Category: Education

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The Hidden Power of Blend Modes in Adobe Photoshop

http://www.adobepress.com/ShowCover.asp?isbn=0321823761

While Adobe Photoshop can easily be called the most versatile imaging toolbox on the market, it is a monster piece of software and monsters are often frightening.  With so many features and often multiple methods of accomplishing similar tasks, it can be very intimidating for even the most experienced user.  Because of that, there is an abundance of training resources on the market, from large phone book manuals that try to tell you everything to books that dissect specific features in the software.

Trying to learn everything there is to know about Photoshop is an exercise in futility.  True there are a number of experts out there who know a lot more than the average person, but even the most educated and skilled of those professionals will agree that there is always something more to learn.

Even though my use of Photoshop is limited to what I do, which has very little to do with photos, I’m constantly looking for new ways to improve my painting skills and to streamline how I work.  Speed and efficiency applies to art as much as it does to technical operations, especially when you venture into the land of commercial art and deadlines.

I don’t recall when I started using blend modes in Photoshop, but I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t, so it has been awhile.  There isn’t a painting, editorial cartoon, or illustration that I do these days that hasn’t been touched by at least one blend mode during the process.  The four blend modes I use most in my work are Soft Light, Multiply, Screen, and Color.  In fact, I even have Actions set up in my Wacom Tablet Radial Menu for them.  If your eyes are starting to glaze over, don’t worry about it.  This happens to a lot of people when you start breaking down the building blocks of images in Photoshop.

The thing about blend modes is that the more you dig into them, the more uses you find for them.  Scott Valentine’s new book, “The Hidden Power of Blend Modes in Adobe Photoshop,”  from Adobe Press,  has answered a need that a lot of people likely didn’t realize they had.

With Photoshop evolving every 18 months or so, anybody who uses it has to keep learning and the information in Scott’s book is as current as you’re going to find.  But even if you don’t have the latest version of Photoshop (CS6), you’ll be able to apply the knowledge to previous versions, as blend modes have been around for awhile.

So what are blend modes?  It’s funny, but if you’d asked me that question before I read Scott’s book, you’d have been met with a long pause.  The truth is, I had a good idea of what blend modes are, I knew what they did and how to use them for my own work, but I really wouldn’t have given you an answer that would have left you satisfied.  Today, my answer would be this book.

Without going through chapter by chapter, I’ll simply say that Scott has done an excellent job of breaking down what blend modes are and how to use them.  He gives very technical information for those who want it, but he also offers explanations for those who don’t.

No matter how you use Photoshop, you’ll find a reason to try blend modes, but without real world examples from different disciplines, it would be easy to get lost in the information and you might fail to see the practical uses.  In this book, Scott has assembled Photoshop professionals from a number of digital creative mediums to show how they use blend modes in their own work.  In other training materials I’ve seen, you usually only get one professional’s perspective, opinion and methods.  While there is value in that, it’s great to see how many ways others use blend modes, because one artist may offer a technique that is of no use to you, but the next one could reveal the buried treasure you’ve been looking for.

In the interest of full disclosure, my own blend mode techniques are featured in this book.  I was happy to offer some of my tips for using blend modes in cartooning, painting and illustration, but even without my small contribution, I would have still bought this book.  I’ve been through it a couple of times and I’ve no doubt I’ll continue to reference it, because I learned a lot about a feature I already thought I knew.  Turns out I had just scratched the surface.

What this book does very well is reveal possibilities.  Rather than give you a step-by-step for one procedure or just give you tips and tricks, “The Hidden Power of Blend Modes in Adobe Photoshop” shows you solutions that can be applied to a number of problems, even if you don’t know what those are yet.

I’m not exaggerating when I say I’d be very disappointed if I was no longer able to use blend modes in my work.  It would take longer to do my work and painting light and shadow (which is what I primarily use them for) would feel less dynamic and more difficult.  I’m certain there are more uses for blend modes in my own work than I am currently using and I will be looking to this book to help me find them.

The tools for art and creativity are like anything else.  When you first begin to use them, you may feel awkward and it’ll take some time before you develop any finesse in your methods.  When it comes to developing that skill with Photoshop, I’d recommend giving blend modes a closer look.  Scott’s book is the best resource I’ve seen to help you do that.

To find out more and to purchase the book, follow this link to Adobe Press.

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Going back to Photoshop World

Last year, after returning from Photoshop World in Las Vegas, I wrote a blog entry about the experience and expressed some disappointment about the shortage of learning opportunities for me personally.  I also said that it was unlikely that I’d be returning in 2012.  The passage of time lends perspective, however, and I’m pleased to say that I will once again be heading back to Mandalay Bay in September.

Why the change of heart?  Simply put, I’ve adjusted my expectations and have realized that for the most part, Photoshop World hasn’t changed over the years so much that I have.  While I stand by my assessment that there isn’t nearly enough of a focus on design and illustration, I also know that complaining about it on a soapbox isn’t likely to change that.  I sent an email to the powers that be last year about that part of it, it was well received and I’m confident that the views I expressed were weighed and considered.   I’m content to leave it at that.

This year, weighing the event solely on what it is instead of what I’d like it to be, I believe it still has a lot to offer to me.

As far as the classes go, I won’t even have close to a full schedule, but there are a number of them that I want to take this year, especially regarding the new features in Photoshop CS6.  With the new schedule recently revealed on the website, I’ve had an opportunity to go through and see what will interest me most.  One obvious choice is Corey Barker‘s 3D classes.  The Photoshop CS6 Extended 3D features are apparently greatly improved, and judging by his recent work and positive things he’s said, I’m anxious to learn a little of how he’s accomplishing some of his very impressive imagery.  While I have no desire to become a 3D artist, I do plan to incorporate some 3D elements into editorial cartoons on a regular basis.  Having done so in the past, it can be a real time saver, which is important when faced with tight deadlines.

There are some social media and business classes I’d like to audit for any new information, and a surprising number of photography classes that will no doubt benefit my painted work.  Classes on portraiture, lighting and composition all have the potential to teach me how to improve my paintings, as the goal for both photography and illustration is to end up with a stunning final image.

While the classes are an important  part of Photoshop World, especially if you’re new to the game, the official learning opportunities alone wouldn’t be enough to entice me back.  There just isn’t enough specific to my discipline.  But notice that I said, ‘official learning opportunities.’

Something I’ve been realizing this past year is that there is a lot I can learn from simply being at this event.  Over the years, I’ve met some incredibly talented and knowledgeable people, leaders in their own respective fields and niches, and many of them aren’t even teaching at the event, but they’re still there.  Simply being connected to these people and talking with them candidly has great value.

Over the past year, I have been fortunate to work with the great folks at Wacom on webinars and other projects, have worked on illustration commissions for renowned wildlife photographer Moose Peterson and Photoshop Instructor Dave Cross, have written for Photoshop User magazine and have  contributed to two books written by colleagues.  I have realized significant exposure and growth of my painted work and have taken advantage of other opportunities I can’t yet discuss.  Much of this has been a result of my time spent, and the people I’ve met, at Photoshop World.   If you’ve been following my work for awhile, you’re well aware of the two Guru Awards I won in 2010.  Although arguably insular in scope, those wins opened a number of doors for me, and I do believe that without them, I might not be as far advanced in my career as I am today.

As an aside, and because a number of people have asked me, I won’t be entering the Guru Awards again.  Were I fortunate to enough to win, the experience would clearly pale in comparison to that first year.  I’d rather see somebody else realize their own opportunities.

Furthering the relationships I’ve built with experts and practitioners in the many niches of this media industry is alone worth my time.  While many of these connections are genuine friendships, it’s also just good business.  Networking is a buzzword that’s thrown around by many without real understanding of what it means.  Simply put, it’s forging bonds and connections with other professionals and building relationships that have the potential to be mutually beneficial to everyone involved.  While these connections can be made online, it isn’t the same as sitting down with somebody over lunch or sharing a drink exchanging information.  I can point to two very specific chats I had last year, revealing very valuable information that ended up directly impacting my career.  Both of them were completely casual run-ins in the halls with acquaintances between classes.

This year, I plan to spend some more time with the folks at Wacom and it’s the one time of year I actually get to chat with Colin Smith at PhotoshopCAFE in person.  Considering he publishes my DVDs, probably important to talk face to face once in awhile.  Since I’ve painted him, but haven’t yet met him, I plan to finally talk with Russell Brown from Adobe, and catch up with a number of others that I talk to online regularly but only get to see once a year.

Freelancing and working from home is a great life and I wouldn’t change it.  But it’s often a lonely day-to-day when the majority of your communication is done through email and social media.  Connecting with other industry professionals who  deal with the same challenges I do, whether it has to do with software, technique, or business has become very important to me and I’ve realized that Photoshop World provides the right venue for me to do that well.  I also find that each year I come home inspired and motivated to do my best work, a byproduct from simply being around other creatives who enjoy what they’re doing.  That kind of energy is contagious and that battery can always use a recharge.

All that aside, I really like Vegas and it’s a good excuse to get out of the office for a week.

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The proof is in the printing

Spent a couple of hours at ChromaSurge in Calgary yesterday morning.  This is a small business print shop that handles all of my canvas and matted paper prints.  Kelly (the owner) was recommended to me by another Canmore artist.

There’s a lot to learn about printing, even when you’re not doing it yourself.  There are so many different types of machines, canvas, paper, coating, stretcher materials, and frames.  As I have no interest in trying to be a jack of all trades, I don’t do any of my own printing.  Recently, my printer (the guy, not the machine) bought some new equipment, canvas, paper, and inks.  Part of me, the part that doesn’t like change, was thinking, “Hey, my prints looked great, why are you messing with the formula?!”

The other part of me, however, was thinking, “He who refuses to adapt, dies!”

That is true of so many professions these days, and I plan to be doing this for a long time.   I made an appointment with the printer (again, the guy, not the machine) to reproof all of my current prints, and set to seeing how I could make them better on my end, in preparation for them being better when they came out of the printer.  One of the things I noticed with my prints was that some of the shadows were a little too dark, not something many people would notice, but when you spend as much time painting the details as I do, you don’t want to see them lost.  So I lightened them all up a bit, just some simple adjustments in Photoshop.  The lighter versions don’t look the way I want them to on the screen, but they look just right on paper.

Many digital artists and photographers become frustrated that their images don’t look the same in print as they do on their screen.  No matter what they do, they can’t make it happen.  Even with a professional color calibrator, the right printer profiles, and technical adjustments up the wazoo, it never quite gets there.  The reason is that a screen is back-lit while paper and canvas are not.  Therein lies the difference and it’s a HUGE difference.  Took me years to make peace with that.

As in all things, you do your best, and you make compromises.  You get your images to look as good as you possibly can and let go of perfection.  Those of you who know me well probably don’t believe I can do that when it comes to my paintings, but when it comes to prints, I actually can.  I know that nobody sees the imperfections the way I do when it comes to my own work, and that’s true of almost every artist I know.  We’re our own worst critics.  That’s a good thing, because it means you’re always going to try to become better at what you do.

One of the ways I try to compensate for the back-lighting  issue while painting digitally is that I have two monitors.  For Photoshop, one is my painting screen, and the other is for all of my tool palettes.  My Wacom pen is set to just go between them, so it actually acts like one big monitor.  The painting monitor is calibrated.  I use the Eye-One calibrator but there are others out there just as good.  The brightness on the monitor is also set to 13.  Yes, that’s 13 out of a possible 100.  If that seems way too low, trust me, you get used to it.  It minimizes eye strain for long periods of computer work, and also allows me to paint in more subtle shades and tones because I’m not dealing with harsh contrast.   When a painting or cartoon is done and looks good, I’ll often move it over to the other monitor, which is set a lot brighter and is NOT calibrated.  This way, I know how it’s going to look on other screens.

It’s a cheat, and one that works very well for me.  Because of working this way, there is much less of a screen vs. print shock.

My printer (the guy, not the machine…do I need to keep saying that?) takes the time to make sure I’m happy with the product he’s delivering, and good service is worth paying a little more for, especially now that it seems so rare.  When I told him that I wanted to reproof everything, and that I wanted to do it while I was there in his shop so we could talk about the results and I could ask some questions, he was fine with it.  I had all of my current paintings copied and pasted to one image that measured 18″X36″, which meant each image was around 5″X7″, just large enough to see what I needed to.    First it was printed on canvas, after which Kelly spray coated it so I could see what it would really look like when it was done.  Then he ran the same file on paper, because I sell matted prints in the galleries as well.

The difference between the two materials is that canvas has a natural texture to it.  It’s bumpy because of the weave of the fabric.  That adds a little more light and shadow, as does the protective coating.  The colours appear more saturated and richer, and there appears to be more depth in the image as a result.  I love my work on canvas, even more than on screen.  The paper prints have a flatter look, and although there isn’t a ‘shine’ to them like canvas, the quality is great, the colours are very nice and I’m very pleased with them.  With a sharp looking black mat, they pop.  But canvas is better, which is why it costs a fair bit more, both for me to have printed and for the customer to buy in the gallery.  And neither of them look like the other or like they do on screen.  Not better or worse, just different.  This photo doesn’t even capture what the canvas really looks like.  It’s just something you have to see.

I was very pleased with the prints and glad I took the time to go in and get the proofs done.  Cost me a bit of money for the ink and materials, not to mention taking the morning off from drawing and painting, but in the long run, it was a valuable use of my time.  My printer (really?  again?) also knows for a fact that I’m happy, so that likely makes him feel that he’s done right by his client.  Even better, he printed off a copy for himself so that whenever I order prints, he now has an approved standard to compare against, and so do I.  We have a baseline with this canvas, paper, ink and machine.

Like I said, I was already happy with my prints, but these new ones have just a little more spark in them.  I doubt that others will notice it, but I do, and that matters because it makes me feel better about the product I’m selling in the galleries and to my commission clients.  When new and better materials come along, we’ll have to do it all over again, and it will be worth it.

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Brush Design in Photoshop User Magazine

The March issue of Photoshop User magazine has now been released.  If you’re a subscriber, it went out in the mail today or you can download it on the Zinio reader right now.  In the ‘Down and Dirty Tricks’ sections, I’ve got a four page step-by-step on Designing Dynamic Hair and Fur Brushes with some tips on how to use them.  This article was a challenge to write, as I wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss anything crucial, and I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out.  While brush design in Photoshop is an art form in and of itself, this should get you started.  The rest you get from putting in a lot of time and practice.

For more on how to paint fur and hair in Photoshop, check out my DVD, “PhotoshopCAFE Masterclass: Animal Painting in Photoshop.“

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The upside of 2011

Bighorn Sheep TotemAll things considered, 2011 was a great year.  While every year will have it’s challenges, I’ve been fortunate that I’m honestly able to see each year of the past decade as having continual forward momentum.  The work I’m doing is far beyond what I had hoped for when I first started in this profession and I’m very grateful for it.

I became nationally syndicated in September of 2001, sending cartoons out across Canada each week, and got very few bites.  For two years, I had no more than three newspapers, paying the bare minimum rate, and I will admit to almost giving up on it more than a few times.  With a full-time job to pay the bills, I had to get up at 5:00am each morning to get a cartoon out before I went to work.  When I came home, I had to sketch in the evening and work on the weekends in order to manage it all.  Finally I started making progress, got a few more papers, took advantage of other opportunities, and about six years ago, I was able to leave my job and play this game full-time.

Through it all was my ever supportive wife, Shonna, and I’m incredibly grateful that she never told me not to do any of this.  The only caveat given when I went full-time was that if I couldn’t pay my half of the mortgage and bills, I had to go back to work.  Canmore is an expensive place to live and we couldn’t do it on one income.  Fortunately, it never came to that, and each year has been better than the one before.  At the time, it was an incredible struggle, but in retrospect, I’m glad I had to go through it because it makes the present all that much sweeter.

If my 2001 self could see the work I’m doing now, he’d be pleasantly surprised, and I try to think about that when I’m having a bad day or feeling sorry for myself because of a heavy workload or when money is tight.  So far, I’ve not only gotten what I wanted, I’ve gotten much more.  Best of all, I discovered that I loved getting up at 5:00am to work, I still sketch in the evenings, and being self-employed means you often work weekends anyway, so I was already used to the routine.  Now, I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Here’s a recap of my professional highlights of this past year, some of which I’d forgotten about until I went back through the blog entries month by month.

iPad Painting: Started playing around with this in January, and damn if it hasn’t been a lot of fun figuring it all out.  Ended up trying four different styli and half a dozen apps.  It would seem that I’ve finally settled on the Wacom Bamboo Stylus, the Nomad minibrush, and the procreate app.  The combination of those three gives me the best results, and while I don’t consider anything I paint on the iPad to be finished work, I would go so far as to call it advanced sketching, and I plan to keep doing it.

PhotoshopCAFE DVDs:  In March, I finished my first DVD, called Cartoon Illustration Techniques in Photoshop.  Easily one of the most difficult projects I’ve ever worked on.  Having only done a little bit of sound and video editing for a failed Flash animation project a few years back, it was a struggle.  But I finished it, it went into production, and is selling well.  I’ve heard from many who bought the DVD that have learned a lot from it and complimented me on my instruction, so I’m guessing I didn’t do so bad a job.

The second DVD, Animal Painting in Adobe Photoshop, was a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable as I wasn’t teaching raw Photoshop beginners.  It was more about the painting than the software and while it was a challenge, the difficulty I went through with the first DVD paid off while recording the second as there were few problems I hadn’t already solved.  Recording one DVD this year would have been enough of a milestone, but I never expected to record two, and to be very pleased with both of them.

Cartoon Ink: While my old website was ‘fine,’ it had become difficult to use and it was no longer the image I wanted to project.  While I had always done my own website in the past, this time I realized one of the most important business practices that so many have learned before me.  Hire professionals to do their job, so you can focus on doing yours.  With that in mind, I hired Erik Bernskiold of XLD Studios in Sweden to create a new website for me.  I knew Erik’s work and know him personally, so I was confident he would deliver much more than I could create myself.  With the help of Elizabeth Gast at Design by Firgs, another colleague and good friend who consulted on the site, and created an improved evolution of my logo, I was very pleased with the final logo and website and would highly recommend both of their work.  The time I saved was well worth the money spent and reduced stress.

Wacom: I began to form a relationship with the great folks at Wacom at Photoshop World in 2010 after I won the Guru Awards for two of my Totem paintings and I couldn’t be happier about it.  Having used their tablets since the late 90’s, you won’t find a bigger fan, so I’m very pleased to be working with them from time to time.

Over the course of the year, I’ve been featured in the Wacom eNews, have represented the company and demonstrated their products at one of Scott Kelby’s seminars in Calgary, and have been a featured guest on two of their one-hour Wacom webinars.  The people I’ve worked with at Wacom have been incredibly supportive and are absolute pros at what they do and I look forward to a continuing relationship with them.

The photo shown here is Joe Sliger demonstrating the new Wacom Inkling for me at Photoshop World this year.  He is also one of the moderators of the webinars.

Island Art Publishers: In July of this year, I began a licensing deal for some of my Totem paintings to be produced on art cards.  These are distributed throughout Western Canada and the northwestern U.S. and time will tell whether this arrangement bears any fruit.  An artist friend once told me that art cards are often your best advertising, because not only does the person buying it see your work, but so does the person receiving it.  You may not make much money early on, but it’s enough to get your work out there to a market that otherwise might not see it.  And the cards look really good.

Photoshop World: While it’s true that I didn’t learn much about technique or improving my work at this year’s Photoshop World in Las Vegas, I still think it was worth attending because of the networking opportunities.  Having recorded two DVDs for PhotoshopCAFE, it was great to finally meet the owner of the company in person, and see their operation on the Expo Floor.  I was able to meet a few more of the Wacom folks in person, and talk with other industry professionals I otherwise might not have had the opportunity to talk to.  Online interaction is fine, but it doesn’t compare with face-to-face conversations.  So while I won’t be going back as an attendee, I still think this year’s trip was well worth it.

knmadventuresAt the time, I was doing some illustration work for wildlife photographer and instructor, Moose Peterson as well, and being able to go over sketches with him in person was a real treat, as most of the time this would have all been done online.  The other benefit of the Photoshop World conference is that I get to meet with so many talented photographers, many of whom I consider close friends.  For somebody who relies on great photo reference for my painted work, their skills and talent are often one of my most valuable resources, not to mention their generosity with their work, and the support they offer for mine.

Paintings: Saved the best for last.  I am so very pleased with the progress I’ve made on my painted work this year.  The first half of the year, I was so busy with the DVDs and other work that I only painted one animal in my Totem series, the Great Horned Owl.  When I realized this in the latter half of the summer, I was ticked off.  The work I love to do most, I had placed in last priority.  In retrospect, however, I’m glad it happened because when I realized it, I vowed it would never happen again and it stoked the fire.  The end result is that from September to December, I’ve painted a number of new images and I feel they are my best work to date.

I had been becoming bored with painted caricatures of people in the past couple of years, but recently, I’ve realized that it wasn’t people I was bored with painting, just caricatures of them.  Beginning with a couple of iPad paintings, I’ve discovered how very much I enjoy painting portraits, and I’ve done a couple of pieces recently that I’ve really enjoyed.  Inspired by the work of Drew Struzan and others, I think I’ll be painting a lot more portraits of people, if nothing more than for the sheer enjoyment of it.  While style is always evolving, I think my paintings now have a definitive look that is mine, whether it’s people or animals, and it’s one I want to continue to develop and refine.

I’m now getting commissions to paint pet portraits and caricature this year, and it’s really enjoyable work.  The painting of Don Diego that I did for my DVD, the memorial to Titus the cat, and to being able to finally create a real painting for my folks of their dog, Bailey, it’s looking like this could be a big part of my work in the coming years.  Working on another commission at the moment, and having fun with it.

My real passion, however, is still the Animal Totems.  Nothing I’ve ever done in my career has filled me with as much joy as that I get from painting these whimsical caricatures of wildlife.  Not only are they fun to work on, but they sell well in the galleries which means others like them, too.  I’ve been fortunate that a number of wildlife photographers I know have been willing to sell me the license rights to use their photos as reference, or have enjoyed my work enough to want to trade me the use of their images for canvas prints of the painting when it’s done, both of which I’m more than willing to do.

Humpback Whale TotemEach of them is my favorite for different reasons, but the one I was most happy with this year was the Humpback Whale Totem.  I don’t know if it’s because I’ve wanted to paint it for so long or that it was such a challenge to paint an animal with no fur or hair, and the end result lived up to my expectations.  Either way, these paintings are the only work I’ve ever done that I still enjoy months and even a year after I’ve painted one.  That alone tells me this is the work I’m meant to do, at least for now.

As you can see, I’ve had a very good year, and I’m grateful for it.  For all of you that follow my work, your messages of support here on the blog, through social media, and email are all appreciated.  It’s a solitary existence, this freelance lifestyle, and it’s nice to know that others are getting enjoyment out of the work I do.  And if you’re struggling with your own creative endeavors, whether you’ve just begun or are just trying to keep going, I would urge you not to give up.  It may not seem like it in the moment, but I assure you, if it’s something you love to do, it’s worth the effort.

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The Perfect Bait

This morning, I finished listening to Bobby Chiu’s new book, The Perfect Bait.  It far exceeded my expectations.

While I have met Bobby before at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo a few years back, and have taken a couple of courses from instructors at his Schoolism.com site, I don’t actually know him.  But I do know his fantastic work, and have followed his career.  Bobby is a successful artist, and while I know his work is ever evolving and he is nowhere near where he intends to be, his example is one that many artists can learn from.   One of his recent more famous projects is that he worked as a creature designer on Tim Burton’s ‘Alice in Wonderland.’   Here’s a look at his creature design work on his CGSociety portfolio.

It should come as no surprise why I’m a fan, and not just because he’s a fellow Canadian.  But it’s not just his work that’s impressive, it’s his philosophy on the business of art.  One of the benefits of buying the book is that you get access to the audio version as well.  So while I haven’t yet received the book, I have listened to the entire thing already while working yesterday and this morning.  Many art books end up being simply motivational ‘you can do it!’ publications, but Bobby talks about real world examples of how specific things worked out for him and why others didn’t, and how failure is as much a recipe for success as any award or accolade.  And best of all, he puts more stock in hard work than talent, something I’ve believed in for years, as I’ve seen artists far more talented than I, fall into obscurity because they simply didn’t apply themselves.

The benefits to me personally were two-fold.  First, there was a fair bit of confirmation in the book that I’m doing a lot of things right.  Had I read the book five years ago, that would not have been the case, but I’ve made plenty of mistakes, learned from them, made course corrections and carried on.  The second benefit was being made aware of a number of things I’m fully capable of doing to better my career but either had not thought of them, or I didn’t think they were important enough to bother with.  I stand corrected and feel better equipped to continue my forward momentum.

Most importantly, Bobby emphasizes the importance of passion in your work.  I’ve heard many times over the years that the work an artist should be doing is the work they would still do even if nobody paid them.  I am incredibly fortunate that with my animal paintings over the past couple of years, I have discovered that work, and am grateful for it.  I was already passionate about painting, but this book stoked that furnace even more.  In a perfect world, everybody would realize their passion and find it within themselves to pursue it.

So if art is your passion, no matter what kind of art that is, I would like to help ONE of you take a step forward.  On Friday afternoon, I will draw a name on my business Facebook page, and then I’ll buy that person a copy of Bobby’s book.  All you have to do is leave a comment on the post that links to this blog entry.

If you would like to buy Bobby’s book, visit the webpage, www.ThePerfectBait.com and get yourself a copy.  You’ll be glad you did.

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Tom Richmond and The Mad Art of Caricature!

There are many people who consider the humourous paintings of people that I do to be caricature, but just as many who don’t.  I consider traditional caricature to be an exaggeration of features while maintaining the likeness.   At the risk of trying to slap a label on it, my work fits somewhere in between caricaturing a person and cartooning them.  Often it will be a large head, small body, with only mild distortion or exaggeration.  For a lot of business or gift purposes, that’s what my clients want.  But wild exaggeration or not, I still feel that I have a lot to learn.

I have no desire to be a quick-sketch caricature artist, the kind you see at an amusement park or event, but I have a great deal of respect for those who are able to fill that role.  It’s a difficult skill to master and very different from the type of painting and cartooning that I do.  You have to be confident and bold when drawing live, and I’m a tentative obsessive sketcher when I’m drawing people.  I don’t mind admitting that I find quick-sketch caricature very difficult and I’d like to become better at it.

When I think of caricature artists that really wow me with their skill, Tom Richmond tops the list.  Tom is best known for his MAD magazine work, but he’s done a lot more than that in his long career.  Rather than list his accomplishments, take a look at his website and I’ll let his work speak for itself.  I’ve written about Tom before on this blog .  OK, maybe more than once.  What can I say, I’m a fan.

Last week, I received a copy of Tom’s new book “The Mad Art of Caricature: A Serious Guide to Drawing Funny Faces.”  People have been nagging him for years to write a book like this, and whether it’s because he got tired of it, or just realized he was ready and made the time, it was well worth the wait.  I pre-ordered the book sometime this summer, and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since.  I had very high expectations, and Tom’s book surpassed them.

I’ve bought many cartooning and caricature books over the years, and this one is hands-down the best I’ve ever seen.  From tutorials on how to draw specific body parts, exaggeration, relationships between facial features…I could go on at great length about all of the wonderful specifics he teaches in this book.  It is comprehensive and complete.  There are techniques and tutorials in this book that I’ve never seen explained in any other I’ve bought, not to mention valuable insights into how to become better at live or studio caricature work.  And content aside, it’s quality printing with beautiful colour, too.  Put simply, I would recommend this book to beginners and professionals alike, without reservation.

While reading the book, I just wanted to pick up a pencil and draw.  Yes, I draw every day already, and while it’s enjoyable, it’s not often that I get excited about it.  I’ve said before that Tom’s work makes me want to be a better artist.  I’ve no doubt that his book will teach me how.

To order a copy of your own, here’s the link again.  “The Mad Art of Caricature: A Serious Guide to Drawing Funny Faces.” 

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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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DVD sneak peek

Having recently returned from Photoshop World, it was a big thrill to see my painting DVD’s on sale at the PhotoshopCAFE booth on the Expo Floor.  I had brought a print for them to display at the booth and apparently it contributed to good sales over the three days.

Brought home my copies of the DVD, minus one that I gave to a friend and another that I gave to Bert Monroy, as I’ve learned a lot about illustration and digital painting from him over the years.  He’s a great guy and was most noticeable this year because he was booting around in a little scooter after recent knee surgery.

The PhotoshopCAFE booth was showing a DVD that included clips from a number of their titles.  Here’s the clip they were showing from my most recent DVD, PhotoshopCAFE Masterclass: Animal Painting in Adobe Photoshop.  For more information on the DVD, visit the PhotoshopCAFE site here.