Karen Sperling’s Blog

Painting by Karen Sperling based on her photo.
In creating my three volumes of Painting for Photographers video tutorials, I wanted to offer in-depth looks at turning into paintings photos of adults, landscapes and children in Corel Painter.
These comprehensive videos get viewers up and running in Corel Painter. However, Painter’s tools are like the alphabet. With just 26 letters to work with, writers create volumes and volumes and volumes of written materials. Similarly, Painter has a finite number of tools that can be used to create an infinite number of images.
Therefore, I wanted to offer videos that focus on various aspects, styles and techniques for turning photos into paintings in Corel Painter and also Adobe Photoshop beyond the basics covered in my three Painting for Photographers video tutorial volumes, including brushes and step-by-step workflow.
I have named these new tutorials the Artistry Focus Video series. My first offering in this new series is a 1 hour, 20 minute-long video showing how to turn a photo into a painting in Corel Painter in the style of Impressionist artist Edgar Degas.
Painting in the style of a great master is useful for developing your own painting style. Art students often sketch the masterpieces on display in museums as a way to study how artists through the centuries handled line, tone and form. Seeing other artists’ thought and creative processes this way helps you to make decisions as you create your own work.
Here is a taste of the video:

The video shows step-by-step how to use art theories and Photoshop and Painter tools to paint a Degas-style painting. I chose dancers as the subject because many of the paintings by Degas showed dancers, but the techniques would work on any subject.
The video begins by analyzing characteristics of Degas paintings that you can use in your own paintings.

Paintings by Edgar Degas.

Next you see how to set up the photo in Photoshop for painting and how to paint it in Corel Painter.

Painting by Karen Sperling based on her photo.

I really enjoyed painting this painting in Corel Painter and I’m happy to let you in on my secrets for creating it.

I think one of the best parts of the video is seeing the painting take shape after the early, unimpressive, stages, clearly illustrating what I always say, that everything you paint is an interim image and will only improve the more you work on it, so keep going! Never give up!

Click here for more information and to order. Happy Degas Painting!

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More times than not, a print on gallery wrapped canvas is the last step in the painting process, but I can’t seem to get used to it.
I just had four paintings accepted into a pet grooming store and when I got the canvases back from the printer, I felt compelled to paint on them to give them a finished look.
I painted in varying degrees, just adding some clear paint to one all the way to covering another one completely with acrylics paint and the other two being in the middle somewhere with some clear strokes and some added paint.
Here’s what the painting I painted with acrylics the most looked like before I added paint

Painting by Karen Sperling based on a photo by Kat Meezan.

And here’s a detail of it after I painted with acrylics:

I didn’t feel the other canvases need this much paint. I discovered that for me, anyway, the more I had painted in Painter, the less I felt the finished painting needed. Though the above painting was the most colorful of all, it had flat brushstrokes in Painter and was much improved with traditional paint.
In this next painting, I painted less color with the acrylics and just painted on a coat of brushstrokes. Here’s the original Painter file:

Painting by Karen Sperling based on a photo by Kat Meezan.

and here’s a detail of the painting after I applied acrylics:

I pretty much kept the colors and just added some orange accents by mixing a little bit of acrylic color in with the gel medium.
I mixed a combination of gloss medium and varnish with heavy gel matte medium. The former is shiny and liquidy and the latter is flat and thick. Combining them gives you a nice semi-glossy, semi-thick consistency. Add a little color to it and when you paint, you add a glaze, or a slight tint of color, with some thickness. On the first dog I wound up using more color to add more distinct brushstrokes and on the second dog I used more medium and less color for more of a glaze.
It’s fun to add the paint and the best way to be able to predict the results is to just play around and experiment and to gain experience with it. It may seem intimidating, but you can actually correct mistakes by wiping them off with a damp rag as long as you catch them right away while the paint is still wet. Once acrylics dry, they’re permanent.
I have a section on how to paint on the canvas with acrylics and oils in my Painting for Photographers book Volume 1, which is available either for Painter X/11 or for Painter 12.
Or you may decide that the print without additional paint is fine. The choice is up to you!

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Painting by Karen Sperling based on her photo, using techniques covered in the Artistry Retreat.

This year, 2013, is the 10th anniversary of the Artistry Retreats and I just completed another successful one!
I’ve actually been teaching Corel Painter for over 20 years since I wrote the first several Painter manuals, but in 2003, I changed my approach from teaching general Painter features to concentrating, instead, on art lessons and step-by-step techniques for turning photos into paintings in Painter. Now, 10 years later, I’m not just teaching art theories and Painter steps, I’m also applying the techniques for painting client portraits, so I know they work! It’s nice to know that the change in direction 10 years ago was the right thing to do!
Now with 20+ years of Painter teaching experience, I am convinced of another change in direction, namely that the Artistry Retreats will be semi-private classes limited to 2-4 students taught in my studio.
Sure, large groups are great because you meet tons of people, but with a small class, the quality of the learning experience is multiplied a million percent. Each student gets hands-on instruction and individual answers to questions and comes away from the Artistry Retreat with a better idea of how to use Corel Painter for turning photos into paintings. You won’t know everything there is to know about using Painter–it’s not possible to cover Painter A to Z in three days–but the Artistry Retreat will show you how to turn photos into paintings and will give you ideas for further exploration and practice.
For instance, I go over how to choose colors and why. Here’s the source photo for the painting at the top of this page:

Photo by Karen Sperling.

Notice I used some of the photo’s colors in the painting and added some more. In the Artistry Retreat, you’ll learn how to choose and use colors. I also go over Painter’s tools and brushes to achieve effects like the Impressionist look in the painting.
Other ingredients of this painting that you’ll learn in the Artistry Retreat include:
• How to paint painterly brushstrokes
• How to paint faces
• How to paint hair
• How to paint clothes
• How to paint backgrounds
This new approach is working if this just-finished Artistry Retreat is any indication. Here’s a testimonial from one of the students, George DeWolfe, who attended this latest Artistry Retreat.

If you’re a professional photographer who has been interested in painting your photos to offer to clients or a hobbyist who has wanted to paint photos of your kids, grandkids and travels, then there’s never been a better time to attend an Artistry Retreat and to get a jumpstart on learning art theory and Corel Painter steps.
Click here for more information and to register and I’ll see you at an Artistry Retreat!

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I am excited to announce the formation of the Artistry Institute of Photo Painting (AIPP). Here’s how it works:
Pay $24.95 a month and you can get:
• A weekly Painter video
• Ability to ask me questions in email
• Access to a private forum where you can post your work, get feedback and rub elbows with other Painters
• Get discounts on practically everything else I offer, including my books, DVD’s, CD’s, classes and upcoming self-paced online instruction.
The weekly instruction will address various techniques and topics that come up as we go over your questions, and the self-paced online instruction will be broader and cover topics like Impressionistic paintings.
My idea for my online instruction is that you’re going to get information and techniques that are particularly interesting to you, not just to the teacher. The instruction will be tailored to everyone’s interests in a unique way.
I have created the first week’s video that you receive when you enroll with my blending secrets for turning photos into paintings-here’s a taste of it with a painting I did based on a photo by Jeff Lubin for my Painting for Photographers Volume 2 book:

In developing the upcoming videos, I’ll be asking everyone who signs up what they’re interested in learning about. I have plenty of my own ideas about what to show in the instruction, but I would like to tailor it to the members in any way I can, which I think will be more interesting than dictating 100% what you’re going to learn.
Another aspect of this new online training is that I am offering AIPP member discounts on practically all of my other Painter instructional materials, including my books, DVD’s, CD’s, webinars and in-person Artistry Retreats. I envision the AIPP training as a great supplement that will help each individual student’s progress in learning to turn his or her photos into paintings. Getting feedback on your efforts will put you light years ahead of the game. Learn from my books, DVD’s, online classes and Artistry Retreats, create your own paintings from photos, then get personal feedback from me, for just $24.95 a month.
I’m super excited about this new phase of my Painter instruction and I’m looking forward to helping everyone in their Painter pursuits and watching everyone’s progress.
Won’t you join in the fun?
Click here for more information and click here to enroll and I’ll see you at AIPP!

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I just published two new learning materials for turning photos into paintings in Corel Painter: a book, Painting for Photographers Volume 2 and a DVD, Painting for Photographers DVD Volume 3: Painting Children’s Portraits.
You might think that I know ahead of time what I’m going to put into these materials that I’ve been creating about Corel Painter for 20+ years. The truth is, I have a general idea in mind, but the actual creation takes on a life of its own.
That’s why the DVD took longer than I expected. As soon as I had come up with a new technique, I came up with an even better one and the previous one no longer seemed that great.
So what did I learn creating the DVD and the book that I didn’t know before I created them?
One thing I learned was how to use a split complement color scheme. This is where you use a color and instead of using its complement or color opposite it on the color wheel, you use the color and the two colors on either side of the color’s complement.
This worked great for this painting I painted from Jeff Lubin’s beautiful photo:

If you look at a color wheel you see that the image’s colors were red-violet, in the dress, yellow, in the hair and green in the background and on the flower’s stem and leaves, so the photo fit a split complement color scheme, which I used for the painting. I also used red, green’s complement, because I have found in general that you can add a color and its complement and things work out pretty well.
Another cool thing I found out creating the Children’s DVD and book was that all the brushes have a Resaturation slider, whether it’s on the Property Bar or not. If it’s not, it’s in Window: Brush Control Panels: Well.

You use the Resaturation slider to control the amount of color coming out of the brush, so knowing you can edit the Resaturation slider for every brush is a cool thing.
I have more cool things I learned about painting in Painter while creating these two learning resources–why not pick up your copies and see what else I learned in creating these projects and how they can benefit your working with Painter!
Click here for information about the Painting for Photographers DVD Volume 3: Painting Children’s Portraits and click here for more information about the Painting for Photographers Volume 2 book.

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Painting style covered step-by-step in the Artistry Retreats.

Can you imagine seeing a warning for a photo competition that says, no digital photos accepted? Me either. Then why do we see this kind of warning for digital art?
Digital art acceptance has been something that has been debated for the 20 years+ that digital art has been in the mainstream. And the more I think about it, the more I think the debate is ridiculous.
The subject came up recently when an abstract artist who has been working with traditional materials and who wants to learn to paint digitally contacted me as the most successful Corel Painter expert exhibiting abstract art. An easy title to achieve as I am the only Painter expert exhibiting abstract art, including gallery shows in Manhattan and during Art Basel Miami Beach.

And I don’t even mention Painter in my descriptions, again because of this prejudice against digital art. Why is it called digital art? We don’t call them digital photographs, they’re photographs! See what I mean? What is up with this double standard?
Here’s another example of this double standard. The artist asked me how I market digital art since galleries and collectors frown on it. I said you have to educate them and explain to them that you are painting the art stroke by stroke by hand in Painter and that professional photographers have been doing a good job of marketing Painter paintings based on their photos because they’ve never been more popular and I predict will just get more popular the more people see them in their friends’ and families’ homes.
My recommendation was to call the art mixed media, which is what my work is, because I use a lot of different materials, including charcoals, oils and acrylics. But this artist said he just wants to create prints so I said I’ve seen limited editions of three, forget limited editions of 200. Then I said, heck, do limited editions of one, that will increase the value.
But now that I think of it, why do we have to create limited editions of one? Why do we have to create this perceived value? Photographers don’t say, I’ll make one print of my photo for you to make it more valuable.
Finally, earlier today I was talking to some store personnel in the mall and I showed them my Painter portraits and they loved them, and I found myself apologizing that they were digital. I’m so brainwashed that I’ll get the usual dismissal that I guess I was beating them to the punch. Ridiculous.
Can we agree to start valuing digital art as just art and get over that it was created with digital tools like we have gotten over photographs being created with digital cameras? Not to mention animated movies. When was the last time you refused to see a Disney film because it was created digitally? Ridiculous.
I’d love to hear your comments-let me know your thoughts below!

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Painting for Photographers Volume 2 has arrived! It is available worldwide at Amazon websites, including Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, in addition to the Artistry website.
The book just came out and it’s already been in the top 100 bestsellers in one of its categories at amazon.com and has received its first review, and it’s a five star rave!:
“I just received this book and have already found it to be very resourceful a must for Corel Painter Artists, especially if you work from or with photographs. Many Painter books go too much into everything where Painting for Photographers Volume 2 sticks to what you really need to know, with amazing reference images, I have been working on portraits with Painter and had successful results, though I am now looking forward to working with the techniques in this book to further enrich my images, highly recommend this book for beginners or professional digital Artists.”-Paul Adams
That’s in addition to the rave review photographer Scott Stulberg, whose photos I painted for the cover of the book and two of the step-by-step instructional chapters, gave Painting for Photographers Volume 2 in his Foreword in the book.
My intention for the book was to offer art lessons and step-by-step lessons that both professional photographers and hobbyists would find helpful, whether they are interested in offering painted portraits to clients or in painting kids and grandkids (painting by Karen Sperling based on a photo by Mary Wynn-Ball).

I focused on offering in the book both professional photographers classic studio looks like this painting I did from a photo by Jeff Lubin:

and hobbyists a more casual look, like this painting I did from one of Scott Stulberg’s photos:

I used these techniques to create the painting on the front cover based on a photo by Scott Stulberg.
Painting for Photographers Volume 2 also shows you how to create paintings with abstract backgrounds like this one:

vignetted backgrounds like this painting I did based on a photo by Jeff Lubin:

Impressionist paintings like this one based on a photo by Scott Stulberg:

casual portraits like this one based on a photo by Joshua Grover-David Patterson:

I also included detailed written steps for painting this portrait that was featured in a commissioned webinar I gave for Corel. The webinar only scratched the surface of the work that went into this commissioned portrait and now all the steps are discussed in a chapter in Painting for Photographers Volume 2.

Click here if you’d like to view the webinar.
Each chapter has step-by-step instructions and illustrations that take you through turning photos into paintings one step at a time.

Following each chapter is a review and further study section, covering related art lessons and Painter steps.

I had a great time writing, illustrating, designing, creating and publishing Painting for Photographers Volume 2 and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved producing it!
Thank you to everyone who supported the project by preordering. Your book will arrive in the next two weeks!
Painting for Photographers Volume 2 is available at Amazon and at the Artistry website.

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Photo by Scott Stulberg

Ed. note: The following essay is the Foreword to Painting for Photographers Volume 2: Steps and Art Lessons for Painting Children’s Portraits from Photos in Corel Painter 12, available at Amazon.com and at the Artistry website.

I remember working in Corel Painter back in the mid-’90s and it soon became my favorite software program, as it was so unique and incredibly addicting. Around the same time, I met Karen Sperling, as she had become friends with a large group of us who were completely into using Painter. It was great having an expert in our favorite program to hang around with and we have remained great friends to this day. Watching Karen explain the inner workings of Painter to us in our little get-togethers was like hanging out with Michelangelo explaining how he chisels away at his sculptures. For me, I don’t think there is anyone on earth who understands this program better or is more talented with using Painter than Karen. As a photographer who shoots a lot of portraits, it’s pretty special when somebody can take those portraits and make gorgeous paintings out of them. That’s why I have always loved giving Karen some of my favorite portraits, as I know she is going to create some beautiful works of art. I love seeing the finished pieces of work she does with my photographs as they are absolutely stunning and I wish I had just a little of the talent she has with this program.
I love that she still does Artistry Retreats, teaches Painter in schools, has her teachings available on DVD and so much more and also has such an unbelievable following. But it’s really her books that I think are the most amazing as she shows in incredible detail just how she creates her magic and I feel honored that she uses some of my images in her books.
The art lessons and step-by-step instructions for turning children’s photos into paintings using Corel Painter make Painting for Photographers Volume 2 so incredibly unique. Visually, the book is absolutely breathtaking. The design and layout are absolutely gorgeous and it is one of the best books on using software that I have ever seen! I love the beautiful fonts and the images that Karen created are stunning.
Turning photos into paintings in Corel Painter is more popular today than ever. Painted portraits are a great add-on for any photography studio and professional photographers are charging top dollar for paintings based on their photos. Karen’s latest techniques in Painting for Photographers Volume 2 are perfect for both professional photographers who would like to get in on this profitable painting trend and hobbyists who would get a kick out of painting their kids and grandkids. Photographers who are not necessarily interested in learning Painter themselves will also find this book helpful if they would like to have Karen create paintings for them for their clients. This book shows what is possible with the different painted looks, the art lessons and even the Painter steps and will give photographers an idea of what to look for when hiring a portrait artist.
I really cannot say enough about what an amazing job Karen did with Painting for Photographers Volume 2 as it is so easy to follow and shows so many different variations to create paintings from photographs. Each chapter is unique and can turn anyone into an artist! Karen really is a magician and I know that no one else can really explain the intricacies of this unbelievable painting program like Karen. As an author myself, I know what goes into making books and I know that this new book from Karen is going to be an absolute winner. I’m so happy that she has kept using this great software as so many people just use Photoshop and have no idea at all just how unbelievable Painter really is.
And if anyone knows how to explain it, it’s my good friend Karen!

Scott Stulberg
Photographer, Author and Teacher
Sedona, AZ
2013

This is the first portrait I ever painted from a photo in Corel Painter circa 2001 based on Scott Stulberg’s photo at the top of this page.

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I am happy to announce that Painting for Photographers Volume 2 is now complete!
Writing and illustrating this book has been a fascinating experience and I have developed all kinds of new ideas for turning photos into paintings in Corel Painter for both professional photographers and hobbyists.
I created the image above based on a photo by Scott Stulberg with the techniques included in the book.
I can’t wait to show you all my new painting ideas. Readers will find state-of-the-art techniques for painting children in every style from classic studio portraiture to Impressionism to Pino Daeni-style brushstrokes.
Here are some more examples of paintings painted with the book’s techniques based on Scott’s exquisite photos:

The book has all-new art lessons and step-by-step instructional chapters that take you through the painting workflow from start to finish.
I am very proud of my first Painting for Photographers book, which continues to receive rave reviews. It’s very useful for learning to turn portrait, landscape and pet photos into paintings in Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop.
This new Painting for Photographers Volume 2 has additional new techniques that I have developed for this book for painting children’s photos, though the techniques could be applied to adult photos as well.
The book also has beautiful classic photography by Jeff Lubin and I show how to turn his elegant studio portraits into legacy paintings.

Paintings by Karen Sperling based on photos by Jeff Lubin.

Each chapter in Painting for Photographers Volume 2 includes a Review and Further Study section in which I offer additional information and cheerleading–half the battle of learning to paint photos is believing that you can, and this book and my previous one include encouragement in addition to the art lessons and the painting instructions.
If I can paint, you can, and I look forward to showing you all my secrets in Painting for Photographers Volume 2.
Painting for photographers is currently available at the Artistry website in .pdf format and it will soon be available at Amazon in both print and Kindle editions. Enter your email in the form below if you wish to be notified when Painting for Photographers Volume 2 is available in print at Amazon.

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I have just finished writing the final chapter in my new book, Painting for Photographers Volume 2, and I used two paintings by John Singer Sargent to inspire me.
I have been very proud of how the book has been coming out so far. Thanks to the help of Scott Stulberg and Jeff Lubin, who gave me their professional photos to turn into paintings for tutorials in the book, the book contains useful art lessons and painting instruction for professional photographers and hobbyists alike.
It bothered me, though, that the photos were too good. Professional photographers will relate to the photos, but I didn’t want to intimidate hobbyists. So I looked around for a snapshot that would lend itself to being turned into a photo to round out the book’s offerings, and I found one by my friend Joshua Grover-David Patterson.

And here’s the painting I did from it:

I got the idea to do the swirly background from John Singer’s Sargent backgrounds in these two paintings:

What also inspired me about these paintings was how Sargent handled the tones in relation to the subjects, which I also tried to do in my background.

The specific steps for how I painted the painting in Corel Painter are included in the chapter in Painting for Photographers Volume 2, including a review section and suggestions for further study, which I have included after every chapter in the book.

Both professional photographers and hobbyists will find the chapter helpful, in addition to the rest of the book. Painting for Photographers is currently available in .pdf format and will be available in print at Amazon and at my website very soon!

For more information about Painting for Photographers Volume 2 click here.

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