Category: Business

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Time and Tide

Over the past four or five years, I’ve spent a great deal of time learning all I can, working to improve my skills, attending conferences, webinars, and even taking a couple of online courses.  This year, I’ve realized that there isn’t as much out there for me when it comes to education.  Yes, there will always be better artists to learn from, but many of them aren’t lecturing at conferences or teaching courses specific enough to warrant the expense.

I wrote recently that I wouldn’t be attending Photoshop World again next year,  so I considered attending the ICON illustration conference.  I’ve read good reviews, but it doesn’t feel like the right thing to do at the moment.  Earlier this year, I had decided not to attend the Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists conference next summer in Montreal, because even though there are people I would like to see, it really isn’t a conference about learning.  I can’t justify the expense for three or four days just to hang out and talk shop.  I realize Montreal is a beautiful city, but my wife and I have other vacation plans for 2012.

One decision I’ve now made for the next year is that unless I’m working or speaking at one, I’m not going to be attending any conferences.

With the success of my animal paintings and the fact that I enjoy them so much, it is very clear that I’ve finally found my niche.  This is the work I’m supposed to be doing and it’s a great feeling to have absolutely no doubt about that.  While I still enjoy drawing cartoons and painting people, painting animals is where I find the most fulfillment.

It is gratifying that my work has a growing following.  The paintings are doing well in both Two Wolves in Canmore and the About Canada Gallery in Banff, I’ve signed my first licensing deal with Island Art Publishers, and I’m beginning to get commissions that are a lot of fun to work on.  While I’m fortunate to enjoy most of the work I’ve been doing the past decade, I’ve never enjoyed it more than when I’m painting.

With a couple of DVDs under my belt, my second webinar for Wacom in a few weeks and some knocks on the door from other companies, it has become clear that I’ve stepped well into the realm of teaching, which is often a logical step for many students to take.  While I still intend to keep learning as much as I can, I’ve found that I’m finally comfortable passing on some of the skills I’ve learned, and I’m enjoying it, too.

But, where to go from here?  It’s a question faced by every freelancer, entrepreneur, and self-employed person and one you end up asking yourself over and over at different stages in any career.  Sure, there are many people who have done it before, some of them poorly and others with monumental success, and while their advice and example can aid in the big decisions, the choices still rest with each individual, and with how much each person is willing to risk.

For most of this past year, I was so focused on the DVDs for PhotoshopCAFE and other commission work, that I added only one painting to my Totem series, which was the Great Horned Owl.  Only one.  When I realized that this summer, I don’t mind saying that I wasn’t pleased.  The one thing I love to do more than anything in my work, and it turned out that I made it the lowest priority.  Obviously, I dropped the ball on that.

For the next year, my main focus will be these paintings.  Not just working on them, but promoting and selling them.  I’ve still got other commission work that I’ll be doing, and another DVD in the works for PhotoshopCAFE, but the main priority will be the work I love to do most.

There can often be a number of ‘right’ choices, and because of this, many people will succumb to the paralysis of making no choice at all.  This is the surest way to stall any progress in a freelance career.  Moving forward has always required taking risks, and part of that risk is making bold decisions without knowing how they’ll turn out.  So rather than play a game of wait and see, I’m going to gamble on success.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to get a Small Press booth at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo at the end of April.  Between now and then, I’ll be preparing promotional material, designing and purchasing a large banner and hardware for the booth, figuring out which varieties of prints to sell, and doing as much research as possible to make sure I put my best foot forward.  This will involve a significant expense, but as the old cliché goes, ‘you have to spend money to make money.’

30,000 people went through the doors last year, so I figure it will be a good place to get my trade show feet wet. I’ll be painting live at the booth all weekend, in addition to selling prints and my DVDs.  I have to figure out how many of each I’ll need.  I could bring way too much and go home with a lot of inventory or fail to bring enough and sell out on Day 2.  It’s a gamble because I don’t know how popular my work will be with the attendees, but there’s only one way to find out.

Either way,  I know that I’m going to learn a lot from the experience, and I won’t be standing still.

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Photo Reference

It’s quite common for me to say that if I take a good photograph, it’s by accident.  The main reason is that taking a good shot doesn’t come naturally to me, and I haven’t the interest in putting in the time required to become better at it.  That’s the key to becoming good at something, devoting yourself to it completely when everyone else around you gives up.  Many people will tell me that they ‘can’t even draw a stick  man,’ which of course is an exaggeration because everybody can draw a stick man, but I get what they’re saying.  The truth is that if a person really does want to become a better artist, they have to be willing to do what it takes to get there.  So it’s not about being willing to draw one stick man, it’s about being willing to draw thousands of them in pursuit of the perfect stick man.

It’s obvious that I’m never going to be a really good at taking photos.  Sure, I’d like to take better snapshots, and over the past few years hanging out with a lot of photographers, I am doing that, but I have no illusion that I’ll ever have any real skill.  My heart just isn’t in it, and truth be told, learning the technical aspects of cameras, lights and equipment  just seems like studying for a math final to me, and I hated math.

Thankfully, I’ve already found my passion elsewhere, but there is still a lot I can learn from photographers.

I love looking at beautiful images and the artistry that photographers put into their work is not lost on me.  Some of my best friends and many of my favorite artists are photographers.  I don’t need to understand how Andrew Zuckerman does what he does to know that I love his images.  Same applies to the work of  Jill Greenberg, Joe McNally, and Moose Peterson.   I know that if you click on any of these links right now, I’ve probably lost you, and I can’t fault you for that.

As a painter, I have learned a lot from photographers.  Images are images, and often, many of the things that contribute to making a great photograph will apply to illustration and painting.  Composition, lighting, texture, atmosphere, and the things done in post processing, all of these important elements directly translate to the work I do.

With that in mind, I’ll often buy books written by photographers, especially if they’re more about how to take a good photograph, rather than how to use the equipment.  Additionally, I’ll buy books about the business of photography as it is very much like the business of illustration and painting.  We show our work in galleries, we work on commission for clients, we deal with the same copyright, licensing issues and agreements.  The talent and skills required may be different, but the disciplines are similar.

What I often learn most from these books is how much more I’ve yet to learn, and I expect that will always be the case.  What I find most fascinating is that the philosophy and dedication required to be a successful photographer is the same as any other creative and artistic profession.  There’s a lot to learn from other creative professionals, especially if they’re working in an entirely different field, because it forces you to consider another perspective.  A musician will have something to teach an actor, an actor will have something to teach a photographer, and a photographer will have something to teach a painter.

I’m currently reading two books on photography right now, and am enjoying them very much.  I’ve had the pleasure of taking a couple of classes from Scott Bourne at Photoshop World, and recently did some caricature work for Moose Peterson, so I was eager to get their books.  Not only is there valuable insight and information in both of them, but as expected,  some beautiful images, too.

Now you can go back and click on those links. 🙂

 

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Sometimes it’s personal.

Just returned from a quick trip to Red Deer (only a 2.5 hour drive) to see my folks and deliver a painting of their dog, Bailey.  I’ve been wanting to paint this for two years and finally forced myself to make the time.  Since I don’t think I could have done as good a job of it then as I’m able to do now, I’m glad I waited.  This was for my Mom’s birthday in July, but just like most mothers, she forgave me that it was late.  Thanks, Mom!

Both her and my Dad loved it, and it’s hanging in a prominent place where they can show it off and brag about their kid that draws and colours pictures for a living.  Funny, how it’s OK  now, but it wasn’t when I was drawing during high school chemistry.  Sounds pretty hypocritical to me.

A heart-stopping moment when I revealed the painting, though.  I set it down on the ottoman to take it out of the plastic, and Bailey proceeded to jump on it, sliding and scratching with her claws, right in the middle of the canvas.  Fortunately, the plastic protected it and there was no damage.  But for a moment, I thought I was going to have to reprint it.  Still can’t decide if that was her way of critiquing my work or not.  Maybe it’s because she just had a haircut and the painting doesn’t reflect that.  Everybody’s a critic.

When you’re a freelance artist, you end up with a unique ability to create gifts that most people can’t.  The downside is that you’ll often get friends and family asking you to paint or draw something for them that you really don’t have time to do.  You have to develop a thick skin when it comes to these requests.  In a perfect world, I’d be happy spending my days creating paintings for loved ones, but then I’d be homeless.

The same thing applies to giving discounts.  There is a big difference between your Aunt Edna who owns a pet food store giving you bags of dog food at cost, and your Uncle Joe who is a mechanic working on your car for free.  Edna doesn’t lose money on the deal, whereas Joe does, because what he is selling is his skill and his time.   The same thing goes for being a freelancer.  When you’re not working, you’re losing money.

So while there are favors that I will do when I can, it’s taken me a number of years to develop the most important skill of all, and that’s the ability to say No.  That doesn’t mean you never do the freebie jobs for people, it just means that you are very selective about them.  When the Bow Valley SPCA calls for artwork, I try to do whatever I can, because I believe in the work they’re doing.  If I can offer a discount to friends or family on commissioned work, I will try to do so as well, but not often.

Freelance is a tough gig, and you need to be ready for those that don’t understand that.  I’ve been called selfish more than a few times because I didn’t put a ‘friend’s’ free cartoon ahead of a paying gig.  Most of the time, the request is for something they feel will be ‘a quick job’ but will actually take me three of four hours.  And of course, they needed it yesterday.  If you don’t value your own work, nobody else will, either.

So when I do make the time to paint something personal, especially if it’s for a gift, it means a lot to me because it’s a rare thing.  This painting of Bailey is one of my favorite pieces, and I thoroughly enjoyed working on it, because she is a wonderful dog with a great personality and she makes my parents really happy.

It was a real joy to see my folks stealing looks at it all evening on Tuesday, telling me how much they loved it.  More than anything, I hope it reminds them on a daily basis that I wouldn’t be doing what I love for a living if it wasn’t for all they’ve done for me.

As for the dog, she didn’t give it a second glance.

 

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Wired for Wacom

If the name Wacom means nothing to you, we’ve likely never met, you’re not a digital artist, or you landed on this blog entry by accident.

I’ve been using Wacom tablets since the late 90’s.  It’s true that you’ll occasionally hear stories in chat rooms about other tablets, but much like the Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster, I’ve never met anybody who’s actually seen one.  Wacom is by far, the industry standard.

My first tablet was a first generation 4″ X 5″ Intuos and I used that for many years.  While I replaced the pen nibs a few times, and the transparent overlay at least twice, the tablet never gave up.  The only reason I replaced it was that it had a nine-pin connector, and my new computer did not.  Over the years, I’ve had a small Graphire, an Intuos and Intuos 2, and I currently own a medium Intuos 4, a small Intuos 4, and a Cintiq 12wx.  Add to that a Bamboo Stylus for my iPad, and my plans to buy a Wacom Inkling, and it’s obvious I’m a fan.

I’ve been fortunate to form a relationship with the company over the past year, and have been pleased to meet a number of great people from Wacom.  In the Spring, I was asked if I’d like to demo for Wacom at Scott Kelby’s ‘Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It’ tour when it came to Calgary in July.  It was a great experience, one I’m eager to repeat if the opportunity shows up again.  Not only did I get to see what it was like to be on the ‘other side’ of an event like that, but I was able to remove the fear of new technology for a few people.  These devices aren’t difficult, they’re a lot of fun, and often it just takes sitting down with somebody, and putting the pen in their hand to get them to realize it.

An added bonus of demoing for them was having every tablet Wacom makes show up at my front door a week before the show.  It was like winning the lottery for this digital painting art geek, until they insisted I send them all back once the show was done.  How is that fair?

Wacom recently announced their Inkling device, and rather than a clunky explanation from me, watch the video and you’ll get the idea.

When it was launched, I started getting emails and Facebook messages from friends and colleagues who insisted I give more details on what it’s like to use it.  Let me tell you what I told them.  I found out about the Inkling when the rest of the world did.  I was not a beta tester, and had no idea it was even being planned.  Wacom, like any smart tech company these days, doesn’t talk about products in development and is very good at keeping secrets.  Doing a demo for Wacom does not give you access to the vault.

But since it was launched just days before Photoshop World, I was really looking forward to putting it through its paces on the Expo Floor.   The staff at the Wacom booth were being pestered about it on Day 1 (hey, they did it to themselves!), but they didn’t have one available to try right away as they  had just received them and they needed to charge before releasing them to a lineup of eager testers.

I did not get to put the Inkling through its paces.  There were far too many people wanting to try it, so I got about two minutes with the device.  But Joe (patient, patient Joe) demonstrated the process, workflow and explained the pen and device quite well.  Bottom line, I will be buying one when it’s available in October, and I’ll be sure to provide further details after I’ve given it a good trial.

Wacom also announced their new 24″ HD Cintiq this week.  This thing looks beautiful and if I had the spare $2500 lying around, I just might get one.  But I’ve made no secret that my lack of traditional art training makes the Cintiq a ‘nice to have’ for me, but not a ‘must have’.  As much as I like painting and doing live demos on the Cintiq 12wx, I do the majority of my day to day work on the medium Intuos4.  I just prefer to see my whole screen without my arm in the way.

Finally, I was pleased to be asked to be a guest on Wacom’s webinar series this week.  While I will admit to being a little nervous about the whole thing, I relaxed into it quite quickly and had a lot of fun.  Wes and Joe (yes, the same patient Joe) were great to work with, and encouraged me to keep it light and casual, which is right in my wheelhouse.  The hour flew by and I would welcome the opportunity to do something similar in the future.

Thanks to so many of you that commented on Facebook, Twitter and email afterward, letting me know that you enjoyed it.  A few of you even apparently learned something, which is always a nice bonus.

It really is a thrill for me to be working for and with Wacom once in awhile, because it’s so easy for me to pitch and endorse their products.  People will often ask me if they need a Wacom tablet to do the type of work I do.  Most of the time it’s because they’re trying to avoid making the financial investment, even though they’re very affordable.

The answer, is an unconditional YES.  To paint digitally or do almost any type of creative artwork in Photoshop or Painter, you NEED a Wacom tablet.  Just as an oil, acrylic or watercolor painter needs to spend money on canvas, brushes and paint, a digital painter needs to spend money on the necessary tools as well.  A Wacom tablet is absolutely one of those necessary tools.

If you’d like to catch a replay of the webinar that was live earlier in the week, here it is, available on YouTube.

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Thoughts on Photoshop World

Spent last week in sunny Las Vegas at Photoshop World.  Thankfully, Las Vegas is also air conditioned, as this resident of the Great White North is not a fan of excessive heat.  Nothing more Canadian than whining about the weather, eh?

While the conference was at the Mandalay Bay conference center, I did actually venture out this year a few times.  Even managed to get to the other end of the Strip on the second day to try out indoor skydiving.  I would do that again in a heartbeat, as it really was a lot of fun.

While I was honored to be a finalist in the Guru Awards illustration category again this year, I didn’t bring home an award.  Hey, can’t win them all, and even if I had been fortunate to win again, it wouldn’t have been able to live up to last year’s experience which really did open a lot of doors for me.  Keeping them open, however, is now up to me.

Photoshop World is a mixture of education, networking (yeah, that word annoys me, too), and socializing.  This year, I managed two of the three fairly well, so I’ll touch on each.

The social aspect of this conference is always a good time.  Throughout the year, I regularly communicate with other creatives through email and social media, attend some of the same online webinars and events, and share information on the NAPP forums.  This is the one time of year I get to see many of them in person, some of whom I consider good friends.  There is a lot to be said for hanging out with other creatives.  You find out that many of the problems and challenges you face on a day to day basis as a freelancer are shared by people of similar professions.  And often, they’ve come up with solutions and workarounds you might not have considered.

Getting out of the office is always a good idea, too.  So many of us are workaholics most of the year, which is likely why there are so many parties, dinners, and social events at this thing.  It’s the only time most of us allow ourselves the luxury.  We shared some great meals, a few drinks and a lot of laughs.

Networking was a big focus for me this year, and while I did accomplish a lot in that regard, I really didn’t need five days to do it.  I could have packed in all of the people I wanted to talk business with over the course of an afternoon.  I’ve been working with PhotoshopCAFE on the DVD’s for almost a year now, but had never met the owner, Colin Smith, in person.  So it was good to have some face to face conversation, discuss how things were going with the current titles and throw around some ideas for future ones.

I enjoyed meeting the folks from Wacom in person, as I would like to build on my relationship with the people who design and promote what is easily my favorite line of products.  Was able to try out the new Inkling as well, but more on that later in the week.

There was a client meeting that went very well.  I presented sketches, the client was pleased, and I was able to get a better sense of direction and toss around some ideas.  I’ve always preferred to do that in person, and unfortunately, I rarely get to do that as most of my client communication is online or on the phone.

I had a few great ‘hall talks’ as I call them.  Easy to figure out, a hall talk is running into somebody in a corridor somewhere and before you know it, you’re having a great conversation.  Most of these talks have revealed valuable information, but more often the real benefit is getting to know somebody a little better and building on a professional relationship.  It has been my experience that this sort of thing often yields future opportunities, most often ones you likely never see coming.

Finally, there’s the education aspect of Photoshop World.  This year, I’m sorry to say, this part fell flat for me.  Talk to a photographer this week, and I’d expect many to have glowing reviews about the experience, because this really was a photographer’s conference this year, and I’m not the only one to feel that way.

I thrive on learning how to be a better artist.  I’m hungry for it, because I know that there’s always room for improvement, so I actively seek out people I can learn from.  There just didn’t seem to be any of that for me this year.

While it’s true that I’ve learned a lot from Bert Monroy‘s classes over the years, I’ve firmly established my current style and it’s very different from his.  So while I’ll always be a big admirer of his skill and talent, and I continue to enjoy his work, I don’t learn a lot from him these days that will further my own illustration and painting.  Faye Sirkis is a photo painter, or at least that’s what she’s teaching at Photoshop World, and regular readers will know that I have no interest in painting over photographs.  Finally, there’s Corey Barker who is very skilled and talented when it comes to Illustrator and Photoshop, and he’s doing some really great groundbreaking stuff with 3D, but again, it’s on a completely divergent course than the one I’ve charted.

So it can be argued that perhaps I’m looking for something too specific to expect it to be offered at a conference that can’t possibly please everybody.  It could also be argued that to offer advanced digital painting and illustration classes would alienate too many people who are trying to learn the basics.  Both are good arguments, and I can accept them.  That being said, I did talk to a number of other designers and illustrators that felt excluded this year, and some of them either won’t be back, or are on the fence about it.

This is a tough economy for any business, and if Photoshop World’s curriculum has been skewed more toward photography because that’s what the majority wants, I can accept that as well.  An event like that needs to attract vendors, sponsors and attendees, and in a perfect world, everybody would be happy.  But we all know that we don’t live in that world.

It’s unlikely that I’ll return to Photoshop World next year, although I still believe the event is very worthwhile if you’re a photographer.  The instructors are some of the nicest, passionate and knowledgeable people you’d ever want to learn from, and it’s an environment that promotes positive growth.  As a courtesy, and because I have little tolerance for the ‘online drive-by,’ I expressed these thoughts to the good folks at NAPP in an email earlier this week, before posting them here.  It should be noted that I’m being specific to Photoshop World here, not NAPP.  I value my membership in that organization a great deal and will continue to do so.

As a freelancer, you really do need to be constantly training, not only skills and techniques, but in business.  Setting aside money for that training is often a difficult task, and it means excluding events that aren’t going to propel you forward.  While Photoshop World has done that for me in recent years, especially last year, it doesn’t appear that it will continue to do so.   There are at least three conferences I’m considering next year, and while all of them would likely be a good time socially, I’ll attend the one that will make the most sense financially, the one that will move my business and career forward.

Unfortunately, as much as I’ll miss the experience, it’s unlikely to be Photoshop World.

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Tech Stuff

Like many guys, I’m lured by gadgets, things that go click, whir, light up and basically are adult versions of the cool toys we had as boys.  But fortunately, I don’t make impulse buys.  I have a fear of buyer’s remorse, so I will very rarely buy anything without thinking it through.  Took me two months of going back and forth in my head last summer about whether or not the iPad was a toy or something I really would benefit from.  As I use it everyday,  I have no regrets and consider it one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.

Here are a few fairly recent buys that I’m pleased with.

ZAGGmate iPad keyboard – To find out all the details about this wonderful little device, head on over to their website.  I’ve known about this keyboard for at least six months and I’ve gone back to look at it every once in awhile, usually after typing something lengthy on the iPad screen, dealing with autocorrect and annoying editing issues.  Love the iPad, don’t like typing on the screen.  I’m quite a fast typist, comes from years of admin office work before I was a full-time artist, so I find typing on the touchscreen to be anything but user friendly.

The ZAGGmate works on Bluetooth, so contrary to what you might think from looking at their site, it doesn’t even need to be touching the iPad to work well.  I’ve often left the iPad in the Apple case, propped it up on its spine on a table and just typed with the keyboard as is.  I bought this great little Case Logic sleeve at Staples, which holds the iPad (in the Apple case), the ZAGGmate keyboard, plus it has a small pouch on the front for headphones, my Wacom Bamboo Stylus, a USB key, and the makeshift glove for drawing.

So whether I want to use the ZAGGmate as a case for the iPad, as a keyboard, or both, I’m very pleased with the purchase.

Canon PIXMA MX870 Printer – Bought this at the beginning of the year from B&H, as I realized I needed a colour printer.  To be honest, this has sat in my office, in the box for the majority of the year.  Finally unpacked it and set it up a couple of weeks ago, replacing my all-in-one Xerox PE16.  While the Xerox was only black and white, it did the job for a number of years, but in today’s terms, it was big, clunky, and finally outlived its usefulness.

I don’t do a lot of printing of my images as I send those out to be done professionally.  While I need to print off reference photos for sketching, and the requisite office documents that go with running any office, for the most part, my experience with color printers had been less than ideal.  Ink that dried out all the time, constantly doing print tests, all of the problems that have plagued home printers for years.  What I didn’t realize, is that over the many years I’ve been using the Xerox, technology has advanced.  Who’d a thunk it?

After checking with colleagues and reading reviews, I decided on this model and so far, I’m not disappointed at all.  Easy setup, very nice printing in both color and black/white, copier and fax work well (can’t remember the last time I faxed, though) and best of all, the scanner is dead quiet.  The Xerox scanner was horrible and loud, so I’ve just been taking digital photos of my sketches and importing them into Photoshop that way (don’t laugh, it works very well!).  But I’ve started using a scanner again, too, because the quality of the Canon is excellent.

Even the replacement ink cartridges are reasonably priced.  If anything changes with the quality or performance, I’ll be sure to post an update, but for now, very pleased.

Sony Cyber-shot Digital Camera H70 – While we have a Nikon D60, which is a great user friendly camera for anybody who wants to learn more about photography, but still wants the point-and-shoot option, it’s not exactly portable in a jacket pocket.  As I’m heading to Photoshop World in a few weeks, and don’t want to lug around the Nikon, I wanted to get a new compact point-and-shoot.  Our current model is many years old, a Pentax 3.2 Megapixels, so very obsolete.

While I normally would have done a lot of research before buying another camera, this one was almost an impulse buy on my part, because I did very little research and what I did do was on my phone while comparing prices at three different stores.  Retailing for $250 (much less than our first point-and-shoot cost years ago), I got a sale price of $219.00, and it’s a great little camera.  16.2 Megapixels, 10X optical zoom, takes two different kinds of data cards, and has a lot of options normally not found on a point-and-shoot.  I’ll need to spend some time learning the ins and outs, but so far, pretty pleased with the purchase.

I’m probably done buying hardware and accessories this year, but who knows?  Come to think of it, I really could use a zoom lens for the Nikon.

 

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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.

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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.

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About Canada Gallery and Gifts

For just over a year now, my limited edition giclée canvas prints in my Totem series have been available at Editions Gallery in Banff.  I’ve recently realized that the relationship wasn’t a good fit, so we’ve gone our separate ways.  Fortunately, I found another venue in Banff that I feel will better represent my work.  About Canada Gallery and Gifts is located on the 100 block of Banff Avenue, a prime location for tourist traffic.  The owners were very receptive and I appreciate their taking a chance on my paintings and prints.  I’m optimistic that this could be a great summer for my work.  As in everything in the world of art (and tourism), time will tell.

I’m very pleased that my prints continue to be available in Canmore through Two Wolves Trading Company.  That’s a great venue and location, and hopefully I’ll have a long relationship with the owners and staff.  While it may not seem important to some, I place a high value on the people I work with.  If I like them and trust them, everything else can be worked out, and I’m happy to say that the folks at Two Wolves fit both of those criteria.  I just enjoy walking in there, because I’m always greeted with a smile and it’s a fun place.  I like that these people are representing my work, and am grateful they felt it worthy of taking up valuable retail space on their walls.

That trust goes both ways as well.  If somebody in Canmore wants to buy my prints, they have to go through Two Wolves.  The same goes for Banff and About Canada Gallery and Gifts.  I will often get people that try to get a deal by contacting me directly, figuring it will be cheaper.  If you’re an artist selling prints through a gallery or retail outlet, you will do a lot of damage to your reputation and your overall career by ‘back of the truck’ sales.  What goes around will definitely come back around.  Put your reputation first, and the rest of your career will be built on that foundation.

So if you happen to be in Banff and would like to see my work up close and personal, please stop into About Canada Gallery and Gifts! And if you’re in Canmore, please visit the good folks at Two Wolves Trading Company.  There’s always a chance you might even run into me there.

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2011: The Year I Turn 40.

When I used to think of a midlife crisis, I thought of shallow guys buying flashy red sports cars, hanging out with twenty year old bleached blond bimbos, and trying desperately to hang on to whatever was left of their youth. The reality is a lot less ‘TV sitcom’ than that.

Some psychologists have started calling it ‘midlife transition’ instead of ‘midlife crisis’ because ‘crisis’ has a negative connotation to it. So far, their political correctness hasn’t figured out how to keep me in my 30’s, though.

In the grand scheme of things, 40 is just a number, and since nobody really knows when their time is up, midlife is an assumption. I could kick off tomorrow, or have 60 more years coming at me. There is no expiration date tattooed anywhere on my body, that I’m aware of, although I wouldn’t be surprised to find a ‘Best Before’ date.

Logically, I shouldn’t have a problem with turning 40, but as Spock (the Vulcan, not the baby guy) always told McCoy, humans are not logical.

Time’s ticking. I’ve had a great ride so far, but there’s a lot I want to do that I haven’t done, both in my work and in my life. In previous years, my New Year’s resolution has simply been to keep moving forward and try to be a better person. I’ve come to realize that’s a cop-out, because there’s no accountability. So for the first time in a number of years, I’m setting some actual goals for the year, some specific and professional, some general and more personal, but all overdue.

Learn Adobe Illustrator (again).

I used to work for a sign shop here in Canmore. Really interesting job and I found that I really liked creating vector art. To this day, I use paths and vectors in Photoshop regularly while drawing cartoons because I like using the tools. While I still do contract work for the sign shop from time to time, I’ve realized my vector skills haven’t kept up with each new version of Illustrator, even though I keep upgrading with each new release (although I’ve yet to buy CS5). Continuing education is important in any field, and I haven’t done much of it in the last couple of years.

Learn more 3D in Photoshop CS5 Extended.

This cartoon was created a couple of years ago using Hexagon, Carrara, and Photoshop. I’d like to use more 3D elements in my work. While I don’t intend to try and become an expert, it’s fun and challenging, and I want to get better at it. The whole reason I chose the Extended track of Photoshop was for the 3D and aside from building the occasional rudimentary model for an editorial cartoon from time to time, I wield those tools like I’m performing surgery wearing oven mitts. Very clumsy with no finesse. I’d like to change that this year.

Learn to sculpt

I’ve been feeling the urge to do this for a couple of years now. I’ve had ALL of the tools necessary sitting in a toolbox in my office closet for about a year. I’ve done my research, bought Sculpey polymer clay, a couple of books on how to use it (including the one pictured above), and acrylics for painting after it’s been baked. I have no excuse not to get started, and no pressure to produce anything good because I bought it just to have a hobby again. A wise man once said, when your hobby becomes your work, you need to find another hobby and I think this might be it. I’d just like to see if I’m any good at it.

Paint. Every chance I get.

Last year, I discovered what I love to paint most, so this year, I want to paint more animal totems. In a perfect world, I’d like to paint every day, and even if it’s only for 10 minutes, I plan to do that, starting today.

In 2010, I only painted one person, Bert Monroy, and I’m missing that, too. I’d like to paint some more images of people this year, and I have a list I’ve kept over the last year, with about a dozen names on it. The great thing is that while they’re all well known character actors, none of them are what you would consider A-list celebrities.

Work Less, Play More!

I work too much, and I put it ahead of everything else. I’ve often taken on work that I should have realized would do nothing to advance my career, made poor use of my best skills, and was of very little interest to me, not to mention that it usually wasn’t worth it financially. That stops completely this year. I learned how to say ‘No’ last year. This year, I’ll be saying it a lot more.

I get bored very easily, so while I still intend to be very busy, it’ll be on projects and commissions that are worth my time. There’s no point in being your own boss if you’re still doing work that you shouldn’t be doing.

When I do take time off, however, I’d like to slow down a little more, relax and enjoy life. Time off shouldn’t mean watching TV all the time or going for coffee every day. While those pastimes do have their place, I’m looking for more experiences that create fond memories. More, hiking, camping, caving…hell, I’m going skydiving this year. That last one is right out of the midlife crisis manual. Page 36, I think.

Be Less Cynical.
This one will be tough, because despite the successes of last year, I focused too much on the dark side of people. I’ll often blame that on following politics for a living, but I’ve recently realized that it’s a choice, and to paraphrase an all too familiar phrase, if I let it ruin my life, “then the politicians have already won.”

My wife says I hold people to unreasonably high standards, including myself. I expect everyone to take the high road, wanting to believe that people will do the right thing most of the time. And then inevitably, when someone’s unethical behavior still gets them ahead, I end up disappointed and angry. This year, I’m going to try and let that go and be less judgmental. Cut everyone a break, including myself. Nobody’s perfect.

You’ll hear of people who’ve faced life threatening illnesses that thankfully survive the ordeal. Often, they’ll tell you that the challenge they faced was the best thing that could happen to them because it made them realize that life isn’t to be taken for granted, that it was a gift to be given a wake-up call.

I’m going to try and look on turning 40 the same way. And just like last year and the year before, I’ll still try to keep moving forward, and to be a better person.