Messing About in Painter

I'm not feeling very well today: as if a stinking cold wasn't enough, I also have a toothache, from a filling I had on Monday. So, instead of doing real work, I feel I can legitimately spend the day playing around. I thought I'd show you what I've been up to...

Lately I've been inspired by how other people tint their sketchbook work with colour, after the event. I have never done this - I consider my drawings finished the moment I close my book and walk away. But coloured sketches definitely have more impact.


I'm not keen on the blandness of the flat brushes you have to make do with in programmes like Photoshop, but Corel Painter is all about mark-making, so I've spent this morning scanning in my pencil sketches and experimenting with various watercolour effects. The detail above gives you some idea of what you can achieve in Painter.


These sketches were originally done one summer in Edensor, a village close to Chatsworth House, in Derbyshire. I was sketching various houses, when a lady came out of one with a cup of tea for me (in a proper china cup and saucer) and a big piece of chocolate cake!

I have been finding it tricky choosing colours, when I've no memory of the actual colour, so I've used what I thought looked best, which feels a little odd for me, as it flies in the face of the 'reportage' nature of the original drawings.

I also thought I'd try something a bit less complex, so I could concentrate more on the marks themselves, like these feet. Here's a detail so you can see the marks:

I wasn't all that optimistic beforehand, but I must say, looking at them now, I'm pleasantly surprised that they do seem to work, especially the last one. So I will definitely be having another go!