By Jima Abbott Artists are an experimental bunch, always ready to ...

Little Ballerina by Marge StewartThe unlimited natural media possibilities using CorelPainter are amazing. Choices of natural brushes and a limitlessarray of paper textures allow the artist to combine differenttechniques not possible with traditional artmaterials.Digital Art SoftwareWith the image editing software Adobe Photoshop,collages and montages can be created by placing separateparts of the total composition on independently editablelayers that can be changed and re-changed at any time.Just think of being able to go back to your original artyears later and add an additional element or make achange based on newly acquired images, ideas or skills.Some artists feel immediately at home with the softwareCorel Painter, which has tools that mimic traditionalmedia such as oil, watercolor, pastel, charcoal, air brushand many others. Using a pressure sensitive stylus andgraphics tablet is like using a paintbrush, pencil or pen.Some very interesting hybrid art forms are being createdthat combine traditional media handwork and digitaladditions and manipulations.Adobe Illustrator is a drawing program that allowsartists to create sophisticated artwork, technical illustrations,graphics, and page designs for print, multimedia,and the Web. Illustrator offers a full range of drawing andpainting tools, as well as type in a postscript format.Artists will appreciate the wide range of creative tools,Cold Blue by Patrick Davis. Digital photography“ My digital work flow starts at the camera (a Nikon D2x) and an eye forthe unusual. From there I adjust the color in Capture NX then do thefinal sharpening in Photoshop with printing via a RIP (Image Print) tothe final product.”including warp effects; liquefy controls; arc, grid, andshape tools; editable drop shadows, glows, and othereffects; and editable compound shapes.Mandala by Janet AshfordAdobe Illustrator. Janet is one of the Mendocino Art Center’s digital artinstructors. See her workshops on page 48.19