It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post and I try not to go longer than that. But I almost skipped this week because I don’t have a finished piece to show you yet.
The world’s feeling heavy. And while half of my job is following the news and drawing daily editorial cartoons about the worst of it, many of you have been clear you’d rather I keep that separate from A Wilder View. So I will.
Sometimes the news pollution slows the painting pace. It can be tough to switch gears and draw a happy, whimsical critter face.
A lot of you have told me over the years that you actually like seeing the middle part, the unfinished stage, even when you don’t get the finished piece until later. So I’m leaning into that more.
In a world where people can type a few lines and get an AI image in seconds, it matters for real artists to show what the work looks like while it’s being made. Now more than ever.
So here are a couple of paintings in progress.
Black Bear
This bear was drawn entirely on the MovinkPad 11. Wacom hired me to make a video with it late last year and lucky me, they let me keep the device. I’m really enjoying it. While unwinding in the evenings and watching TV, I’ve been sketching editorial cartoons on the couch or playing with painting ideas.
It came with Clip Studio Paint, and even though it’s a fully capable drawing and painting program, I actually prefer using its Simple Mode on the MovinkPad 11. It’s fun to see how far I can get using limited tools. Then I bring the sketch over to my full PC setup and Cintiq 24HD for the heavier painting and detail work.
I like the progress so far. Next week I’ll bring this bear over and start turning it into a full painting. I think it’ll make a fun sticker too. We’ll see when it’s done.
Porcupine
I want to have a few pieces finished soon so I can send out a catalog to zoos for print and sticker orders early next month. The Bear Boop grizzly I shared recently will be one of them, along with this black bear, and I’m also working on this porcupine.
This one has a long way to go, but I’m enjoying discovering this little guy. I’m working from several reference photos, some I took at Discovery Wildlife Park and the Calgary Zoo, and I also bought a couple of stock photos, which I don’t normally do. Porcupines seem to vary a lot in body type and colouring, and I wanted a wider range to work from.
I’m drawing it full body, but the final piece may be cropped a lot closer. As for the background, I have some ideas, but this is still earlier stages, so I’m playing and deciding as I go.
Again, I’m not comfortable sharing unfinished work, but as I’m trying to remind myself more and more these days, you don’t grow when you’re comfortable. And if you want different results, you have to try different things.
Cheers,
Patrick
