Where There Is Love...

Click to view full-size

Recent Gouache Interpretation

Recently, I've been playing with gouache-style interpretations. This one is based on a panorama I shot in the Ojai Valley.

Click to view larger

-john

Free Painter 11 Brush: John's Flemish Rub II

The Flemish Rub is a Painter brush variant found in early versions of the application. When I originally created this brush, we had just come up with the Drip Method, which is adept at smearing imagery while at the same time interacting with the current Paper Grain.

The term Flemish Rub comes from a technique used by the Dutch Masters. The artist would use his forearm to blend colors on the canvas, creating smooth gradients. I liked the sound of it, so I used it as a brush name. I recently took a look at the original Flemish Rub and decided that I could improve upon it. The result is John's Flemish Rub II.

Note: This brush is not compatible with pre-Painter X versions.

Click on the image below to download johns_flemish_rub_II.zip:


In the above example, the lower portion of the brush strokes have been smeared by John's Flemish Rub II.

Like the original Flemish Rub, when used on a layer John's Flemish Rub II will not interact with underlying pixels. It is designed to work on the Canvas. Its primary feature is the exquisite textured smear it makes when stroked over existing imagery. The current Paper Grain has an effect on the character of the smears, enabling a wide expressive latitude by employing different grains. Unlike the original Flemish Rub, this variant produces a wider smear, and is pressure-sensitive—more pressure results in wider, more aggressive smearing.

To install this brush, you'll need to place it in one of Painter's Brush Categories. I recommend the Artists category as this was the location of the original Flemish Rub.

Here is where the Artists Category folder is located:

Mac/OS X:
Applications > Corel Painter (version) > Brushes > Painter Brushes > Artists

Windows:
Program Files > Corel > Painter (version) > Brushes > Painter Brushes > Artists


Installation:

First quit Painter, then locate the above folder on your system.

Copy the John's Flemish Rub II.xml file to the Artists folder.

Re-launch Painter

John's Flemish Rub II will now be in your Artists Category.

Enjoy!

lynda.com Painter 11 Essential Training Package Art

I've been working on the packaging illustration for my upcoming lynda.com Painter 11 Essential Training title (due out next month). The AD suggested a thick, painterly abstract approach. Here are the 3 designs I've submitted:


The paint work was done in Painter 11, with enhancements in Photoshop. Here are close-ups of the designs:


Stay tuned to the continuing story...