The Undiscovered Squirrels (by the artist)

Tiger Squirrel

As the artist at Arundale Products, I’m allowed and expected to create fun and creative images that match the company’s personality.  Once in a while I take the time to explore new ideas no matter how far out they may seem.  Early 2008 I received a chain email from a family member.  Inside were images cats and dogs in cute silly poses.  One image showed a kitten wearing a rooster costume.  I am unable to put the exact thought process into words but a short while later the idea light popped on and I instantly began creating the Tiger Squirrel image.  It became my pet project for a few weeks, here and there when I would have a few moments to spare to add a little more to the image.  Each strand of fur was hand drawn, the lighting was meticulously adjusted and the facial features were illustrated to my personal liking.  I presented the final image to Anne (Arundale’s president) who responded with enthusiasm.  New Calendars are always presented at the summer trade shows to make them available in stores for the holiday season and the Tiger Squirrel was just in time.  When I began the project, it was just one of the many little side projects I like to explore and keep on hand for possible product ideas.  There was no master calendar plan behind his creation.  Luckily he fit the criteria.
The 2007′s calendar was a sequel to the “Feed the Birds” squirrel calendar.  It involved hours of designing and creating new squirrels dressed up and various birds.  Also the editing, lot and lots of editing.  Original calendars are never simple projects.  Each image is created from scratch.  What takes the viewer a few seconds to glance over, took the artist weeks of diligence and stress to create.  Then the dates must be checked, double checked, triple checked, and then checked 16 more times.  Originally, because the 2007 calendar was such massive project we decided to not make one for 2008.  We ended up receiving numerous phone calls from stores sad that there was no Squirrel Calendar for 2008.  So we knew we needed something for 2009.  But what?  Another edition of “Feed the Birds”?  Frankly, we were running low on commonly recognizable North American birds and to save time the idea of simply reprinting the all the old image with new dates was at the top of the list.  I admit I was very reluctant to give in to that idea.
Then the Tiger Squirrel made the scene.  There was a bit of tension in the office about going ahead with the project.  The dread of another time consuming calendar weighed heavily on my boss’ mind.  But as usual, I had some time saving tricks up my sleeve.  The 2007 calendar was first Arundale calendar I participated in creating.  I opened up the 2006 calendar files and before creating anything new, I organized them.  Boy, did they need it.  (If you’ve never worked with Photoshop the next little section may not make much sense, so in short, it was in SERIOUS need of “spring cleaning”)  Layers all over the place, unlabeled, strangely labeled, improperly labeled and crammed with floating unnecessary image parts.  These files were also massive due to numerous layers.  I may be an artist but I require a clean workspace.  I’ve noticed many people carry the misconception that artists like working in quirky bohemian studios crammed with assorted knickknacks they’re accumulated over the years.  Sorry, not my style.  I find the absence of such clutter encourages my mind to stimulate itself and be more creative instead of being unconsciously influenced and constrained by the objects and images around me.   Also, I was raised in a very neat and organized home and I find it unacceptable to work in an untidy environment, this includes image media files.  The organizing added over a week to the project but it made the new 2009 calendar possible.  I created a simple layout system for each month that allowed dates to be adjust quickly and smoothly for each new year.  The entire process of updating all 13 months to the next year took less than an hour.  All I need to focus on were the next 12 undiscovered squirrels.
Several people have asked how did I create the images.  I have also received questions from other artist curious to know the technique, as if they hoped I could tell them about a special filter combination I discovered that could create life-like animal fur.  If there is one, I haven’t found it yet.  My tools were a 9″x12″ wacom tablet and patience.  Sure at times an image would allow me to make use of a filter or two for a quick short-cut for a small handful of sections.  But those are nothing more than basic time saving techniques such as using putting a gaussian blur on layer to control which objects appear to be in the background.  There was no “one size fits all’ solution to each image.  The process was simple, I drew for hours everyday.  I would stay up well into the next morning to ensure the quality of the image while staying within my deadlines.  Some images when quicker than others, some needed special care and more effort like the jaguar and the skunk.
I’ve been asked which one is my favorite.  The Zebra Squirrel.  I thought he was going to take the longest to create, instead he was the quickest and I was very pleased with the final image.  White then black fur are the two hardest colors to make look natural.  Brown, grey, tan, orange/red, etc are easier.  When creating fur it takes a multitude of colors.  One may think, oh, white fur, I’ll use the color white, incorrect.  When creating white fur, it’s important to never use the color white or else you put your image at risk of looking flat and lifeless.  The same goes with black fur.  The other colors are easier because it’s easier to find colors to overlap one another that when combined they appear to look like the color you desire but at no time are truly that flat solid color.  Black and white, however, are not really colors, they are combinations of all colors and/or the absence of all colors.  Building black and white fur takes a little more effort and attention to balance the combination of colors for each layer.  So that the light from the sun and reflected light from the objects around the subject are included but are not over powering.
I remember some people in the office were a little uneasy about how the new calendar images would be received by the public.  Would they be too strange, not funny enough, confusing.  For some reason I never felt these doubts.  Maybe I was bias.

The 2009 Undiscovered Squirrel Calendar was a hit.  It currently stands as the #1 selling Squirrel Stuff item on our website.  Hopefully the 2010 Undiscovered Squirrel Calendar will take its place.

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