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It is with mixed emotions to report that Two Wolves Trading Co.  is closing its doors in September.  As many of you know, this is the place where my work is currently sold in Canmore, but it has meant a lot more to me than that.

As owners for the past eight years, Andrea and Michelle have worked very hard to create a unique store and gallery that sold more than just the ‘wooden mountie’ fare you find in most tourist stores out here.  It has been an oasis of unique items, products, and artwork and I’ve been proud to have been a small part of it.  While I enjoyed seeing my work on the walls, the best part about Two Wolves was getting to know the staff and owners over the past two and half years.  Rarely a week goes by that I don’t stop in two or three times, just to say Hi and kid around with whomever happens to be working.  I’m really going to miss that as they are all wonderful people who have always made me feel like I belonged there.  I will also miss sharing the art side of things with Fraser McGurk and Beth Cairns, two very talented local artists whose work and friendship I enjoy and from whom I’ve learned a lot.

I was pretty new at the retail art game when I approached Two Wolves to sell my work, but they gave me a shot and I appreciate that more than they know.  Over the past couple of years, they’ve been encouraging, shared their knowledge of the art retail business with me, had me in for painting demos, opened a few doors for me and have been very supportive of my efforts.  They’ve treated me very well and I consider them all friends.  The good news is that Canmore is a small community and while I won’t be able to stop in and annoy them with my eye-rolling sense of humour whenever I want to, I’ll still see them all around town.

From a business standpoint, it’ll be an adjustment.  While my work is still for sale at ‘About Canada’ in Banff, I’ll be on the lookout for a new location to show and sell my work in Canmore.  I have no intention, however, of rushing it.  After being treated so well by the folks at Two Wolves, anywhere else is going to have a lot to live up to and I’m willing to shop around.

Best of luck to Michelle, Andrea, Sheshoyna, Angela, Fraser and Beth in whatever future opportunities you pursue.  It has been a privilege.

Hardly a week goes by that I don’t get an email, Facebook message, or Direct Message on Twitter asking me a question about cartooning, painting, art in general, the business of it all, and other miscellaneous queries.  I find it amusing a lot of the time, not because I think the questions are funny, but because when I was starting out, I did the same thing to more experienced artists.  Fortunately, many were generous with their time and answered me, so I try to do the same.  True, there is the odd person who tries the, ‘got a second, tell me everything you know’ approach and for that, I usually refer them to my DVDs.  Most of the time, however, it’s just a ‘help, please’ request.

I’ve also been inspired by Tom Richmond’s ‘Sunday Mailbag,’ and enjoy reading his Question/Answer entries each week.  With that in mind, I posted this question on my Facebook page, “Occasionally I’ll get emails from people asking questions about everything from commissions to art tips. Figured it might be a good idea to do a Q&A blog entry. So, if you have any questions about anything, ask away. Keep in mind, I may not answer all of them.”

Mike Wilkerson, a talk show host and web/graphic designer at 2GuysTalking Podcast Network hit me with a bunch of them, so all of these are from him, since most of the questions were good ones.  The others didn’t really apply to me.  For example, he asked about my own kids’ artwork and my opinion on which cartoon is overrated in today’s papers.  My wife and I chose not to have children, and when it comes to the artwork of others, I tend to keep any negative opinions to myself.  Publicly, at least.

So here are some of the questions, and thanks for asking them, Mike.

What do you think about the price of a Wacom 20+” Cintiq unit?

Anybody who follows my work knows that I’m a big fan of Wacom.  I even work for them once in awhile.  While it might seem like that would prohibit me from giving an honest opinion, it doesn’t.  My review of the Wacom Inkling wasn’t glowing and I usually try to be honest.  The price of the large Cintiq units comes up a lot online and it can be a heated discussion.  Personally, I want one and am working on budgeting for it.  I think it’s a fantastic product, and it’s the gold standard of digital drawing devices.  The Cintiq 24″HD is somewhere around $2600.00 and you get what you pay for.  So while I’d personally like it to be dirt cheap, I can’t fault them for their price.  A lot went into the development of the device and I’ve yet to read a bad review.

What has been your best method of keeping track of mileage to help claim at the end of the year (though I think you said you were in Canada, and I don’t know if that works differently etc)?

I used to be an accounting clerk and office admin, so I’m pretty good with admin software.  I keep an Excel spreadsheet of all of my mileage throughout the year, and include a summary of all of the expenses when I take my books to my accountant.  I don’t have to use my vehicle often, a perk of working at home, and I usually walk if I’m running errands around town.  But when I go to Calgary to pick up prints or supplies, Banff to drop off prints, and any other business trips, I claim the mileage.  It works out to a significant write-off at the end of the year.  To make sure I don’t forget to make note of the trip, I’ll record a voice note in my phone, and then enter a bunch of them all at the same time into the computer.  That’s also my method of remembering cartoon ideas.

When working, do you like listening to music, working with the TV on behind you, etc?

When I’m working on cartoons in the early morning (I get up at 5:00AM almost every day), I’ll be listening to the radio with the headphones or music on my computer.  About 9:00, I turn on the news on a little TV in my office and watch/listen to that while working.  Unless a big news story is breaking, I’ll turn it off after an hour, because it just ends up repeating.  Sometimes in the afternoon, I’ll flip on a channel that has sitcom reruns.  It’s nice background noise.

When I’m painting, I’m almost always listening to music in the headphones and I really enjoy that.  Lately, I’ve started listening to audio books more often.  Painting doesn’t require a lot of concentration, so it’s easy to do both.  Right now, I’m listening to 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

Standard or mechanical pencil when sketching?  Do you ever use traditional methods of inking, or has it all become sketch, scan, in-computerness at this point?  If you were on a deserted island, with forever-paper, and forever-one medium, which medium would you be using on the paper?  Do you find that having a special kind of “paper” allows more free-flow/beneficial sketching to go on? If so, what kind?

I combined these, because I can answer them all at once.  My usual method is sketching with a mechanical pencil and kneadable eraser in a sketchbook, and pencil sketching is my favorite traditional medium.  I use Robert Bateman, Cover Series sketchbooks, 8.5X11, 110 lb. Acid Free White Paper (100% Recycled), because it’s the texture, weight and size I like most and works best for how I draw.  I’ve been using them for years and have a couple of bankers boxes containing full sketchbooks.  I don’t like sketching on the computer, so I’ll sketch in the book, refine the sketch so I have a pretty decent drawing, then I scan it into the computer.  From there, it’s all done in Photoshop.  Digital ink, colour, and shading.

Are you inspired by animated (a bit different now that there’s so much CGI going on – Tarzan is what “trips my drawing trigger, still) feature films? If so, which ones give you the inkling to get a pencil and paper?

Disney’s ‘Tangled‘ made my jaw drop for the beauty of the artwork as did Dreamworks’ “How to Train Your Dragon.”  Movies and artwork like that, the really clean-line style of drawing and painting pushes all the right buttons for me creatively.

Of the creatures you’ve drawn to date, which is the one you most revere?

I love all of my animal paintings, especially the Totems.  I honestly feel that everything I’ve done and learned about drawing and painting has been leading up to this work, as if these paintings are my reward for putting in the years doing everything else.   I am at my happiest when painting animals in what has now become ‘my style’ and am grateful that I get to experience it.  There is a long history regarding these Totems, personal experience that I rarely share with anyone, but they’ve been hanging around for a very long time.  I just wasn’t good enough to paint them until a couple of years ago.

It is very difficult to pick a favorite.  Each has their own significance for me.  The Grizzly Totem was my first, so that one means a lot to me.  The Wolf Totem got a lot of publicity and won a big award that opened a lot of doors for me.   The Humpback Whale Totem was significant because I had to stretch my skills to paint an animal that has no fur, it was underwater, and I have a special place in my heart for those wonderful creatures.  That wonderful dog, Don Diego, because he belongs to a generous good friend who is supportive of my work, and because I painted the entire image on my DVD.  That was frightening, recording a painting from start to finish, but the sense of accomplishment from doing so was immeasurable.

I could go on and say something about each one of the Totems and commissions I’ve done and picking a favorite is impossible.  My usual answer is that my favorite painting is the one I’ve just finished, because it often represents my best work to date.  So today, my favorite is Mocha, the horse commission I completed this week.  Next week, it’ll likely be the Penguin Totem.

Thanks again for the questions, Mike.  For anybody else that has any, please feel free to ask, preferably on my Facebook page, so I can do another entry like this, or so the answer can be shared with somebody who might be wondering the same thing.

Cheers,

Patrick

It is my great pleasure to announce that the May long weekend will see the launch of four new Totem paintings!  These have all been painted in the past year, and it will be the first time these four prints have been offered for sale at Two Wolves Trading Company in Canmore and About Canada in Banff.  The new Totem prints are the Cougar, Magpie, Great Horned Owl and Bighorn Sheep.  As of Friday, May 18th, they will be available in two sizes of matted print and in 12″X16″ limited edition giclée canvas prints.  The larger size of 18″X24″ will currently be available by special order at both locations, and framing is available.

While the four new prints will be available at Two Wolves Trading Co. in Canmore, only two (the Magpie and Great Horned Owl) will be available in Banff for the time being.  The previously released prints are still being offered at both locations.

To coincide with the launch, I’ll be at Two Wolves Trading Co. in Canmore on Saturday, May 19th for a live painting demo from 12:00 to 4:00, available for any questions about the process or the paintings themselves.  I can paint and chat at the same time, so please, don’t be shy!  So, if you’re in the Canmore area over the Victoria Day long weekend, stop in to see me at Two Wolves, located opposite Safeway, right next to Starbucks.

Cheers!

Awhile ago, I was commissioned to draw a caricature cartoon of Dave Cross for his new app, “Photoshop Quiz Game” which will be released today.  Many of the people who travel in my circles will need no introduction, but Dave is an author, trainer, photographer, one of the original NAPP Photoshop Guys, and owner of Dave Cross Workshops in Tampa, Florida.  Best of all, he’s Canadian.

The designs have been completed for some time, and as is normal for commissions of this nature, I’ve had to keep them to myself until now.  This was a fun project, so I’ve been anxiously waiting to share it.  Working with someone who knows Photoshop REALLY well helped a lot, because I could leave pieces on different layers, use layer styles, and provide options in the file without having to explain how to use anything.  Not only did this allow me to design a more versatile file, but it offered choices to Dave that other clients might not be able to benefit from.

For example, I offered two different head sizes.  Some people like the really large bobble head caricature noggins while others want the smaller.  Personally, I liked the smaller size, and judging from the launch site image, looks like Dave did, too.  There were four bodies to choose from, separated on their own layers, and the circular ‘shadow’ under the feet was a separate layer as well.  When I use shadows like this, I often like to set the blend mode of the layer to ‘Multiply’ so the background will show through.  From a screen shot I saw, looks like Dave did that, too.

While I haven’t seen the full app yet, I’m looking forward to seeing how the caricature was used throughout.  For more info about Dave’s training, the launch of the app today and more, visit his website at www.dcross.com or you can follow him on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.

 

This little caricatured  critter is a Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel, easily found in different parts of the Rockies if you know where to look.  It is often mistaken for a chipmunk because of the stripes, although they have none on their face.  I shot the reference photo for this up at Grassi Lakes here in Canmore a couple of summers ago, and I just did this as a practice piece.

For those that always ask for the technical details, this was painted on a first generation  iPad using the procreate app and a Wacom Bamboo stylus.  One of the most difficult parts of painting on the iPad for me is getting the correct brightness.  I’m not a fan of bright screens, so I usually have my iPad set to half brightness, which means the image is a little bit dark when it’s done.  I bring it into the Snapseed app and make some brightness and contrast adjustments.

The process for painting on the iPad is very similar to how I paint in Photoshop, with a few exceptions.  One, I’m stuck with one resolution and must work with what I’ve got.  Two, although I can create my own brushes, there’s a limit to how well they work, so patience is required, and quick brush strokes aren’t really possible.  When you hear what people say about painting on the iPad, a lot complain that it’s not pressure sensitive, so you can’t do any real work on it.  Personally, I think that’s a poor excuse.  Many of the painting apps allow you to create layers and change the opacity of not only the brush, but the layer as well.  Many of the apps have blend modes, just like Photoshop, and all of this easily compensates for the lack of pressure sensitivity.

I began painting with the iPad as an experiment, just to see if I could do it.  Most of the time, the things I paint on the iPad aren’t going to become full paintings that I print and sell, so there’s no pressure.  It’s entirely a personal challenge, and I find that I’m enjoying it very much.  I also have no doubt that every successive iPad will have better and better resolution, and while I’m in no rush to replace my first-gen tablet, as it’s working very well, someday I will upgrade and I’m looking forward to seeing how well I can paint on a better device.

I’m always working on a few commissions, Totems and personal painting projects.   Last week, I began a new portrait in Photoshop, and suddenly realized a significant benefit to painting on the iPad.  Anybody who has seen my painting DVD will know that I begin a painting at low-resolution so that the brushes will work freely and fast.  As the painting progresses, and I get into more details, I increase the resolution a couple of times, until finally it’s at full size for the super fine detail work.  What I noticed last week, however, is that I’m staying in low resolution for a lot longer now, and am ending up with a much tighter and detailed painting at 72ppi than I could have achieved at 300ppi just a few years ago.

The portrait I’m working on at 12″X16″ at 72 ppi looks almost print ready and I did most of the work without zooming in, pretty much full screen work the whole time.  It took me by surprise and after thinking about it, I don’t think it’s simply a matter of ‘practice making perfect,’ but an unexpected side benefit from painting on the iPad.  By being forced to paint at low resolution, and by trying to create as close to finished work on a tablet with technology that is less precise, I can paint so much better at low res in Photoshop with my Intuos4 Wacom tablet.

Something I used to have a great deal of difficulty with was creating a solid painting first, and only after that, creating the fine details.  I would often zoom right in and start painting skin texture on a face that wasn’t structurally sound.  I forced myself to stop doing that because it would add hours to a painting, having to redo details all the time when I realized the features weren’t right.  Now that I’ve become a much better painter at low resolution, painting the details is not only easier, but a lot more enjoyable.

The last thing I would want you to do is rush out and buy an iPad if it isn’t in your budget.  You do not need it to become a better painter.  The thing that will really improve your painting skills all around is putting a lot of time into becoming better at your craft, and that is true for any skill.  But if you do have an iPad already, you may find that it could help you become a better digital painter, simply because it will present you with obstacles to work around, the benefits of which you will see in all of your work.

Here’s a painting I just finished this morning, a commission of a Pomeranian named Gilly, who passed away last year.

While I’m happy with the finished painting, the work itself was very difficult.  Unfortunately, the photo reference was a lot less quality than I would usually consent to working with.  The pose was awkward, the photo was out of focus, and his eyes were reflecting the light from the flash.  Anyone who has ever taken a photo of a pet with a flash knows what that looks like and it’s as undesirable in a photo as it is in a painting.  Suffice it to say, this was one of the most challenging paintings I’ve done, and I really didn’t enjoy it all that much, which says a lot about my frustration level, since after all, I was still painting.

As this wraps up my current painting commissions for the moment, I’ll be starting on another Totem painting this week, and since I’ve already got that photo reference ready to go, it should be an enjoyable process.