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Wait a minute, ostriches don’t live in the Rocky Mountains!  Yes, that’s true, so I guess this one kicks off my African series, something I hadn’t planned on starting for at least another year.  But when life hands you a smart ass ostrich reference photo, what’s a cartoonist to do?

Thanks to Pete Collins, one of the NAPP Photoshop Guys, who sent me some animal photos he’d taken, simply because he thought I might be able to use them.  Pete’s a great guy, but don’t tell him I said that, because his ego is inflated enough (just in case you read this, Pete!). When I saw the ostrich, I thought it looked kind of funny, and since I had a new iPad brush to try out, I decided to do an iPad painting of an ostrich.  Turned out quite well, and that was supposed to be the end of it.

But then my wife saw it, and really liked it.  Shonna doesn’t get excited about my work.  She’s happy I’m doing what I do for a living and she’s able to see things that are wrong in a painting that I might not (especially with likenesses of people), but she’s not a big fan of cartoons or my style of painting.  That’s OK, because she’s still very supportive.  So when she really liked the ostrich, I figured that now I had to REALLY finish it.

She just saw it a few minutes ago and wants a print for her office.  She doesn’t know why, she just really likes this ostrich, and that makes this here painter really happy.  When you’ve been with somebody for 20 years, it takes a lot more effort to impress them.

Here’s a comparison of the iPad painting with the finished painting in Photoshop.

On the iPad the size was 9″X13″ at 72 pixels per inch.  That’s pretty small and the print quality wouldn’t be great.  Can’t get much detail at that size.  The final image, painted in Photoshop is 18″X24″ at 300 pixels per inch.  That’s a nice large size, the detail is crisp and sharp and it will reproduce very nicely on canvas.  Actually, it’ll look even better because canvas adds a depth and richness to my paintings that I really like.

So what have I learned?  Well, painting on the iPad just became a lot more useful.  This painting took me a lot less time to paint in Photoshop because I’d already done the real work on structure and fleshing it out on the iPad.  Sort of like a really detailed sketch.  I will definitely do this again, paint first on the iPad, and use that as a base for a finished painting.

It’s unlikely I’ll be printing any limited editions for sale of this one quite yet, because it really doesn’t fit with the galleries here in Canmore and Banff.  Tourists here are looking for mountain wildlife, not African.  But eventually, I’ve no doubt this will get printed just like the others.  It was fun, I really enjoyed working on it, and best of all, my wife likes it.

Last month, I was commissioned by Moose Peterson to create a caricature of him and his business partner, Kevin Dobler to promote their travelling workshop, K&M Adventures.  Spent most of this past weekend working on it and finished it late Monday afternoon.

As I am not a photographer, I was unfamiliar with Kevin’s work, but really enjoyed looking through the photos on his website.   I am no stranger to the work of Moose Peterson, however, as I’ve been a fan for quite awhile.  His wildlife, landscape and aviation photography is not only incredible, but very inspiring.  Moose’s photos move me, because the light and shadow he manages to capture in his work is often ethereal.  He makes me want to be a better artist.

So, when Moose asked a friend of his who he would recommend for this sort of work, he was referred to me (thanks again, RC) and I can admit that I was honored and pleased.  An artist I admire referred to me to another artist I admire.  When it comes to my work, that’s the type of validating moment I try to hang on to as long as possible.

The timing was perfect, because Photoshop World fell in the middle of this, so I got to show Moose some sketches in person, and got his thoughts on where I was going with it.  I was also able to bounce some ideas off of him and get a feel for what he wanted for the final image.  While the reference photos he supplied were great (love working with professional photographers), I’m glad I was able to take a recent shot of him in person, as he has cut his hair quite a bit and the change was significant.  That was a rare opportunity not often available with long-distance commissions.

Moose was happy with the finished image, which is very important to me.  Nothing worse than when you can tell that you and a client had different visions, and the final product isn’t what they were after.  Communication is very important on commission pieces.  I’ll often get a sense that I might be annoying the client a little bit if I ask a lot of questions, but in the end, it’s worth it when the image hits the target.

This was a fun piece to work on and I’d like to get more work like it in the future.  Now, if I could just get professional photos for every commission from now on, I’ll be laughing.

Ready for another trip to Vegas.  All that’s left to do is some laundry and pack, and compared to the hectic pace of the prep involved with previous years, that’s nothing.  Managed to get everything done, my newspapers are looked after for the week I’m away, and while I’ll admit to having some motivation and focus issues the last couple of days, I’m good to go.

This year will be a little different.  I’ve cut the amount of classes I normally take in half, as I have business obligations this time around that I normally don’t.  This event is as much an opportunity for top notch education as it is for networking, and the balance has definitely shifted to the latter for me this time around.  I’ve even got a client meeting this week, for which I’ll probably be working on sketches on the plane.

Something extra that I’m doing this time is that I’m giving away a 10″X14″ matted paper print of one of my animal paintings every day this week, beginning on Monday.  Giveaways are great for promotion, but I also have a lot of fun doing them.  It’ll be announced on Twitter (@CartoonInk) at a different time each day, probably something like, ‘the first person to meet me in front of the Expo Hall and say, “I just saw Elvis,” will win.  Something silly like that.

Hey, it’s my giveaway, so I plan on having fun with it.  I’m also bringing along some of my art cards from Island Art Publishers and might even give away a DVD or two.

Photoshop World is always a lot of fun, and I look forward to seeing the friends I’ve made there each year.  Over the past couple of years, I’ve had occasion to ask for help from some of them and been able to give some back in return.  I’ve had more than a couple of referrals for great gigs from the contacts I’ve made, and now have solid connections with people and companies that would not have happened without this conference.   I’m looking forward to building on those relationships.

It’s that time of year again.  A week from tomorrow, I’m off to Photoshop World Las Vegas.

The week before is always a bit hectic, largely because I’ve got a couple of illustration projects to wrap up, and I need to draw double the amount of editorial cartoons to cover my newspapers while I’m away.  That’s the same for any time off I take, so it’s just part of the job.  This year, I’ve got a lot to look forward to, beginning with the fact that I found out this weekend that I am once again a finalist in the illustration category for the Guru Awards!

My Great Horned Owl Totem painting was one of the three paintings I entered, and the one that made the cut.  Considering how much work I put into those feathers, I’m very pleased.  While I would like to win again (why lie?), it really is enough just to be a finalist, because there is an immense amount of talent at this event, and I take nothing for granted.

My latest DVD will launch this week and will be for sale at the PhotoshopCAFE booth on the Expo Floor.  Looking forward to seeing and promoting it at the event.  I’ve also got some industry folks and clients I want to spend time with regarding upcoming and ongoing projects.  The importance of the connections and relationships you make and build on at this sort of event really can’t be overstated.  Email, Skype, and social networking are great ways to stay connected, but none of them measure up with face-to-face interaction.

While I’m again taking  a number of classes this year, (only one of which is on illustration technique) I’m most looking forward to the time I’ll spend with other creatives and industry professionals who enjoy and are passionate about their work.  Every year, I return from Photoshop World initially exhausted, but creatively inspired.  It’s an addictive experience.

You can be sure that I’ll be updating the blog at least once from Vegas, but for more regular updates, you can always check out my Facebook page here or follow me on Twitter.

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 …

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.

This week, I am giving away a 16″X20″ matted paper print of your choice from the ones I have available in my online store. That’s the BIG print!  You can choose the Moose, Wolf, Ground Squirrel or Grizzly Totem.

This print is an $80.00 value, and yes, shipping is included, no matter where you live!  All you have to do is go to my Cartoon Ink Facebook page, click on Like (if you aren’t already following that page), find the WEEK THREE post (look for the Wolf)  that asks you to comment, follow the instructions, and you are entered!

You have until Thursday, May 19th at midnight MST (that’s MOUNTAIN time), and I will announce a winner on Friday!  I’ll find an impartial person to pick a random number that will correspond to the list of entries.  GOOD LUCK!

This week, I am giving away an 11″X14″ matted paper print of either the Moose Totem or Wolf Totem.   If you are the winner, it is your choice.  Both of these paintings won Guru Awards at Photoshop World 2010 in Las Vegas.  The Moose won for the Illustration Category and the Wolf won for Best in Show.

This print is a $44.00 value, and yes, shipping is included, no matter where you live!  All you have to do is go to my Cartoon Ink Facebook page, click on Like (if you aren’t already following that page), find the WEEK TWO post (look for the Moose)  that asks you to comment, follow the instructions, and you are entered!

You have until Thursday, May 12th at midnight MST (that’s MOUNTAIN time), and I will announce a winner on Friday!  I’ll find an impartial person to pick a random number that will correspond to the list of entries.  GOOD LUCK!

This week, I am giving away an 11″X14″ matted paper print of either the Ground Squirrel Totem OR the Grizzly Bear Totem.   If you are the winner, it is your choice.  This is a $44.00 value, and yes, shipping is included, no matter where you live on the planet!   Sorry, offworlders!  All you have to do is go to my Cartoon Ink Facebook page, click on Like (if you aren’t already following that page), find the recent post that asks you to comment, follow the instructions, and you are entered!

You have until Thursday, May 5th at midnight MST (that’s MOUNTAIN time), and I will announce a winner on Friday!  As mentioned in a previous post, I know a number of people on that page personally, so I’ll find an impartial person to pick a random number that will correspond to the list of entries.  They will only be allowed to see the list after they’ve picked a number.

GOOD LUCK!

It probably seems especially silly that I still live in Canada, given the fact that I’m really not a fan of the winter months, which in this area lasts half the year.   This winter was especially brutal, and call it seasonal affective disorder or seasonal depression or what have you, but I found myself fighting chronic grumpiness a lot of the time.  In the past few months, I’ve had an overwhelming workload, a very frustrating process of recording my first training DVD, and the launch of a new website.  Top that off with drawing cartoons for a federal election nobody wanted and a royal wedding nobody should have cared about.  On the personal front, I’ve been in midlife crisis mode about turning 40 this past March, we put off a long planned vacation south for yet another year, and we lost one of our cats to a sudden illness.  It’s been a very difficult winter.

BUT…before you start writing nasty comments and emails chastising me for whining, I am well aware that in every life a little snow must fall, and that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.  Winter is over and Spring is here.  My mood is on the upswing, and I’ve got big plans for the next few months and beyond.  I am not blind to the many gifts in my life.

My wonderful wife and I are both healthy and we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.  I get to do what I love for a living, and while the nature of my career requires constant adaptation, it still seems to get brighter and better every year.  I do consider myself one of the luckiest people I know.  I am grateful for the life I’ve got, and while there are often challenges to face, things could be a hell of a lot worse.

Since I intend to be smiling a lot more in the next few months, I figured I would try to spread it around a little.  For the next four weeks, I am going to be having a giveaway on my Cartoon Ink Facebook page. For the next four Mondays, I’ll be asking you to answer a question either on the Facebook page or by sending me an email.  I will compile a list of names, and at the end of each week, a winner will be announced.  Since I personally know a number of people on that page, somebody else will be choosing the winner using an online random number generator, and the winning number will correspond to the names on the list.

In order to give everybody a chance, you may only win once in the four weeks of May, and I’m only revealing the weekly prize at the beginning of each week.  Here’s hoping you win!