Photo-Paint X4, colouring with new Photo Filter Lens

I have said it before, I am not running a tip & tricks blog on my website :-) . But just came to think about this new Photo Filter Lens we now got with the new Corel Photo-Paint X4, the image editing and illustration program that comes bundled with CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4. You can find the Photo Filter Lens in the Object´s docker as useal.

I felt I like to share this, because I just this moment used this myself, on a illustration I am doing for a magazine. I thought I could show you a way on how to use it, by using a photo of a car. For this you take a photo of a car, and then in the Object docker choose the Photo Filter lens. Choose colour, I choosed a green one. Then use either a mask tool or the eraser tool, and preferably a Wacom (Intuos3) tablet. And start removing left over colour. By opening the Channel docker, you will see that the layer for the Photo Filter is greyed ot in the channel. If you selected it, you will then see all non-green as a red mask, and make it even easier to mask, erase, remove the green you dont like. See attached image. Oh, and a pen tablet, such as a Wacom Intuos3, makes it much easier and faster to do this exercise. Simple.















Have fun!

Stefan Lindblad
Illustrator & artist

A new illustration "Man in the Dark"

Here is one of my new illustrations. An illustration in its own right, which can also bee seen as a book cover dummie. Made entirely with Corel Photo-Paint X4 (CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4), and a Wacom Intuos 3 A6 Wide tablet.

Stefan Lindblad
Illustrator & artist

What is good design and what is bad design

Illustration by Stefan Lindblad for the Fly Nordic Airline magazine

I originally asked this question to members on the www.Coreldraw.com forum.

"What is good design and what is bad design." What makes a good cover and what doesnt make a good cover. Is all that is Free of charge the best, or is payed the best, or does it have to do with money at all.

In our daily work when we create an illustration, cover for a book or graphic novel, graphic design, web design or take a photograph, and use all this in a official situation. Such as a flyer, broshure, book cover, powerpoint presentation, or whatever. What standard do you demand of yourself? Do you follow the road "Anything goes" without reflecting, or do you "over do" it?

Taste is different from person to person. That we all know. Its a subjective form of work. But its also a form of work that have a lot of rules attached to it. Some think we have to follow the rules, some think we should completly skip it. And some they just dont give a toss about it at all. Anything goes for them.

I had a discussion with an IT consultant on a train, on my way down to the Swedish book fair. He used Flickr to get all the photos he needed, for all his presentation material, such as PowerPoint and other presentations. It was free he said, and as good as anything made by a "professional". And why would Free be a less good photo, illustration or design, just because its free he asked.

Yes its a good question, and of course the answer doesnt have to be that free is bad. But to only look for what is free of charge, limits the development of ones own creative mind. Of course I let the IT consultant to start think again, to ponder on what he said, to open his mind, and so on, but that is how it is. Taste is different. What do you think?

International Herald Tribune wrote an article a bit on this subject: Design. Its written by a Design Critic. Read the article: iht.com >>

And another thing: is less is more always the secret and aproch to create good design?

Stefan Lindblad
Illustrator & artist

TV fashion program filmed me illustrating

The Internationally famouse Swedish fashion, jeans, ad agency, film maker company ACNE called me up, a few weeks ago. To ask if I could consider to make an illustration a la minute, for their TV production: a Swedish Fashion TV program called "Streetsmart", and on friday last week they filmed me. I whent over to their office, studio. A several story building in Old Town, Stockholm. They had made all preparations with camera, lighting and all. I came with my paper, pencil and markers. They gave me a nice cappucino, ginger cookies and a fruit. They were all very nice people, and the filming was fun. I had the camera man above me with all the camera gear. Right above my head, while leaning back and trying to draw at the same time. We had a tape pasted on the tripod, so not to lean forward infront of the camera. Yes I did prepared myself before, on what and how to draw and all, but still... For you who will see the episod with me drawing, in late october, november, it took 3 hours to shot, and few minutes for you to watch.

New book to illustrate

Just got the contract in the mail to sign for making cover, cover illustration and inside illustrations for a new childrens/youth book. For the same publishing house as before, Hegas. Looking forward to it. Read the script. All is to be finished in November. Tight but it will work. Here >> is the last book I made for the same publishing house. You who read the blog might remember it. It got completly sold out at the Swedish book fair a few weeks ago. It was a sucess among the kids.

Stefan Lindblad
Illustrator & artist

Books on Corel Photo-Paint & CorelDRAW

Its not easy to find new books about Photo-Paint. But many times the older books are as good as the new ones, if they are well written. The Book on Corel Photo-Paint I have is the version 10. It´s written by Dave Huss. It´s a perfectly okey book, and it´s the Official guide. And as with all books, depending on the version of the software, topics they bring to surface differs from book to book. Therefore its perfectly okey to actually buy an older book. And keep them in the shelves. Not too old, but a version back or two is not so bad. Especially when one like to learn the basics.

There is also another e-book, the DVD book by Foster D. Coburn: CorelDRAW Unleashed X4 the Premium Bonus version. Which I highly recomend. For me it´s a no-brainer to buy this book/DVD, which include tutorials on Corel Photo-Paint, and all about CorelDRAW of course. I have mentioned this book by Foster many times on my blog, and it is a joy to browse around the knowledge. Foster a very nice person, who I have learned a lot from very early on from books and newsgroups, when I started using CorelDRAW & Photo-Paint back in 1998. To quote from the Unleash website about the book/DVD:

Premium Bonus Content Edition adds: 127 page ebook on Corel PHOTO-PAINT X4 with two hours of tutorial movies · 37 Powertips on CorelDRAW and/or Corel PHOTO-PAINT with one hour of tutorial movies · CorelDRAW Service Packs for versions X3-X4 · Digital Photography Tools · Numerous bitmap pattern fills and utilities · Image Editing Tools · Painting Tools · Hundreds of Photoshop Plug-Ins that work in Corel PHOTO-PAINT · Slideshow Tools · Unleashed FX Documentation · Web Development tools

And then we have the e-book on Photo-Paint X3 by Nathan Segal, "The Corel Photo-Paint X3 Insider", an e-book I havent looked at myself, but as I understand it is a good one.

And newest book of them all, slightly newer than Fosters DVD book, the brand new "CorelDRAW X4, the official guide". Which is mostly about CorelDRAW and the suite itself, but it still takes up about Photo-Paint as well. And it really is a good book to have. For many years I felt these Official books, "Bibels", didnt give so much. They just felt big and only as if surfing the surface, on what can be done in the programs. But I have slowly and now definitly start to really like them again, especially when they are well written as the this new one by Gary David Bouton, who have used portions from the older book versions, with text by Steve Bain & Nick Wilkinson. ( The example files for the CorelDRAW X4 Official guide can be downloaded from the author Gary David Bouton´s website and the publisher McGraw Hill. >> The link to the publisher is mhprofessional.com but are example files are more difficult to find on their website)

And in this new X4 book they have again included chapters about working with text in Coreldraw. Which I missed in the Version 10 CorelDRAW official Guide.

One other series of book/DVD to not forget is the DVD´s made by Tom Knight. I have never bought these DVD´s myself, BUT I have looked at all the free tutorials Tom Knight have on his website. Which are just great. That man really know his way around the software. And just the thought that those free tutorials together with other tutorials by Tom Knight is on the DVD´s, sounds too good to be true. I can´t picture these DVD´s to be other than great. Top notch. One can really understand that Tom know his business. And he also have a DVD, power training on Photo-Paint among his DVD´s.

Whatever book on paper or e-book/DVD you choose, have fun, they are good to have.



Stefan Lindblad
illustrator & artist