keep your image organized, name the layer. Double-click its name in the Layers panel and when the Layer Attributes box appears, name the layer Sketch. So that he could use it as a guide while painting, Rosco lowered the opacity of the Sketch layer to about 30%.

2 Making selections and masks. Rosco built hand-drawn selections and masks for elements in his image. To use his technique, choose the Lasso tool (Toolbox) and use it to trace the outline of the drawing. When your selection marquee is complete, save it as a mask into the Channels panel (Select, Save Selection). For detailed information about freehand selections see “Using Hand-Drawn Selections” on page 195. With the mask chosen in the Channels panel, Rosco used the Scratchboard Tool (Pens) to refine the shape of the mask. He used the color white to add to from the mask and black to subtract from the mask. (See “Masks” on page 191 in the beginning of Chapter 5 for information about editing masks.) When he was satisfied with the mask, he named it Apple Silo and saved it. He repeated this process for various parts of the illustration.

The apple masks in the Channels panel

3 Airbrushing on layers. Rosco added a new layer to his image and then used Airbrushes to lay in base colors within selected areas. To make a new layer, click the New Layer button in the Layers panel. To load a selection based on your mask, choose Select, Load Selection and choose your mask. Using the Digital Airbrush variant of Airbrushes, lay in base colors, render the form and depth of your subject, and then save your image as a RIFF file.

The airbrushed color within the active selection for the apple

4 Painting on Watercolor layers. When the airbrush layers were complete, Rosco built up more color, form and texture by using Watercolor layers. First, he moved the sketch to the top of the Layers panel and used the eye icon to toggle the sketch on as he worked. Load a selection for the area that you want to paint. To lay in soft, smooth washes, use the Wash Camel variant of Watercolor. Brush lightly, following the directions of the forms. For more textured brushstrokes, paint with the Diffuse Bristle, Dry Camel or Dry Bristle variant of Watercolor.

Watercolor washes on the apple’s center

Separate Watercolor washes were added on the skin within the active selection.

The Watercolor skin layer selected in the Layers panel

5 Adding final details. To paint over rough areas of color, and to add details and definition, Rosco added a new layer and used the Opaque Round variant of Oils. As he worked, he varied its size and opacity using the sliders on the Property Bar.

The final details on the skin and stem

When the details were complete, he saved his working image as a RIFF file to preserve the wet Watercolor paint and layers. Then, he used the Digital Airbrush to paint a cast shadow. First, he saved a copy of the image (File, Save As) and dropped the layers (choose Drop All from the Layers panel menu). Then, he used the Apple Silo mask from Step 2 to limit paint as he created the drop shadow. Choose Select, Load Selection to load a selection based on the outline mask. The Drawing Modes enable you to paint outside the selection and save the time of creating another mask: In the lower left of the image window, click the Drawing Mode icon and choose Draw Outside, then paint the shadow. (For more information about using the Drawing Modes see page 193 in “Working with Bézier Paths and Selections.”) Finally, for the tape measure, Rosco used the Text tool with the Curve Style option to set type on a path. Then, he converted the text to shapes and saved them as selections so that he would use them to limit paint.

Gallery

An accomplished traditional artist, Richard Noble now paints most of his fine artwork in Painter, using techniques that simulate traditional acrylic painting. He typically begins a painting by shooting reference photographs and sketching on location.

For Kingfish, Noble began by shooting a photograph. As he was driving down a rural road, he spotted an old barn and row boat in a field a long way from any water and it seemed to tell a story.

Later, back at his studio, he felt the scene needed a focal point to pull the painting together, so he researched old food labels to see if a barn painting might resolve his composition. “As luck would have it, I came across the label—Kingfish which was perfect to complete the story,” remembers Noble.

He opened a copy of the photograph of the barn and boat. After saving the file, he added a layer by clicking the New Layer button on the Layers panel and he enabled Pick Up Underlying Color so he could pull up color from the image underneath. Noble wanted a very loose oil look, so he used a variety of Oils brushes in Painter to minimize the detail in most areas of the painting. To lay in broad strokes, he used the Round Camelhair variant of Oils.

For the Kingfish on the barn, Noble added a new layer. Then, using the label as a reference, he painted the Kingfish on the side of the barn in a very rough fashion, using the Round Camelhair variant of Oils.

To paint the wood on the barn and texture on the boat, he used the Round Camelhair (sized smaller) along with a very fine Digital Airbrush variant of the Airbrushes. The sketched detail lines are painted with the tiny Airbrush and the modulated brushstrokes painted with the Oils give the wood its texture. To complete the painting, he used a very small Round Camelhair variant of the Oils to paint highlights on the foreground grasses and to add a few details to the trees.

A commercial illustrator who has worked with traditional art tools for many years, Michael Bast has painted digitally using Painter’s brushes since 1990. Bast loves Painter because it allows him to capture the warmth and texture of his favorite conventional media.

Bast creates illustrations for commercial products and packaging. To begin this ice cream package illustration Pecan Farm Orchard, Bast assembled elements to use for reference—inspiring images of the rolling hills in Texas, meandering waterways and pecan trees. He sketched the composition conventionally using pencils and paper, and then he scanned the drawing. Bast created selections and masks to make his work easier. (For detailed information about working with selections and masks, see Chapter 5.)

Before Bast began to paint the color underpainting, he added a new layer by clicking the New Layer button on the Layers panel. Bast used his Wacom 6D Art Pen for most of the brushwork in the painting. The pen allowed him to achieve more expressive strokes by rotating his brushes. He laid in color using the Worn Oil Pastel variant of the Pastels. When the underpainting was complete, he dropped the layer to the Canvas by choosing Drop from the pop-up menu on the right side of the Layers panel.

Next, Bast added a new layer and used a variety of Digital Watercolor brushes, including the Simple Water brush, to add richer color and highlights and shadows to the scene. To model forms and paint translucent shadows, Bast used a process similar to glazing in conventional watercolor. He painted washes using the New Simple Water variant of Digital Watercolor and then dried them by choosing Dry Digital Watercolor from the Layers panel menu. When Bast wanted to pull out color from an area of wet paint, he used the Gentle Wet Eraser variant of Digital Watercolor. Then, to add textured, opaque brushwork to the image, he painted with a modified version of the Smeary Bristle Spray variant of Oils. To add touches of opaque color and finer details in areas, such as the highlights on the trees and on the foreground plants, he used the Detail Opaque variant of Gouache.

Medical illustrator David Purnell is the proprietor of the New York West Medical Illustration Studio in Minnesota. Atheromatous Arterial Plaque depicts a longitudinal section through an artery, in which there is an atheromatous plaque—a disease process named atherosclerosis, commonly known as hardening of the arteries.

To begin, Purnell used the Pen tool to draw vector shapes for the anatomical features, and then he filled them with flat colors. After drawing them, he grouped them by Shift-selecting their names in the Layers panel and choosing Group from the Layer Commands menu on the Layers panel. Purnell keeps the original vector shapes as backups, so he can return to them if needed during creation of the illustration. To make a copy of the Shapes group, he chose Layers, Duplicate Layer and then he renamed the new group Layers. Then, he hid the original Shapes group. Next, he opened the Layers group, selected each shape one-by-one and converted each one to a default layer by choosing Shapes, Convert to Layer.

For the muscle fibers layer on the artery wall, Purnell targeted the layer and enabled the Preserve Transparency check box on the Layers panel to constrain paint to areas of the layer that already contained pixels. He filled the layer with a dark red-brown base color. Then, he used a custom brush based on the Digital Airbrush variant of Airbrushes and a pink color to paint the muscle fibers. Purnell achieved the stringy muscle texture by using the Wheat String texture from the Wild Textures 2 paper texture library located in the Extras, Paper Textures folder on the Painter 12 DVD-ROM. Purnell’s airbrush employs the Grainy Soft Cover Subcategory in the General panel of Brush Controls.

To paint the yellow layer with small arteries and veins on the artery wall, Purnell filled the layer with a light ochre color. Then, using his custom Grainy Soft Cover airbrush, he painted darker orange textured strokes into the light ochre area. To achieve the look of fatty tissue, he used the Fatty texture from the Biological Textures library (Painter 12 DVD-ROM). He painted the other elements in the illustration on their own individual layers, using various brushes, including the Digital Airbrush and Variable Splatter variants of Airbrushes.

For the guide wire resting in the artery, Purnell used the Pen tool to draw a shape with a black fill. Then, to create the highlight, he duplicated the black shape and changed the fill color of the new shape to white. Using the Layer Adjuster, he scaled the white shape to about half the width of the black shape. Then, he gave the white shape a soft edge by loading the layer transparency mask as a selection (Select, Load Selection) and then transforming it (Select, Transform Selection), contracting it 4 pixels (Select, Modify, Contract) and feathering it 3 pixels (Select, Feather). As a final touch, Purnell added a transparent cast shadow under the guide wire. He duplicated the guide wire layer, filled the duplicate with a gray color and then positioned it below the wire. To add transparency to the shadow layer, he set its Composite Method to Gel in the Layers panel.

David Purnell created Salivary Glands, one of fifteen illustrations commissioned by Certified Medical Representatives Institute, Inc. for a curriculum booklet on the anatomy and physiology of digestive system. The illustration is a lateral-view depiction of the normal salivary glands.

Purnell began by photographing a skull model from his collection of references. He opened the photograph in Painter and made a selection around the perimeter of the skull, then he lifted the selected area to a layer by choosing Select, Float. Next, he painted the woman’s head on a layer above the skull. After adding a new layer (Layers, New Layer), Purnell used a modified Digital Airbrush variant of Airbrushes to render the facial profile of the Head. For painting the hair, he built a custom brush, based on the Real Round Bristle variant of Oils. He chose the Real Round Bristle in the Brush Selector and then he opened the Brush Controls (Window, Brush Controls Panels, General. In the General panel he set the Dab Type pop-up menu to Bristle Spray, the Stroke Type to Single, Opacity to 50% and the Opacity Expression to Pressure. Depending on the amount of tapering desired at the end of a stroke when painting the hair, Purnell alternated between the Pointed and Flat Brush Tip profiles (chosen in the Size panel of Brush Controls). His other settings for the Hair brush are as follows: Size, 36.0; Min Size, 0%; Feature, 3.3. To achieve size variety in the density of the hair strokes, Purnell varied the Feature setting as he painted. For perfectly smooth waves of hair, he set Jitter all the way to the left (0.0) in the Random panel of Brush Controls.

When the Head was complete, Purnell added a new layer and rendered the skull using his Airbrush, changing the size and opacity in the Property Bar as he worked. To build a vignetted edge that would conform the skull to the shape of the hairline on the Head, Purnell added a layer mask to the Skull layer, by choosing Layers, Create Layer Mask From Transparency. He selected the mask thumbnail in the Layers panel and with black selected on the Color panel, he used the Digital Airbrush to hide the upper portions of the skull. After painting the layer mask he saved his file, and deleted the skull photograph layer. Next, to further refine the Head, Purnell created a third layer by duplicating the original Head layer and positioning the duplicate in the Layers panel above the rendered skull—making sure it was perfectly aligned with the 100% opacity Head. He set the third layer to 50% Opacity to achieve the effect of the skin appearing to be translucent over the skull.

Purnell painted the Sublingual Gland and part of the Submandibular Gland on separate layers, both of which are positioned above the Skull layer in the Layers panel. To give the translucent appearance that they are deep in the mandible bone, he set the opacity of these layers to 60%. Next, he painted the Parotid Gland on its own layer using 100% opacity. Finally, Purnell painted the Parotid Duct on its own layer using his Airbrush, beginning with the overall form of the duct. He set this layer to 100% opacity. To build dimension, he painted the highlight on a second layer sitting above the Duct layer, and adjusted the highlight layer opacity to 50%.

Bill Hall has completed paintings for sporting events that include the Special Olympics and the Cleveland Grand Prix. Prior to working in Painter, Hall created his illustrations with conventional oil paint. Painter’s brushes and other natural media tools allow Hall to successfully re-create his conventional oil painting style.

To begin the Bicycle Kick, Hall shot photographs on location. Later, back at his studio, he opened a new file in Painter and clicked the New Layer button on the Layers panel to add a new transparent layer. He referred to the photographs as he sketched with the Pencils variants. When he was satisfied with the drawing, he added a new layer directly below the pencil sketch so that the drawing would be visible when he added colored paint. Next, he used the Lasso tool to make loose, freehand selections for the elements in his drawing. As he worked, he saved each selection as a channel in the Channels panel for use later. Then he used the Edit, Fill, Fill with Current Color feature to quickly fill each selection with a flat mid-tone color.

For the modeling of the forms, Hall added another new layer and positioned it above the Flat Color layer and below the Pencil layer. Working on the new layer, he used the Loaded Palette Knife variant of Palette Knives to model the forms, varying the size and opacity of the brush as he worked. When the modeling was as he liked it, he painted motion blurs on the player. He opened the Color Variability panel of the Brush Controls and adjusted the Value slider to increase the streaky quality of the Loaded Palette Knife. So that he could pull color up from the layer below, he enabled Pick Up Underlying Color on the Layers panel. As he worked, he varied the opacity of the brush as needed.

To add more depth and richness to the kicker, Hall painted transparent washes. He added another new layer and positioned it above the modeling layer and below the pencil sketch. He used the Simple Water variant of Digital Watercolor to add deeper shadows to the modeling on the kicker’s skin and his clothing.

Inspired by the French Quarter Jazz Festival in New Orleans, Jeremy Sutton created the expressive collage Jazz Orleans. “I wanted to express the joyful, jazzy hustle and bustle of this great historic city and the wonderful vibrancy of its musical tradition,” says Sutton.

Sutton began by shooting photographs of the jazz festival for his collage. The starting point was the fleur-de-lis tattoo he saw on the back of a motorcyclist. The fleur-de-lis is the symbol of New Orleans, and Sutton was inspired to make it an underlying element in the painting.

Back at his studio, Sutton created a new file in Painter with a teal background. He planned to import imagery into the file for this composition. First, he cloned the fleur-de-lis image onto a layer, for maximum flexibility. Next, he added a series of photos of jazz musicians from the festival. He opened each photo and copied and pasted each image into his working composition. For resizing and reorienting while preserving the quality of each image, Sutton converted each pasted layer into a reference layer by choosing Layers, Convert to Reference Layer. When he had arranged the composition as he liked it, he converted each reference layer into a default layer by choosing Convert to Default Layer from the pop-up menu on the Layers panel. Next, Sutton used layer masks to hide and show areas of the layers in his composition. For information about layer masks, see “Layers and Their Masks” on page 219.

When the collage composition was as he liked it, Sutton chose File, Clone to make a flat clone copy. Using a variety of brush variants, such as the Sargent Brush (Artists), Square Chalk (Chalk & Crayons) and Broad Water Brush (Digital Watercolor), he transformed the photo collage into a loose painting. Next, he set the Jazz Orleans type using the Text tool, positioned the type and then converted it to a default layer.

As he worked, Sutton kept the painting vibrant and alive as he integrated more visual elements to tell the dynamic story of the French Quarter Jazz Festival.

Delro Rosco was commissioned by Sierra Nevada to create Glissade and Tumbler as feature art on packaging. Tumbler and Glissade are two in a series of four seasonal Sierra Nevada ales illustrated by Rosco.

Rosco began by drawing sketches of the composition for Glissade using conventional pencil and paper. When the final design was chosen, he scanned the sketch into Photoshop and saved it as a TIFF file. Opening the sketch in Painter, Rosco put the sketch on a layer by choosing Select, All and then Select, Float. He built selections and masks to limit the “paint” (just as he uses friskets with conventional airbrush). When the masks were complete, he lowered the opacity for the sketch layer using the slider on the Layers panel. Before beginning to paint, he chose French Watercolor Paper in the Paper Selector. Then, he laid in base colors using the Digital Airbrush variant of Airbrushes. To build depth and interest, he varied the opacity of the airbrush as he worked, using the Opacity slider in the Property Bar. When the basic colors were established, Rosco used Painter’s Watercolor layers and brushes to paint glazes and to build a textured, soft look.

For the soft watercolor on the sky, Rosco began by applying a blue, rose and peach gradient to a selected area of the Canvas by choosing Edit, Fill, Fill With Gradient. Then, he chose Lift Canvas to Watercolor Layer from the pop-up menu on the Layers panel and selected a Watercolor brush in the Brush Selector—a modified Diffuse Camel variant of Watercolor. Next, he chose Wet Entire Watercolor Layer to add watercolor paint texture to the layer.

Then Rosco used Painter’s Watercolor layers and brushes to paint glazes and to build up natural-media textures overall the scene. He painted the trees one-by-one, using many watercolor glazes painted with a variation of the Diffuse Camel variant of Watercolor.

To soften the look, while adding more texture, he selected a Watercolor brush in the Brush Selector—this time a custom brush based on the Wash Camel variant of Watercolor. Next, he chose Wet Entire Watercolor Layer to soften the paint on the layer. During the process of the illustration, Rosco used many layers and layer groups. For efficiency, when he was satisfied with the painting on a group, he collapsed it by selecting it in the Layers panel and choosing Collapse Layers from the Layer Options pull-down menu on the bottom of the Layers panel.

For the final details, Rosco added a new layer and painted using the Opaque Detail variant of Acrylics, again varying the opacity to simulate transparent and opaque painting with traditional watercolor and gouache. In areas where he wanted to soften and blend, he used the Just Add Water variant of Blenders.

When the art was complete, he saved the working file in RIFF format to preserve the wet watercolor paint and then saved a copy of the final file in PSD format for import into Photoshop. In Photoshop, he converted the illustration to CMYK. The typography and logos were later added by the client.

Delro Rosco began Tumbler by drawing sketches using traditional pencil and paper. When he arrived at the final design, he scanned his sketch into Photoshop and saved it as a TIFF file. Next, he opened his sketch in Painter and lifted the sketch to a layer by choosing Select, All and then Select, Float. Just as he uses friskets with conventional airbrush, he built masks to limit the “paint” in Painter. When the masks were in place, he lowered the opacity for the sketch layer using the opacity slider on the Layers panel. Working on a new layer, he painted base colors using the Digital Airbrush variant of Airbrushes. Next, Rosco used Painter’s Watercolor layers and brushes to model the forms and to build atmosphere and texture.

To give the sky a soft watercolor look, Rosco selected a Watercolor brush in the Brush Selector, the Diffuse Camel variant of Watercolor and he painted varied light blues onto the sky. Next, he chose Wet Entire Watercolor Layer to add soften his brushwork, and to add more watercolor paint texture to the sky.

Rosco continued to use Painter’s Watercolor layers and brushes to build up natural-media colored glazes and textures on the illustration. He painted the trees and other foliage one-by-one, using overlaid watercolor glazes painted with various Watercolor brushes including the Diffuse Camel and Wash Camel variants of Watercolor. For the highlights on the grass and rocks, he used a tiny Wash Camel brush. Next, Rosco painted the rushing water in the stream using the Wash Camel on a new Watercolor layer. To smooth the water, he converted the Watercolor layer to a default layer by choosing Convert to Default Layer from the pop-up menu on the Layers panel. Then he used the Just Add Water variant of Blenders to blend and blur the water.

For more soft texture on the painting, Rosco targeted each Watercolor layer one-by-one (and with the Wash Camel chosen), he chose Wet Entire Watercolor Layer.

During the process of his illustration, Rosco used many layers. When he was satisfied with an area of his painting, he grouped the layers by Shift-selecting them in the Layers panel and choosing Group Layers from the Layer Commands menu on the bottom of the Layers panel. Then he collapsed the group by selecting it in the Layers panel and choosing Collapse Layers from the Layer Commands menu on the Layers panel.

To paint the final details, Rosco added a new layer and used various brushes, including the Opaque Detail variant of Acrylics. To simulate transparent and opaque painting with traditional watercolor and gouache, he varied the opacity and size of the brushes as he worked. To soften and blend areas, he used the Just Add Water variant of Blenders.

When he was satisfied with his painting, Rosco saved the working file in RIFF format to preserve the wet watercolor paint, in case he wanted to make changes later. He also saved a copy of the final file in PSD format for import into Photoshop, where he converted his illustration to CMYK. To complete the piece, his client added the typography and logos.

Artist Chet Phillips created the paintings Extraterrestrial (above) and Kraken (right) for a personal gallery show. The paintings are members of his Mysterious Coin Operations series.

Phillips began Extraterrestrial by making a stylized drawing using the Scratchboard Tool variant of Pens and black color. Then, he floated the entire scratchboard drawing to a layer by choosing Select, All and clicking inside the active selection with the Layer Adjuster tool. Before deselecting the layer, he set the Composite Method to Gel in the Layers panel, so the white areas of the layer would appear transparent. Next, Phillips selected the Canvas in the Layers panel and used Chalk & Crayons and Pastels variants in several sizes and opacities to paint the background and to create a richly textured look. He freely painted without using selections to constrain the paint. Using the Artists Pastel Chalk, he brushed varied colors onto his image. Phillips wanted to achieve a richly textured look, so he adjusted the randomness of the brushstroke grain. In the Random panel of Brush Controls, he toggled the Random Brush Stroke Grain on and off as he worked. This technique is most noticeable in the foreground, in the transitions between the highlights and shadow areas, and on the edges of the clouds in the sky.

When the coloring was complete, Phillips merged the layers by clicking on the black-and-white drawing layer’s name in the Layers panel and choosing Drop from the pop-up menu on the right side of the Layers panel.

For Kraken, artist Chet Phillips began by opening a new file in Painter, selecting black in the Color panel and drawing with the Scratchboard Tool variant of Pens. Phillips used several layers in the process of creating the detailed illustration. To float the entire pen drawing to a layer, he chose Select, All and clicked inside the active selection with the Layer Adjuster tool. So the white areas of the layer would appear transparent, he set the Composite Method to Gel in the Layers panel.

Next, Phillips constructed masks so he could isolate areas for painting. He selected the Canvas in the Layers panel and left the drawing visible on the layer above to use as a guide. Using the Pen tool, he drew paths for areas of the background, floor and the character, then converted each path to a selection and saved them as masks in the Channels panel.

Phillips painted the background on the Canvas first: He loaded each selection in turn and used the Digital Airbrush variant of Airbrushes to paint. As he progressed with the illustration, he added a new layer for additional elements by clicking the New Layer button on the Layers panel. When painting details on the character, he freely painted without using selections to constrain the paint.

For a watery look on areas of the wall and the floor, Phillips painted with Digital Watercolor brushes and then he used the Wet Eraser variant of Digital Watercolor to paint ripply strokes. When the coloring was complete, he saved the layered file (in case he wanted to make changes to the layered image later). Then he saved a new flat version of the file, in which he merged the layers by choosing Drop All from the pop-up menu on the right side of the Layers panel. To see more of Chet Phillips’s work, turn to “Coloring a Woodcut” in Chapter 2 and the gallery at the end of Chapter 8.

Mike Reed takes an approach to digital illustration that avoids the slick look sometimes seen in art created on the computer. To re-create the look of conventional pastel on rough paper, in the illustrations on these pages, he sensitively layered textured color with the Pastels and Chalk brushes on top of the Wood Shavings texture, from Wow! Textures on the Painter Wow! CD-ROM, combined with a texture of his own, made by scanning an acrylic painting surface. Reed typically uses color sets to avoid the temptation of using too many colors, which can disturb the harmony of a painting.

Cardinal is a Christmas card illustration that Reed created for a mental health association. Reed began by drawing a colored sketch on the Canvas using the Square Chalk variant of Chalk & Crayons over the Woodshavings texture. To reveal more grain while sketching, he set the Grain slider in the Property Bar to 18%. After the sketch was roughed in, he refined the image by painting with the Square Chalk on successive layers. To add a new transparent layer, he clicked the New Layer button on the Layers panel. Reed often experiments on-the-fly with Composite Methods for the layers—a favorite is the Colorize Composite Method. When he is happy with the result, he drops the layer to the Canvas, by choosing Drop from the Layers panel menu.

To build the rich texture on the background, Reed added another new layer and brushed lightly with a large Square Chalk brush. He changed the scaling of the Woodshavings texture in the Papers panel. When Reed was satisfied with the layering of texture, he dropped the layer.

For the details and final color finessing, Reed added a new layer and used a small Square Chalk to add crisp strokes to the bird. As a last touch, Reed brightened the snow flakes and added brighter highlight details on the snow resting on the foreground branches.

Mike Reed was commissioned to create this illustration for a children’s book titled Catching the Wild Waiyuuzee for the publisher Simon and Schuster. To re-create the traditional look of pastel and paint on a richly textured surface, Reed sensitively layered textured color applied with the Chalk & Crayons brushes on top of a captured paint texture and the Wood Shavings paper texture (loaded from Wow! Textures on the Painter Wow! CD-ROM).

Reed began the composition by sketching with conventional pencil and paper, and then he scanned the pencil drawing and opened it in Painter.

To build a textured ground for the illustration, Reed painted with acrylic paint on illustration board, and then he scanned the painting and opened it in Painter. He captured the scan as a paper texture by selecting it (Select, All) and then clicking the Paper Selector (Toolbox) and then choosing Capture Paper from the pop-up menu on the right side of the paper list menu.

Next, Reed clicked the New Layer button on the Layers panel to add a new transparent layer and applied rich layers of color to the layer using the Square Chalk variant of Chalk & Crayons over his captured paper. Reed found the captured paper to be best for broader strokes, but when he wanted to paint precise details, he switched to the Wood Shavings paper.

When the underpainting was complete, Reed added a new layer for the shadows and then set its Composite Method to Gel in the Layers panel. Using the Square Chalk, he built up rich tones in the shadows. Next, he added another new layer and set it to Gel, and then he added more saturation and built up tonal complexity.

For the flowers, Reed created a flower on another layer by drawing it with a Flat Color variant of Pens. After cleaning it up with the Eraser tool, he used the Magic Wand to select the colored area, and then he gave it a soft edge by feathering it (Select, Feather, about 6–10 pixels). For a more natural look, he roughened the edges by painting over the flowers again using the Square Chalk.

Reed created the texture for the rock by scanning a granola bar and converting it into a paper using the Capture Paper command in the Paper panel menu. To help the image look less digital, he used the Square Chalk to subtly apply a variety of other textures. Finally, Reed switched to the Wood Shavings paper and used the Square Chalk to apply highlights and a few brightly colored accents to the center of interest.