Why you need more than brushes and paint to create!

I think most painters would rather be behind the easel than the screen, right?

I totally get it. If you are a right brained, tactile creator like me, you are probably used to coming up with an an idea in your head and then figuring out how to make it a reality with your hands.

I’d like to introduce another step along the road to creation. The screen.

I design everything I paint first on my computer or tablet. I want to really see how my painting is going to look before I even get started. I want to experiment with different layouts, dimensions, and colors. This way I know what I need to do when the brush hits the canvas.

There are thousands of different apps and software programs out there for editing photos and it can be daunting trying to figure out what you want to use and how. I want to make it a bit easier for you and share the programs that I use on a daily basis.

I’m sure you’ve heard of Photoshop but have you just assumed it’s something techy graphic designers and photographers use? I bet you probably thought it was super expensive too. Well, it used to be but not anymore! Photoshop used to cost thousands and it was mostly used by the techy elite. But Adobe realized that the rest of us want in too! You can now have access to Photoshop for only $9.99 a month!

But why do I need to use Photoshop to make paintings?

Let’s talk about that. Photoshop does a ridiculous amount of things. I use the tip of the iceberg.

Here’s a quick list of what I use Photoshop for.

• Resizing images
• Combining different images together
• Creating templates that I can print and trace to get my outlines of my reference image on the panel I plan to paint on.
• Creating marketing material for my art business to help me sell more paintings

Photoshop has been around forever. I’ve been using it for 20 years and it has come a long way. The amazing thing about this program though is that the foundations of it have stayed exactly the same. You don’t need to know everything about how it works to make it work for you. Other programs and apps like Canva may come and go but Photoshop is here to stay.

I love PicsArt but just for a few things. I use the mobile app on my phone and tablet. I don’t particularly like the desktop version. PicsArt is free but you can also upgrade to the paid version for extra options. I don’t think it’s necessary. I can do what I need to with the free version.

Here’s what I use it for.

• Editing my images with a filter to make them easier to paint from. I like the Geode filter!
• Quickly combining my painting together into a collage
• Designing adds for my business using their templates.
• I also like a lot of their free to edit backgrounds.

You might not know about this mobile app. I discovered it when I asked on a Facebook post if anyone could recommend a easy app for correcting perspective on an image. A friend told me about it and it has been so useful! It’s also free which is great!

Here’s what I use Snapseed for!

• When I photograph my paintings, I can correct the perspective of the edges of the painting if I took the photo from a slight angle. This way there is no distortion.
• I use the brush tool in this app to add saturation, light and shadows to select parts of my reference image. This is extra helpful if I’m painting a portrait and the photo is a little too dark around the eyes. I can go in a lighten just the eyes which makes them much easier to paint.
• Text- This app has some really cool and easy to use text templates. Just type your text in on top of your photo and try out all the different formats available. This helps me to make really cool looking marketing ads which helps me sell paintings and classes.

I realized that I have been teaching you all my best tricks and advice on how to paint better paintings, but I was leaving out this important part so I designed a new online course.

Digital Editing Basics

This course will walk you, my painter friend, step by step through the very basic foundations of these programs. I’m going to make it easy to learn and understand.

I don’t want you to be intimidated by these tools.

They can help you so much in your creative process and I’m here to help!