For the first time, I’ve been trying water-mixable oils. I chose Holbein’s Duo Aqua Oils just because I purchased a set instead of choosing colors individually since it was a test.

I was surprised that when these oils were mixed with just a small amount of water, they get really fluid, like watercolors. So it is great to do washes and under-painting and later use less water. They also dried much faster than regular oils, even when mixed with their water-mixable mediums. They also work better when mixed with medium. I used Winsor&Newton’s Artisan Water Mixable Linseed Oil since I couldn’t fine one from Holbein at the time of purchase and I didn’t wanted to wait. I wanted to start painting right away.

Wacom Tablet

One of the most essential tools to use when working with Corel Painter is something that every digital artist should have. And this is the computer graphics tablet. The tablet is used as a computer input device so that hand drawn images can appear on the computer. This is useful for Corel Painter and other graphics applications, but there are a few things to consider about a tablet.

The type of tablet should be considered when looking for something to use with Corel Painter. There are both passive and active kinds of tablets. A passive tablet is one in which horizontal and vertical wires in the tablet work to transmit and receive the data the stylus pen transmits to it.  LC circuits in the pen are used to help with getting the data to be read. This means that the pen will have to be charged so that the tablet will be able to read it.

No matter how many portraits for painting you are going to be using for a particular subject, you will need to make sure that you have enough perspective for your painting. Having reference photos in portrait painting is important, and you should take into consideration a few things for your photos.

First, you will need to have photos that are especially up to date and are all from around the same time. Over time people will grow up and as they get older they can have more effects on their faces. No one is perfect, but it is important to have plenty of photos from the same time period so that you will be able to have at least a good amount of accuracy in your painting.

Having multiple angles for your reference photos is important too. The portraits for painting that you will be using should be able to give you a good amount of perspective involving the figure that you will be working on. This includes the ability to help with figuring out how different parts of the face or body will look from different angles. By having this it will be better to get an idea with how to design the portrait you are working on.

The following digital painting tutorial was done in Corel Painter IX. It was painted by looking at the reference photo as if the model was sitting in front of me. The result is what spoke to me at the time I painted her.

About 6 hours to complete.

Step I: The Muck Up Stage
At this stage I blocked in some colors for placement of features and color harmony after doing a sketch. (Click on each image to view them at a bigger size.)

The following digital painting tutorial was done in Corel Painter IX. This tutorial was created to help an artist friend in the development of a digital portrait painting. She supplied me the image she started, which served as a good under painting for my painting style.

About 7 hours to complete.

Step I: Sketch Comparison

I made a sketch to compare with the painting she started and superimposed it over her painting to check feature placements. It was important to me to make sure all features were in the right place before I started to add paint to it.

The following digital painting tutorial was done in Corel Painter IX. It was painted by looking at the reference photo as if the model was sitting in front of me. The result is what spoke to me at the time I painted him.

About 3 hours to complete.

Step 1: Linear Marks

In this portrait. I started with some loose linear marks just to get the feel of his features. I didn't feel it was necessary to draw a preliminary sketch. I used a custom brush, the Big Wet Luscious from Jeremy Sutton.

The following digital painting tutorial was done in Corel Painter IX. It was painted by looking at the reference photo as if the model was sitting in front of me. The result is what spoke to me at the time I painted her.

About 3.5 hours to complete.

Step 1: Sketch

This time I did a sketch of the portrait. Sometimes I start painting right away without a sketch but I felt that I needed to sketch this particular portrait. The sketch was done with a 2B pencil.

Step 2: Adding Basic Colors

I started blocking in some basic neutral color to start getting the feeling of the shape of her face and what I wanted to express. This time, I used the Wet Soft Acrylic brush.

2 DVD Set - 4 Hours of Video and Free Brushes!

In this video, you will see how you can achieve the look of traditional painting using Painter program. My approach of painting digitally is similar to how I paint traditionally. I apply all my knowledge as a traditional artist to my digital art as well.

1 DVD - 1.5 Hours of Video

In this video, you will see how you can achieve the look of traditional Pastel painting using Corel Painter program. My approach of painting digitally is similar to how I paint traditionally. I apply all my knowledge as a traditional artist to my digital art as well.

In this portrait demonstration, I’ll show you how I painted Solitude I from start to finish.  I also explained how I used each particular brush to achieve the look I desired.

Photograph by Janet M Garcia

I've compiled an Oil, Acrylics, and Drawing Video Compilations sites. Now you can watch many artists painting with oils or acrylics, and drawing without having to search around the web to view them.

Here are the links to the sites:

Oil Painting Video Compilation:
http://paintercreations.com/oil-painting-videos/

Acrylic Painting Video Compilation:
http://paintercreations.com/acrylic-painting-videos/

Drawing Video Compilation:
http://paintercreations.com/drawing-videos/