How did they manage 30 years ago?
I am clearly a child of the modern era. (Left) my brand new computer. (Right) my very first laptop.
I took this photo the day I tuned-up, cleaned and got my original baby ready to pass along to a new, very proud owner.
I had won her, the Toshiba M200 Portege on eBay from a company in Toronto. I lost the bid on the first one they posted but got savvy on how to succeed with an eBay auction and snatched the next laptop they released. Eagerly waiting for 1.5 weeks for UPS to arrive with my new technological wonder, I reflected on the years that I had been using a desktop computer with a USB plug-in graphics tablet. I had started out years ago like anyone, with a mouse and quickly realized that if I was to get my natural drawing talent to translate onto pc I would need an improved scenario. Thus, my first and only digitizer tablet was purchased at Future Shop in my home town of Windsor, Ontario. This e3 Works “Stylo” was cost effective at $80 and lasted me the 7 years I used it for and onwards when I passed it on to my buddy and room mate Chris. Chris draws gnomes and mushrooms in cartoon form on his Mac, I’d hook you up with a website but he doesn’t have one right now. He, like many others who live on the Sunshine Coast are much more interested in the natural world and in the lovely feeling of seclusion and ease that being in such a place brings.
I had been dreaming of the day I would have a laptop suitable to allow me to draw in cafes while travelling the world with my art hobby. I had held it in my hands (the M2oo Toshiba) 2 years before when I worked at Staples Business Depot but it was a very expensive machine at $3500…sometimes the artist must wait a little while before he is happily joined with his love.
Toshiba m200 Portege
It took some time but we were happily reunited when I lived in Roberts Creek. I was living up a mountain in a cottage-style European home, occupied by good friends as my neighbours and of course, Chris. He and I spent most of our time drawing and visualizing our various creations and in between we were hiking the rain forest trails and feeding our friend – the deer who visited our yard almost daily. I was cultivating a healthy appreciation for my own work. Production was intense – I was developing my very first version of my Sexy Oracle deck and Chris was hard at work on his book “Atilla and the Land of Goblin”.
Then SHE came…
My first patron. This was an illustration customer that offered to pay me in advance for a set of drawings. Allie is an avid online gamer and a great writer. I was to draw her a few portrayals of her Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) character “Haleigh”. She wanted pictures to adorn her website www.kissmybuns.net which includes snapshots, videos and writings of Haleigh’s adventures.
“Haleigh Comette Siggy” by Lucas Gaudette (2007)
She loved the result and it developed into an ongoing relationship of commissions for the next 3 years. I had what every artist dreams of: an open arrangement to do drawing commissions for a patron whenever the inspiration strikes. In the time to come I drew new characters for Allie, the most popular and frequently drawn was Asphodel (below) – a warrior she played in “Age of Conan“.
“Asphodel Meadows – Escalate” by Lucas Gaudette (2009)
“Asphodel – Xmasph” by Lucas Gaudette (2008)
“Asphodel – Flame Siggy” by Lucas Gaudette (2010)
It was this relationship that bought me my first laptop computer. I found my beloved machine on eBay and won it for a mere $550 dollars. The following years brought a whole new level to my hobby and budding career. From home to home and cafe to cafe I brought my tablet laptop everywhere I went and as I drew, people took notice and more work was won. I eventually installed the sticker you see below on the back of the display cover.
“Medicine Warrior / Awaken” by Lucas Gaudette (2007)
It turned out to be a perfect way to market myself. All I had to do was sit down and draw in a public place and people would see the unusual laptop (back then tablet pc‘s were almost unheard of) and a vivid piece of art to draw the eye. The idea for this drawing came through a friend named John Conway, a friend who facilitates (among other things) Shamanic spirituality workshops. He also handcrafts custom driftwood beds, you may recognize the guy modelling with the attractive woman in one of his beds: westcoastbeds.com. John had been inspired by a conversation he had with our friend Mardi who creates visionary artwork (mardi.ca). The caduceus has became a powerful symbol for my work even to this day.
Over time, my drawing improved and the laptop held up good and sturdy. I had learned to take it apart, clean it and tune it up just as a soldier would his gun. I found various gigs relating to design and web stuff in the times between my drawings. When I moved back to Vancouver, I delighted in taking my laptop up Grouse Mountain where I could sip hot chocolate and watch the sunsets from 3500 feet up as I drew my pictures.
I produced about 100 polished drawings over the past 3 years, it’s been worth it. Finally, not long ago I realized that I had become too fast for my laptop.
It was time to upgrade.
I almost bought the new version of the m200, the m700 but I felt it lacked in style. Two friends recommended the HP TM2 Touch Smart and when the very first HP Store in North America opened up a block away from my house here in Vancouver, Canada I took it as a sign. I was about to purchase the laptop from the HP Store once it opened on the 2nd of December but then an opportunity showed up…my good friend Andrew pointed out to me that I could find one on clearance at London Drugs. After work the next day I decided to drop by. It was on clearance alright. $200 off the original price AND it was the only one left. I called Elliot (my good buddy/room mate who offered to assist me with the purchasing process). I whipped by the house to pick him up and we scooted over to London Drugs just before closing time. We negotiated an additional $65 off the floor model and I walked home a VERY happy camper.
HP TM2 TOUCHSMART (left) and TOSHIBA M200 PORTEGE
Naturally, it has updated technology so it’s about 15x faster than my original machine. Like the original m200, the screen swivels and locks down to turn the computer into a tablet that looks very much like an iPad. The touchscreen is both capacitive and a digitizer. This means I can use my bare fingers on it like an iphone complete with hand gestures, in addition to a WACOM digitizer which employs a special stylus pen to make use of pressure sensitivity for things such as brushes in Adobe Photoshop. This is most excellent for artsy computering individuals such as myself.
A major plus for me and anyone else into aesthetics and tactile things; the HP features beautiful etchings in on a brushed aluminium body.
A week before I purchased the TM2 I decided that my old baby needed a new home. I wasn’t about to let her sit in a closet, she deserves a much better retirement than that. The morning I decided that I was going to sell it, I dropped by to see a friend who sells my artwork in her gallery/gift shop called the “Daffadowndilly” in Lower Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast.
I mentioned to Sharon that I felt it was time to pickup a new computer soon and that I’d be selling my “Old Faithful” to the right person. She instantly volunteered. Appropriate, since she is the first person to sell my work in a store and continues to do so.
Here’s she is, super happy to have her very first computer.
Once that was decided, my buddy Brian (who designs sustainable living spaces and does in-house art printing) called me with a new job related to Mardi’s artwork which required that I have a much faster tablet pc. That was the final piece to the puzzle…and you know the rest of the story.
I took my new HP to a life-drawing class the other day, man that was fun.
So as I write to you now, I am doing it from my new fancy computer.
A few nights ago, Elliot assisted me once again in picking out a new office chair from IKEA.
I love my setup. I decided to customize it by building my own mouse pad onto the arm for better posture. Damn it’s comfy.
I made it with a piece of cardboard, 3 kinds of tape and a cut-out mousepad.
As my friend Josh says “We live in the f-ing future.” He’s right.
What’s next?
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