Artistry Tips and Tricks Newsletter Reviews

Here's what everyone's saying about the Artistry Tips and Tricks Newsletter

For Artistry Retreat reviews, click here.

Artistry Tips and Tricks Rare Find

There is a limited amount of really good information on the amazing Painter
IX program. Artistry Tips and Tricks is one of those rare finds that really
opens your creativity. I look forward to every issue!

Karen does a great job.

Mike Pierce

Artistry Tips and Tricks a Revelation

Hi Karen,

I had to give up painting due to work pressures whilst quite young and
didn't pick up a brush for 30 years. It was always "perhaps next year." I
took up photography instead and for several years the camera and PhotoShop
were my friends.

I retired and bought Corel 'Painter.' My first impressions were not good.
Painting has always been a broad church and that seemed to be both the
strength and problem with this application, too complicated and too much
choice. I struggled for quite a few months with the bewildering choice of
overlapping styles, just adding to my confusion.

Then I subscribed to your monthly 'Artistry Tips and Tricks' newsletter.
What a revelation! Concise and clearly written they cut through the
confusion and make the dabbler like me feel more comfortable with
experimenting with different techniques. I recommend the series to anyone
out there who finds themselves as confused as I was. I live in the UK, too
far away to attend any of the teach-ins and I find the Newsletter
invaluable.

Ken Partington (England)

July is Terrific

The July issue is a terrific issue, Karen.

It's your accustomed blend of method, inspiration and sheer
practicality.

Painter, for all its increasing similarity to Photoshop (which I
welcome, BTW) can still be a stubborn beast at times, with obvious
tasks requiring less-than-obvious means to accomplish.

Your tutorials are a saddle and reins for this digital bronco!

Love the stuff on water and foam, and I really enjoy the
expressionistic, bold look a lot of your paintings are showing.

The piece on rotating a layer will be particularly advantageous
to experimental Painter pilots working in abstract forms,
and should not be missed.

It's a real feast.

Thanks!

Bobbo Goldberg

An Outstanding Issue

Hi Karen,

June is an outstanding issue!

Inspiring, informative and beautifully
orchestrated.

Bravo! Bravo! Thank you, thank you!

With appreciation,
Terre Spencer

March 2005: A particularly great issue

Dear Karen,
Once again, you have outdone yourself, Karen. A particularly great issue for me as
I have been ga-ga over Van Gogh since I saw a painting (a reproduction of Two Left Shoes)
of his when I was eight. That, ahem, was 42 years ago. The inspiration to use PS in the process
is ingenious and I will be using this issue for hours and hours and hours and. . .you get the idea.
Thank you for all that you do and bring to the Painter community!
Terre

Artistry Tips and Tricks Well Done

For those of you coming to grips with Corel Painter or wanting
to push your skills with it, I can recommend Karen Sperling's new
Artistry Tips and Tricks PDF-format newsletter. It is a very well
done piece of electronic publishing and Karen's great knowledge of
Painter comes across extremely well. In it she answers reader's
questions about Painter via in-depth tutorials. It is a very reasonably
priced resource.

Karen was kind enough to send me a copy publisher to publisher
and I am most impressed. A great resource and well done Karen.

Cheers,
Wayne J. Cosshall
Technical Editor, Desktop magazine
Freelance writer in graphic design, photography, digital technology
Assistant Director, International Digital Art Awards
www.internationaldigitalart.com
Personal Art Website www.artinyourface.com
wayne@dimagemaker.com

Artistry Tips and Tricks Worth Every Penny

Hi Karen,

Following your tutorial in January 05 newsletter, I managed to do my
first real portrait in Painter. It took me just over 5 hours on and off.
The image has been reduced greatly for the web. The original was done
a lot bigger for print. I absolutely loved doing it even though I know
it's not perfect but it's a start. The photo was taken by a family friend
who is a professional photographer and was taken in a recording studio of
another friend of ours who is a singer. He hasn't seen it yet. I'm hoping he'll love it.

portrait

Thanks again for your great website and newsletter. It's really helped
me and worth every penny!

love
Di

Artistry Tips 'N' Tricks newsletter One of Best Investments

Subscribing to Karen Sperling's Artistry Tips 'N' Tricks monthly newsletter
has been one of my best investments in my Painter training (of course, the
other was the Artistry Tutorials on CDs that she offers). Hopefully, in
2005, I'll get to attend one of the in-person classes that other customers
are raving about.

The Artistry Tips 'N' Tricks monthly newsletters have helped broaden my
product line with the photography I produce. This helps to separate my work
from the standard 'photography studio' to one that offers unique custom
products that customers seem to be craving these days.

With another aspect of my work, Artistry Tips 'N' Tricks has increased my
inventory of sellable stock imagery and artwork, which is produced in-house
via giclee' printing on various mediums....ranging from aluminum to fine art
paper to canvas.

Karen's approach to each topic or exercise in the Artistry Tips 'N' Tricks
monthly newsletter is clear and concise. The outlined steps to achieve the
result are easy to follow, whether one is working with similar artwork as
shown in her examples, or artwork that is in a completely different genre.
The approach she uses in her guides help stimulate one to venture around
Painter's tools and brushes. It seems that the more I learn Painter from
Karen, the more creative ideas I have.

Blair Hartsfield
Hart Photography
http://www.hart-photography.com/

Timely Tutorials

I am just now going through the tutorials in the December Artistry Tips
and Tricks newsletter.

I am in the middle of doing a hand-tinted project for work, a client
wants a panel of six faces of her baby done in a hand painted effect.

You can only imagine how amazed I was to see one of the tutorials was
exactly what I needed to do this project. Like manna from heaven!

Thank you so much for all your good work.

Again thank you so much.

Galen Hayes

Thumbs Up

Dear Karen,

I think this (Artistry Tips and Tricks) is a great plan.

I've been concentrating primarily on wildlife, landscape, and astro-photography
over the past couple of years, but I can't help coming back to Painter and turning
some of these relatively mundane images into more abstract pieces.

I look forward to learning more, as I always do when reading your lucid explanations
of Painter's mysteries.

I still own every printed edition of Artistry you published and I'm sure
that in 10 or 20 years I'll be able to make a fortune selling the collection
on eBay!

Of course, I'm only kidding because I'd never ever part with them.

Good luck to you, and I look forward to future issues of T&T.

Sandy Sandhaus

Artistry Tips and Tricks Engaging and Approachable

Karen Sperling's monthly downloadable Painter ezine, Artistry Tips and Tricks, deservedly earns the devotion of all levels of Painter users. The technically informative content is written in both an engaging and approachable manner, never losing sight of the very foundations of art theory. Quite an undertaking for any publisher. Artistry Tips and Tricks succeeds in both arenas deftly.

As Painter users soon discover, the software is a marvel at reproducing natural media digitally. Successful use of this marvel requires the unlikely coupling of technological savvy and artistic inspiration. Most digital artists (and would-be digital artists) excel at either the use of the software or artistic inspiration. Artistry Tips and Tricks provides solid support for both the inspired use of the software and in-depth exploration of the program's many features, menus and abilities.

The visual appealing layout, in .pdf format, invites the reader. Information is presented in both projects and Q&A formats; the directions are clear and thorough. Complex techniques are clearly explained, amply aided by exceptional visualsÑstep-by-step views of works in progress, also helpful screen shots when necessary. Interspersed with artistic wisdom and whimsy, Artistry Tips and Tricks both informs and inspires. November 2004's edition was graced with an in-depth review of Wacom's new Intuos3 tablet, keeping Painter users abreast and informed of new products to enhance digital creativity. The variety of painting projects presents the reader with delightful surprises and profound artistic genius.

Unlike a stack of magazines, this extraordinary .pdf publication is ever-accessible, just where you want and need them, on your computer. Concisely presented, well-written and versed in art, this beautiful publication demonstrates the power of Painter for users of all levels.

In short, if you want to maximize your Painter knowledge and benefit from Ms. Sperling's vast artistic resources, subscribe to Artistry Tips and Tricks posthaste!

Again, thanks, Karen for a terrific publication!

Warmly,

Terre Spencer

Artistry Tips and Tricks Newsletter Huge Value

Dear Artistry Tips and Tricks,

In my opinion, the Artistry Tips and Tricks newsletter is of huge value to those who seriously want to cut to the chase and learn Painter from your experience.

I'm at a point where it's finally possible for me to get back to chasing my traditional painting and digital art dream, but I don't have unlimited time to spend learning computer programs, especially since I'm ready to create now.

As the years pass, I've learned that they are not endless. I've realized that time should be spent doing things a person loves to do.... and to do them now. So many times not having anyone to ask questions of while trying to learn something new causes not only the expense of vast amounts of time, but also money since you're buying all sorts of learning tools and reference material in an attempt to find the answers. Talk about doing it the hard way LOL Been there done that with many things.

Some people just don't understand that experience takes time and learning, which has a value. Karen has paid the dues and now offers her experience to the rest of us so we can skip to the head of the class and get on with creating our art. Many might not see the value in that until they've been down the road of doing it the hard way. Of those going down that road, many will fail and give up on the entire idea which is sad, especially if that idea was a dream for them.

For anyone out there trying to justify the cost of the newsletter, think of it this way.....you probably own the Painter program which isn't cheap, so you probably also have the desire to use the program. If you've tried it and don't get it, ask questions to the newsletter, it can help. If you Love the program and want to refine your skills, questions are encouraged and answered by the newsletter. Karen has been teaching and writing about the Painter program longer than anyone. It's like having your own Master Artist ready to teach what you want or need to know. I don't think there's a better deal anywhere!

Thanks for offering Artistry Tips and Tricks!!!!

Ciao for now & happy painting,

Terry Neilsen

Thank Goodness for Painter and Artistry Tips and Tricks

Karen,

Thanks for the October issue of Artistry Tips and Tricks.

I have an illustration due in which I have to put a lot of figures ice-skating.
I'll have to paint the final in acrylic, but all the initial work gets done in
Painter. I don't use the cloners much so the tutorial on cloning was good.
I thought it would be easier to clone/paint the figures in rather
than select them for the comps, because there will be so many and all the
source files are in a million different sizes. I hadn't "re-sized" while
cloning for several years and had forgotten, and with the new upgrades--
well-- now I know how to do it--thank you.

Thank goodness for Painter and people like you to help.

The tutorial on the background was great also. I'll have to try that.

Pixie Glore
http://www.pixieglore.com/illustration.html

Valuable Personal Tricks and Methods

Hi Karen!

I browsed through the sample quickly. I do need to go back and give it adequate
time. That being said, I'll make a comment anyway.

I liked what you did with the layers, explaining how you dealt with the leaves.
Those personal tricks or methods for dealing with problems seem to me to
be most valuable. Of course, that's just how I reacted. I almost never
use layers. Most of the time I just use brushes with a Wacom tablet.

Most of my work in Painter are preliminary sketches or problem solving
exercises for my paintings. Nevertheless, I entertain the idea of
eventually being proficient enough in Painter and Photoshop to make
limited edition prints.

David Osman

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The first 18 issues of the Artistry Tips and Tricks newslettters are now available in the
Artistry Painting for Photographers Suite of Tutorials for Corel Painter IX.

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