Others say...

"Worth The Money?"
If you are serious about learning Painter X, yes the book is really worth what it costs. It expands and explains in much more detail , everything that is in the product manual, and I haven't even looked at the CD that comes with the WoW Book. Do It if you can.

"Painter X Wow! wows even longtime Painter user"
TITLE: Painter X Wow! wows even longtime Painter user
David Purnell, M.A., CMI
NEW YORK WEST Medical Illustration Studio
skyotter@aol.com
September 16, 2007

This edition -- "The Painter X Wow! Book" -- of the book series by Cher Threinen-Pendarvis, like its predecessors, is beautifully done, and packed with valuable, accessible information.

I am a professional medical illustrator. Illustrations I create in Painter are the backbone of my work; of my business. I reserve Photoshop for image editing. But for original art that simulates natural media, I don't believe Painter can be beat.

One aspect of this book I especially appreciate are the many examples of how different artists have made use of various Corel Painter features. I find these "case studies" in Threinen-Pendarvis's book to be not only extremely informative, but highly inspiring.

As much as I've used Painter (since 1994, Painter v2.0), there is always more to learn. Within five minutes of perusing this new edition of Threinen-Pendarvis's book, I found something basic that I never knew. This new information will allow me to perform a frequently used task quicker and easier than I knew was possible.

Now here's something important I think new users of Painter should know. Painter, in my opinion, isn't difficult to learn. That is, it doesn't have a steep "learning curve." But what it does have is a steep "experiential curve." This is because it has so MANY fabulous features, tools, brushes, and effects. Even after all these years, there are features of Painter I've never explored. But I have a sense, generally, of the features available -- should I need to use them, or wish to explore them.

Painter is a rich gold mine of digital graphic tools waiting to be experienced. And Threinen-Pendarvis's "The Painter X Wow! Book" is a valuable road map to those riches.



"Chock a block full of new WOW! stuff! "
And as always in this new edition, Cher Threinen-Pendarvis does not disappoint. The Painter WOW! X Book is clear and concise with regards to layout and organization. It's easy to cross reference, and visually stimulating. I suspect you'll find, as I do this is a book that's tough to put down! As I said, the organization is such that you can jump around finding what you need quickly and easily. It's an exciting book too! I can't remember flipping through, and not getting the urge to "make stuff". You'll find tips and tricks in this book that you'll find nowhere else! I've examined similar Painter manuals, and find that they are either repetitive, hard to understand, and surely not as all-inclusive as The Painter WOW! X Book. One of the great things about this particular book is that it matters not whether you are a photographer, illustrator, fine artist or graphic designer. Nor does it matter what your style or aesthetic, figurative, illustrative, fantasy, photorealism, modern, or even if you're into typography! There is truly something in here for everyone; there is surely a doorway to your next great inspiration! I've been an Adjunct Faculty teaching Painter at an art college in Boston for years. And I've been highly recommending this text, edition after edition for as long as I've been teaching. There is none better! Regardless of your level of expertise, this book is a MUST HAVE for any digital artist that's using Painter. Oh, and if you've sitting on the fence with this purchase due to the fact that you have an older edition of this text, do not delay, as the application grows, so does this book! Enjoy!

"I'm Wow-ed but..."
As with many Wow books before this one, I just loved the graphics presented. The beautiful full color pictures printed on non-glare quality paper is superb.

As a new owner of Corel Painter X and not knowing this program, I was frustrated in trying to understand the text explaining how the graphic work was accomplished. So I put the Wow book down, for now anyway, and bought the book titled 'Corel Painter X for Photographers'.

My logic was that any book for photographers wouldn't assume foreknowledge of an art and graphic software product. I was correct, this book is the one to get to learn Corel Painter; for now anyway. Unfortunately the disc tutorials only ran for about 20 minutes before the screen filled up with a red color eventually blocking out the video on my Windows Vista Ultimate system. Don't let this stop anyone from buying the "...for Photographers" book however because it is well worth its price regardless of what the disc does or doesn't do.

Getting back to the Wow book, I'm hoping to be able to properly use this book once I master the Painter X software. Until then I'll just enjoy the presentations in it and dream of what will be someday. If you are already a Corel Painter pro by all means buy this beautiful book.

"Easy step by step"
What an enjoyable book to work with. I was thrilled to have Corel's new Painter X and wanted a reputable guide to learn from. I have used Threinen-Pendarvis' texts before and have always been pleased with her approach. Enjoy the new Corel X software while using this book. It is a marvelous accompaniment.