Our sister magazine Advanced Photoshop has set up an exclusive competition with iStockphoto.com to offer digital artists the chance to create a cover image and win prizes worth £4000.

Using stock photography supplied by iStockphoto.
com (www.istockphoto.com/createacover), artists
must use Photoshop to create a stunning piece
of art that is good enough to grace the cover of
Advanced Photoshop. The best artworks chosen
by the judging panel will become part of a four cover
split run for issue 65 of the magazine.

As well as the opportunity to see their image on the cover of the digital art magazine, the four winning artists will also each receive £500 cash and £500 of iStockphoto.com credits. “We’re really excited to be working with iStockphoto.com on this fantastic competition,” said Editor, Julie Easton. “Digital art is incredibly varied and there are plenty of established and up-and-coming artists producing wonderful imagery with Photoshop and stock photography. This competition gives all digital artists the chance to compete for a cover spot, as well as win some really great prizes.”

“In an era where technology is creating new forms of creativity, digitally generated artwork is reaching all-time heights. We’re sure to see some inspired designs in what promises to be a great competition, bringing together a creative mash-up of Photoshop wizardry with iStock’s file collection of over 5 million,” said Kelly Thompson, CEO of iStockphoto.com.

The Advanced Photoshop/iStockphoto.com Create a Cover competition is open for entries until 23 November 2009, with the winners being announced in issue 65, on sale December 2009. Further information can be found at www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/
competitions_istockphoto.php.

Imagine Publishing’s camera comparison website receives improved functionality and a whole new look

Digicambuyer.co.uk, the website of Digital Camera Essentials magazine,has received a dramatic redesign to allow for quicker and easier access as well as a powerful, simple-to-use search and comparison engine.

With hundreds of reviews to call on from the pages of Digital Camera Essentials, which is approaching its 90th issue, Digicambuyer.co.uk aims to present the consumer with the best possible advice on their next digital camera purchase, as well as giving direct links to trusted retail websites via Pricegrabber. Up to four cameras can be compared on specifications, intended usage and review ratings, giving the user an immediate, on-screen method of weighing up the best model.

Digicambuyer.co.uk also offers a plethora of features, tutorials and accessories reviews as well as the latest photography news. The redesign of the website has been a collaborative process between both the editorial team and interactive department within Imagine Publishing, completely rebuilding the previous site to better cater to
the increasing needs of the prosumer looking for impartial buying advice.

“Dedicated to helping our readers find the right kit, the Digicambuyer team have been hard at work making sure all the latest camera, lens and peripheral reviews are available free online,” said Editor in Chief, Debbi Allen. “Digicambuyer.co.uk is designed to be intuitive to use and allow visitors to compare up to four expert reviews, side by side. Coupled with new technology like the Apple iPhone, this means users can check camera reviews and be sure of expert, up-to-the-minute advice on the go.”

Head of Digital Projects (Online), Ben Spencer, added: “We are extremely happy with the decision to relaunch and have completely redeveloped the site in-house. The Interactive team has produced an extremely user-friendly and feature-packed site, making it one of the top camera review websites on the web.”

“The relaunched Digicambuyer.co.uk site reflects the brand values of our print offering, Digital Camera Essentials, and is a fantastic digital platform for our advertisers to engage with their target audience,” commented James Hanslip, Head of Sales.

Imagine Publishing
01202 586200
www.digicambuyer.co.uk

Subscribers may have got their copies already, but if you buy the Official Corel Painter Magazine from your local newsagent then you’ll find issue 33 on sale in the UK today, and wending its way to international territories right now!

It’s my pleasure to introduce a new member of the Painter team, Carly Barratt, who joined us as a designer this issue. I think you’ll agree she has done some marvellous things with our cover as well as inside the magazine. Highlights this issue include:

Enhance your Painter workflow Find out which programs can help you speed up your painting and get the effects you want

Techniques for using Gouache brushes Cat Bounds explores Painter’s Gouache variants in a painting that updates the Bodegon style of art

Sketch with tonal values Tim Shelbourne presents a masterclass on using and understanding tonal values in your artwork

Paint like Classicism Kelley Harris explains why the art of ancient Greece and Rome continues to have such staying power

Texturise a landscape Darren Yeow shows you how to tap into one of the latest concept art trends

Art Study: Combat Sandra Chang-Adair showcases how dynamic figure drawing can make history and fantasy paintings pop

Drawing 101: Foreshortening Sophie Elliot teaches you the basics of realistic and dramatic perspective

Feature Focus: Dynamic Plug-ins Wen-Xi Chen explains how these layer manipulation tools can create fantastic effects

Interview: Nicole Cardiff Concept and collectable cards artist Nicole Cardiff explains how she produces work for Sony and Wizards of the Coast

Plus! News, your letters, Painter Cheat Guide, Art Class, reviews, Reader’s Gallery and much more. Available from all good newsagents, but if you really can’t wait why not click here to order online now?

Enjoy the issue!

Click here to view Vincent’s Gallery.

A series of artworks based on a concept is always a fascinating thing. Vincent’s series looks at the animal-based constellations in the night sky, from the ones we know from star signs to less well-known ones like the Peacock. Peacocks are wonderful creatures for painters anyway - the amount of colour and pattern they sport can keep most artists busy for hours. In this piece Vincent has refined and distilled all of that light-reflective colour and shimmering pattern into a series of beautiful basic shapes which are echoed on the border design. The idea of presenting the creatures of the constellations in a playing or collectable card format is a great one too, and would make a lovely collection for kids. Absolutely stellar!

Click here to view Cesar’s Gallery.

I thought I’d leave last week’s pic of the week until today as I’m going to be on holiday until next Tuesday, and otherwise you’d have nothing to look at. This image by Cesar could probably reward a week of staring at it - from its dynamic cropping and perspective to its restrained yet Renaissance-rich colour harmony to its depiction of an imaginary Venice on a truly epic scale. I love concept art because of how imaginative it is - it can really push the boundaries of imagination and representation. This is a great example.

While I’m out of the office over the next week our new designer Carly will be approving your images daily. If you’ve got any letters, blog comments or tweets please be aware that I won’t be picking up my email, blog or Twitter again until next week, but I will get back to you on my return!

If you’re a subscriber then you might have got your hands on it already; if not (why not?) issue 32 of the Official Corel Painter Magazine is on sale in the UK today, and it’s winging its way across the rest of the world right now!

We’ve got another packed issue for you this month; here are some of my favourite highlights:

From pencil to Painter - professional artists  discuss how they use Painter and other media to create their artwork and explain how you can mix pencil, paint and Painter in yours.

An interview with Melanie Delon.

Cheat Guide - Airbrushing. Get the look of classic airbrushed illustration.

How to use Liquid Inks - Luis Diaz explains how to use these edgy textural brushes to create pulp poster art. Who needs ComicCon anyway?

Add graffiti to an urban scene - Seen Banksy’s latest artwork in Africa? Create your own in Painter with this fantastic tutorial and full creative pack from Jim Scullion.

Paint like Rococo - Discover the decorative style of the 18th Century and create a modern version of a classic painting.

Art Study: Caricatures - Have some fun with Angie Jordan’s guide to comedy portraiture.

Create a sci-fi character - Learn the science of sci-fi concept art and how your character’s environment, society and physiology affect every aspect of your painting.

There’s all this and much more in the latest issue of the mag. Can’t wait any longer? Click here to buy online now!

Click here to view Paul’s Gallery.

I’m sure you’ve all seen me waffle on many times before about how much I love fantasy and fairytale images and this one’s no exception, although what’s drawn me back to Paul’s painting throughout the day as I’ve been showing Painter’s new designer around the website and trying to decide on a Pic of the Week is not the subject matter but the style. The vibrancy of the texturisation in this image is really in keeping with what it’s about - it evokes the crackle of leaves and the glorious colours of autumn (Not that I’m wishing away the short British summer!). Visit Paul’s Gallery now and take a look at the large version of the image and you’ll see a wonderful assortment of splatters, crackles and tracing lines that almost make the painted butterflies in the foreground look like they’ve been shot using this extreme photography technique!

This particular painting style - vibrant, energetic, scribbly and showcasing the handpainted nature of what we do even with photo references -  is really popular in digital art at the moment, so keep an eye out for issue 33. We’ve been watching the amount of images utilising this style for a while now and thought we’d share its wonders with you later this summer!

You might have noticed over the past few days that the magazine website has been pretty quiet on the staff front. This is because we’ve had some changes here, and it’s time to introduce a new face and say goodbye to an old one! First, James Shead has moved over to our sister mag  iCreate as senior designer, where he’ll be doing clever, shiny things with clever, shiny computers. James has done some wonderful things with the design of the Official Corel Painter Magazine over the past seven months, and I’m sure you, like me, are sorry to see him go but wish him the best of luck in his new (shiny, clever) role. So it’s time to introduce a new member of the Painter team: Carly Barratt! Carly has just been promoted to designer on the Official Corel Painter Magazine after working as an assistant on one of our other sister mags, GamesTM. You’ll find her on the website as - who’d've thunk it - ‘Carly Barratt’. I’m sure you’re as excited as I am to see another new face and more new ideas in your favourite magazine, so please join me in giving her a warm website welcome!

Click here to view Dawn’s Gallery.

In contrast to last week’s slightly delayed Pic (Hey, it was deadline, okay? :D) here is something completely different. I love a bit of cyberpunk, it’s a great excuse to experiment with painting the unique properties of neon light for a start. Dawn has carried this off very well - the alleyway scene is bathed in different light colours, but she has taken advantage of the fact that different coloured lights become whiter and more pearlescent when the light sources mix. The contrast of this nimbus of light with the deliberately seedy alley scene and gritty textures is fantastic - the main subject’s leather jacket in particular is beautifully done. In her comments Dawn says that she wanted to paint something reminiscent of BladeRunner and this is definitely that - we’d love to see a bigger version!

Click here to view Johan’s Gallery.

This week’s pic was selected by James, Painter’s senior designer. Over to him to see why: “Great texture, lovely brushwork; I like rhinos!”

Well, there you have it… Seriously though, this is an excellent image which showcases some subtle brushwork and excellent detailing. I particularly like the foliage in the background which has been painted with a wonderful degree of delicacy, but the texture on the rhino’s skin, particularly its face, is also fantastic. Unfortunately Johan I can’t remember the name of the artist you mention who influenced this image either - if anyone can, please let Johan know in his Gallery comments!