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This project was planned to have multiple images, sort of an eagle collage. Once my primary image is established the next step is to decide on the secondary image or images. In this case I also want to include an eagle in flight to go with the portrait. The large white area of the portrait is a perfect place to add a full image. The black of the eagle’s body will contrast nicely with the white backdrop. Here you can see how the second eagle is placed against the first.

As I work on this, I am reminded of the inherent difficulty of working on whale’s teeth. The curve of the tooth makes large images wrap around the tooth which can create perspective problems. It also makes it impossible to see the entire image as I work. With a little trial and error I was able to wrap the eagle’s wings around the bottom of the tooth without any distortion caused by the curve. This helps to create a more organic feel to the image on the tooth. Whenever possible I try to avoid creating images that look pasted on. I want it to look like it belongs there.

At this point I will continue to work on the two eagle images while trying to decide if the composition needs anything else. This is a good example of my normal process. I rarely start anything with a clear idea of how it’s going to look at the end. I prefer to just let it develop while I work on it. 

Over the past 25 years I have been asked many times about my work habits and process. As I begin this project, I thought I’d go ahead and document my process to try and answer some of those questions. This project is going to be an eagle portrait on an antique whale’s tooth. This is a beautiful tooth with great color and a few deep gouges that give it character.

The first step is to polish the tooth. I know many scrimshanders and ivory suppliers use power sanders to polish ivory but I prefer to do it all by hand. It’s time consuming, but I feel like it’s safer, especially on antique ivory. I would feel terrible if the heat from sanding damaged the tooth in any way. Using a process that I learned from Bob Engnath, I start with 100 grit sandpaper and sand until all of the surface gouges and scratches are gone. After that I use progressively finer paper until I get down to about 600 grit. I finish it off with .0000 steel wool and metal polish which gives it a glassy finish.

Unpolished Tooth

Polished tooth

Back of Tooth After Polishing

As you can see, I chose to leave the gouges because they added a wonderful character to the piece. For me, things like this are part of the item’s story and I prefer to leave them as long as they don’t compete with the artwork. On teeth I also try not to change the skirt at the base of the tooth too much. If you over sand this area the skirt can become very delicate. I also think it looks more natural this way. I also tried to keep as much of the charactor of the back of the tooth intact. Just some light sanding and then polishing here.

Detail Showing Eagle Eye Stippled Onto Tooth

Once the proportions are established, I don't try to get too detailed at this point. There will be plenty of opportunities to make changes as I go along. I begin to roughly outline the image by stippling it with a sewing needle held in a pin vise.

The Beginning

The first thing I do is establish my general outline and darkest areas. I do this by stippling in the background. Objects in nature don't usually have outlines surrounding them so I create a contrasting background to suggest the shape of my subject. Since this subject is white it will need a darker background to make it show properly.

So, I'm being dragged, kicking and screaming, into the Internet Age. Those of you who know me well should find this amusing. I make no secret of the fact that I am not "technologically savvy". Even my preferred methods of artistic expression are very traditional techniques that date back hundreds of years.  Nevertheless, this “Old Dog” will at least be attempting to learn some new tricks. One of those tricks will be this blog. To begin with let’s talk about my new Cigar Series.

As an artist I frequently try and combine my interests with my artistic pursuits. This is why pirates and Renaissance themes tend to appear frequently in my work. There are so many fantastic models just walking around at Renaissance Faires that it would be a shame to not use them in my work. The same idea applies to the many incredible people and companies that I encounter as a cigar enthusiast. In a time when Corporate America seems to have lost its way, the cigar industry is a shining example of what business should be. Cigar company executives actually care about the quality of their products, respect their employees and actively seek out opportunities to meet and speak with their customers. They don’t manage their companies strictly by numbers and statistics the way too many executives do today. They actually understand what is important for their business. The product they create, the employees who create it and the customers who buy it. This is the focus of these great companies rather than short term profits and increasing the value of their own stock options at the customer’s expense. I have begun a series of works inspired by the advertising art of Alphonse Mucha as a tribute to these companies and the love and dedication that goes into their products. My idea is to create artwork that is consistent with my own personal artistic vision that includes the logos of cigar companies as a design element. These are the first of the series, but certainly not the last. To maintain a sense of continuity, and make a strong statement when grouped together, all of the drawings will be stippled using India ink. They will also be available as limited edition prints on archival paper.

                              Tatuaje Still Life with Skull

The first of the series. I have always been inspired by skulls of all types. They are incredibly fun to draw. So full of complex curves and shapes, I find them irresistible. When setting up my first still life for this series I wanted to avoid the traditional approach of depicting a cigar with a glass of wine or liquor, usually some variety of whiskey. I want my cigar series to be different, but stay true to the spirit of the each company. Tatuaje Cigars is a small cigar company started by Pete Johnson and based in Los Angeles. They make great cigars and have a very unique image. When thinking about my skull project, Tatuaje was the first company that came to mind. Every year at Halloween they release a limited Monster Series cigar named after classic Hollywood movie monsters. This made them the perfect choice for the drawing that I had planned.

                                Pasíon

For the second drawing of the series I was inspired by Liga Privada #9 by Drew Estates. The passion and commitment to excellence show by Drew Estates in the creation of this cigar is obvious. From the selection and blending of the aged tobacco to the craftsmanship in the construction of the cigar, their passion shines through. How do you depict something as intangible as passion? My answer to this question was to combine the wonderful Liga Privada logo with the subject that most inspires my own artistic passion. The human figure.