For decades, artists have used photographs as reference sources for their paintings. Some artists attach a photo to their easel as they paint. Others have gone so far as to project a photo against a wall and to draw on paper or canvas, following the projection as a template.

So it isn't that surprising that one of the most popular uses of Corel Painter today is using photos as the basis of paintings. This includes everything from adding painterly touches to a photo to completely transforming the photo into a painting in Painter.

The practice spans many creative fields, too, from traditional artists who use the photo as a springboard for their art to professional photographers who sell painted portraits of their photographs to their clients.

And today, with the popularity of digital cameras and archival inkjet prints, more people than ever are getting into turning photographs into paintings.

It's in this atmosphere of excitement that Karen Sperling is happy to announce that she has completed updating her Artistry Painting for Photographers tutorials for Painter IX.

"I've been getting emails begging me for the update," says Karen. "I'd like to think it's because I'm so much in demand, but the truth is, it's the subject that gets people excited. After all, there are lots of Painter tutorials and books out there nowadays, in addition to Painter classes. But there's that much interest in the subject that people can't get enough information about it."

The Artistry Painting for Photographers tutorials are available in Acrobat format, downloadable from the Artistry web site at http://www.artistrymag.com and also on CD. Discounts are being offered for ordering the CD along with the other Artistry tutorials that are available for Painter IX, including a CD with the first six months of the Artistry Tips and Tricks newsletter and an Artistry Beginners CD.

The original Painter expert, Karen Sperling wrote the first several Painter manuals starting when the program debuted in 1991, in addition to the Painter Complete series of books. Karen has taught Painter since its debut to everyone from free-lance artists and photographers to staff artists and designers at major motion picture and greeting card companies. She has also given seminars and demo's of Painter at American Film Institute, Macworld, Seybold, the Professional Photographers of America and SIGGRAPH.

For more information about the Artistry Painting for Photographers tutorials, please visit this page: http://www.artistrymag.com/docs/photog.html

or contact Karen Sperling at karensperling@sbcglobal.net or ksperling@aol.com.