Digital Art Summit is going live next week

What the heck is the Digital Art Summit? Great question, a few days ago I was not sure either. Here is the what and why of the summit.

I was trying to find ways to bridge the summer gap at Digital Art Academy. Classes are finishing up tomorrow from this session and the new session doesn’t start until the end of August. That seems like a long time, for an ADD guy that is like a lifetime.

My friend and the founder of Digital Art Academy Karen Bonaker suggested putting together some webinars. That got me thinking, dangerous I know but it happens on rare occasions. Who haven’t I heard from in awhile? Who have I been talking to recently? Who would other digital artists like to hear from? I began compiling a list and making phone calls to stir the pot. The overall call or email post was something like this, “Hey Jeremy this is Tim, I am putting together some webinars this summer would you have any interest in teaching?”

A bunch of people said yes I would love to but I am booked, another bunch of people said shoot yes I am in. On a few rare occasions I still have not heard because of vacations or other stuff. The bottom line is we have an incredible line up of people lined up to share their digital painting prowess via webinar with you. Some FREE and others very inexpensive.

Odwin Rensen Digital Painting

It all starts July 22nd with a FREE webinar from Kirk Nelson. You will learn about the new painting features in CS5. How cool is that?

I wont spill all the beans yet because details and behind the scenes planning are happening as we speak. Some other speakers that you may hear from are….drum roll please……..Odwin Rensen, Darrell Chitty, Heather Michelle, Karen Sperling, Woody Walters, Michael Campbell and yours truly. That is not all though. There are more invites out there, pending. People you know and some you may not know. One thing for sure…you don’t want to miss this.

As I mentioned some webinars are free and the other pricing information will be forthcoming. You can find out through various social media sites or this blog. The best and quickest way to keep a eye peeled is to be on the list. If you have already filled out the form for Digital Paint Magazine you are good to go. Early notification will go to that list first, about 12 hours before the blog post hits. The reason that is important is that we are limited to 100 people on each webinar. Some will definitely sell out.

See ya in a few!

Artist and Author Cher Threinen-Pendarvis

Cher Threinen-Pendarvis started with a child’s fascination with art, and graduated from college with a BFA with Highest Honors and Distinction in Art, specializing in painting and printmaking. A pioneer of the electronic medium, Cher has worked alongside other notables from the early digital era. Her digital illustrations have been published since 1987.

An award-winning fine artist, designer and author, Cher Threinen-Pendarvis has always worked with traditional art tools.

As a pioneer in digital art, Cher has created illustrations using the Macintosh computer for more than two decades. She has been widely recognized for her mastery of Painter, Photoshop and the Wacom pressure-sensitive tablet, and has used these electronic tools since they were first released.

Exercising her passion for Painter’s artist tools, Cher has worked as a consultant and demo-artist for the developers of Painter.

Her artwork has been exhibited worldwide and her articles and art have been published in many books and periodicals. Cher holds a BFA with Highest Honors and Distinction in Art specializing in painting and printmaking, and she is a member of the San Diego-Museum of Art Artist Guild and the Digital Art Guild.

She has taught Painter and Photoshop workshops around the world, and is the principal of the consulting firm Cher Threinen Design. Cher is the creative mastermind who made most of the brushes shipping with Corel Painter, and is a regular contributor to the Corel Painter newsletter, “The Painter Canvas.”

Cher is the author of The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book, Creative Techniques in Digital Painting and all eight editions of The Painter Wow! Book. The Painter X Wow! Book is the latest edition of this highly-praised volume of techniques and inspiration. To learn more about Cher, please visit her Web site at 
www.pendarvis-studios.com.

Thank-you Cher for sharing your talents in the May issue of Digital Paint Magazine!

Book Review Cher Threinen-Pendarvis:Beyond Digital Photography

I am a geek. As such I love books. My reading habit is non-curable and I peruse books on many subjects, Art and Marketing are my favorite topics and in the world digital painting every book that is published (to my knowledge) I have been fortunate enough to read. Amazon loves me.

Beyond Digital Photography is another must have book for anyone serious about transforming their photography into painterly works of fine art. This book was written by Cher Threinen-Pendarvis and Donal Jolley and published by PeachPit Press. You most likely have heard of these two well respected artists and authors. Cher is the author of the popular Painter Wow! series and Donal has been featured in many publications including The Photoshop CS/CS2 Wow! Book, the Painter Wow! Book and other publications.

Beyond Digital Photography offers extensive step-by-step information on many topics. One of the coolest things is that time is spend with Corel Painter and Photoshop. Finally we have a book that highlights the use of Painter and Photoshop together! I believe one needs to have an intermediate level of skill with the programs in order to get the most out of this book.

Many different types of paintings and techniques are covered at length. There is a great area in Chapter Two that will show you how to obtain nice flowing painterly techniques for those that are artistically challenged. If you are looking for a few nice water color techniques shoot over to Chapter 5 where Cher gives and awesome explanation on how Painters Digital Watercolors work. Take a peek at the workflow she uses to prepare an image and make it more suitable for a high key watercolor emulation.

Finally my favorite Chapter is Six. Donal shares a unique approach to utilizing layers to achieve an oil painted look that you have to try as soon as you read it. There is also an awesome demonstration from Cher of Painters Real bristle Brushes.

All in all a smoking book. The next time you are about to spend 500 bucks on a workshop…cancel your trip, hole up in your studio or a hotel room for the weekend with your computer, Wacom tablet and this book. You will be glad you did.

Skip Allen self portrait

Digital Artist Skip Allen

Skip received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Pottery from the Memphis College of Art in 1968.  He was a studio potter for 3 decades and taught at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi for 21 years.  He is published in Ceramic Monthly and the Crafts Report and has been included in articles from House Beautiful, Mississippi Magazine and Studio Potter.

His connection with digital art started in 1984 when he got his first computer and began playing with graphics and desktop publishing as a hobby.  He started using CorelDraw in the late eighties, but didn’t discover Corel Painter until a couple of years ago.  “It was love at first sight,” Skip enthusiastically explains.  He has immersed himself in Painter ever sense.  He was a member of the Beta Team for Painter 11, which really helped him hone his knowledge of the software.

“I love to teach,” Skip remarks.  “I find that it is a wonderful sharing experience.”  Retired from pottery, Skip currently teaches several Painter 11 classes at the Digital Art Academy.