First of all, I’ve used Photoshop extensively since buying Photoshop 5 in 1998. I love Photoshop. I love how it has developed since version 5. I love the scope for customising brushes. I love its creative potential. And I love the impact that Photoshop has had on my work. But, like a soviet chimp, I’ve had a secret yearning to defect. To try out the alternative. To dabble with Painter…

I trained as a traditional illustrator back in the dark days when you needed to win the lottery to buy a computer capable of high-resolution digital painting. Fast forward to 2006 and the relatively cheap Painter IX seemingly offers so much scope to the traditional artist. According to Corel, Painter provides all the tools an artist needs to mimic traditional media.

In the past, my usual foray into Painter would involve creating a new canvas and then going bonkers with lots of brushes until I filled all the available space. More often than not, I would think these terribly artistic until I looked at them again and came to my senses. But I’ve never produced an illustration in Painter. I’ve always returned to Photoshop with my tail between my legs. Then, I won a copy of Painter IX. So I had no excuse.

In this three-part workshop I’m going to record my defection to Painter IX from Photoshop CS. I don’t envisage an end to my Photoshop work, but I want to include Painter IX in my workflow. By recording this transition, and sharing my trials and tribulations, I hope that I can shed light on the differences between Photoshop and Painter and help some people avoid the problems I’m sure I’ll encounter.

From issue 6.