OK, I admit that I am a geek and have watched Bob Ross's Joy of Painting on PBS ever since I was a tiny little kid. (Surely you know the guy who I am talking about, big afro? Happy Trees? link: http://www.bobross.com/)

If you visit that link, the mountains in the image behind him are done by putting in the form of the mountain in a dark basecoat, then skimming in one stroke with white over the top with a his pallett knife. Does anyone have any idea on how I can replicate that stroke? I have tried just about all the default brushes, and altered a lot of them in re: to spacing and jitter, etc but I am just not getting "IT"

Also, my second question is in re: to Donna Dewberry's "One Stroke" painting technique. I am fairly good at doing this with a real brush and paint. In fact, it is really the only "real life" painting technique I am any good at. If I could translate this to photoshop somehow, I think I'd be pretty happy!

Link to sample images: http://www.onestroke.com/demo/pages/RTGs/RTGMoreInfo/1169MoreInfo.html

That would mean being able to stroke the foreground and background colors at the same time. Like a gradient fill, only in a gradient brush... Is this possible? In real life, you side load two or three colors onto a brush to get the ripple effect in the petals.

I am thinking that I may need to select an area, gradient fill it, then smudge tool it to get the effect I want, but it would be so much simpler if I can just gradient brush. KWIM?

I would appreciate anyone's input on either of these two techniques. I'll keep pluggin' away at the problem in the meantime!

Thanks in advance!!

Delia

You may get a lot more painterly effects if you give Corel Painter a try
http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1166553885783
http://apps.corel.com/painterx/us/index.html

In essence, Painter works in much the same way as the brushes in PhotoShop with similar support for pressure sensitive tablets. However, Painter also tries to emulate the texture of traditional mediums and the effects of paint etc..

Budget constraints and no tablet leave me pining for this software on my "someday" list....

You have to create your own "Happy brush stroke" brush I love Bob Ross and William Alexander. it's a shame Bob died so young He went to the happy hunting ground, or is that the happy painting grounds! R. I. P. bob.

i know......i know..... ......and who is feeding the poor little squirrels???

Delia, the only way that i know of doing the two color brush effect is by putting down the colors. Then using the smudge tool. I know it's not what you want....but it's as close as you can get in PS. Just don't forget to do it on a transparent layer. Because it is a try and try again kinda process.

For the one stroke thing what about using dual brushes in PS? Unless I'm misunderstanding what that feature does (I just saw it this morning while showing a co-worker how my Wacom works).

Edit:
Nevermind. I tried messing with the dual brush and it's not what you want.

how about ArtRage or Twisted Brush (cheaper)

ArtRage rules (not for anything but its the best for this price)

i dont understand exactly what u ask for cuz i have hard time reading u tonite i dunno why (tired maybe) ... but anyway could u explain me in 2 words in pm (n please !with some basic english:lol: )

just a parenthesis :
Bob Ross sucks badly, sorry guys, i have to be honest on this one....his crops are desastruous, his colours are "ok", but this is so shy, so illusttrative and so "souless"...In fact, its a trap...its very scholar and maybe it can be okay to enjoy his stuffs at a point ...but its a trap...its illustartion,not painting...its not classic nor romantic , its a sort of scholar ersatz of what is supposed to be a classic/romantic oil on canvas...withoutt he talent... Though he can gives the basis of what colour to use etc....but even as a teacher , this sort of teaching lessons can be "dangerous"...
I dont get it Delia...im pretty sure ur minimum 10times better than him what is the relationship with Bobby's stuff and what u want to do (and even yet do as i know YOU have good eye for what is texture and brustrokes).... But seriously, if u want to get an idea about what is a good "classic" painting ...just go back to 1800-1850, the pre-impressionists english , italian and french painters and forget these fake "paintings" froù this guy (sorry man, im sure u got a pretyy good buisness thx to web) (well if we can call that paintings)...I am not often that harsh as i can remember...but here...it is sooo scholar painting linked!

NO not BOB he killed BOB . .....wait Bob is already dead......MY bad.....carry on

"Bob Ross sucks badly" well maybe his painting isn't exactly masterpiece material, but the personality he had was righteous. we need more people like that in this world!

guys...u started sthg really interesting ..i dlike to explain myself muchlongerbut i really gtg ... be back in 2 days...U can kick me in the back i wont be able to answer keep the brushes dancing folks!

righteous but not inspired Mikey...u know what i mean...it looks like its gracious...just like Canada dry advert...YES CAnada DRy advert (is it only french? it was in the 80s...)...he is just ...i dunno how to say..."besides" the goal...u know it lacks sthg very important in his works...geez thats interesting to talk about that...il be back in 2 days...i cant stay/// cheers all

Dude you can kick the S.O.B. (SWEET OL" BOB) all you want....but as far as finding inner peace.....this brother made Gandhi look like a crackhead.....to be at peace like that ....with everything....now there is something that speaks volumes above many artist. If being that calm and peaceful makes you smear your painting.....sign me up for smear shop.

I like Bob because of his personality for sure. Then add in that in a half hour he can produce a landscape that looks like a landscape, and I'm easily impressed. I can't get my hand to output what I envision in my mind, that 's the trouble.

I also admire a lot of Thomas Kincade's work, but many many people giggle about that too. That he's not a "serious" artist and the like.

I don't worry about it.

In my view Bob Ross wasn't about creating masterpieces of art. He was about teaching people techniques that would put the love of painting into them. He was the antithesis of the artist who takes himself too seriously. He also got on my nerves with the "happy trees" comments.

As for Thomas Kincade. He's like the TV Evangelist version of a painter.

I've read so many horror stories about Kincade and his treatment of gallery dealers. That said I do happen to like some aspects of Kincade's "look". I happen to like the vibrant, surreal, colors and foggy look. I don't want it hanging in my house but I don't mind looking at it. Also you have to give a nod to a guy that can earn $53 million a year putting that kind of kitsch out there.