How to Start Painting Digitally with Painter and Wacom

February 27, 2019

You’ve seen them standing there with their easels on windswept cliffs and windswept beaches and windswept botanical gardens, quietly capturing the scene with their paints. And you want to be them. Heck, who doesn’t. Or perhaps you are them (we envy you, windswept painter person!) But often the reality of painting (messy paints, awaiting the correct natural light, lack of a windswept beach) can stop even the most passionate painter in their tracks.

If you’re a painter (or aspiring painter) with a vision in your mind and a paintbrush for a heart (call 911, if this is literally the case) but something keeps getting between you and the canvas, technology is here to help. Combining a Wacom tablet or display with Painter software allows painters of all stripes to create when the inspiration strikes.

But how does one capture the muse digitally? We asked the team at Painter to round up their best tutorials so you can get your digital paintbrush primed to capture the windswept landscapes of your dreams.

Read on for their favorite tutorials.

Getting to Know Painter 2019

This series of tutorials by Painter Master Elite Cher Pendarvis will introduce you to the Painter interface and tools, and teach you the basics of working with color and layers. Learn how to get started with photo art and freehand sketching, and fine-tune your painting with effects. Already an experienced Painter user? Explore the new features and enhancements in Painter 2019 with our What’s New tutorial series.

How to Set Up your Painter Canvas

Learn about the various options when setting up your Painter canvas: dimensions, color background, paper type, and recommended resolution for print or web.

Reviewing the Painter Toolbox

Do you know what’s in your toolbox? Painter Master Elite Cher Pendarvis reviews each of the tools in the Painter toolbox and what they can be used for.

Getting to Know Painter Brushes

Get a look at Painter’s Brush Selector library, its categories and variants, and learn how to configure Brush Tracking to optimize for your stylus.

Working with Color in Painter

Painter Master Elite Cher Pendarvis introduces you to the various color tools for selecting, adjusting, sampling, cloning and mixing color in Painter.

Understanding Painter Layers

Painter Master Elite Cher Pendarvis discusses the Layers panel and how layers can be used to organize your paintings and experiment with different effects.

Property Bar and Shortcuts

Learn how to adjust the settings of each tool using the Property Bar, and get some helpful keyboard shortcuts to speed up your painting workflow.

Painting your First Photo

Learn how to paint your first photo with the tools in the Photo Art palette for cloning, auto-painting and restoring some of the photographic details.

Freehand Sketching from a Reference Image

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to set up a reference image for freehand sketching, and how to use the various tools in the Reference Image panel.

Fine-tuning your Painting with Effects

Painter Master Elite Cher Pendarvis shows you how to apply lighting and surface texture to your canvas to add that extra flair to your painting.

Related posts:

How to create stunning 8-bit pixel art masterpieces, with Killer Rabbit Media

How to create stunning 8-bit pixel art masterpieces, with Killer Rabbit Media

Vera Brosgol on her creative career journey, the difference between traditional and digital art, and the benefits of starting small

Vera Brosgol on her creative career journey, the difference between traditional and digital art, and the benefits of starting small

Making the most of your Wacom, with Pablo Muñoz Gómez

Making the most of your Wacom, with Pablo Muñoz Gómez

How to Optimize Your Artistic Workflow with Rebelle and Wacom

How to Optimize Your Artistic Workflow with Rebelle and Wacom

Connect with Wacom on social media

Ready to crush it in 3D art, make killer illustrations, or edit photos that pop off the screen? 🤔💡⁣
⁣
Grab a #WacomIntuos, it's a total game-changer for newbies diving into digital art or for pros craving that extra precision and smoothness you just don't get with a regular mouse or trackpad 🖱️🫣⁣
⁣
Intuos comes with a feather-light, ultra-accurate pen that never needs charging, and you get some cool software for free to match how you roll.⁣
⁣
Now on sale! 🏷️⁣
#WacomTablet #WacomSale #EdTech #DigitalArt #Wacom⁣
54 1
Get lost in the details like @danidiamondphotography 📷☕🔍

Experience color like never before with the Wacom Cintiq Pro 27! 

With 99% Adobe RGB, 98% DCI-P3, and over 1 billion colors, your photos will pop with incredible accuracy. 🎨

Plus, with HDR Gamma support, stunning 4K resolution, and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, your photo editing sessions will feel more immersive than ever. 😍 And with its ergonomic design, it’s the most comfortable way to edit for long hours without any strain.
#wacomworkspace #CintiqPro27 #wacomcintiqpro #photoediting #retouching #photography
676 4
Today we celebrate the 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐲 🤩!

Ever wished you could learn calligraphy? We asked @afinkandink to teach us some basics to get you started. ✏️✒️🖊️✍️🖋️
Doesn't she make it look so easy? 

#nationalhandwritingday #Handwriting #DigitalInk #DigitalPen #WacomPen #calligraphy #creativelettering #lettering #moderncalligraphy #madewithwacom
128 6
Calling all newbies! 📣📣📣

Try these three exercises to help you master your digital pen ✍️

#Wacom #WacomTips #wacomtablet #drawingtips #drawingtablet #digitalart #wacompen #wacomintuos #wacomintuospro
545 13
Today, we lift our heads high and draw one another in even tighter. 🤲🥹⁣
⁣
We extend our deepest sympathies to all those enduring the aftermath of the distressing fires in Los Angeles. The sorrow wrought by this tragedy is close to our hearts, and in this time of trial, we embrace our community with unwavering support.⁣
⁣
Art by the wonderful @yingshiart ⁣
⁣
829 6
Change is scary sometimes. It also requires time. 🫠
For @adam_theillustrator, it took some time to switch the mouse over a stylus, but he never looked back. 💪
Do you remember what it was like for you? How many tries did it take you to master drawing with a tablet? What advice do you have for new users? 
#wacomtablet #wacomintuospro #digitalartist #digitalart #wacom #wacompen
2033 61
Time flies when you're absorbed in the details, hyper focusing on every stroke and thinking about every line. 👀🤓🧐🔍🐲
Love seeing @andrezgalviz_art taking advantage of his beautiful Cintiq Pro 24 canvas to sculpt for hours. 
#madewithwacom #Wacomworkspace #wacomcintiq #CintiqPro #3dmodeling #3dsculpting #3dart
1072 10
Don't mind us, we're out here mesmerized watching @andreaalice.nz make petals 🌺🌸💜🖌️
What beautiful things are you making today? Tag us #MadeWithWacom
Now go feast your eyes and check out Andrea's stunning botanical prints. 
#creativeprofessionals #digitalart #artistsoninstagram
387 8
How many strokes to draw Rengoku? 🗡️💥❤️‍🔥
@caleo_real did this challenge and the results were..... Interesting 🤯😂
Do you count your strokes? An artist may choose to paint with as few brush strokes as possible for many reasons, including aesthetic effect, style, technique or emotional impact. 

#madewithwacom #digitalartist #digitalart #demonslayer #rengoku #fanart #artchallenge
1071 11
One of the most important steps in animation is BLOCKING! 
We asked @fabgioffre to walk us through his process to show you how easy it can be, especially if you're using the right tools like @toonboomanimation and a Wacom tablet (Fabio is using the Movink on this video). 
Head to Fabio's YouTube channel for the full tutorial or head to our stories to get there. 
#toonboom #wacommovink #madewithwacom #animation
209 8
A seamless blend of design, engineering, technology. 
The Cintiq Pro 27 is designed to let professionals work and move in complete harmony. 
Ready for an upgrade? 
#wacomcintiqpro #CintiqPro
780 36
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
Error: There is no connected account for the user 17841445048021802.