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There was a time, not too long ago that I was unable to fully express my visualization on image captures or film. The image was correct but it just didn’t compare to what I was envisioning when I actually pressed the button to capture it. Even with color manipulations and filters and plug-ins in Photoshop I found it impossible to create the colors and textures I desired.
 
With Corel Painter I found that I could create the images I envisioned and experiment with different variations of each. The vast selection of brushes, colors and textures that Painter offers is mind-boggling.
Ultimately as I continued experimenting with Painter and it’s many features, a whole new world opened up for my creativity.
The process is simple. After over 25 years of having a storefront studio, my work is now all on location. Clients enjoy the flexibility of being photographed at the park, the beach, the mountains, at home or elsewhere.
As a professional photographer for many years I used a Hasselblad with a 150mm lens as my standard camera. When digital became the preferred capture source I switched to Canon cameras with multiple lenses as I feel Canon is easy to use and their digital cameras have no comparison. Using batch actions in Photoshop the images are cropped, color corrected and prepared for the sales presentation to the client.
To sell paintings created in Corel Painter, first you paint a small version using scripts. This time-saving feature lets you recreate the painting at a higher resolution after the sale has been made based on the smaller sample painting.
Working closely with your clients you can show them what you envision the painting to be and then initiate any changes that they request for the final piece.
Corel Painter allows you to be both a photographer and a fine artist. Many of my clients collect my original art pieces and hang my images right next to them. Photographs enhanced through Corel Painter are particularly personal.
The work that is created in Painter can be sold as an add-on to your customer’s entire photography order. My clients commission my portrait work because of the paintings. The photographs are now their secondary purchase.
Perhaps the thing I love most about Painter is that it gives you the ability to create colors and paintings that only exist in your imagination. With the built-in Paint Mixer you can create your own personal sets of colors that you used in each painting that creates a brand for your art. My clients definitely recognize my distinctive color palette and my signature colors.
Corel Painter is incredibly powerful and similar to other professional applications. It can be very complex and intimidating when it’s first opened. Nevertheless, Painter is easy to learn once you grasp the basic concepts and have a hands on class in it to take you through the basics. Learning about the power of auto painting in Painter gets you up to speed quickly creating paintings faster than ever.
The joy of using Painter is being able to work with a variety of brushes that perfectly emulate their non-digital counterparts. An oil brush paints like and oil brush and a watercolor brush lets you see the paint drip and spread. The beauty is that brushes and media can all be mixed onto one canvas, turning photos into works of art that could never be created before. Brushes can be customized and fine tuned to your exact specifications so each photographers creations will look dramatically different even if the same tools were used to create them.
The works of art you create using Corel Painter will enable you to capture your subjects in an incredibly personal way and express your own unique vision and brand.
See you there at Niagara!
Marilyn Sholin
Visit my website for more lessons!
http://www.marilynsholin.com/blog
Follow Me on Twitter: @msholin and @digitalpaint | 
