Texture tips in painter 2015

Don Seegmiller shows you the different ways to create and apply textures to achieve fantastic results in the latest version of Painter

With the recent release of Painter 2015 from Corel, the premier digital painting tool once again raises the bar of what can be achieved using a single digital painting program. While the new Particle Brushes are the ‘wow’ feature of this release, lots of work has gone into improving the workflow, speed, and stability of the program overall.

One of the strengths of Painter has always been the ease with which you can use textures while painting. The program enables you to create and apply textures in a number of ways, including papers, patterns, brushes, weaves, and now the new Particle brushes. The artist is limited only by their imagination and ingenuity.

In this workshop, I’ll be creating a painting of an alien and his – ahem– flying saucers. I start with a basic sketch before painting a black and white image. I’ll then apply colour to this monochrome image, and then enhance the painting with some texture. Some finishing touches will bring everything together.

It’ll help matters if you have a fair grasp of Painter’s basics. You should also know how layers work, and how the Composite Methods can be used to modify the appearance of those layers. It will also be useful – though not essential – if you understand how to create brushes, patterns and paper textures.

So let’s get started and see what’s possible with Painter 2015.