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View Full Version : Spongy Brushes (Sticker Spray Presets)



Someonesane
11-07-2011, 04:47 PM
Here are some Sticker Sheets, and Sticker Spray Presets, that I find are useful for creating painterly looking tree tops and shrubs (something akin to a Bob Ross style). There are four Sticker Sheets, and four Sticker Spray presets. They're all pretty similar, with either size or glossy appearance being the main difference between them. They all use a drawing tablets Pen Pressure for size variance, so keep that in mind when using a stylus. The presets that have an "M" after them (ex: Spongy SP-M), have an extra amount metallic reflectivity to them, making the paint appear to have flakes in it. The presets followed by a "P" (ex: Spongy SP-P), still have a 3d appearance, but look duller (sort of like drops of acrylic paint). (EDIT) - One last note, I wanted to add in here... These stickers and presets can get a bit heavy on the processor, if you try to quickly throw down lines with them. This is because I used the Color, Gloss, Texture, and Metalic options of the Stickers, which means that they react to ArtRages Light rendering. It's what gives the paint it's 3d appearance.

I've packed everything needed for them within an .arpack file, to make it easier to install them. Just download the .arpack, open ArtRage (Studio or Studio Pro), and then go to File > Install Package File. A window will open where you will then need to locate the .arpack on your system, and then open it (the install panel should then open). Then just click on "Install", to install the Sticker and Spray presets.

(EDIT 2) - I've added an additional sticker and two spray presets for it, to the .arpack. If you downloaded this pack before 11-08-2011, you can either download this pack again (uninstall the old, before installing this one), or just download This Pack (https://www.dropbox.com/s/il3p0hvyliip3cj/Splatter%20Test.arpack?dl=0), which should install the new stuff into the "Spongy Brushes" folder, which the old pack had created.

Here's the link to download the .arpack (https://www.dropbox.com/s/v6tvxlheg7rv346/Spongy%20Brushes%20Plus.arpack?dl=0).

Here's a short tutorial on how to use them (Note: I used only the Spongy SP-M preset for this example):
Step 1: Start by creating a new layer. Then, with a dark color, use the Sticker Spray to layout the shape of a tree or shrub. Remember... If you're using a Drawing Table that allows for Stylus Pen Pressure, you can control the size of the marks, by applying more pressure to the stylus.

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Step 2: Lock the Layer Transparency. Then select a lighter color, and use the Sticker Spray to add highlights to the dark shape.

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Step 3: Keep the Layer Transparency locked. Increase the size of the Sticker Spray (via the Tool panel, not the Variations panel). Lighten (and perhaps even change the hue of) the color, and tap your pen (or click your mouse) over the area to randomly apply bunches of bright highlights.

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And that should do it. Have fun!

Also, here's a quick example image:

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justjean
11-07-2011, 05:54 PM
Thanks SOS, they work great :D

hinket
11-07-2011, 06:11 PM
Thanks a lot, Someonesane.
I look forward to using these.
Though considering the way I go about things,
it may not end up as a tree. :D:D:D

screenpainter
11-07-2011, 08:28 PM
Thanks Someonesane. Those are totally awesome. I am just blown away by these and I see so many uses in the future. These are golden. Adding texture and even impasto.. don't know how you achieved that but it is just amazing.
Thanks again. very cool.

Judith Tramayne
11-08-2011, 05:04 AM
Thank you, these were awesome. Appreciate your taking the time to put them on here and explain your technique.

sueellen
11-08-2011, 05:54 AM
Thank you! Wow!

Someonesane
11-08-2011, 06:16 AM
Thanks SOS, they work great :D

Glad to hear they're working well for you. :D


Thanks a lot, Someonesane.
I look forward to using these.
Though considering the way I go about things,
it may not end up as a tree. :D:D:D

A good portion of art, is creativity. It always best to explore a tool, beyond it's intended purpose. Looking forward to seeing how you use them. :)


Thank you, these were awesome. Appreciate your taking the time to put them on here and explain your technique.

No problem Judith. Hopefully they'll work out like you expected them too.


Thanks Someonesane. Those are totally awesome. I am just blown away by these and I see so many uses in the future. These are golden. Adding texture and even impasto.. don't know how you achieved that but it is just amazing.
Thanks again. very cool.

Thanks screenpainter :D. The impasto effect is created by using the Gloss, Texture, and Metallic cells of the sticker creator. By creating map images for the different cells, you can create a 3D surface for the ArtRage light rendering source to bounce off of. In the attached image below, you can see the various images I used for the different cells, the sticker they make, and what it looks like, when used via the Sticker Spray (in purple).

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Someonesane
11-08-2011, 06:17 AM
Thank you! Wow!

No problem :cool:

Evil Robot
11-08-2011, 06:31 AM
Thanks for the brushes! These are great.

~Alena~
11-08-2011, 10:50 AM
Thank you very much for your very nice pack!

Borilius
11-08-2011, 09:12 PM
Thanks Someonesane, love them!

Peter Pinckney
11-08-2011, 10:01 PM
Thanks for these SoS.........they're great!:D

I didn't do trees LOL

Rowena
11-08-2011, 11:23 PM
Many many thanks once again SS :D:D
These brushes have wonderful texture!

Someonesane
11-09-2011, 04:09 PM
@ Everyone: I'm happy that you are all enjoying them :D.

@ Peter Pinckney: Very cool image! It's good to see the presets applied beyond their intended use :).


[}-----------Addition-----------{]

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I figured, since I have it made already, I'd share the sticker and spray presets I used in my previous posts example. For those of you who have already downloaded the first set, you can use the following download to get the additional sticker and presets for it. If you downloaded the .arpack in the first post today (11-08-2011), or later, you do not need to download this .arpack, because I have just updated the first pack to include them, as well. So only download the following .arpack, if you had the previous version, savvy? (I've been waiting a while to use that word, all because of Pirates of the Caribbean)

Okay... So here's the download link for the additional stuff (https://www.dropbox.com/s/il3p0hvyliip3cj/Splatter%20Test.arpack?dl=0). It should all install into the "Spongy Brushes" folder that was already created, when you installed the other .arpack, so look for the presets in that folder group.

Bobbyray
11-10-2011, 10:37 AM
Sweet one.....thanks mucho ;)

JMMK
11-10-2011, 08:13 PM
Thanks for the ARpack.
It’s a very nice package
And the explanation helps me a lot

kenmo
11-11-2011, 08:49 AM
These look awesome....

Many thanks....

Steve B
04-19-2012, 04:15 AM
Sos, How are you turning on the shadows? I'd like to apply some of this to more flat mediums-- pencil and watercolors. I thought it might have been the "Shadows" setting, but its already turned off. I'd just like them to be "flat" if that makes sense. The patterns are awesome, they're just not mixing with the mediums I want to use them in.

It must be something on the Spray Variations chart. As you made these, I thought you might know. ?? It's been a while though, so who knows! :D

Someonesane
04-19-2012, 04:49 AM
Sos, How are you turning on the shadows? I'd like to apply some of this to more flat mediums-- pencil and watercolors. I thought it might have been the "Shadows" setting, but its already turned off. I'd just like them to be "flat" if that makes sense. The patterns are awesome, they're just not mixing with the mediums I want to use them in.

It must be something on the Spray Variations chart. As you made these, I thought you might know. ?? It's been a while though, so who knows! :D


These stickers are using the 3d rendering system, which uses the Sticker Creators texture, gloss, and metallic layers. The only way to flatten them would be to open the stickers in the creator, and remove the layers. It's easy to do, but if you don't feel confident in doing that, I can do it later on. I'm currently on lunch break at work, but I can flatten them when I get home.

Steve B
04-19-2012, 07:40 AM
If you could flatten them at your convenience, it would be appreciated. No hurry, but I sure would be able to share them and use them for more applications if they were flat. Thanks!!

Someonesane
04-21-2012, 12:33 PM
If you could flatten them at your convenience, it would be appreciated. No hurry, but I sure would be able to share them and use them for more applications if they were flat. Thanks!!


A little late, because of work and a slight cold, but here are the flattened versions of the Stickers and some Sticker Spray Presets for them: an LINK (https://www.dropbox.com/s/wmz2ydri48ah2wq/Spongy%20Brushes%20Flat%20Versions.arpack?dl=0). One of the presets is new and shifts the luminance (the one named: Splat L-Shift), but the other three are identical to the presets for the 3D versions. I included the Splat L-Shift, because I thought it might work well with your watercolor themes.

Steve B
04-21-2012, 03:16 PM
Thank you very much. I look forward to trying these out and sharing them with others. Your change on the luminance makes a lot of sense. Exciting! :)

Steve B
04-23-2012, 09:45 AM
Sos, I was trying these out today, and I can already see a great. Umber of applications for these flat sponges. Wonderful!!

A question though. What's the Luminance one supposed to do that's different? I tried them out, and I'm feeling like the difference must be subtle. I was assuming it had to do with opacity/value? But then the "normal" one seems to relate opacity to pressure already, so I was confused. Thought here might be applications I might miss out on cells lack of understanding of the tool.

Sorry to hear you've been sick. I really appreciate the time you've spent helping out with this thing. You're a great help on these boards. We're clearly lucky to have you here. :)

Someonesane
04-23-2012, 11:15 AM
Thanks for the kind words, SteveB. :cool:

The opacity is controlled by the pen pressure, but the Luminance shift is handled randomly. The luminance is what makes the sticker brighter or darker This is not the same as transparency, because it's the control of how much white or black is added to the color, rather then how clear it is. So in order to really see the difference, you'd need to use full pressure while painting with a single color (see image below).

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To apply this idea to another preset as an example, try this: Take the Spongy Flat preset, open the variations panel, and increase the Random/Luminance dial to 15%. Using it, you should get what you see at the top of the image below.

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Steve B
04-23-2012, 11:44 AM
Ah, ok. With a bit of luminance and hue set to a low setting on random (in the 5-15% range), you can really get some interesting results. This is very exciting! I'm now going to try this on a host of others stickers-- for example, I could see these sorts of settings being beautiful with the Triangular Choas brush from Juz's Grunge stickers. I'm sure it'll work with others as well. That's for ... "illuminating" this. ;) Wacka wacka wacka!

yellowhorde
12-31-2012, 02:39 PM
Thank you so very much!

robint
03-20-2013, 02:09 AM
Just when I thought I was getting ahead - kersplat

That splat variation panel looks fiendish, where do you begin?

5 gold stars

Robin

Someonesane
03-20-2013, 11:06 AM
Just when I thought I was getting ahead - kersplat

That splat variation panel looks fiendish, where do you begin?

I normally start with the Hue, Luminance and Saturation, because they hardly ever change for me. Since I stick to the recommend Pure Red sticker color, I can always depend on the same settings for the those three dials, under the Tracing H (H = Hue), Tracing L (L = Luminance), and Tracing S (S = Saturation) columns. I then move on to Alpha, either setting to a specific transparency by shifting it's dial under the Tracing Alpha column, or setting it adjust dynamically via my tablet pens pressure using the dial under the Pen Pressure column (in the case of the image you're referring to, I used the Tracing Alpha, meaning it'll use either the color I have selected in the color picker, or it'll pick up whatever color my be in the Tracing layer of the painting). I then go for the Scale settings, and normally change the dials for either the Base Value or the Pen Pressure columns. The rest is a toss up, depending completely on the type of sticker sheet I'm using and what I plan to do with the preset. In this case, the sticker sheet held multiple stickers, so I increased the Sheet Row, and Sheet Column dials to draw from the sticker sheet at random. They were both set to 100%, which means that the entire sheet will be accounted for, so no sticker will be left unused. To add more variance to that randomness, I set the Rotation dial under the Random column to 100% as well, so the stickers would be placed down at random degrees. Also under the random column, I set the Luminance dial to 15%. The Luminance changes the brightness of each sticker as it's placed. If it were turned all the way up 100%, I'd end up with pure black and White marks being mixed in, so I left it low. Finally, I changed the Offset dial, under the Base Value up 30% (give or take), which allowed for the sticker sheets to drift off center from the point of my cursor. It allows for a more varied result.

I have recently received a request from another forum member asking how to create a certain effect with the sticker spray, so you'll likely find a more in depth tutorial about this later on this week at some point.

moosie
03-20-2013, 11:40 AM
These are great Thank You :D

annlou
04-11-2016, 05:52 AM
Fantastic. Will certainly make good use of these. Thank you

caneburner
07-26-2022, 06:51 PM
Thanks for sharing! First tree came out really nice for first attempt.

CoeliacChic
08-08-2023, 02:38 AM
Exactly what I was looking for to do texture on rocks!