Are you a painter?

[Skybird]

http://www.artrage.com/index.html

I am no painter, I lack the skill and training to bring the imagined scene, object, landscape, figure or face into visual shape andf form that goes beyond amateurish scribbling. But I enjoy to smear with colours and see them interacting on paper or canvas. I tried watercolours many many years ago, but the hobby never went beyond the early first steps.

However, I am fascinated by digital painting options, since I first saw it in action in Paint Shop Pro 9 by Jasc. There it already worked not bad, but slow, creating lines and edges were you wanted round swings of the brush. But I got an idea of what it could be to paint digitally, I even got myself a Wacom tablet back then, a Graphire 3. And then - I forgot about it, and used PSP9 only for the occasional photo editing. Meanwhile I heared of things like Painter and Photoshop and the like, but found the software to be too expensive for just occaisonal use, and also occasional use will not help you to master the very complex, unhandy menues and options.

I now stumbled over a relatively new piece of software, that is exclusively focussed on painting "by hand". The interface is a marvel that represents one of the most elegant and intuitive GUIs I hgave ever seen, and is almost self-explanatory. It comnputes fast enough to allowme fluid, round swings with the brush, and the colour behaviour is a marvel to look at. Yesterday I spend time just smearing colours in the demo version, and enjoyed it like a little kid in Kindergarten.The thing is called Art Rage, and you can find many videos about it at youtube.

If you are not professional master and lord of photoshop, but are interested in digital painting (not image processing and editiing, but manual painting!), then give this a try. A demo is available, and as I said, it kept me fascinated all evening yesterday. The software functions perfectly with my old Wacom board, and also interacts nicely with tablet-PCs and touchscreens. I seriously consider to buy this one, although this konth already has been quzite expensive for me This part of one of the reviews they have linked to, sums it up nicely.

ArtRage Studio Pro is a specialized digital art creation application, and it excels in that specialty. More broad-spectrum software like PhotoShop®, however, include a wide menu of functions that ArtRage Studio Pro does not share. ArtRage Studio Pro lacks most of the image manipulation and special effects features of PhotoShop®, although it does offer color adjustment, blurring, and smoothing. ArtRage Studio Pro also lacks the extensive vector shape and line tools found in PhotoShop®. For someone like me, who does original illustration which is incorporated into both print and web graphic design, ArtRage Studio Pro will have a role in creating the basic art that can be imported into PhotoShop® for book covers, flyers and web applications. (This is no minor function: creating the basic art is at least 90% of the work.) For a visual artist who is just considering the transition to digital media and finds computers and high-end applications daunting, ArtRage Studio Pro is a perfect first step, easy to learn, natural to work with, and at the same time, giving polished, professional results.

ArtRage Studio Pro installs with a 111-page illustrated PDF manual that is a model of clarity. Other user support is provided online and in extensive user forums on Ambient Design’s website.

[Freiwillige]

I will look into it, Danke Sky

That brings me to another topic, Hitlers paintings. I have seen his work and must say that it isn't as bad as I always heard. Some people have called him a hack as an artist but I tend to think that they are just judging his work with the knowledge that it is in fact Adolph Hitler.

While not the worlds greatest artist I must say his work really had potential.

[Skybird]

Two life sessions in fast motion:





I'm still baffled when seeing this. It's all virtual, digital, unreal...!

[MH]

Originally Posted by Freiwillige

That brings me to another topic, Hitlers paintings.....

LOL

There is a freeware program with functionality of Photo Shop.
Gimp
http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

[Skybird]

I'm hooked. I will get it. I always hated the interfaces of complex graphics software. Paint II for Amiga was the last one I used to full extend. After that, I hated them all, Corel, Jasc, Adobe, whatever. But I am in love with this one, I simply love it. It snuggled to my desire of how such a GUI should handle so intuively that now I simply cannot give up on it anymore.

[kiwi_2005]

Originally Posted by MH

LOL

There is a freeware program with functionality of Photo Shop.
Gimp
http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

And another one Photoscape. Not as powerful as PhotoShop or Gimp but damn good for a freebie
http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/index.php

[Armistead]

I paint the shed every year.....

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by Armistead

I paint the shed every year.....

Sou you're a master in the art of fresco, like Michelangelo

[Torplexed]

I downloaded the demo and gave it a spin. It's pretty cool and fast to learn, although I think a lot of past familiarity with Corel Painter probably helped. I wish there was a keyboard shortcut for editing the size of the various brushes though, unless I'm missing it somewhere. It's supposed to be Michael Caine from A Bridge Too Far, but I didn't quite get the likeness.

[Hottentot]

Thanks! I'm always interested in programs like these, even when I can barely draw stick figures myself.

On the topic of such programs, does anyone remember "Recolored"? I remember picking it up originally from here and got hooked right away. It lets you color black&white pictures and photographs, which is very nice for someone who keeps bumbing into them all the time. I must have colored hundreds of pictures with that since then. Here are some samples.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Originally Posted by Armistead

I paint the shed every year.....

We've recently started repainting our house... Too bad I can't use this to do it

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Torplexed

I wish there was a keyboard shortcut for editing the size of the various brushes though, unless I'm missing it somewhere.

It is there in the Studio version. Full key command menu with key commands for all and every functions and tools. You can reset them as you like. Brush width can be set both by movement of the cursopr, and numerical input.

Yes, I got the Studio version, although maybe I will never be able fully use it. But fasci8nation took control over my cold blooded reason. I have started with watercolkours today - like I alreadcxy have tried over 20 years ago.

And I love it. It's true enjoyment to work with this program. It goes so easy off the hand, the handling is so very very intuitive. Elegant and ergonomic.

I am even updating my old Wacom board.

It's supposed to be Michael Caine from A Bridge Too Far, but I didn't quite get the likeness.

I recognised him immediately. He was my favourite character in that movie.

But before I am able to form such images with faces, people and objects, it will take much time. From doing sketches every once in a while, I know my talent lies more in nature's sights and landscapes in general - it's all less object-focussed.

Guess it would not hurt me to learn some basics about sketching body proportions.

[Torplexed]

Originally Posted by Skybird

It is there in the Studio version. Full key command menu with key commands for all and every functions and tools. You can reset them as you like. Brush width can be set both by movement of the cursopr, and numerical input.

Ahh. I forgot my demo probably doesn't have all the options enabled. Yes, it's a pretty good program considering. I was experimenting drawing Conan with the pen and ink tools today and it does probably the best I've ever seen for digital media. It doesn't exactly make you Frank Frazzeta caliber, but not bad. I imagine if you had a Cintiq or tablet PC where you are actually looking at what your pen is doing it would be even better.

[Oberon]

I shall have to throw this across to the other half, see what she makes of it. She's better at the computer art than I am, I'm still rather a pencil and paper kinda chap.

[Torplexed]

Originally Posted by Oberon

She's better at the computer art than I am, I'm still rather a pencil and paper kinda chap.

Pencil and paper for me too for creating the initial drawing or sketch. I still find drawing from scratch with a Wacom tablet awkward no matter what program it is.