Painting style: Fine Art, Illustration, Live Performance Art
Website: www.rhodadraws.com
Painter quote: Painter enables me to create a variety of art in any style I choose, from quick sketches to detailed illustrations and experimental projects.
Corel Painter Master - Rhoda Grossman
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Name: Rhoda Grossman Painting style: Fine Art, Illustration, Live Performance Art Website: www.rhodadraws.com Painter quote: Painter enables me to create a variety of art in any style I choose, from quick sketches to detailed illustrations and experimental projects. |
Tell us about yourself and how you use Painter.
As a professional caricature artist, I use Painter to create live entertainment at conventions, parties and events of all kinds. I call my business "Rhoda Draws A Crowd!" I have developed a style in Painter that enables me to produce a humorous, full-color likeness of each "victim" in about four minutes.
As a fine artist, I use Painter in figure drawing sessions with a live model. Again, I work for speed, with active poses lasting only between one and five minutes. Many of these gestural sketches are printed on fine Japanese paper, and some inspire larger mixed media work on canvas.
How long have you been involved with digital art?
Twenty-two years. This includes teaching at several colleges and art schools in the San Francisco Bay area, as well as writing books and tutorials on every version of Painter since Painter 5.
Where are you located?
I'm based in the San Francisco Bay area.
What kind of training or education do you have in your chosen field?
Fine art drawing and painting, with a specialty in figure drawing.
My caricature work began 40 years ago and evolved gradually, until I discovered digital tools around 1990. Starting with Photoshop (and switching to Painter when it came on the market) I developed style and speed quickly by demonstrating software and hardware at numerous computer graphics trade shows throughout the '90s.
How did you find out about Corel Painter?
While working at a trade show in 1991 (drawing caricatures in Photoshop), I saw a demonstration of the first version of Painter and I had an epiphany!
How long have you been using Painter?
Since the very beginning, when it was released by Fractal Design Corp.
Are you using any other products in conjunction with Painter?
I use Photoshop, on occasion. Photoshop has more robust tools for transforming selections, and has the CMYK feature.
What are the three biggest problems Painter helps you solve?
How did you deal with those problems before Painter?
Before Painter I did not have a digital illustration business, and never even imagined painterly clones from photos. I did use Photoshop for live caricature, and my style was quite different due to the difference between the tools and features.
Has anything about Painter surprised you?
I have been able to invent many new styles and create experimental work that combined techniques and features. These images would be hard to imagine without Painter.
Do you have any published Painter work?
Many of my published Painter books have original artwork projects that serve as step-by-step examples. Prints of my Painter fine art (including commissioned portraits) are owned by collectors, nationwide.
Tell us about a unique project you've created with Painter.
My dentist routinely takes photos of the inside of my mouth, especially for stages in a procedure such as implants. He sends me the image files, knowing I will come up with something artistic. I created a series of "Mouthscapes" done with layer effects and cloning. A framed triptych of the implant series hangs on the wall in his reception area.
Have you had any famous clients or projects for which you used Painter?
Early in my career as a Painter caricature artist, I worked a gig at San Francisco's famous Fillmore. Billed as the "Winter of Love", Timothy Leary ("turn on, tune in, drop out!") was a featured guest and he sat for a drawing. When I handed him the print, he signed it: "To the only woman who could make me sit still for 10 minutes." I'm a lot faster now.
Any Painter tips?
The Custom Palette feature in Painter is a real labor-saving device! Shift-drag favorite brush variants and paper textures to the desktop, where they can be grouped in a compact little panel that you can name according to the project or technique you will use it for. You can even add frequently used commands! Make as many custom palettes as you wish, for various purposes, and use the Custom Palette Organizer (in the Window menu) to manage them.
