One of the effects that I have been struggling to obtain in Painter is a Canvas show-through effect that you often see in oil paintings. It is a random canvas pattern that seems to come through the image at different opacities. Part of the canvas grains pick up the underlying color and other parts just pick up the color of canvas. Simply applying a canvas paper texture fails to achieve this since it is too uniform and tends to muddle the image.
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| Figure 1. Canvas Paper Texture Applied | Figure 2. Canvas "ShowThru" Method Applied |
To begin, I created a Pattern by scanning a rough gauze and capturing a high contrast section of the underlying image.
Figure 3. Gauze pattern
I then create a new layer and select All. By using layers, I can control the opacity and the combine method, and also easily eliminate any mistakes without compromising the underlying image.
The next step is to use a Clone brush on the layer without another image as the clone source. I don't know if it is documented or if the control in buried somewhere in the brush controls, but by not specifying a clone source, the clone brush (at least the soft and straight cloners) will default to the current pattern.
1. Select the gauze pattern in Patterns from the Art Materials Windows
2. Make sure that there is no current clone source selected (File - Clone Source)
3. Select the Cloner brushes - I typically use either the straight or soft cloners brushes for this. I also typically work with small size and low opacity.
4. On the new layer set the composite method to Magic combine (Objects Window - Composite method pull-down). This causes the black to become white and white to become the underlying color. I haven't been able to detect any difference if I also check or uncheck the dialog boxes for pick up underlying color, and preserve transparency.
5. Lightly stroke areas where you want the affect to appear. Initially the canvas effect it will be too prominent until you adjust the opacity. In the Objects Dialog Box (Show Objects Window), adjust the opacity slider till the canvas has the right amount of opacity. You can create additional layers and apply the same effects with different opacity settings. If you make a mistake, you can use the eraser brush to eliminate unwanted strokes, or delete the layer if you totally botch it. That way you won't risk altering the underlying canvas layer.
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| Figure 4. Brush strokes on layer with underlying canvas hidden |
Figure 5. Brush strokes with opacity adjusted and underlying canvas displayed. |
6. For even finer control of the underlying canvas grain, you can use the Bleach or Darkener Eraser brush selectively over the areas to selectively enhance or lighten areas.
I welcome your comments, suggestions, or enhancements to this technique, or any good canvas patterns you've come across.
Steve Friedman
mailto:sfriedman@digitalartmasterworks.com