245: Using photoshop to adjust an abstract

ACRYLICS allow me to paint over an abstract as many times as I need to–the surface texture only gets richer. One of the tools I use to help me move forward with a thickly textured canvas is Photoshop (you can also use Corel Painter,  Clip Studio Paint, or Procreate if you have an iPad or PC tablet). In the video I use my old ModBook but you can use any tablet that works with your computer.

In the video below I imported the image to the right and began painting over the digital file in Photoshop (the original lacks subtlety of saturation and value). If you aren't familiar with Photoshop or you need more info on how to make textured brushes I highly recommend the tutorials at the Society of Visual Storytelling.  One of the best tutorials on how to make your own brushes is Chaos to Control by Lee White. Don't let it bother you if your style isn't similar to White's. He focuses on making your own highly textured brushes and I found it very applicable to my textured abstracts.

I don't always use photoshop for corrections but it can be a handy way to pre-visualize what you are trying to accomplish.

Brad Teare –August 2015