Archive

The Making of Five Chicks Named Moe title above an illustrated green meadow

Tutorial: The Making of ‘Five Chicks Named Moe’

Go behind the scenes of Five Chicks Named Moe, from a stock photograph to a finished digital painting. This archived account follows compositing, a monochrome underpainting, colour glazes and opaque painting rather than prescribing individual brushstrokes.

Water Drops title over blue water droplets with white decorative swirls

Tutorial: Quick and Easy Waterdrops with Corel Painter

Construct a realistic-looking water drop with selections, gradients and layers in Corel Painter. This archived tutorial breaks the effect into a short sequence of steps, showing how simple shapes can suggest a transparent, rounded form.

Photoshop tutorial banner on a pale textured background

Tutorial: Add Craquelure to Your Digital Oils with Photoshop

Give a digital oil painting the cracked surface of an older canvas. This archived Photoshop tutorial follows a Vermeer-inspired portrait and explains how a repeating craquelure pattern can add texture to paintings of different sizes.

Child covering her mouth beside a comic-style speech bubble asking whether stock photos suck

16 Reasons Why Traditional Stock Photo Websites Suck

An opinion piece from the archive questioning familiar stock-photography clichés. It argues for images that feel more individual and believable, and examines the gap between polished advertising scenarios and the lives of the people viewing them.

Illustration of three people discussing charts beside Fine Art America Review, Part 2 lettering

Marketing: Fine Art America Review, Part 2

An archived follow-up on the author’s early experience with Fine Art America, including its portfolio and print-on-demand storefront options. The surviving text records impressions of the service in 2011 and ends before the full review is complete.

Tutorial: Create the Look of Bronze Sculpture

Transform a portrait into the appearance of a bronze sculpture using photographic textures. This archived tutorial explains how texture layers and blending modes interact, then applies them to give the subject a convincing metallic surface.

White Viking helmet and Viking Chieftain title on a gold background with curved coloured stripes

Tutorial: The Making of Viking Chieftain, Part 3

Move from lighting correction toward a finished Viking Chieftain painting. This archived installment explores Topaz Adjust, compositing and the transition into Corel Painter, explaining an approach that can be adapted to different source photographs.

Kaleidoscope Tool title over a colorful nebula and star field

Tutorial: Fun with Corel Painter’s Kaleidoscope tool

Turn a colourful, detailed source image into a symmetrical design with Corel Painter’s Kaleidoscope tool. This archived tutorial introduces the dynamic plug-in and explores the repeated patterns it can generate from existing artwork.

Helpful Advice from Maxfield Parrish title over a colorful abstract star field

Inspiration: Helpful Advice from Maxfield Parrish

An archived reflection on Maxfield Parrish’s advice to young illustrators, drawn from a rare interview. Alongside his celebrated work, the article considers what an established artist’s perspective can offer someone finding a creative direction.

White Viking helmet illustration and Viking Chieftain Part 1 title on a brown striped background

Tutorial: The Making of Viking Chieftain

Begin the Viking Chieftain portrait by reshaping difficult lighting in the source photograph. This archived first installment uses layers and masks to prepare a more balanced foundation for compositing and subsequent work in Corel Painter.

Viking Chieftain Part 2 title and a white helmet illustration framed by curved coloured stripes

Tutorial: The Making of Viking Chieftain, Part 2

Continue adjusting the Viking Chieftain portrait with editable layers and masks. This archived installment focuses on refining light and shadow while retaining control over the strength and placement of each change.

Painting of a Cat One title curved around a white cartoon cat on a brown background

Tutorial: Photorealistic Painting of a Cat

Use a photorealistic cat painting to explore selections and masking in Photoshop. This archived first installment develops surrounding foliage on separate layers, preserving selections that make later painting and texture work easier to control.

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