Within my creative work, I’m always searching for new paths and ways to expand my experience. There’s a freedom within the unknown, a still emptiness that beckons us to come closer and explore. I’ve partnered with this spirit in my art – the freedom opens me up and takes me on journeys to places I’d never have imagined on my own. In this tutorial, I take an idea from its simple beginnings to an elaborate finish, while demonstrating a few unconventional techniques that can be applied to inspire creativity and idea development.

A combination of Painter IX.5 and Photoshop CS2 is used for the execution of this image, with a few pictures scanned and photographed as Painter paper textures. I focus on building up textures and ideas first to create a richer sense of depth and meaning in the image. Painter IX.5 is an amazing program with an incredible amount of brushes, options and tools at your disposal. This can sometimes be overwhelming so I’ve simplified my Painter’s arsenal to five of my favourite tools to demonstrate how much you can achieve with very little.