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I use Corel Painter IX.

I've recently been trying to use the pen tool (located on the toolbar, fourth down on the far left), but a new layer is created every time I make a new line. Photoshop users don't have this problem.

Is there a way to fix this/merge the layers safely? I've tried that as well, but am unable to use the paintbucket tool at all. Inking the entire thing by hand is time consuming (and monotonous).

Has anyone found a way to work with the pen tool, so that it does not cause these problems?

Thanks,

Koey

The pen tool creates editable objects unrelated to the layers underneath (Or above) them.  You can find the controls for them in the Shapes>Shapes Attributes menu on the main toolbar.  If you've had any experience with Illustrator or Corel Draw, they'd make more sense to you.  They work by creating bezier curves with control points and anchors.  Personally, I couldn't work without them.  They are not brushes.  You do have a series of pen brushes which are an entirely different thing, and will paint on a canvas or layer.  For me, it's one of the main things that makes Painter so versatile.

Check out my websites listed below for some examples of my jewelry design artwork using shapes created using the pentools.

This thread has been moved from the Got a Question? forum to the Painter Past forum because the subject is not related to technical issues or bug reports that would involve the Corel Painter developers and possibly other Painter users who may be experiencing the same problems (appropriate for the Got a Question? forum).

It's about general understanding and use of Corel Painter IX, an older Painter version, thus approriate for the Painter Past forum. 

(Painter X or Painter X.1 discussions and questions, unless they're related to technical issues or bug reports, should be posted in the Corel Painter X forum.)

Thanks for the information!

I don't know why the pen tool acts that way... I wish there was a setting to make it all just sit on the same layer. That's what I need it to do, just work like any other tool.

I checked the settings that you specified, an dthey're just for changing the width of the pen tool, and the like.

You wouldn't know of a way to make the tool work on a single layer and be able to work with the paintbucket tool, would you?

I also looked at your sites - I love your artwork! Especially the beach scene you painted, I've always hoped to get to be able to do something like that!

Thanks!

~Koey

Much thanks for the compliment Koey.  I think the problem you are having is a bit of confusion about the pen tool.  It is not a brush!  It is a different tool entirely.  It is used to create shapes, selections and at times is able to  modify text.  These are all entirely different functions than creating brush strokes and as I said earlier I wouldn't be able to work without this feature within Painter. 

 You do have a "Pen" brushes within the brush's palette.  With these, you can use them as pens to draw lines on any layer you wish or the canvas.  The different variety of these "Pens" will give you the experience of  real pens with the variety of the effects you can create.

Koey - You can use the Pen tool to create selections that can then be filled with flat colors or gradients using the Paint Bucket tool. Just click the icon in the property bar at the top of the screen while in the Pen tool that looks like a dashed line square caled "convert to selection". These selections can be filled on any layer you like.

See my tutorial in my blog in the Talk section for a more detailed explanation with screen shots. It's called Rendered Catoon Illustration Texhnique Part 1.

Ack, I don't think I actually know what the pen tool is - if it's not a brush and is used to create shapes, and modify text, then I have never used it properly.... Too many people use photoshop and get me confused!

Maybe this will better explain what I'm wanting to use it for, if this helps at all (probably can't be used this way?):

Image without pen tool used for lineart:

(ignore bad anatomy and all that!): http://koeyohte.deviantart.com/art/Adri-and-Koey-ID-80697424

Aaaaaand: image that the pen tool was used for the lineart:

http://koeyohte.deviantart.com/art/Happy-Birthday-Sytana-91479173

The pen tool gives such smooth lines - like those in 2D films. The pen tool is what we're supposed to use for inking lines for a film, so that's why I was looking ^^ The directors say we have top use it, because of the smoothness. So I think I can now see why I haven't been able to use it properly before ^^

Thanks!

~Koey

Thanks! I tried it and it worked! The only problem is - the lines are no longer smooth... which is how I need them to stay. I'm working on getting more information on the pen tool, though. Thanks again!

~Koey

Koey,

Painter's Shape Tools and Text Layers

In Corel Painter, the Pen tool, and other Shape tools (Quick Curve, Rectangular Shape, Oval Shape) are vector-based and are used to create vector-based bezier curves and lines. Vectors are lines or curves defined by anchor points at either end of the line or curve. Any object created using the Shape tools is a Painter Shape and appears on its own above the Painter Canvas.

Vector-based Shapes can be scaled up or down without loss of image quality. Painter's Text Layers are also vector based and can be converted to Shapes, then edited like any other Shape using the Shape editing tools (Shape Selection, Scissors, Add Point, Remove Point, and Convert Point).

Below is an image showing a vector-based curve being edited by pulling an anchor point's wing handle to follow a curve painted with the Pencils' 2B Pencil variant:

Here's an image from one of my threads in the Sandbox forum Images Created from Text. It was created by typing Text, converting it to Shapes, then using the Shape editing tools to alter it and turn it into an image that spells itself:

As Scott mentioned in an earlier post, the Pen tool can be used to make selections. Here's a very nice tutorial by John Derry that explains and illustrates the process in detail:

The Shapes Path Tool as Precise Selection Tool in Corel® Painter™, by John Derry

To learn more about Painter's Shapes, read the following:

Painter X Help > Help Topics > Contents tab > Using Shapes

Painter's Brushes

Painter's brush variants, on the other hand, are used to paint pixel-based brush strokes. When the image is Resized upward, it can often lose image quality since the program has to add extra pixels and "guess" what colors those extra pixels should be based on existing/surrounding pixels.

As Tom suggested, many artists use the Pens' brush variants to create line art.

Here's a tutorial about inking line art that may help you, from the October 2006 issue of The Painter Canvas newsletter:

Inking for Comics, Cartooning, and Manga in Corel Painter, by Jared Hodges

Jinny

Koey - been out of town, sorry.

If what you want is say smooth black lines filled with flat color as one creates with Adobe Illustrator, Painter can give you this - the Pen tool and the Shapes tools all create stroke-and-fill shapes. Each will indeed be on its own layer. You can group and collapse these to one layer, but the process "rasterizes" them, in other words they become pixel based and can look "rough" unless you create them at a higher resolution for print (usually 300 ppi).

Likewise the method I mentioned of converting them to selections  - this will lose the lines and create paths to fill that will also be pixel based.

 
I might suggest you do a pen tool drawing at a high resolution, collapse it to one layer, and color this using the paint bucket which will "stay in the  lines" so long as they are closed in shapes. Of course you can also use other brushes if you wish.

 
Here is a simple cartoon I did  all in Painter using just the Pen and Shapes tools: 

Is this something like what you're looking to do?

Yep, that's it. (by the way, great image ^^ ) I'm supposed to ink lines with the pen tool - but coloring is the problem. I've tried inking, then collapsing, but it immediately doesn't allow the paintbucket tool. It won't fill anything when I use it.

How'd you do that image? Did you have to go under it with another brush and color it by hand, or did you get a paintbucket to work? (I'm just trying to get stuff done fast, it's for an animated film, and if I do ink/coloring, it needs to not take me weeks to do).

Here's a link to one of the character's info pages (short, but it has the pen tool outline for inking):

http://www.wolfmovie.com/story/jack.php

Thanks!

~Koey

Thanks for the detailed post ^^ I think the scratchboard looks alot like what I'm looking for - I'll go try it out and see :)

~Koey

Koey,

If you make closed Shapes with the Pen tool, you can make the Stroke and Fill colors whatever you want, and adjust other attributes as well, such as Stroke Opacity and Width, and Fill Opacity, for instance. 

This can be done by choosing the colors and other attributes before drawing with the Pen tool, or the colors and other attributes can be changed after the Pen tool Shape is completed:

To open the Set Shape Attributes dialog box:

• Use Shapes menu > Set Shape Attributes, or
  
  
• In the Layers palette double-click the Shape Layer, o
  
  
• Use Ctrl+[ (Windows) or Command+[ (Mac) to open this dialog box.
  

Koey - I did the image as Jinny describes - it's all "vector", using Painter's Shapes. The colors are all just flat Shape fills. No paintbucket involved.

I don't know how fast this would be for an animated film - it's a technique more suited to Flash than for "traditional" animation (whatever that  is today!).

Best - 

OK, thank you! So it really does need to be vector style....