The painter behind Painter 7 WOW
Cher Threinen-Pendarvis
I'm not a Painter user, but taking one look at your book, fresh off the presses, I'm knocked out with the excitement you've presented -- I'm almost tempted to get a copy of Painter
Cher: - Yes, Fred, this update has a lot to offer the seasoned Painter user as well as the new Painter 7 user -- so much so, we've revised every page over the former Painter Wow books, and have expanded the book with a lot of pages of brand-new real-world tips, techniques and galleries that specifically profile features added in version 7.
Fred: I noticed it was about 30% fatter, and it looks like there's a lot more on the CD too.
Cher: That's right... there's a lot of work in that new CD. This time we've added some really fun video clips for the in-book tutorials. I think everyone will really enjoy those.
Fred: So, Cher, what's your favorite new feature in Painter?
Cher: 
Well, probably the most exciting are the two new media layers, Water Color and Liquid Ink, along with dozens of new brushes to use with them.
Liquid Ink is probably the most innovative it's viscous and sticky and can be given a three-dimensional appearance. You can also etch or erode away Liquid Ink by painting with Liquid Ink resist brushes.
The new redesigned Water Color tools allow you to brush on transparent washes that can be smooth-or be painted to drip and run, as the pigment particles appear to be suspended in a medium-just like real watercolor! Brushstrokes can be painted smoothly or with bristle marks, and the Liquid Ink and its 3D information are resolution independent. See "A Painter Water Color Primer" on page 70 and "A Painter Liquid Ink Primer" on page 110 for foundational information for using these new tools in a creative way.
The other major shift in the way users will use Painter is in the industry-standard masks and layers model. (Photoshop users will be right at home with this one!) Now you can make selections and save them as masks into the Masks section of the Objects palette, much like saving selections as masks into the Channels palette in Photoshop. The new layers operate much more like Photoshop's layers, and are true transparent layers (with Preserve Transparency) that you can paint on with most any tool! (Click here to see sample: Skateboard)
Fred: Okay! Cher, let's talk about your passion for the traditional medias, and how that influences your work with Painter, and of course your remarkable talents for putting that passion into your WOW books.
Cher:
As you've mentioned, I have a history in watercolor, gouache and pastels, and of course I continue to be passionate about what can be done with electronic tools. Everyone who has ever touched watercolors knows all too well that success in that media relies on the handling of the brushes on the paper. Wrong paper or brush technique and you've spoiled your painting.
I use the the updated Brush architecture extensively because it makes the brush more life like it's a lot easier to customize brushes, and makes the process of moving brush libraries, categories and variants much simpler!
Where the real watercolorist must continually struggle with the brush's "load" and "hand" [the amount of water and pigment in the brush, and the "softness" of the brush bristles,] in Painter we're free to work on expression because those technical aspects of the brush are handled by the software. Plus, this new version has lots of new brushes -- you should never want for a brush or technique ever again. Your brushes can be smooth or runny, as shown here in African Violets.
Fred: Superb painting Cher. What about more opaque medias, like Gouache?
Cher: That's where I utilize a lot of of the features in the Palette Preferences and layers. I can really control the opacity and compositing in the layers to get a very realistic look. A lot of times I'll even pick up underlying color from layers underneath -- which works really well when using smeary brushes. (See this sample by Karen Carr)
Fred: Okay, let's switch lanes for a moment. Most Painter users already know about natural media, surface modifications and the like -- I notice Painter is including a bit more hype about web graphics. To read the descriptions of most software products these days I wouldn't be surprised if the accounting software starts offering web graphics!
Your article on "Reducing Color Using Apply Screen" caught my eye because it's aimed squarely at the web designer. Can we share some of that with our readers?
Cher:
Sure, If you look at this example, the skiers merged with the background sky because the sky's value did not contrast enough with the skiers. In order to get a very compact file, we isolated the sky by making a selection, and then lightened the sky.
Of course, the selection of an area like the sky is easily selected based on color -- use Painter's Magic Wand tool, it's very much like Photoshop's. (Click to see a large version of the image)
We turned off the Contiguous, checkbox in the Controls:Magic Wand palette; to add areas of noncontiguous color to the selection. This is handy because you can expand or shrink the range of colors by adjusting the Tolerance. Then we increased the value within the selected sky using Brightness/Contrast (choose Effects, Tonal Control, Brightness/ Contrast).
Next is the fun part, using "apply screen" - one of painter's most efficient "color reduction" tools. With it we create images composed of only three colors without the anti-aliasing that creates many intermediate colors when it smooths edges.
In the color picker we settled on the web safe aqua color, in addition to the black and white. [#339999, or R 51, G 153, B 153]
Of course there's a bit more to the process than I've given here... all the more reason to buy the Painter WOW book! (Here's a sample of this page)
Fred: Great stuff, Cher -- Thanks again for taking your time to visit us today, DTG readers are always thrilled to hear from the people behind the programs and the books... let's do it again real soon!
Folks, see the latest from Cher Threinen-Pendarvis... and let us know how you like it!
Cher Threinen-Pendarvis
An award-winning artist, author and educator based in San Diego, California, Cher Threinen-Pendarvis has always worked with traditional art-making tools. Also a pioneer in digital art, Cher has created illustrations using the Macintosh computer since 1987. She has been widely recognized for her mastery of Painter, Photoshop and the Wacom pressure-sensitive tablet, using these electronic tools since they were first released.
Exercising her passion for Painter's artist tools, Cher has worked as a consultant and demo-artist for the developers of Painter. Cher holds a BFA with Highest Honors and Distinction in Art specializing in painting and printmaking. Her artwork has been exhibited worldwide and her articles and art have been published in many books and periodicals. She has taught Painter workshops around the world, and is principal of the consulting firm Cher Threinen Design.
Don't miss 
The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book: Creative Techniques in Digital Painting
by Cher Threinen-Pendarvis
Paperback: 256 pages; Publisher: Peachpit Press; 1st edition; List Price: $44.99 - buy now: Price: $32.44 and You Save: $12.55 (28%)
See similar titles in the Graphics department Keywords: Graphics: illustration, 3D, rendering, drawing, painting, imaging, digital, Adobe, Corel
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