Join us as we go into the woods with Brown Bag Films Toronto (formerly 9 Story) Background Painter, Justin Mark and his incredible wildlife drawings.

Justin has been working in Toronto as a background painter for the past three and half years, lending his skills to such shows as Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood, Fugget About It and Creative Galaxy. He is currently working on the much anticipated new series Magic School Bus.

Outside of work, when he is not painting the intricate backgrounds of animated worlds, he can be found designing characters and pursuing one of his favourite art forms: wildlife drawing. Keep reading to learn about Justin’s process and see more of his beautiful sketches.

Favourite Subject Matter:

My favourite animals to draw would be big cats and other large predators. Lions being my most favourite subject when it comes to wildlife artwork.

What is one of the challenges that a Wildlife artist may encounter in their practice?

I would say the biggest challenge (a challenge I enjoy) is making sure the subject is as accurate as possible to how they appear in life e.g. getting the angles on the body correct and also the fur or skin texture of the animal.

Do you prefer to draw from real life or photographs or both?

I enjoy using my own photography as a source of reference to ensure that my work is original. Zoological parks or wildlife sanctuaries are a great place to gather reference if getting out in wild places isn’t always possible.

Who inspires you?

I’ve always been inspired by Canadian Wildlife Artist Robert Bateman. I’m also a fan of John Banovich, Carl Brenders, and former Disney Animator, Aaron Blaise.

What is your favourite medium to work in?

For my personal art I enjoy working with ink, pencil, and Photoshop for digital work.

Tips for other aspiring Wildlife artists?

I had the fortune of meeting Robert Bateman when I was younger (my artistic idol you could say). He looked at my work at the time and told me to emphasize more depth, creating more realistic shadow and light effects. I took that advice back when I was 14 years of age. I then entered The Robert Bateman National Wildlife Drawing and Art Contest a couple of year later. To my astonishment I was selected as one of the winners, winning for my age bracket at that time. So my advice would echo Mr. Bateman’s to myself:

“Be aware of light and shadow.”

To see more of Justin’s stunning art check out his online portfolio at www.facebook.com/justinmarkart