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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.

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.