thecontinuatorsblock

Patrick Block has for a number of years been especially known for his Disney duck stories, that he has written and/or drawn (see more HERE). Now he has taken up duck paintings as well.
Block: My oil painting list now extends for over a year and a half. It's nice to have the feeling that people like my work enough to wait for it. I follow the same principle with my paintings as I do my inked work. Do the best you can on each piece. If you give each original everything you have, it shows, and people can see and know it when you are giving it your all. I never rush anything, and it's more about getting it right, than about the money.

The Mystery at Oak Island

Far-and-away my largest oil painting attempt, this monster measures 52" by 48". It's so big I couldn't figure out how to photograph it and keep it all in focus or not reflecting somewhere. The idea is based on the well-known real life Treasure Hunt on the island off the coast of Nova Scotia with the same name. I've got a story idea for a long Scrooge adventure waiting to unfold based on this legendary place. It's a bit surprising Carl never tackled the subject. Scrooge is a natural for solving its mysteries! The size of the painting made it particularly difficult. The pirate Beagles came out particularly cute, as did the kids. The water drove me crazy.
I've always loved the earlier 20th century Treasure Island illustrators. I was shooting for that bold, warm color I remember on the pages of this, my favorite book as a kid. I just try to have fun with these oil paintings. I am not overly concerned with being a super serious painter. I find oils very relaxing, and it's easy to see why Carl retired into painting duck oils. It's nothing like work, and you can paint and think and relax, all at the same time.

The Case of the Missing Mummy

This measures 24" by 30". I wanted something dark and contrasty. There is a 19th century portrait at the Carnegie Museum near where I live, that is very three dimensional. I was striving for that sort of "pop" on this piece. I was pretty happy with this, it basically came out as I wanted. I love having the nephews working in tandem, and you can't go wrong with cute hats. The piece is based on our 2008 Harvey Award nominated story of the same name.

Old McDuck's Farm

Again, 24" by 30". I enjoy painting this size. Uncle Scrooge's idea of farming is a bit different than most people's! There are a huge number of individual coins in this piece. It's hard to tell in the photo, but a lot of the closer ones are based on actual old American coins.