After Effects CS3 for Still Images

Marilyn opened a new group on Flickr a couple of months ago to accompany her upcoming book. In the discussions for the group, Marilyn posted a question about using software aside from Corel Painter X to “paint.” In my answer to the question, I added After Effects CS3 into the mix of everyone else’s suggestions because I actually have used it in still paintings before!

Those of you who know what After Effects is may be a little confused, but I’ll get into the “why” in a minute. For those who may not know, After Effects is a motion graphics and video creation/editing/compositing application produced by Adobe. Chances are, if you watch movies and TV, you’ve seen the power of After Effects for film effects.

How does it apply to still images and painting?

Corel Painter Magazine: Issue 10 Available

Issue 10 of the Official Corel Painter Magazine is up for sale on their website today! Grab yours before they’re gone. For those of you who may have missed the sneak peek for this Issue’s “Art Class (Q&A)” section, go check it out!

I’ll also have a sneak peek for Issue 11 posted very soon. Keep your eyes on this space!

Meeting Marilyn Sholin in North Carolina

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).

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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!