About Charles

My name is Charles Ott and I am a self-taught architectural illustrator from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the creator of Steel City Artist Illustrations. I specialize in creating very detailed hand-drawn pen & ink illustrations of prominent architectural landmarks. My work is featured worldwide in art galleries, business, colleges, gift shops, restaurants and even the White House.

The Interview

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: Pen & ink

Q: How long have you been an artist? How did you get started?

A: I began drawing around the age of seven years of age and have a massive portfolio of artwork, mainly illustrations. I was inspired by another Pittsburgh illustrator who had his work displayed nearby to where my father’s business was located during the early 80′s in Pittsburgh. His name is Nevin Robinson.

Q: Do you have any formal training or are you self taught?

A: I am a self-taught artist and consider it a blessing. There is nothing more I love to do than to draw and it is the passion for doing what I love that continues to be both my identity and driving force.

Q: Do you have any favorite art supplies that you would like to recommend?

A: My tools of trade are simple and they include pencils, pens, a metal ruler and t-square and a steady hand. I would highly recommend Sakura of America’s Pigma micron pens for anyone involved with illustration. These pens leave the fine, smooth, crisp lines and do not smear or bleed like other pens. The company was kind enough to feature my work on their website for marketing their products on Facebook & Twitter.

Copyright 2008 Charles R. Ott Jr.

Q: Do you work with any specific styles or subject matter?

A: Most of my illustration work centers upon architectural illustration and I consider myself a realist. The illustrations I create allow people to reminisce and to remember the places that have had meaning to them in their lives. My illustrations of personal homes, college old mains, churches, stadiums, steel mills and national landmarks are often the subjects I am commissioned for.

Q: How do you get ideas to create a piece? What inspires you?

A: Pittsburgh is a great city to draw inspiration from as an artist. The city possesses an urban landscape combining both old world and modern architecture covering every style conceivable.

Q: Are there any artists that have influenced you ?

A: Nevin Robinson

Q: Do you have a website you would like to share?

A: My website is Steel City Artist Illustrations, http://www.steelcityartist.com/ Last year, I also co-created a charity art foundation with three other Pittsburgh artists. We auction off our original artwork for charitable events & organizations. The name of our art foundation is the Humanitarian Artists of Pittsburgh.

Q: Finally do you have any last words of advice for beginner artists?

A: As with anything in life if you have a passion for what you love to do than you have already won. Be willing to put all of your energy, time and fortitude into realizing your dream. It is possible to be successful as an artist, but it often does take time, patience, right connections. Don’t ever give up regardless of what anyone might say to prevent you from becoming the success you dream of. We each have our own path we have to follow. Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’!

Q: Anything else you would like to share about yourself?

A: Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share some insight into my profession as an illustrator.

About Sharon

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: My paintings now are all digital. I use a Wacom Intuos 4 tablet to paint digitally in Photoshop. I still enjoy traditional painting however I find the digital process so much more appealing because of the various features that are available with today’s technology.

Q: How long have you been an artist? How did you get started?

A: I have always had an interest in art however it took me a long time to find the exact path that I wanted to follow.

In 2000 I enlisted in the Army and while stationed in South Korea, I was introduced to online gaming. I loved it so much that I decided as soon as I finished my contract, that I would pursue creating artwork for computer games.

During college I started looking for freelance artistic work on Craig’s List. I replied to hundreds of ads and from that had a few offers. Doing this taught me a lot of lessons; good and bad.

Q: Do you have any formal training or are you self taught?

A: I have had both. I am formally trained as an artist from the University of California, Berkeley however my digital painting skills, including Photoshop are self taught.

Q: Do you have any favorite art supplies that you would like to recommend?

A: A digital tablet! I use a Wacom Intuos 4 Medium, it is absolutely worth the investment as it comes with several free programs and I no longer have to buy paint, brushes or canvases.

Q: Do you work with any specific styles or subject matter?

A: I am most interested in the fantasy genre, especially characters.

Q: Can you recommend any books videos or other resources that will help new artists?

A: Become active on an active artist community website so that you can interact with your peers. Find one that has artists that are doing your dream job. There is no reason that you can’t have your dream job once you know how to realistically get there. You can find out that information from such a site. The community that I became involved with is ConceptArt.org.

Q: How do you get ideas to create a piece? What inspires you?

A: I suppose I get inspired by the people around me. When I get honest feedback on my artwork, then I can really focus on the areas that need more work. I often can’t see the same flaws that someone else sees, so being open to hearing what you don’t want to hear is so beneficial.

Q: Are there any artists that have influenced you and why?

A: All of the artists on ConceptArt.org, being apart of the community has been so rewarding. They have challenged me and it has shown in the quality of my artwork.

Q: Do you have a website you would like to share?

A: http://amberalexander.foliosnap.com/

Q: Finally do you have any last words of advice for beginner artists?

A: Never give up on your dream. Every amazing artist you look at started as a beginner. Art is like a language, it comes with practice. Just keep at it and you will get better and you can make a living doing what you love!

Q: Anything else you would like to share about yourself?

A: Anyone is welcome to contact me with questions or offers through my website.

Sample of Amber’s Work

(Click Image For Larger View)

Artist Statement/Bio

I don’t know why I have this all encompassing desire to paint wildlife….to be a wildlife artist…. perhaps I will never know, but when I am painting, then nothing else exists. I am right back at the scene where I first saw my subject. Back with the lions of the dry savannah of Savuti and the elephants in the lush vegetation of the Okavango Delta…… It’s almost as if time stands still as I relive my memories through painting…. I strive to paint wildlife as accurately as I can, so where possible I like to see the animals in their natural environment, and this has, of course, lead to some very exciting journeys and experiences.

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: I work in oils – but I use the fast drying kind – Alkyd Oils.

Q: How long have you been an artist? How did you get started?

A: I’ve been painting seriously about 12 years. My love of animals has been there for as long as I can remember, along with my desire to draw and paint, so looking back it now seems inevitable that I would become a Professional wildlife artist.

Q: Do you have any formal training or are you self taught?

A: I am a self taught artist, I never really got on with the regimented way people tried to teach me art in school, I guess I always wanted to do things my way, even way beack then – ha…

Q: Do you have any favorite art supplies that you would like to recommend?

A: Alkyd oil really opened a door for me, they allowed me to work much quicker between painting sessions than when I used standard oils.

Q: Do you work with any specific styles or subject matter?

A: I am a realistic painter and I fend that more often than not I am attracted to painting African wildlife, I just find them so interesting, Africa truly is where the animals seem larger than life.

Q: Can you recommend any books videos or other resources that will help new artists?

A: I struggled through the 1st few years of learning to paint, as I found most books and videos missed out the very things I wanted / needed to learn, so over the years I have now written my own tutorial ebooks to help other would be artists.

Q: How do you get ideas to create a piece? What inspires you?

A: Nature inspires me but also light, whether dramatic or subtle. There is an endless array of inspiration in Africa alone.

Q: Are there any artists that have influenced you and why?

A: I have always loved the drama seen in the artwork of John Banovich, he also does incredible work for conservation too. So him and a few others like Daniel Smith have been my main influences.

Q: Do you have a website you would like to share? I actually have two.

A: My main tutorial one is:
www.jasonmorgan.co.uk

and my gallery one is:
www.onlineartdemos.co.uk

Q: Finally do you have any last words of advice for beginner artists?

A: For oil painting beginners I would say this – the secret of creating a good oil painting is not in finding and using special brushes and equipment. All too often beginners get caught up thinking they must buy a special brush etc, but that is rubbish, good artists could use a stick and do a great painting. The real secret is in just a few simple techniques and then practising them over and over.

Artist Statement

“How dull might the world be without clouds and mountains and trees? How utterly drab without people, animals, lakes and streams? And how lifeless the walls that surround us without paintings of such things to take their places when we can’t immediately go and see them?

“I am compelled to paint such things; inspiring things that evoke memories or spark the imagination keeping the insipid well at bay…

“I have been drawing and painting since my early childhood. My family has always been supportive of my art so I was encouraged to draw and paint growing up. One of my favorite things that I was privileged to do was to go to painting lessons once a week after school. I was also privileged to grow up in one of the most beautiful and diverse areas in the world – the Reno-Tahoe area. I grew up out in the sticks and I think that has had a definite influence on the subject matter I most often choose to paint – Sierra landscapes.

“Each painting I do is an extension of myself. There is something nagging at me on the inside that just has to come out and be put down on the canvas – something that’s more than you could photograph, more than you could even manipulate digitally. If I can’t paint I get antsy.

“Painting is an amazing thing. A good painting has the ability to arrest a viewer’s attention and hold it for a while. Like a good book, a good painting can transport you elsewhere. I try to make each painting dramatic, not the cheesy kind of dramatic, but the awe inspiring dramatic that makes you want to stop and look twice. I try to make my landscapes somewhere you want to be.

“Each painting is also a growth piece; I’m continually striving and attempting to grow. Where I want to be as a painter always seems to be ten paces ahead of where I currently am. I suspect it will be like this ‘til I’m too old to hold a brush. At different phases of my life, I’ve allowed painting to be put on the back burner. I’ve resolved to not let this happen again. I paint most every day. Life for me is better that way.

“More of my artwork and contact information is on my website, http://www.mikecallahanrt.com”

Mike Callahan – Artist’s Bio

Mike Callahan lives near Reno, Nevada. He paints subjects ranging from North American wildlife, Western themes, Sierra landscapes and classical portraiture. He paints in oil on canvas using a limited palette of three colors plus white.

Regarding his landscapes, Mike says, “I’m exceedingly blessed to have had a childhood of adventure growing up in the spectacular playground of the Sierras. I drew and painted early-on and found great joy in drawing and painting the marvelous landscape with which I was so enamored and seeing my passion spread to others as their eyes drank up the images I put down on paper and canvas.”

Of his portraits, he notes, “I paint portraits classically, usually in single source lighting, oil on linen. I endeavor to capture the essence of the person in a way that can only be done in paint. People fascinate me and I strive to transfer that fascination onto the canvas preserving it for generations to enjoy.”

Mike also currently holds a day job as Technical Graphics Trainer responsible for the training and development of staff graphic artists as well as the innovation, development and implementation of new production techniques utilizing Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

To see Mike’s work in-depth, find out about current exhibitions and to gain a fuller glimpse into this artist’s life, please visit his website at http://www.mikecallahanart.com.

Q: What medium or mediums do you work with?

A: Oil Paints

Q: How long have you been an artist? How did you get started?

A: I’m not really sure how to answer this question. I mean, on the one hand, I think I’ve been an artist since I can remember being able to make a mark. My earliest memories of actually creating something others would spend time looking at are drawings done at my grandmother’s kitchen table. She and my mother were my earliest fans and encouragers. When I was about 12, my mother sent me to weekly painting lessons where I learned the most elementary of principles of painting, but mostly learned to be unintimidated by oils. I never took any art classes in High School as I was a bit cocky and felt I was probably above that somehow.

After High School, I went to a small time technical school to study commercial art, but after six months in the program, the school kind of started to fall apart and at the same time lost a brother tragically. This was in the early eighties. Faced with fairly dire circumstanced for me at the time, my young wife and I moved back to Reno and in a short time started a family. Being totally unprepared by my inadequate schooling, I eventually backed by way into the graphics industry by working in the sign and screen printing field.

That eventually led to my job with a large gaming company which eventually went from manual art and prep to digital. I started using Photoshop at version 2.0. During those years however, I still would create at least one oil painting a year. In 2002, I was commissioned to create a painting for use on a poster promoting the Great Reno Balloon Races and it was then that I decided I wanted nothing more than to paint all the time. It was shortly after that that I started painting nearly every day, which I still am doing.

Q: Do you have any formal training or are you self taught?

A: I have very little formal training. After the program at the technical school fell apart, I was able to study one on one with one of my instructors from the school, but only for a couple of months. The techniques we were using then were far removed from what I do today (though I suppose I learned some general principles about values, drawing, etc.) I attribute most of what I do today to my own study of the medium and the works of other great artists. I also from time to time try to read anything that artists I admire write or say in interviews about their techniques or insights they might have.

Q: Do you have any favorite art supplies that you would like to recommend?

A: I do, but my supplies are minimal. I use only four colors of M. Graham Oils. They are, Titanium White, Quinacridone Rose, Hansa Yellow, and Pthalocyanine Blue. I use M. Graham Walnut Oil and a little Weber Turpenoid and that’s pretty much it. For brushes, I use  Winsor & Newton and Connoisseur synthetics ( I really love those as far as synthetics go!) As far as plein air, I recently bought an EasyL box with the sturdy tripod they sell and really like it so far!

Q: Do you work with any specific styles or subject matter?

A: I guess one could consider my style, for the most part, traditional realism. I paint mostly landscapes, but enjoy figurative and portraits once in a while. I like to work the figure into the landscape and Western theme paintings lend themselves to this as well as allowing me to paint a few animals from time to time.

Q: Can you recommend any books videos or other resources that will help new artists?

A: Craig Nelson has a good book, “60 Minutes to Better Painting” that I would recommend. If you can get a copy, I also recommend Edgar Payne’s “Composition of Outdoor Painting”. Also, pretty much any book that features the art of John Singer Seargent is good for studying what he did, but not necessarily for technique directly. I have a fair number of art books, but those are the ones that stand out in my mind at present as ones being useful to new artists…oh yeah, and lastly, my e-book which I wrote specifically for the artist, “My Approach to Painting the Landscape in Oils” available for free download on my website.

Q: How do you get ideas to create a piece? What inspires you?

A: Mostly, my inspiration comes from hiking around the Sierras with my camera. Specific times of day when the light is spectacular (usually early or late in the day) give me a lot of ideas and I usually don’t have to look to far for abundant reference.
Additionally, from time to time, I look at other artist’s work. Seeing their mastery inspires me to step my own work up a notch or two.

Q: Are there any artists that have influenced you and why?

A: There are a lot. To mention a few who come to mind readily, John Singer Seargent, Edgar Payne, Clyde Aspevig, Scott Christensen, and Daniel Gerhartz. But there are a lot more. I have tons of artists’ sites bookmarked and usually a couple of times a week I pick a few of their sites to go through and re-acquaint myself with their work. Currently, I guess the one thing that other artists do that I find inspiring is bold and masterful brushwork.

Q: Do you have a website you would like to share?

A: Yes, it’s http://www.mikecallahanart.com

Q: Finally do you have any last words of advice for beginner artists?

A: I think the biggest struggle beginning artists face is coming to grips with the reality that painting is not easy. It takes lots and lots of brush mileage (to use Craig Nelson’s term) to be able to start producing a decent painting. There will be a lot of “bad” paintings done in the process of getting to that point. However, don’t give-in to the temptation to abandon your attempts before finishing. I have that as a strict rule for myself, finish every painting no matter what. If you abandon your work before bringing it to completion, you will never progress. You will never be able to adequately assess your shortcomings and therefore never be able to take the necessary steps to grow and overcome them if you bail out when the painting gets tough or frustrating.

Q: Anything else you would like to share about yourself?

A: I have a “day job” which doesn’t allow me as much time in the studio as I would like…additionally, though my children are grown, I still like to spend time with my family. I know too many artists who allow these same situations to keep them from ever doing much painting. I have carved out an hour and a half of every day to paint (maybe a bit more on the weekends, but sometimes not) by getting up at 4:30 am to paint. I’m a morning person, so this works for me, however, I want to encourage artists to carve out at least an hour each day (whether early morning, mid day, evening or late night) to devote to painting. If you do this, you will be amazed at how much painting you get done and how much you grow as an artist.