Using your photo editing software for painting is yet another way to add style and dimension to your digital projects, and is easier than you might think. You can paint on just about anything from background papers and elements to rubber stamped images that are scanned in. Being a rubber stamp enthusiast, I wanted to find a way to incorporate my rubber stamping into my personal digital layouts. Using Paint Shop Pro to paint the stamped image allows you to get the exact color you want by using your eye dropper tool.

Many digital elements are perfect for adding paint effects to get that perfect touch. Our newest CD, Simply Moments, has tons of fun doodles and stamps just waiting to have your own touch of color added. In my first sample layout, I painted beneath two different butterfly stamps from Simply Moments and on the second sample, the swirled stems, to add more color to this section of the layout.

Another idea is to give the look of white paint underneath text to make the journaling stand out, as Michelle did here. Highlighting can also be done on memorabilia, like scanned in newspaper articles that you might want to add to your layouts, but don’t want to ruin by highlighting traditionally.

The key to painting using your software is to play around with opacity or layer blend modes and the various brushes. My favorite brush is the chalk brush in Paint Shop Pro, as it adds a very soft accent. The opacity setting entirely depends on what effect you want on your layout. Is it a layout that requires bright, vibrant color or soft, chalky color? Are there fine lines that you don’t want covered or bold black lines that can be filled in with color? The more you play with your brushes, the more comfortable you will become and before you know it, you will be a digital painting master!