Painter Artistry

Helen Yancy, M. Photog., M. Artist, MEI, Cr., F-ASP, FBIPP

Helen Yancy’s “Digital Art For Fine Portraiture” Workshop/Class

We are pleased to inform you about an exceptional digital artwork class with Helen Yancy.

At this dynamic workshop, you will learn digital artwork methods for portrait retouching, enhancement, and new products—such as photographic watercolors, image panels, and note cards—products that will increase your studio income. Your electronic creativity will soar as you master digital brushes, watercolors, pastels, and natural media paints. Working first in Photoshop to retouch and enhance for a pure but natural look, the class will then progress into the world of Corel’s Painter, and now Painter lX – the newest version. While a familiarity with Photoshop tools is helpful in order to benefit from this workshop, no previous experience with Painter is required. Helen will review Photoshop tools and layers before proceeding with workshop activities. If you wish to review Photoshop before you come, Helen suggests that you purchase the Photoshop edition of “Classroom in a Book” through your local computer store.

There is no more recognized name in digital artwork education than Helen Yancy. As an artist and photographer deeply involved with digital technology after a long and honored history with traditional methods, Helen holds every professional degree PPA offers. A past president of PPA, in 1999 she received the PPA Gerhard Bakker Award for excellence in imaging education and in 2002 was honored by ASP with their Honorary Fellowship Degree, and by the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP) with the Invitational Fellowship. This year Helen earned the Fellowship from ASP.

Helen’s class is directed toward fine portraiture rather than publishing with a focus on making exceptional images that were not possible or cost-effective through traditional media. You will explore some of the areas that were previously the domain of the airbrush, and the oils, pencils and dyes of traditional photographic artists. This class will teach artistic techniques that will enable you to use digital tools to their best advantage in an artistic manner. You will be creating digital watercolors and other works of art as never before!

Helen Yancy is passionate about life, family, anything that is art - about people, and especially their faces.

Fine oil portrait paintings, capturing the true essence of her subjects, has been the focus of her work for most of her life.

Then came the infinite universe of virtual media – the limitless palettes, brushes, and tools of the digital world. Helen’s adventure into portraiture with twenty-first century media combined with old master style and ability has renewed her excitement and challenged her to expand her own horizons. The results have been innovative and delicate watercolor portraits as well as fantasy images that come from imaginative ventures into areas of thought and ideas, inspired by a seemingly endless new world of artistic endeavor.

While her favorite subjects are children, Helen has a great love for all aspects of painting and photography.

Artist Statement

I don’t remember a time in my life

When I wasn’t looking into,

Looking for,

Or seeing through the eyes of a face;

Looking for the soul,

The essence,

And the person;

The real person.

Whether painting the reality of a child

In a fantasy world

Or a fantasy in the world of virtual reality

The art is always invigorating

And constantly challenging me

To find the innermost soul

……many times, my own…...

I love people, and I love portraying the faces and stories of the souls that enter my life, whether briefly as a subject, or forever as a friend or dear member of my ever-expanding family. I count my subjects as friends; I hold my family as treasures from God. I celebrate each of them for the wonder of the diversity they bring to my life, for the love they share with each other and with me.

I can’t imagine a day without painting, and I love the new adventures I am having in the new art of virtual media, an art that frees me to create what I wouldn’t have thought of before this time.

Workshop equipment requirements for students:

Mac or PC, which is loaded with:

~ Photoshop CS - latest

~ Painter lX if possible, or Painter 8.1 (The upgrade to 8.1 is a free download.)

~ At least 512 MB Ram – more if you have Photoshop CS. Remember Photoshop and Painter are memory grabbers.

~ CD drive and media for file storage/transfer

~ Plenty of clear hard drive space

~ Monitor capable of millions of colors (24 bit or greater)

~ Tablet and stylus with the software loaded, such as the Wacom Intuos 2 or 3, 6x8 (ESSENTIAL and REQUIRED)

~ UPS (Uninterrupted Power Source) unit for your computer, if possible, for protection

~ Extension cords and possibly a power strip

~ Laptop computer for class is acceptable.

All images © by Helen Yancy

To find out more about Helen and see even more samples of her work, please visit her website, www.helenyancystudio.com