Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
GEISLER
Painterly Portraits
Painting in Layers with Bristle Brushes
Advanced Technique
Overview:
Place a sketch as a template; draw with customized bristle brushes; continue to
paint with custom brushes into separate layers; create frame.
The myriad bristle brushes presented Greg Geisler with an infinite variety of brushes
to create his expressive painterly portrait, “Blue Mirror.” Commissioned by Adobe
Systems, you can find this file, and a PDF ReadMe file explaining more about how he
made it, on
WOW! ONLINE
.
1 Placing the initial sketch, and customizing Bristle Brush Options.
Geisler placed his dis-
torted Photoshop sketch (PSD) as a Template layer. He opened the Bristle Brush Li-
brary (from the Brush Libraries menu in the lower left of the Brushes panel) and
clicked on the 1-pt Round bristle brush, which automatically loaded the brush into
the Brushes panel. Geisler next duplicated that brush (by dragging its icon to the
New Brush icon in the Brushes panel) and then double-clicked on the New Brush
icon so he could change several settings in Bristle Brush Options. He made changes
to Bristle Thickness, adjusted Paint Opacity and increased the Stiffness, and then
named it and clicked OK. On a layer above the template, he used this new brush to
create the base sketch for the entire illustration. Geisler kept the Brushes panel and
the Bristle Brush Library open throughout the drawing session, so he could continue
to duplicate and customize brushes as his drawing progressed. For this layer, he cre-
ated three different variations of the 1-pt Liner brush.
