Grizzly Bear

I'm fortunate to live in The Canadian Rockies, an area rich in wildlife, and home to some of the most majestic animals in the world. Bears, wolves, elk, and many more species are wandering the woods just down the street from my home.

I recently found myself inspired to do a series of wildlife paintings, but I wanted them to have personality and life to them. Something different, something fun. So this grizzly bear 'portrait' is the first in the series.

My close friends are well aware of the irrational fear of bears I've had for a number of years. I call it bear-anoia. Frankly, I've never understood it. I love bears, and always have, but found myself quite nervous about running into one while on a hike or out camping. There is a difference between being 'bear aware' as they say in these parts, and worrying that Yogi or Boo-boo is going to jump out from behind every bush doesn't exactly enhance an excursion into the great outdoors.

I don't like having phobias. I used to be claustrophobic, but I cured that by taking a couple of guided trips into the Rat's Nest Cave in this area. Very tight spaces and no easy exit. Now, I can't get enough of the place. So to deal with the bear thing last summer, I went the hypnosis route and it is now much less of a concern than it used to be. I think people should face their fears. It's very liberating.

Following are some step-by-step screenshots. Click on the image to see it larger. It should be noted that I while I did sketch a few studies before painting this image, I didn't scan the sketches and work directly from them. The painting was starting and finished completely in Photoshop.

I really think I'll enjoy working on this series.

From The Bookshelf

Regular readers will know that I'm constantly looking for new sources of inspiration and education. You don't need to have a formal art education in order to be successful, but you do need to be educated. I've learned more from the books, magazines, and DVD's I've bought than I ever would have in art school, primarily because this curriculum has been tailored to my specific interests and passions.

In keeping with that, here are some recommendations for books I've bought recently.

Selling Art 101: The art of creative selling by Robert Regis Dvorak.
While it's not a large book, the information within is real world advice on how to use your time and energy wisely when selling your art. What I found most interesting about this book is how much it focuses on the importance of customer service. Simple sales advice like being a good listener, keeping your client happy, and how to close a sale.

Many artists I've met seem to think that the art will speak for itself, when in reality, customers are customers, whether you're selling them nuts and bolts at the hardware store or a house. Just as you want to feel your own business is valued when you spend your hard earned money, so does an art buyer. It doesn't matter if it's a package of 10 printed greeting cards or an original mural that took you six months to paint. Your attitude and how you treat your client is directly related to your income.


Be Great: The Five Foundations of an Extraordinary Life in Business and Beyond by Peter H. Thomas.
Long title not withstanding, this is a very inspirational book, regardless of your profession. Written by the man who founded Century 21 Real Estate in Canada, this book talks about the importance of values, ethics and integrity and realizing one's potential. Mr. Thomas has lived through some amazing ups and downs, and it's his approach to dealing with these situations that I found the most inspiring. This book is written with passion and enthusiasm and I would recommend it for anyone looking to be a success in business without selling your soul.


2010 Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market: Where & How to Sell Your Illustrations, Fine Art & Cartoons.
This is the 35th annual edition from the Editors of Writers Digest Books. I received this in the mail on Friday from Amazon.ca and will now be spending the next few weeks going through it, in preparation for my next series of postcard mailings. I first bought this book three or four years ago, but to be honest, I didn't really use it until last year.

In addition to some excellent articles and interviews regarding current marketing advice and practices for successful artists, the primary reason for this book is the extensive directory of Galleries, Magazines, Book Publishers, Greeting Card Companies and more. Complete with contact info for the right people and tips on how best to present your samples, this guide will help you better your chances of getting your artwork sold.

While your first run of submissions may not bear fruit, it's consistency that many publications are looking for. If they see your work arrive in the mail on a regular basis, it lends credibility to your staying power. My submissions last year actually did result in two queries from magazines. Unfortunately their deadlines both conflicted with work I'd already agreed to and I could not accommodate them at the time. But, they DID call, and it was a direct result of what I learned from last year's edition of this book.

Continuing to educate yourself is what will give you the edge you need in order to become (and remain) successful, regardless of what profession you're in.

Private Commission - Wade and Pepy

This was for a client to give her husband as a birthday gift. I've had this one done for a couple of weeks, and thanks to the great service from Mpix, the framed and matted print had been in my office since last Tuesday. Just couldn't post 'til this morning as Wade didn't receive it until yesterday.

There were challenges on this one. First, the only reference photos I had for Wade's face were two 4" X 6" snapshots, both of which were somewhat overexposed and featured more than one person, so his face wasn't nearly as detailed as I'd like. Thanks to the wonders of Photoshop and Genuine Fractals 6.0, I was able to improve the photos somewhat, but it was still difficult.

Additionally, the truck, Pepy, had to be accurate, since it's custom. The client let me into the garage to take reference photos, but space was tight, so everything was a closeup, and I couldn't fit the entire truck into one photo. I ended up using about 10 reference photos in all for the truck, plus a few from the net to help with the overall perspective.

This is the second time this client has hired me for this sort of image, and she was very pleased with the result. While it's always nice to get paid, the client's happiness with the finished work is very important to me. I should hear what Wade thought of it later today.

I know I must sound like a broken record (that's vinyl, kids!) when I say that I really enjoyed painting this one, but I really did. I do so enjoy my work.

EDIT: I found out later in the day that Wade loved it. The client even showed me a photo of him with a big smile when he opened it. What more could an artist ask for?

Caricature - RC Concepcion

RC Concepcion is an Education and Curriculum Developer for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals and a well known instructor of Photoshop and Illustrator. While I've been aware of his skills for a number of years, I was able to finally meet him at Photoshop World last month.

Because of his positive and friendly attitude, RC is a fun guy to be around and like so many of the other instructors and attendees of the event, he just seemed to be happy to be there. I asked him to pose for a couple of reference photos and he obliged, although there might have been a little bit of fear in his eyes, because he knew WHY I was taking them.

Once again, I found it difficult to stop painting this piece, because I really was having such a good time working on it. Guess I'll have to start on a new one soon.

Card Game Illustration - Bargain Hunter

This is another series of illustrations for Valley Games, the box cover illustration shown above. This game is called 'Bargain Hunter' and involves a garage or yard sale theme. I only require a very rudimentary understanding of the rules for these games and the style they're after in order to complete the images.

Here are the initial sketches. Click on any of the images to see them larger.


Ink and colour.


The card layout for each of the appliances.


I'm working on another one of these games at present, and it sounds like there are a few more coming, so expect to see these pretty regularly.

On The Horizon.

I've been flirting with the idea of getting a Cintiq 12WX tablet ever since I tried both models at Photoshop World. A Wacom Cintiq is basically a pressure sensitive monitor that enables you to draw and paint on the screen. All of the pressure sensitivity and responsiveness of other Wacom tablets, but more like real drawing, because your hand is on the 'canvas.'

I love my Intuos4, but from what other artists have told me, the Cintiq increases your productivity exponentially and is a joy to work on. Having done a ton of research these past few weeks, I almost pulled the trigger and bought one, but that research also suggests that a NEW Cintiq, the next generation, should be coming out soon.

The Intuos and Bamboo lines both had next generations released this year. The Cintiq 12WX was released two years ago. Since the new features of the Intuos (the new button and wheel features) and the Bamboo (touch sensitivity) have created such a buzz, the general consensus is that the online art community is looking for those features on the Cintiq. I can't see why Wacom wouldn't be headed in that direction.

With that in mind, I'm going to wait a few months to see if my suspicions end up being true. I've waited this long, so there seems to be no harm in waiting a little longer, and my Intuos4 is a wonderful piece of technology that I still enjoy drawing and painting on every day. In fact, when I do bite the bullet and get a Cintiq, I'll keep it hooked up and use the two in tandem.

One thing about being a self-employed freelancer, is that you have to keep your tech up to date in order to compete. Doesn't mean you buy everything, but you do need to know what's available and decide what will help your business and what will just be a waste of money.

Case in point, there's a new 24" widescreen monitor sitting in my office that arrived on Monday, but I've yet to hook it up. I've learned over the years to never install new hardware in the middle of a deadline. Murphy's Law will guarantee that you'll have some sort of calibration issue. Gives me something to look forward to this weekend, though.

Chart Your Own Course.

Even though Photoshop World ended a couple of weeks ago, I'm still riding the high of inspiration that I got from attending and I really would like to go again next year. One unexpected benefit from the conference, was that I found it gave me clearer focus on the direction in which I intend to take my career. As a freelance artist, you'll find that you will expend a great deal of energy deciding how to budget your time and money. Early in your career, the reason will be that you have so little of both. But if your hard work pays off, you'll find that even with a thriving business, you just won't want to waste time on things that keep you standing still. This will lead to some tough choices. As my friend Tracey said to me this summer, "If you say Yes to one thing, you must say No to something else."

I found myself turning down a logo design job this week simply because I knew I wouldn't enjoy it. While that isn't always a luxury one can afford, especially when you're just starting out, at some point you will have to decide what type of work you really want to do. After all, isn't that the whole reason you chose freelancing in the first place?

Some people will tell you that you have to take anything and everything that comes along, especially in this economy. I would disagree. Knowing which gigs to politely decline becomes as important as knowing which ones to go after. While there are many types of jobs I can do, it doesn't mean that I want to do all of them. Caricature and digital painting are my favorite types of art to create, but I also enjoy the commercial cartoon work for games and other illustration that I've been fortunate to work on. When it comes to graphic design, however, I do know the software and the tricks of the trade, but I really can't stand that type of work.

Fortunately, it's been quite awhile since I've considered myself a struggling or starving artist, but you never forget that time, so turning down work is never comfortable. To take every job, however, becomes a trap. You'll end up taking work you don't like, which creates a danger that you will become known for it, and pretty soon, that's the only work you're being hired to do. If you end up in that particular rut, you might as well go get a regular job, because the course of your business is being charted by other people.

Editorial cartooning, while currently a large part of my business, has been in steady decline for years, largely because of the difficulty newspapers are having with staying current. While the axe has not yet fallen on the industry, it is clearly being sharpened for the task. Newspapers are struggling to adapt and to prevent from being plowed under by progress. To ignore that obvious trend is myopic, at best. The days of having a secure position that will see you through a 30 year career in any field have been over for awhile now. The importance of thinking five steps ahead has never been more apparent, and to simply wait for the end to come, without a plan, is akin to playing Russian Roulette with five loaded chambers instead of just one.

Einstein was once reported to have said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

You may be one of the top artists in your genre, but failing to continually promote your skills, sharpen your focus and educate yourself will ensure that few people will ever know about it. That's where events like Photoshop World and other conferences of that nature become invaluable. There are also more top quality online lessons and tutorials than you'll ever have time to watch in your lifetime. Why wouldn't you take advantage of that?

You must chart your own course to be successful. If you're drifting aimlessly through your career without a thought to what's over the horizon, you might as well just lash yourself to the main mast, because if the ship goes down, you won't know where to swim to, anyway.