the Blog
RSS FeedI just wrapped up the Q&A section for Issue 10 of Corel Painter Official Magazine by Imagine Publishing, Ltd. I can’t give away much, but the questions have great variety, and I’m sure there’ll be a little something for everyone. Be on the lookout for the issue to premier at the Painter Magazine website!
Here’s your sneak peek:
On October 1st, I had a unique opportunity to meet Marilyn at the Smoky Mountain Learning Center while she was giving a workshop. Of course, I had to sit in on at least part of the workshop to see if some of her Painter knowledge would rub off on me. The parts of the workshop I was present for were absolutely wonderful! The class was a beginner class, designed for those who have never touched Corel Painter but were interested in learning. Even though I’m not quite a beginner, I picked up a few tips and can’t wait to put them to use! After a great first evening (arrived late due to the hard drive crash), I decided to stay for the entire duration of the workshop giving me two more days of relaxation being absorbed in digital art and the great company of Marilyn and all the other awesome people present.
As part of the workshop, we printed and embellished canvases of our prints. I chose to use the portrait created for the Q&A section of Painter Magazine, Issue 8. The print turned out beautifully! The final embellishments include gold, silver, copper, and pearlescent paint along with a clear gloss medium. Here are some photos of the final (and I apologize for the flash now – it was needed to show the metallics).
Marilyn has more about the workshop on her blog, including a video! Go check it out. I’ll have more to post about the workshop and the rest of the time in North Carolina in the coming days. Be on the lookout for it!
Here is a very cool, free (for now?) blog posting tool from Microsoft offered through Windows Live’s Beta program. This is my first post from it because I normally use Adobe® Contribute® for all of my posting. I don’t think I’ll be making the switch as my primary blog posting tool, but if you’re in the market for an offline blog posting tool check it out! It definitely is worth trying out.
Some features mentioned from the Microsoft Live site are:
- Compatible with your blog host — even if you host your own.
- WYSIWYG post editing — The editor is like simplified Microsoft Word, and it downloaded my template just fine!
- Rich media publishing — Photos, videos, maps, etc.
- Spell-check, tables, links, and a ton of other formatting enhancements
- Probably the biggest feature — OFFLINE EDITING! Compose your blog posts, even if an internet connection isn’t available. On a plane and need to write? Write… save… publish from your next airport’s Wi-Fi! How’s that for on the go blogging?
There are more features, but I’ll let Microsoft do the talking there. Go download it and give it a try!
Just a friendly reminder to everyone to BACK UP YOUR IMPORTANT FILES REGULARLY! While backing up important documents, preparing for a trip to North Carolina in just a few hours, my computer crashed… once… twice… three times. On the third attempt, I got an error on bootup. My master hard drive is going bad. The good news is that I do have a good bit backed up, but the bad news is that I don’t have a good bit backed up as well. The hard drive is still usable, luckily, so i am working in “Safe Mode” to back up my most important files to a newer drive, namely master files for Studio|chris and other important artwork that needs to be updated in my current backups. Keep your fingers crossed that I can get everything I need copied over.. and remember BACK UP YOUR OWN FILES!
With the world becoming more and more technology dependent, it can be amazing the amount of our lives we keep stored on our hard drives. Don’t lose it!
It’s that time once again. Another successful client site launch. Reflections by Toni, owned by Toni Valentine, offers portrait painting and photography services. Her work is timeless and classy, and as such, she wanted a website design that would convey those same feelings.
She admitted to me that she likes “cutesy” and whimsical, and she usually adds these elements to her clients’ proofs in the form of borders. As a result, we moved in that direction for her site by exploring custom made borders to use for the site that would effectively become branding elements for her Reflections by Toni brand. The main website border is the result of our efforts. It combines whimsical swirls presented in an elegant, symmetrical fashion with a touch of color in the turquoise accents that pull in some common colors from her paintings. The final result is a website that has an elegant look and complements her work flawlessly. Also included in her package was a set of borders specifically for use on her client’s proofs. By combining the site and these brand-new custom borders, the Reflections by Toni brand will surely begin to manifest itself in her clients’ and potential clients’ minds.
On another note, not related to the design, Toni had concerns of being totally in control of her own website, without having to spend hours and hours to update content or have to worry about the design or coding of newly created pages. Of course, I had an answer to that! Toni is set up on an adapted content management system that keeps everything super simple for her to control and update, and not have to worry about the design aspect because it has already been done! Keep your eye on the Studio|chris Shop for these setups to become available in the coming days. Until next time – back to designing!
Well, I finally broke down and bought a notebook PC with Windows Vista pre-installed on it. I have been hesitant to upgrade with all of the problems I’ve seen other people having, but I’m happy to report that I’ve had relatively few problems in the two days I’ve had this machine. I did not keep the pre-installed version, Home Premium; I upgraded to Ultimate to gain some features much needed for both running Studio|chris on the road and making sure I have everything available to me [I’m not one for (too many) limitations when it comes to MY machine – another story, I know]. Aside from some HP related problems [don’t get me started], this transition has been pretty smooth. Most of my production work will still be completed on my desktop machine running Windows XP, so I have no worries of Vista holding up my production environment which gives me time to get used to the new changes and still not miss a beat.
So far, I’ve been able to install all of my software, which is a good thing, though I’m only half done. The major suites are installed and working perfectly! I can paint and design websites on the road from anywhere in the world now – look out!
The only problems I’m having so far deal with the print spooler service, which is almost refusing to run. Hopefully a visit to the beloved Windows Update site will fix that.
After I’ve had a little time to play around more, I’ll post up some “First Impressions” for those of you that may have thought about making the upgrade or those of you who have said NO WAY! With a little time under its belt, it may not be as bad as everybody’s been saying – and it IS pretty!
Anything on this page look familiar?
Premiering today to international audiences, Corel Painter Official Magazine, Issue 8, published by Imagine Publishing, Ltd. in the UK ran a feature on Paint Outside the Frame, a great forum on digital painting where I’m a member. Along with information on the forum, Painter Magazine (for short) also published a selection of art from the members of the forum, and “Pink Calla Lilies” was one of the chosen few! Also featured with the article are Carrie Woeck, Marilyn Sholin, Michael D., and Alan D. Any of you interested in digital painting and learning how to paint digitally, go check out the forum. More information can be found on Marilyn’s blog.
Also in this issue, Corel Painter Master Marilyn Sholin and I team up to tackle the Q&A section of the magazine. Issues haven’t arrived in the US yet, but should be very soon!
