As much art book as guide, The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book: Creative Techniques in Digital Painting uses traditional drawing and painting theory exercises, coupled with real-life projects, to show readers how they can use Painter and Photoshop with pressure-sensitive tablets to draw and paint with a computer. Award-winning artist and author Cher Threinen-Pendarvis shares her own drawings and paintings with the readers, sharing her creative thought processes and composition design secrets that she uses in her own work. In this gorgeous, large format, full-color book, Cher takes readers step-by-step through a variety of projects designed to improve their drawing, composition, and conceptual thought processes while exploring different uses of the many brushes available in Painter and Photoshop. Along the way, Cher shows readers how to set up a pressure-sensitive tablet and stylus; use mark-making tools in Photoshop and Painter; create tonal, gestural, and contour drawings with a pressure-sensitive tablet and stylus; incorporate scanned artwork into digital paintings; use photos as a reference for the illustrations; make creative use of color and ideas for composition design; translate traditional color theory to digital color tools; simulate canvas and paper; create mixed media; and more. All the concepts, processes, and projects in this book can be applied to readers’ own drawings and paintings, and the lessons and examples demonstrated in this book are designed to work with the most current versions of Painter and Photoshop, as well as most earlier versions of the software. In addition, readers will find brushes, textures, images and other goodies on the book’s companion Web site that they can use as they work through the projects in the book.

Not for the serious artist
This book has mediocre instruction, and the example art is very very bad. I bought this book when I began to get more illustration assignments in my commcercial art job (I’m primarily an animator), and I was very let down by the poor quality of both the instruction and sample art. I would say that both are not quite high school level, so I would not recommend this book to any even semi-serious artist over the age of 15 or so. The only difference between this book and a middle school level art textbook is that this book also covers very, VERY basic software information you can easily learn from many free sources or through a few hours of tinkering. It would probably be a good gift for a kid or perhaps someone who is undertaking digital art as a very casual hobby. If you are more serious than that about learning digital painting, I would recommend Don Seegmiller’s book instead.

Not for the serious artist
This book has mediocre instruction, and the example art is very very bad. I was very let down by the poor quality of both the instruction and sample art. I would say that both are not quite high school level, so I would not recommend this book to any even semi-serious artist over the age of 15 or so. The only difference between this book and a middle school level art textbook is that this book also covers very, VERY basic software information you can easily learn from many free sources or through a few hours of tinkering. It would probably be a good gift for a kid or perhaps someone who is undertaking digital art as a very casual hobby. If you are more serious than that about learning digital painting, I would recommend Don Seegmiller’s book instead.

Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet
The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book: Creative Techniques in Digital Painting

While I was not overly impressed with the art illustrations in this book I am very impressed with instruction. It explains the A-Z’s of setting up your computer for Digital Artwork for both original art and photos. This includes setting up your pallates, naming/saving files, backup, etc.
Would recommend for newbies and experienced alike.

Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet
The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book: Creative Techniques in Digital Painting

While I was not overly impressed with the art illustrations in this book I am very impressed with instruction. It explains the A-Z’s of setting up your computer for Digital Artwork for both original art and photos. This includes setting up your pallates, naming/saving files, backup, etc.
Would recommend for newbies and experienced alike.

Painters Book
This book is a great guide to using the painters tablet with photoshop software. Very good reference.

A good book if you know Painter already
This is a small book that I bought in a bundle with my Wacom Tablet. The book is pretty good about showing you how to paint in Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop, but you need to already know the software. There is no real "introduction" to the software. The book just assumes that you already know how to choose brushes and such, and takes you right into the painting methods. I like the book, but I don’t recommend it to anyone who doesn’t already know a bit about Corel Painter or Photoshop.

High Recommendation from a Digital Artist
One of the most valuable things about, "The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book" is that Cher gives us a variety of projects we can do that will help us master digital painting.

Not only are we guided through how to use a graphics tablet and stylus in combination with Photoshop and Painter software; but through some of the basics of drawing and composition, as well. Plus, each project is accompanied by step-by-step examples that are refreshingly original and clear.

So, whether someone is new to the medium or has a decade of experience with digital painting like I do, Cher provides projects we can all learn from. Because of that, this book is a welcomed addition to my creative library and one that I highly recommend.

Great for Beginners
I was disappointed in the book cause its more oriented for beginners, i was hoping to learn new techniques as i am more toward advanced. But the book itself is great for beginners and made a great gift for a friend of mine.

Pretty decent Book
The book takes an approach through modern or fine art, so if you’re one of those "anime artists/comic book/cartoon pop art" you’ll probably find this book boring. I wanted to mention this because certain types of illustrators and cartoonists want to draw pretty pictures and not understand the basics of producing artwork.

Having said that it’s actually NOT a blast at the book itself, as an artist that enjoys all types of work, the book is helpful in making me realize how to create strokes and apply it to those types of illustrations I mentioned above. Learning the basics and exercises as such is a GOOD thing.

I was originally using an intuos 2 to practice the exercises, and I think now that I upgraded my tablet I’ll try again with my intuos 3 and enjoy the exercises more so.

Doing the exercises also helps you get used to your tablet and figuring out how you need to adjust your strokes in producing artwork, so it’s very much worth the try.

Just what I needed
Excellent book that provides exactly what I needed to learn to use Painter and the tablet.

The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book
I was worried about getting used to my new pen tablet so I purchased this book. I am spoiled to the mouse as many people are so it was difficult to know where to start. This book made it all easy and since I am constantly using my pen tablet, there isn’t alot of time to get into the learning process of it except to just jump right in. This book made that possible.

So logical, this book should have been done years ago.
Can you sign your name with a bar of soap? Of course not! So, why are you trying to paint digital images with a mouse? A pen tablet and a program like Photoshop or Corel Painter are the only sensible tools for those times when you’re creating an image from scratch or doing brush-oriented retouching or digital airbrushing.

This book shows you the techniques you must master to successfuly excel in digital painting. You’ll need some experience with either of the two leading image editors, and some skill at painting, but the author’s explanations will help you transfer your capabilities to this new medium. Clearly-written and comprehensive, this book is the only other thing you need.

The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book
This is a great book. As both a Graphic Designer and an Illusrtator, I stradle the fence between commercial and traditional art often. This book has helped me incorporate my traditional painting style into a form I could not accomplish before.

Wonderful book for artists!
As a long-time colleague of Cher’s, I have the utmost respect for the dedication with which she crafts her books. Her "Painter WOW! Book" is the industry standard for anyone wanting to learn Painter-- with art collected from the best Painter experts around the world. Now with this "Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book," Cher has taken us into her working studio, to share her own tips and techniques. There are lessons for every level of artist and digital expertise-- all illustrated with her beautiful work. Whether or not you can arrange to take one of Cher’s wonderful classes or workshops, this book will provide you with hours of lessons from one of the pioneers who helped develop the world of digital painting.

Inviting, Inspiring and Informative
Inviting in its design and detailed in its coverage of digital painting, Cher Pendarvis tackles both the technical side of Painter and Photoshop and the artistic techniques that turn their expressive brush strokes into art.

Traditional artists struggling to cross over to the world of digital painting will find Cher’s well-illustrated, step-by-step chapters a welcome hand guiding them to the best digital tools to achieve the effects they have been painting using traditional tools.

Each chapter focuses on a fundamental artistic technique, like creating volume and atmosphere and working with simulated paper and canvas, or on more advanced techniques like mixing media and sketching or on specific tasks like photograph restoration.

By naming tool names and suggesting software settings, Cher provides an immediate starting point from which readers can begin getting great results. The main tool, however, remains the Wacom tablet whose presence is felt on every page of the book. The tablet is the "brush" that Cher demonstrates can be a paintbrush, a soft pencil, a fine airbrush, a coarse palette knife, or just about any other kind of artistic tool.

Cher’s book will find a wide audience among traditional artists as well as graphic artists who will be inspired to move beyond simple graphics to creating expressive art with the look of traditional art tools.

Inspiring Ideas, Great for the Beginner Digital Painter!
This book is loaded with imaginative ideas for getting started with digital painting. There are some great lessons that give you a good introduction to basic techniques. Virtually anyone with a pen tablet and Photoshop or Painter can use these techniques to create their own digital painting. Most of the tutorials are for Painter, however. Also, unfortunately, the companion files with photos and sketches to complete the tutorials on the PeachPit website are missing key photographs and sketches. You have to contact customer service at PeachPit press to obtain them.

Not what I expected or needed
This book is probably great for a digital artist who plans to use painter for digital art. That is not what I wanted or needed the book for. So I did not finish reading it, but gave it to someone who would.

Thank you :)
After owning a Wacom tablet for a year, only using it as a mouse pad (LOL) ... I finally got hold of this book and in a day or two, I could draw and paint with it :) This book somehow is a ’post mortem’ type of book, where it shows you a painting and then tells you how it’s done from scratch. No regrets getting it.

Must Have
It was VERY helpfull for my understanding and tips on usesing photoshop special effects.

A digital artwork book by a true digital artist. Thank you!
This is a great book for anybody interested in digital artwork. Most examples are Cher’s real world fine digital art - instead of the more usual simplified ones found in most books. It is obviously that Cher knows her craft. This book not only focuses on the programs themselves (Painter & Photoshop), the hardware options (graphic tablets, tablet PCs, and even pressure sensitive LCD monitors), but also often overlooked areas such as setting up your studio.

This is a book by an artist - it shows - and that’s a good thing. Beginner & intermediate digital artists will find this book to be EXTREMELY useful and inspiring. The examples are easy to understand, follow, and are genuinely helpful. "Experts" may find this book’s ease of use a bit underwhelming, but don’t be fooled, there is some serious Painter & Photoshop power in there. That being said, if you are looking for a hardcore ’tech’ book explaining all of the intricacies of these programs then this is likely not the book for you.

This book is much more than a simple ’how to’ computer book. Interesting to read, packed with beautiful full color artwork & easy to follow examples showing how they were created.

I have been a professional digital artist for a number of years, and I highly recommend this book to anybody interested in getting started, or advancing their skills, in the world of digital artwork.

I hope you found this review useful. Best of luck with your own digitally created masterpieces!

Christopher Bailey
Digital Artist.

A must for Tablet Artist!
I purchased this book to go with my new Adesso CYBER TABLET 12X9" GRAPHICS/DRAWING TABLET WITH 2-BTN USB PEN AND MOUSE ( CYBERTABLET 12000 ). The tablet did not come with any instructions so this book was the best investment to make alongside with the tablet. There are helpful instructions for artist that are experienced and new to tablet art. This book has actual paintings with instructions on painting at each stage of the piece.
Good Luck,
Rheba

A must have for ANY digital artist, or digital artist to be!
FANTASTIC Book! I’m an Adjunct Faculty Member at The Art Institute of Boston in the Illustration Department. I teach both Principles of Illustration, as well as Digital Illustration - Painter. The beauty of this The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book is that whether you are a "novice" or a self-proclaimed expert, you’ll learn some great tips and tricks. I could give this book to my Mother, a non-artist, set her up at a digital art station, and she’d not only learn the principles of drawing, composition, and value structure, she’d be able to learn how to do it all digitally! Awesome! I’ve personally enjoyed, and learned from Cher Threinen-Pendarvis’s Painter WOW! Book series for years, and this latest addition to her library of offerings is absolutely a must have for any digital artist, or digital artist to be. She is a wonderful artist, author and teacher. You can be sure I will be recommending The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book to all of my incoming students this fall. Enjoy!

MUST HAVE for digital tablet owners!
At last someone gives special attention to the soul of art rather than the mechanics! If you use a tablet, this spectacular work by Cher Threinen-Pendarvis will turn your ho-hum computer art into something really special!

But the book isn’t just about tablets and drawing / painting software... it’s about the very soul of visual expression. Cher doesn’t just show you how in mechanical terms like so many other books -- she shares the inner "ZEN" of conjuring dramatic and memorable images with the stylus. Her insights into shading, "washes," and veils of color truly injects humanity into your art.

No pulp... lavish color, high-quality paper stock, superb printing, lots and lots of inspiring pictures make this book a joy to thumb through and learn from.

Cher is a gifted artist and writer. ALL of her books are highly recommended (...) -- she’s one of the rare artists and writers who actually share their talents in Painter, Photoshop, and the effective use of the hardware.

... and you just can’t get it any place else!

A previous winner of the "Editor’s Choice" book in the Design Bookshelf

perhaps a chapter (or two) too short ...?
The digital graphics "revolution" has now been underway for long enough that people with almost a full career as a digital artist can author well produced books on the various specializations involved. Such should be the case here. Ms. Threinen-Pendarvis certainly holds the right credentials, since her book contains examples of her own work dating all the way back to 1987. But while her book will certainly provide many readers with very detailed (and useful) recipes on how to use a PC plus imaging software plus a graphics tablet and pen to duplicate many traditional painting techniques, it also seems to me to have side-stepped an opportunity to do more exploring along the way. Good artist’s handbooks should not always be about technique; they might also try and at least encourage the reader to break new ground. And it is in this last area that this book falls short. For example, many of the individual projects described in the book use a photograph as a starting point. Most often the next step is to create a sketch from the photo image, using the graphics tablet. But the potential use of software - for example the sketch and/or stylize filters native to Photoshop - to do this autonomously is not covered at all. Additionally, while some basic use of image layer blending is covered on a project-by-project basis, it is not covered thoroughly as an integral means of assembling a final (and fine art) output. Further, the use of adjustment layers incorporating masking makes no appearance in this book at all. `tis a shame.

Don’t BOTHER
I purchased a drawing tablet about 1-2 months ago, even reviewed it on this site (check it out). Without knowing how to use the tablet well, i felt i should buy this book considering the fact that it has pretty good reviews. But this is my take on it.

I’m a student studying graphc design, so i know very basic things about painting and drawing. Reading this book made me feel like i was reading a collaboration of many tutorials found in many websites for free compiled together in this book. The style the author has isn’t very inspiring to want to create art such as that. Of course, i’m talking about those who are serious with art.

The book consists of tutorials on how to make a self-portrait, how to make a landscape, blah blah blah. Sure the lessons are cool, but this book doesnt really bring anything new to the table. Also, you can find various info found in the book on art websites, and tutorial sites. Even on message boards. I felt like i paid a lazy man’s book. I learned very little in the book, which i won’t deny, but i can guaranteed you that what i learned i can easily find out on websites, (...), and so forth.

Learning the tablet isnt hard, just takes a lil getting used to. You don’t need a book, such as this, to learn how to use it. Sure, the book has drawing and painting principles, but dont buy this book just for that. Get drawing books and painting books that concentrates on its own for an even better experience and investment.

If you find this book for under 10 bucks, okay get it, wouldnt hurt. But over $30 bucks? Get a design book, artist book, or even a better technical book over this. Or save the money, and search for tutorials. Choice is yours, this book didnt motivate me, bored the crap out of me, and didn’t teach me as i thought it would.

A Gem For Your Library
You’ll want this gem of a book in your library whether you are a beginner, dabbler, or accomplished digital artist. Cher Threinen-Pendarvis is a master teacher. The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book is a skillful and generous distillation of her vast experience and knowledge as an artist in both traditional and digital mediums. Because of its thoughtful and complex structure, the book is both dense with information and userfriendly throughout.

The Artist Tablet Book makes the often daunting graphics applications of Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter accessible to anyone. If you have never used a Wacom tablet, Cher’s instructions will deftly guide you. She gives the reader just the right information in just the right amounts.

The book’s format gives you lots of ways to use it. You can approach it as a series of delightfully illustrated individual lessons: There’s about a year’s worth of college training in drawing, painting, and digital photo manipulation. You can dip into it to pick up specific tips and techniques: Color coded sidebars let you quickly see which apply to the Wacom tablet and which to Photoshop or Painter. You can browse through it for inspiration: There’s no shortage of good stuff to steal. And you can use it as a reference guide to everything from how to set up a functional digital studio to where to find a service bureau to produce quality art prints of your work.

Even after more than fifteen years as a digital artist, demo artist, and teacher, I continue to find the digital medium amazing, expansive, challenging, and almost too much fun. These qualities inform every page of Cher’s marvelous Artist Tablet Book. It would take a review several times as long as this one to touch on all the features that make the book such an invaluable resource. No one with an interest in making or understanding digital art should hesitate to get a copy.

Book is for painting but not drawing.
This book is good for painting ONLY! If you want to draw on your Wacom tablet in programs such as Corel Draw then do not buy this book. There is no help want so ever on using this book to do vector drawing.

Fantastic How-To Book
If I could get away with a one word review for this book, the word would be "awesome." Cher’s use of colour and layout in this book are both practical and eye-catching. I found myself drawn first to the illustrations, then to the text to see how she accomplished the end result. The oversized pages make this book easy to lay out and follow along while trying Cher’s suggested exercises without struggling to hold the book open.

As I own both PhotoShop and Painter, it was also a bonus only needing one book to learn new skills for both programmes. I also found alot of tips and tricks for both programmes I previously was unaware of. Cher has a talent for teaching effectively, and she has successfully transferred those skills into an extremely useful tutorial manual. She makes it all seem so simple, and at times it seems as though her words are encouraging you along even if you aren’t achieving the same results as those portrayed in the book. Cher gives subtle creative hints throughout the book, further encouraging experimentation with the design tools-her encouragement is what helped me find a true desire to continue working with the tablet, even though I can’t draw very well. By working with different areas of the book, I found some improvement in my drawing ability, which in and of itself was worth the time I had thus far spent working with Cher’s lessons.

I feel that many people who are very talented with traditional art tools are perhaps held back by a fear of the new graphics technology. Cher has successfully made the transition, and with Cher’s comfortable teaching style, I think many more will venture into the world of digital graphics once they read her book. Cher explains the tools of the trade so well, it’s like she is planting the seed of "I can do that" thoughts in the reader’s mind and thus making them keen to try something new. This keeness I think helps traditional artists, and new digital artists, overcome their fear of "doing something wrong" and unleashing previously hidden creative processes.

Cher’s inclusion of vendors, references and suppliers in her book’s appendices is to me a tacit way of telling the reader "you’ve made it this far, now go ahead and try this." In fact, just by revisiting various sections of Cher’s book during the writing of this review, I want to get out the tablet, open PhotoShop and get creating. Very few tutorial books can instigate the same kind of motivation. Well done, Cher.

Definitely NOT a dud
A. Roberts seems to have an axe to grind, as she posts both on Amazon and in usegroups as an evangelist for another author, a practice I find particularly disturbing considering the immense value inherent in both authors’ works.

This book is aimed at those who are wondering how to incorporate traditional methods to the desktop. A book with unlimited pages would be able to delve far deeper to get more specific about every single aspect of every single medium, but no publisher or author is about to produce such a work... nor should they.

This book is a tremendous springboard for those who want to dive into electronic art mediums, and don’t understand the mechanics of how it’s done. Cher is the one who built the brushes Corel ships in Painter IX, and knows more about that application through the intense research and collaboration with artists across the country than anyone in the business. I recommend not only this book, but her WOW books wholeheartedly. (My work is in the Painter WOW Books, so take that for what it’s worth.)

The book is a dud
I find this book to be very disappointing. I have read almost all her books..some I liked and some I didn’t but this one is the only one I felt enough emotion about to review. I feel it was done in haste to get it on the market ahead of other authors and it has no real "meat" in it. I use Photoshop and Painter together and they work well together, but from reading this book a newbie would never be able to get anything of any substance about the process.