Mask

[jassony]

This is something really different for me so am curious as to what it's effect is on other people.

Judi

[jassony]

This is something really different for me so am curious as to what it's effect is on other people.

Judi

[athena]

Judi!

That is a fascinating use of texture! Did you (forgive the pun) use a mask on a burlap or woven texture? or did you paint that texture into the shape you wanted it (given the magical properties of painter this wouldn't surprise me)? (or maybe a bit of both?)

Very interesting! Thank you for posting it.

[img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Athena

[jassony]

Hi Athena,

I created the face on a transparent layer using the Scratchboard rake, I then preserved transparency and filled it with a gold pattern I created.

On the eyes, nose and mouth I applied a bevel.

For the head piece I filled it with the gold pattern and went over it with "Grain Emboss" brush setting the "composit Depth" to "Replace" and used a paper texture I also created using the Scratchboard rake englarging the paper size by 200%.

I had a terrible time making the paper because drawing a straight line freehand is very difficult for me even using a ruler as a guide. The rake brush makes a fanned out stroke when you use the straight line option. Does anyone know how to change this? There are several other brushes in Painter that do the same thing and I have tried different options in the Brush Controls but nothing seems to effect it. The fanning out can be nice for some things, but there are times I don't want it.

Judi

[Jinny Brown]

Judi,

If your straight lines are vertical, horizontal, or angled, you could use Grid/Snap to Grid and in Grid Options, set the grid spacing to anything you want. Then, when you use the Straight Lines setting with a brush like the Pen/Smooth Ink Pen or Pen/Scratchboard Tool, for instance, you should be able to get straight, parallel lines.

Your mask is interesting and I would have guessed that you used the Impasto brushes for the mouth and eyes. The face is convincing as actual fabric and the places where some of the crossing lines are missing makes it look ancient.

What inspired this image, if you don't mind sharing?

Nice work. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Jinny Brown
http://www.pixelalley.com
________________________

[athena]

you may be able to make a short straight line with the scratchboard rake and then crop and save the sample as a pattern and then use the pens--> pattern pen, masked

to get the effect you wanted with the straight line (as opposed to freehand) feature of painter.

Just a hare brained scheme at the moment =) but it might work. (since i too was able to duplicate the fan shaped incident when using straight line and scratchboard tool).

[img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Athena

[jassony]

Jinny
The snap to grid and the snap to guides only works when you have straight line option on. Since the Scratchborad rake fans out in the straight line option it doesn't work.

Athena
Actually that is what I ended up doing. Using the scratchboard rake I drew the straightest line I could vertically on one layer. created another layer and drew a line horizonally. I cut a square piece out of the straightest part of each layer and grouped and collapsed them into a new layer. the resulting pattern/paper was only 47 x 47 <g>

Previously, I made a paper using Jinny's method using the fine point pen the results was a precise grid, which I was after at the time. The one I made using the rake, because of the brush uses the soft cover cover method produced more of a fabric look.

As to what inspired me. There was no forethought, I was just playing around with the scratchboard rake, often when I doodle around I make faces. The doodle reminded me of a mask exhibit and class by a local artist who is a mask artist. So I decided to explore it futher.

Judi

P.S. In my 1st reply to Athena, the ruler was not the Painter ruler, but an actual ruler on my Wacom pad.

[Jinny Brown]

Judi,

Yes, I understood about the fanned effect and that's why I suggested using another brush.

I guess I'm a bit confused about which area of the mask you're referring to, the face or the hat.

If you used the Scratchboard Rake for the face, I don't see many straight lines and that's probably why I'm confused (other than it's my normal condition <g>).

There must be a way to create a brush that has all of the charactistics you wanted. I'll take a look at your messages and see what I can come up with.. just for the fun of it. Been playing with new brush variants lately and finding out it's more fun that I'd have expected.

[img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Jinny Brown
http://www.pixelalley.com
________________________

[Jinny Brown]

Judi,

I just spent a few minutes trying to come up with a solution that meets the requirements I recall you mentioned or ones I think you might want based on looking at your mask:

Straight lines
Parallel lines
Soft-edged lines
Control over the length and width of the lines
Repeatable characteristics in the brush strokes

It's easy to see now why you had trouble making straight lines and looking at your mask, I'm very impressed with the quality of the lines you got. When I tried it, several ways, my lines were uneven in width, shakey, curves were difficult to make nicely, etc.

I tried Athena's suggestion to make a Pattern with no success. The captured Pattern repeated as a repeat image, not anything I could make look like a brush stroke.

Here's my final solution, and it's extremely controllable, though time consuming:

Use the Pen tool to draw individual lines. If you want to repeat a line, hold down the Alt key and click on the original line with the Layer Adjuster tool and a copy is made. You can move the lines using the Layer Adjuster tool or nudge them into position using the up, down, left, and right arrow keys. If they need editing as to length, angle, curve, or to make them parallel straight lines or parallel curves, use the Shape Editing tools found under the Layer Adjuster tool (Shape Selection tool, white arrow) and under the Scissors tool (Add Point tool, Remove Point tool, and Convert Point tool).

After the lines are created and edited, highlight all of the line Shapes listed in the Layers list, click the Group button, then click the Collapse button and when asked if you want to "Commit all shapes and plugin layers to an image layer?" click the Commit All button. Your lines will now all be on one Layer.

Then use Effects/Focus/Soften and begin by typing 1. If that's not enough, Edit/Undo and adjust as needed depending on your line width and image scale.

My test was done using the Pen tool with Stroke set to 3.00 (Shapes/Set Shape Attributes) and Soften set to 1.00 Effects/Focus/Soften.

The resulting line was softer and cleaner looking than the Scratchboard tool set to Cover/Soft Cover (Brush Controls palette/General section/Dab Type: Circular/Stroke Type: Single/Method: Cover/Subcatetory: Soft Cover).. which is another option if you don't want to use the Pen tool.

I hope that this helps a little. If not, it was another learning experience for me, at least. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Jinny Brown
http://www.pixelalley.com
_______________________

[This message was edited by Jinny Brown on April 07, 2001 at 05:39 PM.

[This message was edited by Jinny Brown on April 07, 2001 at 05:46 PM.]

[jassony]

Jinny, I now see I badly worded my post, thus causing confusion.

I wasn't trying to get straight lines with the scratchboard rake on the face of the mask.

Also I wasn't looking for a work around to create a pattern or paper, using another brush to achieve the straight lines I wanted.

What I wanted to know is there something that can be changed in the Brush Controls to keep the rake brushes from fanning out. I don't use the brush controls very often so wondered if there was a setting I was missing in my feeble attempts.

Judi. who is re-reading "How to write a query 101"