Book Reviews

Painter Showcase: A Gallery Of Modern Portraiture…Beyond The Camera’s Capability

Cecil Williams | Mar 13, 2014 | First Published: Jan 1, 2014

Painter Showcase is a collection of works by 40 artists who utilize Corel’s Painter software in their craft. The book features over 300 pieces that display not only the amazing tools provided by Corel Painter and Wacom but the many styles and approaches used by artists to create unique images that combine original photos with deft use of the tools. According to Cecil Williams, the book is the largest collection of paintings using these techniques, with the work assembled from contributors by invitation only. Corel Painter Master Heather Chinn was project director for the book, which was two years in the making. The book also includes a Foreword by Jeremy Sutton as well as contributed material from Cher Threinen-Pendarvis, author of The Painter WOW! books, Karen Sperling, Corel Painter Master and author of Painting for Photographers, and Michael Campbell, who writes about the future of art/photography.

Artist’s Statement: “‘Phoenix - Rise Up Out of the Ashes’ was created in Corel Painter several years ago. I set my Canon 20D on a tripod on a timer, and literally ran to a window to pose before the timer went off. Since I didn’t have any formal backgrounds or studio space at the time, I hand painted the cool and warm tones to represent transition. I wanted to update my self-portrait during a very difficult time showing that no matter what, God is good and He brings us through the fire (hence the reds in the hair). A Wacom Intuos tablet and several variations of the Corel Painter oils>smeary round brush as well as the oils>details brush in the eyes and hair strands.”
© Heather Michelle Chinn

Artist’s Statement: “The title of the image is ‘Sisters.’ It began in the camera but was taken to a higher level, which I call an ‘Oil Impression.’ It has the look and feel of a fine oil painting and was created in Corel Painter 10. Each area of the image was painted digitally with the Captured Bristle brush as the main brush selection.”
© Richard Ramsey

Artist’s Statement: “The title of my image is ‘Wish Upon a Dream.’ The portrait was captured with a Canon 5D and 85mm lens. Exposure was f/2.8 at 1/125 sec. It was then retouched with Photoshop before being painted in Corel Painter. Several cloner brushes were used along with accenting highlights with the dodge tool. It was then put back into Photoshop, and I applied an unsharp mask and then the Topaz plug-in was used to bring out details. Three different ‘Jessica Drossin’ textures were used to give it a wonderful, fairytale look. It was then put on canvas and coated with ‘Golden’ acrylic gel medium to seal it. After it was dry Winston oil paints were applied.”
© Vicki Ann Smith

Artist’s Statement: “This painting is based on a photograph I took of my good friends and professional Tango dancers, performers and instructors Christy Coté and Darren Lees, performing at the Peña Pachamama restaurant in San Francisco to the live music of Trio Garufa. I used Corel Painter software with a Wacom pen tablet and Macintosh computer. The main brush I used within Painter is the Sargent brush in the Artists brush category. I wanted to focus on the connection between the dancers and the stillness of the moment within their dance. I simplified the composition, losing detail in the background and shadows and just emphasizing the way the light caught their faces and hands.”
© Jeremy Sutton

Artist’s Statement: “The image of the bride and groom was taken immediately following a wedding recessional as the couple entered the foyer. A customized Sumi brush I created in Corel Painter 12 was used for the painting.”
© Cecil Williams

According to Williams, Painter Showcase was published to “serve as an inspirational reference for new artists and photographers and experienced working professionals.”

We are pleased to bring you a sampler of work from this impressive volume.—Editor