In May, Corel released Corel Painter? 8 for use in digital painting and sketching. The new version features over 400 new brushes in 30 different mediums and an interactive paint mixer for creating, saving and re-using custom colors. A new Sketch Effect feature can be used to convert photographs into simple sketches and line drawings, with control over the amount of paper grain, the heaviness of the pencil line, and level of detail desired. Corel has also made Painter 8 more compatible with Adobe Photoshop, so that digital artists can focus more on the art, and not the software.
Artistry, which provides step-by-step Painter tutorials for professional artists and photographers, is selling the full version of Corel Painter 8 for $299 and an upgrade for $149. Owners of Photoshop and Painter Classic are eligible for the $149 upgrade price and will receive a full standalone version of Painter, along with a printed manual.
Artists who purchase Corel Painter 8 through Artistry will receive free shipping, a 35% discount on an Artistry tutorial CD, and a free Artistry tutorial showing how to turn a photo into an impasto painting.
The Artistry tutorials are written by experienced journalist Karen Sperling who wrong the original Painter manuals. She has taught Painter since the program was introduced 12 years ago.
Artistry tutorials for Painter 8 include an overview for beginners, a tutorial on working with photos, plus Watercolor Techniques, Painting for Photographers, and Painting in Painter. (Artistry: www.artistrymag.com)