Karen Sperling’s Blog

Painting by Karen Sperling from a photo by Felicia Tausig.

Press Release

Karen Sperling’s Painting for Photographers Receives 5-Star Reviews at Amazon

Contact Information
Karen Sperling
http://www.artistrymag.com
(818) 981-2803
ksperling@aol.com

For Immediate Release

Karen Sperling’s new book, Painting for Photographers, which shows how to turn photos into works of art, has received 9, 5-star reviews at Amazon.com.

The four-color book with art lessons; Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop steps; and post-printing canvas-painting techniques, “is clear and beautifully written with a touch of humor,” writes Amazon reviewer, Lorraine “Pixie” Glore. “I would highly recommend this to anyone who is just learning Corel Painter, any beginning painter or photographer, as well as to the more advanced digital artist,” she adds.

“If you’re a photographer and would like to shorten the learning curve of the best software for creating artwork from your photographs, there is no better way than this book. Karen Sperling is the master of this software,” writes S. Ashbrook.

These and the other 5-star reviews at Amazon follow previous reviews praising Painting for Photographers, including one that appeared in Corel Painter Magazine, which said, “Sperling explains the features of Painter with clarity and authority–which is to be expected, because she authored the manuals for the early versions of the program. As a result, this is a wonderful tome that’s not only suitable for creative photographers but also for anyone looking to take their first steps in the world of digital painting.”

Renowned photographer Phillip Stewart Charis noted, “Painting for Photographers will help photographers greatly to create classic portraits into classic paintings. You must have this great book.”

Painting for Photographers is $39.95 in paperback and is available at Amazon and also at http://www.artistrymag.com/.

Tags: Painting for Photographers Book Reviews (Corel Painter) by Artistry
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Painting by Karen Sperling from a photo at Stock.XCHNG.

I had a great time painting the watercolor portrait for the February 2010 issue of Artistry Tips and Tricks that you see above.

I used a custom watercolor brush that I created that you can download for free at the Artistry web site–see the link below.

Watercolors in Painter used to be a very sore subject.

Up until Painter 6, the watercolor brushes were divine.

Then, for some reason, in Painter 7, they completely changed how watercolors worked, and for the worse.

They were slow as molasses and not much use.

In Painter 8 they introduced the Digital Watercolors to try to replace the deleted Painter 6 watercolors. They simply didn’t work as well.

Time went on and they endeavored to improve the Digital Watercolors, and also, computers got faster.

And now, with Painter X and 11, I’m happy to report, the Digital Watercolors are great! Maybe even better than the Painter 6 and earlier ones. And now, with faster computers, the Watercolors introduced in Painter 7 are useful, too.

The February 2010 issue of Artistry Tips and Tricks has art concepts and Painter steps for painting watercolor portraits from photos.

Topics covered in the February 2010 issue of Artistry Tips and Tricks include:

*How to know if a photo is a good candidate to be turned into a painting
*How to adjust a photo’s composition for painting
*How to choose a color scheme
*How to use Painter’s Watercolor and Digital Watercolor brushes
*How to add custom Painter brushes in Mac and Windows
*How to paint watercolor portraits from photos
*How to paint faces
*How to paint eyes
*How to paint lips
*How to paint hair
*How to work with watercolor layers
*How to use Tracing Paper
*How to use clones
*How to adjust colors
*How to use Karen Sperling’s special tips and techniques
*Start-to-finish workflow steps

Click here for the February 2010 issue of Artistry Tips and Tricks and for the free custom watercolor brush.

Send me the paintings that you create with my brush and I’ll post them on my blog!

Tags: Karen Sperling's Corel Painter brushes by Artistry
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I’m happy to announce that Painting for Photographers is now available at Amazon!
The reviews at Amazon have been amazing!
“Buy it! Read it! And then go paint your masterpiece!”
“Awesome Book!”
“Painting for Photographers Clear, Beautiful and Informative 5 Stars”
“Many new and exciting tips with excellent coverage of each subject.
A must for teachers and students.”
“Painting for Photographers Gets 5 Stars!”
I’m very honored and grateful for this fantastic feedback.
If you’ve wanted to paint photos, Painting for Photographers will help you do it!
Click here for the Painting for Photographers page at Amazon.

Tags: Painting for Photographers book (Corel Painter) by Artistry
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