Wacom has invited me to be a guest on one of their webinars next month. It’s free to attend, you just need to register in advance. Here’s the link …
Blog
Catching my breath.
Looking back on my career so far, it would seem that I spend most of my time living through periods of deadline panic with large projects, followed by periods of lesser panic where I figure that NOW I can finally gain some control over my life and relax. This delusion is then followed by the next period of deadline panic with a large project. I’m a slow learner.
Last week, I finished another DVD for PhotoshopCAFE, which definitely falls under the ‘deadline panic with large project’ category. While I know that it will be ready for Photoshop World in Las Vegas the first week of September, I would imagine it will be available sooner than that online. This was a big one for me. While my first DVD effort was on cartooning, I’m pretty comfortable with that process, so even though the actual recording was hell (why mince words?), the subject matter was fairly routine, as I’ve been drawing cartoons in that fashion every day for a number of years.
This second DVD, the recording and painting were both challenging, but still very enjoyable. The editing, however, was just challenging. I enjoy painting more than any of the other creative work I do, so I wanted the painting in the DVD to be my best effort. While I’m pleased to say that I think I achieved that, I’m relieved that it’s done. I ended up taking an involuntary day off once all the files had been sent, because I was completely exhausted.
Finished a commission of a cat painting this week. There’s a great back story to this one, but I can’t share it, or the full painting, until after the client gives it as a gift. Keeping secrets is often part of the job. But I’m happy with how it turned out. Recording the painting DVD created a little pressure (self-induced, of course) to up my game, and I’m looking forward to my next wildlife painting. I’ve been thinking about this one for almost a year and I’m excited to get started on it.
This week, I intend to finish a painting of my parent’s dog, Bailey, a wonderful little shih tzu with a great personality. Been wanting to paint her for awhile and pleased I finally get to give this gift to my Mom.
I’ve got one more large illustration gig to wrap up in August, but other than that, I’m almost caught up. I still have my regular editorial cartoons to draw, and five or six extras to get done in advance for my week away at Photoshop World Las Vegas at the beginning of September. But, all in all, I think I’m finally going to be able to find a few days of downtime soon, gain some control over my life and relax.
Did I mention that I’m a slow learner?
Of DVD’s and Don Diego
This is my latest painting, one very close to my heart as this little fella, name of Don Diego, belongs to a good friend of mine in Nebraska, and is the subject of my latest DVD from PhotoshopCAFE. While I still have some editing to do, and am a couple of days away from being completely finished the DVD, the painting portion is done.
I’m quite pleased with how this process went. I found the last DVD very difficult, but this one felt very natural. Recording it was a real pleasure, and I forgave myself a few flubs here and there, in favor of authenticity. I’m really looking forward to seeing this DVD make its debut at Photoshop World in Las Vegas this year.
The Bow Valley SPCA
We are fortunate to have a wonderful SPCA facility here in the Bow Valley, an area that encompasses the communities of Exshaw, Canmore, Banff and Lake Louise. Run by very dedicated volunteers, it’s a no-kill, no-cage shelter. No animals are euthanized there unless it’s a question of age and suffering. They’re all very well cared for and all efforts are made to find all of these animals homes. They do behavioral rehab as well. Community vets and volunteers give their time for these animals and their list of success stories grows larger all the time. Here is their website, if you’d like to take a look. http://www.bowvalleyspca.org/
I have a few friends who give a LOT of their time to this facility. We’re talking more hours than a part-time job each week. While there are many in this area that support the idea of the SPCA, and do make regular donations, they could really use some more volunteers. I’ll be honest, I’ve chosen not to volunteer in person at the SPCA, because even though these animals are well cared for, I’m a heart-on-my-sleeve type of guy, especially when it comes to animals. I honestly don’t think I could handle it.
I’m a little too judgmental of people who abandon their pets when they become an inconvenience, and some of the animals end up at the facility because of abuse. I believe that how a person treats their pet is one of the truest indicators of their character. I know that I would be upset a lot, or I would develop very thick skin, neither of which I want.
But I believe in the great work the facility is doing, so I help in ways that I can, although I wish I could do more. I’ve done some ads and graphics for the SPCA over the years, and recently one of my connections resulted in a very generous donation of the complete graphics suite from Adobe (thanks again to Russell Brown!), but I was recently asked to come up with some cartoon T-shirt ideas. They basically just want funny, cute, pet themed toons. So I compiled a list, they selected a number of them, and this is the first one, with more to follow in the next couple of months.
Hopefully the T-shirts are popular and it results in continued funding for such a great facility, which really is a credit to this community.
Second go ’round.
This is a work in progress. Bailey is my parents’ dog, and the painting will be a late birthday present for my Mom. This painting served as my rehearsal for the early stages of another DVD for PhotoshopCAFE, because in it, I’m painting another little dog. At this stage, the rehearsal is over, because every painting is different and digital painting is not a step-by-step exercise.
Recorded a couple of sessions this morning, and I’m amazed at how easy it is this time around. There are a few simple (and probably very obvious) reasons for this.
This is my second DVD. I found the first one, Cartoon Illustration Techniques in Photoshop, to be incredibly stressful. I’d never done a DVD before, I was learning the hardware, software, and was obsessed with making sure I included everything I possibly could for the beginner as well as keeping the experienced user interested. That’s actually tougher than it sounds, because as in all things, once you’ve learned a skill, you often forget how to break it down to simple steps because it has become instinctual.
I took guitar lessons a couple of years ago. My instructor is a very talented musician and excellent teacher, but every once in awhile after he showed me a particularly difficult finger picking song, he would go to break it down into a sequence and he’d have to take a few minutes to remember how he did it. The playing of that song was so instinctual and set into sense memory that to break it down into individual chords and finger movements was tough for him to do.
That’s what it was like teaching all of steps I go through every single day when drawing editorial cartoons. And while I’ve heard from a number of people that bought, enjoyed and learned a lot from that DVD, I’m glad I did that one first and saved the current one for second, because frankly, this one is a hell of a lot more fun.
This DVD is not for new-to-Photoshop beginners. Anybody who wants to learn digital painting should already have a working knowledge of the software, at least for the techniques I’ll be teaching. I don’t have to say, ‘this is how you open a document,’ or ‘this is how you create a layer.’ With the cartooning DVD, if I missed a step that I take for granted, it could really confuse someone who has never used Photoshop before.
With painting, there aren’t many ‘step by step’ lessons possible, because every painting is different and if I tried to do the same painting twice, the end result wouldn’t look the same. With this DVD, I’m only doing one take for every session, and oddly enough, I’m fine with it. The painting itself will take 15-20 hours. I’m not going to redo two or three hours unless it’s absolutely required.
So this time around, I’m winging it, creating a painting from scratch, from the first brush stroke to the last. Most of the stuff I’m talking about is whatever pops into my head based on what I’m seeing and thinking about the image in real time. Listening to the playback of the sessions I recorded this morning, yes, I did notice a few uh’s and um’s. Thankfully, not many as I do try to speak well on a daily basis, but nobody’s perfect. With the last DVD, I would re-record the whole session to minimize that. This time around, I’m leaving them in. Because what’s also in there, which can’t be scripted, is animation in my voice, the excitement that I feel when I paint. I love that! Having that in there is worth a few um’s and uh’s, because I know that multiple takes would make that go away.
Recording the last DVD took a long time, kept me up nights, and was one of the most stressful things I’ve gone through in the past year. This time around, I decided that I’m going having a good time with it.
So if you do decide to part with your hard-earned money and take a chance on hearing what I have to say and teach about digital painting, I hope it’ll be evident to you just how much I love this work, and that as a consequence, you’ll forgive a few uh’s and um’s.
Art Cards with Island Art Publishers
As of yesterday, I have entered into a licensing agreement for my Totem paintings with Island Art Publishers for art cards!
Island Art was my first choice as I’m a fan of a number of their artists and I’m pleased that they’ll be representing my work. Island Art primarily supplies a large number of retailers and museums throughout Western Canada, and also distributes through Eastern Canada, Washington, Oregon and Alaska.
I believe this region is the best possible market for my current Totem series, as it features animals found in the Rocky Mountains and Western Canada. When I begin my West Coast wildlife series in the Fall, I’m confident that the images will find their way into the right stores and museums along the coast, thanks to this arrangement.
The first images to be put into production will be the mammals in my Totem series; the Wolf, Grizzly, Moose, Elk and Ground Squirrel. I’ve seen the layout proofs and they look great! The cards go into production next week and should be available to retailers a week or two after that.
Happy Canada Day!
Coming up with new cartoons with Canadian themes each year is tough, as I’ve done a number of them. The beaver, the flag, the food, the crowds, fireworks, troops overseas, the Parliament buildings…and while all of them are valid, iconic, or important, it’s difficult to keep it fresh each year.
When my wife and I were on vacation recently on Vancouver Island, we went on a great wildlife cruise through the Broken Islands Group out of Ucluelet. As we were heading through the channel into open water, I spotted the CCGS Atlin Post coming up behind us. Since we were slowly sightseeing and watching some eagles along the shore, she quickly overtook us and I was able to snap a bunch of photos, including this one.
It wasn’t until we got home that I thought this might make a good reference image for a Canada Day cartoon. Here’s what I came up with.
A good friend of mine works as the Chief Engineer aboard the CCGS Samuel Risley which patrols the Great Lakes, an icebreaker in the winter and service vessel all year round. He alternates between a month here at a home in the mountains and a month on the ship. He told me he printed the cartoon and put it up around the ship, and that it was well received. Here’s a photo he took of their MUCH bigger boat.
So, today on Canada Day, here’s to the Canadian Coast Guard and specifically to my buddy, Paul, and the crew of the Samuel Risley. Happy Canada Day!
Photoshop Creative Magazine
The latest issue of Photoshop Creative magazine goes on sale today and if you turn to Page 9, you’ll see a little image of my Ground Squirrel Totem painting at the top of the page. “3 of the Best…” is a regular feature in this magazine. Last month it was landscape painters, this month it’s animal portrait painters, and I’m very honored that they selected my work to be included in the list.
Anyone who visits regularly knows how much I love painting these Totems. It’s strange that painting animals was never part of the plan, but then again, neither was being a cartoonist. Funny how life turns out.
iPad Painting and the Wacom Bamboo Stylus
Here’s another iPad painting that I just finished. This is Marcia Gay Harden in character as ‘Mother Carmody’ from the Frank Darabont movie, ‘The Mist,’ based on the novel by Stephen King. She is one of my favorite movie villains which made this a lot of fun to work on. Frank Darabont is one of my favorite filmmakers and Stephen King is my favorite author, so it should come as no surprise that The Mist is one of my favorite movies. How many times can you use ‘favorite’ in a sentence?
Darabont has made movies out of a number of King’s books. In addition to The Mist, there was The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption. He is also responsible for the breakout miniseries ‘The Walking Dead,’ which is one of the few television shows I would pay extra to see. And if that weren’t enough, Darabont has used Drew Struzan (one more favorite) to create the posters for a number of his movies, including the ones I’ve mentioned here. It’s no wonder I’ve chosen two of his characters to paint on the iPad.
I’ve already written a great deal about the process for painting on the iPad and the ArtStudio app, which is still preferred over all others. If you’d like to see other iPad paintings and posts, there are links at the end of this entry. The process is very much like other digital painting, with some limitations due to the nature of the iPad.
What made this current painting different is that I was taking a new stylus for a test drive. Up until now, I had been using (and recommending) the Targus stylus, but I recently got my hands on the new Bamboo Stylus for iPad by none other than Wacom. I’ll be honest, I had REALLY high expectations for this stylus. Wacom has long been established as the go-to company for drawing tablets, and having owned more than a few of them, I’m a pretty big fan. I couldn’t do my work without a Wacom tablet.
I already knew that the stylus wasn’t going to be reinventing the wheel. Anybody expecting pressure sensitivity (something Wacom tablets are very well known for) should dismiss it now, no matter what stylus you’re using. The iPad currently does not support pressure sensitivity, so that discussion ends pretty darn quick.
Without going into great boring technical details, I can sum up the Wacom Bamboo Stylus pretty easily. It is the best stylus I’ve used so far. Every other stylus I’ve tried, and there have been four of them, has been a little like drawing with a piece of chalk. A large surface area with the tip, because the iPad is built to register a finger, not a pen. What it looks like Wacom did, however, was take that tip size to the ultimate minimum. The contact surface is significantly smaller than any other stylus I’ve seen so far. It’s still not fine point tip, but it’s a definite improvement over all others I’ve tried.
What else did they get right? Well, it’s longer than any other stylus I’ve used, so it feels better in my hand. It has better balance, too. They included a clip (something others have failed to do) and it looks good, too. While I’m sure a lot of work went into the research and development of this stylus, it’s not a complicated device. It’s a pen that allows you to write, draw, and paint on the iPad.
Many people will recall that I liked the Targus stylus, and up until now, it was all I needed. Wacom, however, raised the bar with the Bamboo Stylus and it’s now my primary drawing device for the iPad. I still have to use the glove so I can rest my hand while drawing without activating the app with the heel of my hand, but that’s a compensation for the iPad, not the stylus.
As with all of the stylus products out there, there are metal parts on them, so a little bit of care for your iPad is warranted. Don’t leave your stylus sitting on the screen or push really hard at a very steep angle as there is always the risk of slipping and possibly scratching the iPad. You don’t need to push hard with ANY stylus, and if you use the Bamboo Stylus properly, you should have no issues.
I do not have a screen protector on my iPad, so I can’t say how it works with one, but I used my iPad a LOT, do a lot of painting with it, and the only scratches I’ve ever got were from a brief test of the Dagi stylus which put three nice little scars on the screen. Even those are hard to find, but it was enough for me to abandon it. The Apple case is all I’ve ever needed for the iPad, so I don’t see the need for a screen protector.
Bottom line, I would highly recommend buying the Wacom Bamboo Stylus. Yes, at $29.95, it costs a little more than others on the market, but I’ve always believed that you get what you pay for, and this one is worth it. It’s a joy to paint with and after the first few minutes, I didn’t think about the pen at all, which is the best endorsement I can offer. I find the best products (hardware and software) are the ones that allow you to think about your work, not the tools you use to create it.
As for those who are demanding pressure sensitivity, talk to Apple about it. In the meantime, you can easily fake pressure sensitivity with most apps on the market by varying the opacity of the brush in the app itself. That’s what I did throughout this whole painting and it worked very well. I rarely use full brush opacity when painting, even in Photoshop.
One final note about painting with the iPad in general…
The iPad has limitations that prevent me from producing ready-for-market paintings. Just the color calibration and resolution limitations are enough to put the brakes on creating finished work. This ‘actual pixels’ image is as close as you can zoom in on the first-gen iPad. Were I to import this into Photoshop, it would serve as a sketch for a painting, with many more hours required to create a finished piece. Had I painted this in Photoshop, I would consider this to be about half done at this stage.
With that in mind, you might wonder why I bother painting with the iPad at all, when I can get much more detail and a tighter rendering with Photoshop and a traditional Wacom tablet. The reasons are simple. With the right app, and the right stylus, the iPad is a great sketchbook. I also enjoy the challenge of seeing how far I can take a painting, and it’s just great overall painting practice. Another reason is simply to show that you can create quality artwork on the iPad, despite the critics (fewer all the time) that say it’s of no practical use to artists. One thing I’ve learned over the years by watching what talented and creative people do with all sorts of mediums in this world is that artists will decide for themselves what is and isn’t of practical use for their own creativity.
If you’d like to see other iPad painting posts I’ve written along and images I’ve painted, here are some links.
West Coast Wildlife
Gray whale off of Vancouver Island – Patrick LaMontagne
My wife and I just came back from a wonderful week on Vancouver Island. With visits to the Comox Valley, the city of Victoria, and other parts of the Island, the highlight was our trip ‘over the hump’ to Ucluelet and Tofino.
We booked a boat tour of the Broken Group Islands out of Ucluelet with Archipelago Wildlife Cruises in advance and had a great time. I have long had a dream to see whales in the wild, specifically humpbacks, and while we didn’t get to see them breach, it was still a very thrilling experience. Gray whales, bald eagles, seals, sea lions all made appearances, along with various water fowl. This cruise was the best part of the whole vacation. The owners of Archipelago are great hosts, and I wrote a lengthy 5 star review on Trip Advisor about them, which has yet to be posted. But it’s easy to see why they’re rated the Number #1 tour on Vancouver Island. A great couple to spend the day with, and after 5.5 hours on the boat, we definitely felt we got our money’s worth.
Humpback whale and calf in The Broken Group Islands – Patrick LaMontagne
One of the big reasons for this trip was to gather photo reference for my upcoming Totem painting series on West Coast wildlife. Eventually I intend to paint a number of animals that call that area home, even though many of them aren’t exclusive to the west coast. An otter, bald eagle, seal, sea lion, black bear, and a few whale species are all planned. While it would be great to take my own photos for these, I often do better by finding photographers willing to sell or share their work for reference purposes, and I’ve been very lucky in that regard.
Bald Eagle in Tofino – Patrick LaMontagne
Even though I took many of my own photos, a few shown here, my Nikon D60 (while still a very good camera) doesn’t have the power I need to get the close-up shots I’m looking for. One thing we found out quickly, we at least need to start looking at buying a zoom lens. A realization I came to on this trip is that even though my skills are still limited to point-and-shoot, I’m really starting to enjoy taking photos, and I want to become a better photographer.
Bald Eagle taking off in Tofino – Patrick LaMontagne
I did come home with a couple of great sources for reference photos so the trip was a huge success, despite my own photos not measuring up for reference use. I found that visiting the area left me feeling more inspired than ever to launch this series, and I’m eager to get painting. I’ve got some commissions I’m currently working on, so I won’t put digital brush to canvas until October at the earliest on this series, but I’m really looking forward to it.