Almost back from Holidays

I had a fantastic time at home this year for Christmas sledding, hiking in snow and catching up with my family. While I'm not back in my studio I'll be back at my part-time job this week painting more mammoths and wishing that the holidays could have been savoured just that little bit more.

Now that all of my Christmas commissions have been opened I can post one more. This one was of someone's two cats... so interesting that I did two cat portraits in one year! The other one, sadly, I gave away in such a rush that I did not make the time photograph it (this is just another thing to add to my personal list of "what was I thinking"?). I invited a friends wife into my studio and completed a series of figure drawing style portraits of her. Perhaps it is best that these portraits will remain personal to this family as I do not need them for my portfolio anyway.

A Christmas Commision

Here's another plywood painting that I completed and it's process (for greater detail click on each picture).


1• Create a confident drawing that will show you how to create your gradients and values (based on a greyscale drawing). Get it approved by your client.

2•For a painting where the texture is important, choose your canvas wisley. I pulled about a round dozen sheets of pokey plywood off the hardware stores shelves before I found just the right "chunk" for this image. Tell the person who cuts out your block of plywood that it's for art and yes, you know canvases are cheap down at the local art store...!

3• Protect Your Painting before it's even started. Give it several good (thick) coatings of Multi Purpose Acylic Polymer so that weird chemicals don't leak into the painting over the years destroying the values you create. THEN! Protect your paint (it doesn't come cheap after all...) by Gessoing your surface. This will give your paint an extra "grip" or "mile" so that you don't have to layer it on really thick. I paint my gesso on in several layers in different directions so that the brush strokes aren't going to create a distracting pattern. Thing to Remember: Your brush strokes on every layer of every painting can help aid your composition!

5• Block in Dark Colours.


6• Think Details and Light. The concept is to have your darker colours in the "Valley" part of the plywood ridges and the light colours on the "peaks". This will really make the texture pop. For details do what you normally do, fill in the valleys and peaks with similar values.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

A great big thank you to everyone (friends, family, clients... and of course fellow bloggers!) for making this year so fabulous! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'll be taking a needed break from the computer world in general so see you in early 2008!


Here's a sneak peak into the "secret studio"...
I tried my hand at carving (my hand wishes I was a more careful carver but I suspect this will come with time)



and I made some ornaments for my family...

I've been creating paintings for the Royal Alberta Museum's Christmas Card collection (for the next five years you might see my work.)

While there's still many secret goings on in my studio there's one thing I can tell you: I'll be at the Guerilla Boutique this Saturday from 1-8pm at the Artery downtown Edmonton, Alberta. It's on 9535-Jasper Ave.

More of Moe

Here's what I've been up to lately at my part time job at the Royal Alberta Museum (it's often a great way to enhance your job to inject a bit of illustration into your graphic design jobs).

note: The ad with the kids is going to change up a bit in regards to the wording so it's just the kids for you to see right now.

This Friday's Edmonton Journal Ad:


Next Friday's Edmonton Journal Ad:


New Years Ad (in progress):

Many little Secret Things...

I've been itching to tell you about the many secret goings on in my studio... but alas, most must wait until after Christmas (you'll see why once I've posted them). It appears that I've been slacking on the illustration side of my life, however, you'll be pleasantly surprised afterwards by the hoard of crazy images I'm going to post in the new year that I'm hard at work on right now!...

However, I shall give you a few little images to keep you interested (rather than the dull "I'll be here or there peddling my goodies" posts I've been plaguing you with)... I worked the Guerilla Boutique this weekend and as the weather was rather horrid there weren't many shoppers. This left me with loads of time to create wonderful original drawings on my brown shopping bags while I was there (not to mention I traded some goodies for a fantastic necklace!).

Illustration Friday: Little Things

This is from a children's book I worked on this year called Gramma GoGo & the Dustball Fairies... the ladies face in the background is the author, Georgina Prockiw who is an amazing woman. Gramma GoGo is a minaturist who creates dollhouses and dolls and one day discovers two dustball fairies eatting cherry pie in her dollhouse...

I've been tagged

My friend Mike R Baker has tagged me for the “5 things” about myself... and I'm happy to share the information. Thanks for the tag Mike!

1. My first dream career was to become an elasmobranchologist (basically a shark scientist). I have since snorkelled with sharks and plan to one day complete a series of shark paintings for a show.

2. I own a cow and a calf (her name is Emily), one cat and five goldfish.

3. My very first paid illustration was of a worm (who's name was Bailey).

4. I'm left handed.

5. My first oil painting looked like a mud pie (not on purpose). I painted it three years ago and was too frustrated to let it dry. I still have a full set of oil paints that are barely used. If someone really wants them they should stop by my studio and I'll give them to you for free. I'm cursed with inpatience...

I’m tagging michelle mcbride (miss dishy), heather castles, anette heiberg, elisa chavarri and Amanda Woodward! Each of these women are fantastic illustrators so check them out!

The rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.