The Water Color Layer

Water Color brushes paint into a water color layer, which enables the colors to flow and mix and absorb into the paper.

In Corel Painter, you can edit the Water Color layer as you would any other layer, including erasing and blurring, without changing anything in the image layer. For example, you can draw pencil outlines in the image layer, then overlay water color shading without smudging the pencil lines.

You can lift the canvas to the Water Color layer, which transfers information from the canvas to the Water Color layer. This is useful if you want to apply Water Color effects to a photograph, for example.

You can wet the entire Water Color layer, which activates a diffusion process that you can control.

Unless a Water Color layer is already selected, a new Water Color layer is automatically created when a Water Color brush is applied to an image.

The Water Color layer appears on the Layers palette and is characterized by a blue water droplet icon. When the icon is falling, it indicates that the drying process is underway. It is a good practice to monitor the Water Color icon while painting with Water Color brushes. If too many strokes are laid down, particularly with respect to slow-drying brushes, the application can become slower. In this situation, it is best to wait for the drying process to finish before continuing.

To create a new Water Color layer

1. Choose Window menu > Show Layers to display the Layers palette.

If the Layers palette is not expanded, click the palette arrow.

2. Do one of the following:

• On the Layers palette, click the palette menu arrow, and choose New Water Color Layer.
• Click the New Water Color Layer button at the bottom of the Layers palette.

To lift the canvas to the Water Color layer

1. Apply one or more strokes to the canvas with a Water Color brush variant.
2. Choose Window menu > Show Layers to display the Layers palette.
3. Click the palette menu arrow, and choose Lift Canvas to Water Color Layer.

To wet the Water Color layer

1. Apply one or more strokes to the canvas with a Water Color brush variant.
2. Choose Window menu > Show Layers to display the Layers palette.
3. Click the palette menu arrow, and choose Wet Entire Water Color Layer.

• To stop the diffusion process, click the palette menu arrow on the Layers palette, and choose Dry Water Color Layer.