Although I have used Paint Shop Pro for years, I was daunted by Painter 12. The CD comes with a 112 page help guide, but it wasn't enough to cheer me on the way to learning cool art techniques. "Digital Painting Fundamentals" will hold your hand and with baby steps you progress from one technique to the next. Unless you are well grounded in digital art techniques you can't simply plunge into the deep end and swim. Other artists, especially those well-versed with Photoshop, may find this how-to book elementary, but for me it was just what the doctor ordered. You learn how to use the individual brushes, pens and paints in hands - on exercises, in hands - on experiences. You set the pace. Painter is very complicated and even with the book right in front of my nose, I creep along and often it takes me a while to locate the menu item author Draws is talking about."Digital Painting Fundamentals" is not for the dilettante but for the artist who is willing to put in a lot of time to learn this craft. Right away I was flummoxed by the Wacom Pen since I had never heard of such an item. With a Wacom pen and an accompanying tablet the artist is able to draw directly onto the tablet and the strokes will imitate many different brushes and pens, all of which you control. I feel that to work well using this book I will have to get the pen several of which are offered on Amazon.Author-artist Draws will propel you along in a breezy non-bookish way, and I'm confident I'll become a Wacom expert somewhere down the road as well as a digital art creator. But bear in mind that the purchase of a Wacom pen which you use instead of trying to draw with your mouse is a necessity for performing most of the exercises in the book.If you're a neophyte to digital art this book is really a Bible for mastering Painter 12. "Fundamentals" is printed on thick shiny paper, the illustrations are beautiful and clear. The tone of the book is breezy and enthusiastic and the enthusiasm is catching. You'll want to get going!P.S. Rhoda (Grossman) Draws is a character as well as being a very accomplished digital artist. If you run "Rhoda Draws" through Google, you'll find many pictures of her and some interesting biographical notes.P.P.S Corel has wonderful support by phone or email. I had mistakenly anchored my tool menu on the wrong side of the canvas (duh) and they cheerfully told me how to move it.