You will need:

Xero's "Illustrator" filter from Xero Plug-Ins Set Two (Paint Engine's "Complete Poster" also works nicely)
Exploratorium image posted by larisa on the StockStash site
Brush object

The StockStash site does require registration to download images. If you prefer not to register, you can substitute any image. This tutorial was written using a 600x400 pixel image, and the brush size(s) are stated with that workspace in mind.

1. Open the image file. Press "CTRL" and "D" to create a duplicate image on a new canvas. Close the original image. Press "Shift" and "D" twice to create two copies of the image within your new canvas. 2. Hide top object; select lower object.
3. Use Xero filter "Illustrator"; set Abstraction 15, Colouration 150. We'll call this the "Color Layer"
4. Make top object visible and select. This is the "Mask Layer". Click on "Effect>Sharpen>Find Edges". (This is "Effect>Blur and Sharpen..." in versions lower than PI8.) 5. Click on "Effect>Artistic>Monochrome". (This is "Effect>Special>Monochrome" in lower versions.)
6. Click on "Format>Invert". 7. Click on "Format>Level..." (PI 8 only). Adjust right slider to reduce the amount of greyed out detail and increase the white "canvas". I used a setting of "225" in the example. For PI7 and lower, you can achieve similar results by adjusting the brightness and contrast of the mask object layer. Just be careful to avoid losing too much of the black outline detail.
8. Click on the "Mask Mode" button. 9. Select the Bristle tool, with black as the color, brush size 10. 10. Begin coloring in the areas that you want to show color in the final image. Keep in mind the direction your brush strokes would take, if you were actually painting or coloring in a sketch. You can peek at your progress by clicking off the "Mask" button occasionally, then clicking it on again before continuing. When you reactivate the mask, a selection marquee will appear. You can leave this or remove it using SHIFT+G or "Selection>None". If you make a mistake or decide that you don't want an area colored, simply change your brush color to white and re-cover the area. Think of white as your "eraser" in Mask Mode. You can even flood fill the entire object with white (while in Mask Mode), if you want to start over.
11. When you reach a degree of "doneness" that you like, click off the Mask mode. Tweak the color/brightness/contrast of the color layer, if you feel your image needs it. Select both object layers and "Merge As Single Object". 12. With the image object selected, click on "Format>Image Size...". Decrease the width of the selected object by about 50 pixels, then center it in your image. Choose "Format>Frame and Shadow". Select "Magic Frame" and use the default "Tear" settings, making sure the "Border" box is unchecked. Click "OK".
13. Merge the image object with the background. Click "Effect>Material Effect>Texture Filter...". Click on the second thumbnail in the lower left corner--"Emboss". Click the pull down arrow next to the "Texture Image" swatch and select "Add Texture". Browse to the "material" folder of your PI directory. Select "fabric2.jpg" and click "Open". Set the texture filter as follows: Scaling 50; Level 30. Increasing the Scaling number increases the size of the weave, increasing the Level number increases the intensity of the texture. Next time you want to use this texture, it will be there in the pull-down menu next to the Texture Image under "Select Texture".
14. Add in artist's tools, such as the brush object I used. Paste as an object and use the Transform tool to size and rotate it. I used "Web>Button Designer>Any shape..." to give the brush dimension and direct the light from the upper right.
15. Choose a color from your image and dab a bit on the tip of the brush object using the Paintbrush tool with the "Mode" button depressed. You may need to make it semitransparent (30% worked well in the example) for it to seem real. When you're satisfied with the result, merge the paint with the brush. Use the "Shadow..." option in Layer manager to give a shadow to the lower left of the brush. Set the Y offset to 0, so the brush doesn't appear to be floating in mid-air. Sign your work, create a special frame, and you're done!! If you've made it this far, here's your reward!