Workshop


Q&A

Q1:

How do I know which pictures will make good digital paintings?

A1:

For digital watercolors, look for photos with large plain areas and not a lot of detail. In general, try lighter colored pictures because the Watercolor filter tends to darken images. Although almost any picture makes a good oil painting, I like to use the technique to rescue otherwise bland landscapes . It helps if the subject has interesting contrasts (such as ocean and rock) or if there's a good deal of color .

Q2:

Can I use more than one filter on a picture?

A2:

You can, and many times you might want to use a combination of several filters to achieve a particular effect.

Q3:

In the watercolor discussion earlier in this hour , you recommended waiting until the very end to apply the texture because any changes made before the final save would alter the texture's appearance. Shouldn't those same rules apply to oil paintings as well?

A3:

Actually, no. Texture is an integral part of oil painting. Paint builds up and hides the canvas or is thinned to bring out the canvas texture. The canvas texture should be applied with the underpainting so that, as you go back and add more paint, you will naturally obscure some of the texture. This makes the picture look less digital and more " painted ."

Q4:

Why do some filters have ellipses after their names , but others don't?

A4:

There are two kinds of Photoshop filters. The ones with an ellipsis ( ) open a dialog box with parameters to set before the filter is applied. The filters with no ellipsis are one-step filters. You have no control over the way the filter is applied. When you select a one-step filter from the menu, it's appliedperiod. You can apply it a second time to double the effect.

Quiz

1:

The Watercolor filter works best on pictures with

  1. Large flat areas

  2. Lots of detail

  3. Dark backgrounds

2:

The Wet Edges option makes a brush stroke that is

  1. Drippy

  2. Fuzzy along the edges

  3. Darker at the edges

3:

Oil painting and watercolor look

  1. Very different

  2. Very similar

  3. A lot like colored pencil

4:

Charcoal comes in many colors.

  1. True

  2. False

  3. True only in Photoshop

Quiz Answers

A1:

a. Detail tends to get lost in a watercolor, and the process darkens the image somewhat, so lighter ones come out better.

A2:

c. Try it and see.

A3:

a. In Photoshop, as in the fine arts world, oils emphasize texture, whereas watercolor is flat.

A4:

c. You want pink charcoal? Go for it.

Exercise

Find a picture with a good range of light and dark colors and moderate detail. Apply the filters discussed in this hour to the picture, and be sure to experiment with different background and foreground colors, as well as with various settings for brush width, pressure, and so on.



Teach Yourself Adobe Photoshop CS 2 In 24 Hours
Sams Teach Yourself Adobe Photoshop CS2 in 24 Hours
ISBN: 0672327554
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 241
Authors: Carla Rose

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