top of page

Meet the Artist - David Loblaw


One of my most popular series introduces my readers to an artist through a virtual interview of questions. Enjoy.




 

David Loblaw

Toronto, Ontario, Canada



  • Who are you, and what is your background?

I am David Loblaw, and I was born in Chicago to Canadian parents, we lived in Chicago and then Boston before my parents decided to move back to their home city of Toronto Canada, where I grew up. I got an early introduction to the arts as my parents attended The Ontario College of Art and Design, where they met and fell in love. So, I was exposed to all sorts of art from an early age. After high school, I attended The Ontario College of Art and Design. Focusing on illustration. After that, I started working in the design business, mostly a mix of retail store design and graphic design. I spent several years working for a few of the top design companies in Canada and the USA, before starting my design firm with two partners.















  • What is your favorite medium?

Digital paint! I use a Wacom tablet on a Mac with a few different programs.




Click the image for Art Prints on Society6

California Dreaming Art Print by David Loblaw (Society6)

  • Has your practice changed over time?

Yes, I've been at it for a long time. I started with drawing and painting in my youth, and I worked as a graphic designer for several years. Then, about ten years ago, I started going digital with my art, doing fine art and landscapes using a program called Artrage. This software lets you paint realistic-style paintings digitally, and I don’t mean realistic paintings but realistic ones in digital form.

After doing that for a while, I turned my focus to creating more surreal-style images, and that's when things started to take off for me. I had always enjoyed working with Photoshop when I used it for my design work, So I've produced a more surreal style for the last seven or eight years. I still enjoy digital painting, but I have mostly been creating surreal photo manipulation images these days.





 


  • What do you most enjoy painting?

Landscapes mostly, particularly because I grew up in Ontario; the natural landscapes in Canada are wonderful to paint. Such untamed wilderness abounds everywhere. And the fall colours are outstanding.


Click the image to find it on FineArtAmerica.

Tree Fall Camping digital art by David Loblaw

  • What food, drink, or song inspires you?

Baklava, a Cadillac Margarita, and these days any song from the band “Stick Figure” , an awesome reggae band.


  • What has been your favorite response to your work?

I’ve had some great feedback about my artwork over the last few years, and hearing that my “compositions and use of colour” is outstanding is probably my favorite response along with all the wonderful comments. It's all very encouraging.



Click the image to find it on FineArtAmerica.com

Fish Out of Water by David Loblaw digital art


 


Ottawa River by David Loblaw

 



click to Behance.net

Diving in Mega Shark Forest by David Loblaw



 



click image to David Loblaw: "my portfolio"

Winter Forest of Electric Jelly Fish by David Loblaw


 

  • What’s your best advice for someone wanting to start as an artist?

It’s a journey, so be patient and always learn. They say you must do ten thousand hours of practice to become a master. This might be true; I am not sure (it might be faster these days with all you can learn on YouTube). But if you enjoy what you are practicing then those hours will fly by… Also, be observant and keep an open mind. Don’t be afraid to fail.



 


Thank you, David, for sharing your fabulous artwork with my readers.


For more of David's work, please see:


David Loblaw Social Media



 

Visit previous Meet the Artist posts: Michelle Brenmark





Pin it, please.

Meet the Artist David Loblaw, art, Electric Jelly Fish









Create a Seamless Pattern with Photoshop








My background in art involved paintbrushes, paper, pencils, paint of various sorts, and something to paint. As I began a major in Graphic Arts I moved into the realm of photography, copy, advertising, layouts, fonts, and the technology which existed in the late 1960s. Would you believe that in order to "justify" the print in those days, I had to type my copy on a keyboard that kicked out a roll of tape with a pattern of holes? The tape was then fed into a linotype machine.


The holes matched the copy that had been typed on a keyboard. The copy could then be set to align to right, centered, left, or justified.

Can you imagine? I am typing this now and all I have to do is look to the top and pick out my desired alignment.


Point of note: in 1967 when I was a graphic arts student at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) I was allowed to do the copy process whatever we were working on...but I was NOT allowed to work the printing press because that was a "man's job."


Whaaaatttt!!!!!







My next art experience was when I transferred to Westfield State University to continue my education. My major was then "fine arts" so I was back to using paints, and paper, and added potter's clay, weaving, sculpture, and art history.


Back to the point. I LOVE ART. I say it often and now, in retirement, I paint almost every day. I also have a mantra that may seem cliché: Learn something new every day.


I have written here in this space, however, that digital art is a whole other animal. One of my principals at one of the schools where I taught elementary art proposed that there be a computer at every grade level, and he mandated that at least one teacher in each level learn how to use it. This was around 1976, and the computer was still elusive in the classroom. Most teachers cringed. I couldn't wait.


When I started using watercolors again after my retirement, my daughter gave me a phone case from Society6 with a small bird. We began to check the site, and she said, "Mom, you should upload your work to this platform." I didn't know what "upload" meant; I had to learn about pixels and assets and edit my artwork for print.


I've come a long way since then. I can resize, HTML, embed, change the hue, rotate, and transform with the best of them (well. maybe not with the best). My daughter has been impressed with how well I can navigate in Photoshop. It has been a slow process but I love learning.


I have subscribed to SKILLSHARE. This is where I really took off in learning how to make Seamless Patterns from my artwork. I joined my favorite artist-friend, Cat Coquillette https://www.skillshare.com/user/catcoq You can read my earlier Meet the Artist - Cat Coq to get to know her better.








 


Here we go. Start with the more traditional plan: watercolor image. You want one dominant form, then some middle-sized elements, and finally small "pieces" of the floral designs.



Cat's sample

My dogwood painting


 


Next, we remove the background.



Cat's class: Removing the background



Removed my background in Photoshop

 



Next, we isolate the pieces into separate layers:



Cat's class: each element on its own layer



My isolated layers

 



Next, arrange the block with the elements:



Cat moves each element, flips vertical, or transforms.


My pieces scattered.

 

Finally, the finished pattern:

Cat's finished pattern.


MY DOGWOOD PATTERN!!!!!


YAY! I LOVE learning new things !!


I confess that I had to watch the video four times before the whole thing was down. That's the way we learn.



Samples of my patterns after taking the Skillshare

class with Cat Coquillette

Yep. I got the hang of it, eventually.







Scroll to comment.



Shopping for dinnerware? check here ⬇️




As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases




You're an artist. What's in your studio?





YOU are an ARTIST. What's in your studio? What's in your head? Do the supplies and objects surrounding you inspire you? In an earlier post, I featured what inspires me: There is inspiration everywhere. One can be inspired, however, but the studio has to have the tools for you to bring that inspiration from brain to paper, canvas, clay, jewelry, mosaic tile, or simple sketch.


Now that I am settled into our new home, I love being in my studio almost daily. If you consider adding items to your home as a crafter, hobby, maker, or painter, here are my suggestions. I post those that I use frequently in my business, but I include supplies others have told me they had used, which assured me that the purchase was a good decision.





Many artists today are using digital art as their process so I will start with some devices, some of which I use even though the bulk of my artwork is traditional, ie, painting and drawing with brushes or pen. If you are younger than me (lucky you) you might choose an apple pen over paper or canvas. (Don't worry will cover the traditional items for you in this post).


5. Epson Perfection V600 (This is my scanner)

Now, let's take care of the basic art supplies:






STORAGE




Furniture






Paint to Music, Video your artwork, and Post to Social Media


 

Pin it, please...or comment (scroll down).







bottom of page