Insights
The Creative Process
To begin, I need something to start working with, so I start sketching right away. My first sketches are almost always bad. (Really, I mean it!) Once I have my idea sketched out in Painter, I check my composition using the Divine Proportion tool and the Layout Grid. After that, I start painting over the top of my sketch.

[Figure 11.14] Painted with regular Oil Brush.

[Figure 11.15] Painted with the Sargent Brush.

Favorite Features
If there was one tool I would really miss in a world without Painter, it would be the Sargent Brush. You can see the difference in brushstrokes by comparing Figure 11.14 to Figure 11.15. Most people rarely use the Sargent Brush because it feels like playing the piano with a pair of boxing gloves on. Yet this is exactly the randomness I look for; it helps trigger my imagination. Even when using traditional analog techniques, I often needed this type of unpredictable factor that would lead to “happy accidents.” For example, I often started painting with a broad clumsy brush or worked left-handed.

[Figure 11.16] Organize brush sets in Arrange Palettes.

[Figure 11.17] Use fewer brushes.

Timesaving Tips
Use fewer brushes! Keep your brushes organized and few, and use Arrange Palettes to save your sets. See Figure 11.16. Beginners are often inclined to work with way too many brushes and sometimes find themselves getting lost in all the possibilities. I have 3 different brush sets for different techniques; each of them contains not more than 12 brushes. See Figure 11.17. This way it’s easy for me to locate everything quickly and easily without getting distracted.

Finished Work
My finished work is usually printed in magazines or advertisements. My biggest concern with my finished work is, “Hmm… when will I be paid?”