Tails To Tell

What is Tails To Tell About?

     Tails To Tell was started by the artist, Kenneth Mann, because he wishes to create beautiful memories of animals.  They are a big part of his life, and he has known the pain of loss when his beloved friends and family members have crossed over.  They always live on in his soul and heart but he always feels they deserve an honor of a special remembrance.  Every animal, just like a human has a tale of its own that needs to be known and honored, so he started Tails To Tell.  At Tails To Tell, Ken can create for you a unique way to memorialize your family member.  Whether it is a simple portrait, a small sculpture, a storybook, an animation, a photograph, gift card, business card, party artwork, or some other pet related idea, the uniqueness of your boy(s) and/or girl(s) can be expressed in a way you wish them to be remembered.

     Ken will work with you and family to discuss all available options and seek out a fitting way to help preserve the love and memory of your beloved one.  Love is precious and the love of family is infinite, so do not limit yourself to a simple memorial.  Please consider Tails To Tell to help bring your loved one's essence and story to light.

            

About The Artist

     Ken is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology where he achieved Magna Cum Laude degrees in both their Illustration and Toy Design programs. He immediately went to work in the toy industry where he honed his skills as an artist and industrial designer.  During this time, he was able to adopt a four-legged family and bring it into his home.   This is where his love for animals blossomed.  He eventully transferred and devoted his skills to animal product development while working for a pet company and also doing freelance work.  After working in the consumer product industry for over 15 years developing toys, pet products and other commercially marketed items, Ken decided to follow his passion for illustrating, drawing and painting with animals being his favorite subject.

     His unique style captures their character and brings their soul to every work of art.  His advanced technical skills in the use of varied media such as acrylics, oils, pencils and even advanced computer applications such as Photoshop, Illustator and 3D design applications allow him to bring the subject of the portrait to life.   His skills with a camera also help him to explore more of the world and bring it home to his studio.  He loves going out and capturing the essence of our world so that he can share it with others.  Although well-versed with technology and highly skilled with illustrating on a computer, he still prefers the challenge of creating by hand rather than with a digital tool.

     "In today's point and click age, a photo or computer rendering cannot easily express the warm feeling of a hand painted art piece.  I love bringing the spirit of the subject into my artwork to create a memorable piece that brings joy to the heart of all that see it."

     Ken has created everything including children's books, sculptures, logos, graphics, illustrations, paintings, computer based 2D/3D animations and is always looking for his next new and exciting project.

Requirements For Good Photos

Pet Portraits from Photographs, Tips & Requirements

Media Descriptions

• - Acrylics Acrylic paint is a fast-drying medium that is
  water-soluble but becomes water-resistant
  when dry.  The resulting image can bear a
  similar resemblance to either watercolor or
  oil paintings depending on the technique
  used.  It will have a final matte to semi-
  gloss finish and it is recommended to varnish
  the final piece for protection.  Time to create
  is less than oils and generally less expensive.
  
• - Watercolors Watercolor is a painting method in which the
  paints are made of pigments suspended in a
  water-based solution and traditionally applied
  to a cotton-based textured paper.  Other
  materials might be papyrus, bark papers,
  vellum, fabric, wood or canvas.  An underlying
  pencil drawing is the foundation of the
  finished piece and the watercolor is applied
  on top.  Time to create is about the same as
  acrylics and generally about the same cost.
  
• - Oils Oil painting is a process of painting with
  pigments that have a medium of drying oil as
  a binder (linseed, poppy seeed, walnut or
  safflower).  Oil paints create a unique luster
  in the final painting.As opposed to acrylic
  paints, oils require a much longer drying time
  which means that a painting may require weeks
  instead of days to complete.  Given the time to
  create along with the cost of oil paints, a
  final piece can be very costly.
  
• - Pen and Ink In fine art, the term pen and ink denotes a
  drawing technique involving the use of black
  or other colored inks which are applied to a
  foundation such as paper with usually either a
  dip or reservoir pen.  Shading of an image
  requires varying the distance between parallel
  strokes or by cross-hatching lines.  The pen and
  ink style creates a rich and organic drawing.
  Creating a meaningful drawing is generally
  less time consuming than a painting but costly
  due to the inks.
  
• - Pencil The pencil technique is by far the easiest
  and most versatile design tool.  The technique
  can be similar to a pen and ink style but
  shading can also be achieved by variating the
  pressure used.  A high level drawing using this
  method can create a very realistic image.  The
  pencil drawing can be done using either color-
  ed or graphite based pigments.  Time to create a
  pencil drawing is reliant on the level of de-
  tail desired and is generally the least expen-
  sive method.
  
• - Digital Photography Photography in itself is not a medium but is
  certainly a wonderful tool to create a memorable
  image of a loved subject.  The advancement of
  today's technology has certainly inspired a lot of
  people to pursue the artform.  The availability
  of advanced printers with the ability to print
  on a multitude of media has progressed with the
  digital photography world.  Photographing a subject
  is certainly not expensive nor time consuming
  but the printing costs can vary significantly
  depending on the substrate used.
  
• - Photoshop and Illustrator Both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are tools
  of the digital trade that are used to either
  manipulate or create digital images.  Photoshop
  is used for rasterized imagery and is flexible
  enough to improve and alter photos to create
  drawing-like illustrations.  Illustrator is designed
  as a vector graphic tool and is used more to
  create graphics such as logos and cartoon like
  images.  Both Photoshop and Illustrator can be used
  to produce simple animations.  Cost and time of
  creation can vary widely depending on detail.
  
• - 3D CAD Design Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) is the use of
  computer systems to create virtual objects in
  a virtual 3 dimensional environment.  Although
  CAD is generally used in an engineering and
  product design environment, it has also been
  used to create realistic rederings of 3D objects.
  Working in an application called Solidworks
  I develop virtual 3D objects that can also be
  transformed into 3D printed objects.  Time and cost
  is widely varied and dependent on subject.
  
• - Microsoft Powerpoints Microsoft Powerpoint is a slideshow presentation
  application that is one of the most commonly
  used today.  Slideshows can incorporate imagery
  and textual content that is useful for presenting
  an idea or concept.  Cost and time is widely
  varied and dependent on subject.
  
• - Sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that
  is created in true 3 dimensions as oppose to
  CAD.  My work is generally performed in clays
  such as oven baked, self drying or non drying.
  Smaller designs can be 3D scanned and converted
  to a digital 3D file (STL) for 3D printing.
  Cost and time can vary widely depending on
  subject.
  

Social Media & Links

• On Facebook
• Please visit my Industrial Designer site!
• Photos of Ken's Family Past and Present
• CPR For Animals
• About Service Dogs! I am a supporter of the use of services dogs for those who truly need their aid. The ADA supports the use of dogs for specific services but unfortunately, the law is not broad enough and many abuses are occuring that hurt their role. Please educate yourself to the law and know how to interact with those who desperately need these dogs. Thank you!

Contact Information

• Please don't hesitate to contact us for a quote or for more information.  We look forward to hearing from you!
  
• PHONE:
  516.647.1474
• EMAIL:
  ken@tails-to-tell.com