Over and over again, he touched up spots and worked every inch of the page until it satisfied the image in his head. The result, one of the Colchester County artist's most impressive pieces to date - a combination of Nova Scotia's finest currenty NHL players: Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon.
The photo is a celebration of Crosby's Hart Trophy win as the NHL's best player and MacKinnon's Calder Trophy win as top rookie. Both men signed each copy of the photo.
"I wanted to start creating something that wasn't just a nice collectible," Scott explained from his home in Greenfield. "If the signatures weren't on it, would it still be something people would want to buy?"
So far, people are buying it up just fine. With 100 copies printed and selling for $1,500 apiece, Scott has moved 60 copies since the piece launched on Jan. 21.
An accomplished sports artist, Scott comes from a humble background, having never received any artistic training. While applying for architecture school, he picked up a pencil and paper to do some sketches. He immediately saw his talent and soon began shaping his career around it.
"I knew I always wanted to be in business when I was younger," he said. "(The school) wanted some drawings. I started punching a bunch out, and I thought, ‘Ahh, here is my way.'"
Scott sold his work on the waterfront in Halifax for five years. Unhappy with working in an assigned place, he often overstepped his boundaries and got in trouble.
"Every third day the security guard would come and kick me off," he laughed. "I'm glad that I don't have to do that anymore, but I'm glad that I did."
After creating a piece with world champion horse Somebeachsomewhere, Scott realized an easier method to make money.
"I saw that if I attached myself to something that already had a following, it would make it that much easier to make money."
Next, he decided to swing for the fences, and connected by earning Crosby's endorsement in 2012. Soon followed Michael Jordan and Bobby Orr, and Scott hit a wall. His stock was piling up faster than it was selling and his family needed him more than his customers.
Then, a little over a year ago, Scott walked away from a deal with Wayne Gretzky to take some time off. During the break, he was "unofficially diagnosed" by a doctor with severe ADHD.
Scott said while the diagnosis doesn't mean much to him, it did explain his past troubles and his shortcomings in school.
"I always had a sense of failure because of that," he said. "When you can't keep up to your peers even though you feel just as intelligent as them, you feel like something is wrong with you."
With his art, he found a way to harness his problem. While he struggles to focus on other things, all his energy goes into his drawings. Rather than be medicated, he throws himself into his work, he said.
"It's not hard to focus on a piece if I'm enjoying it."
After 350 hours with a pencil in hand, the focus has paid off for Scott with his newest piece. He's also partnered with Brian Ehernworth of Frameworth Sports Marketing, a firm with major NHL connections. The result is an ungoverned access to the biggest names in hockey.
"I don't want to be blocked by anything," Scott said. "I want to go big and not be like any other kind of sports art out there.
Anyone interested in purchasing a print can contact Scott through his website for a $promo code.
Over and over again, he touched up spots and worked every inch of the page until it satisfied the image in his head. The result, one of the Colchester County artist's most impressive pieces to date - a combination of Nova Scotia's finest currenty NHL players: Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon.
The photo is a celebration of Crosby's Hart Trophy win as the NHL's best player and MacKinnon's Calder Trophy win as top rookie. Both men signed each copy of the photo.
"I wanted to start creating something that wasn't just a nice collectible," Scott explained from his home in Greenfield. "If the signatures weren't on it, would it still be something people would want to buy?"
So far, people are buying it up just fine. With 100 copies printed and selling for $1,500 apiece, Scott has moved 60 copies since the piece launched on Jan. 21.
An accomplished sports artist, Scott comes from a humble background, having never received any artistic training. While applying for architecture school, he picked up a pencil and paper to do some sketches. He immediately saw his talent and soon began shaping his career around it.
"I knew I always wanted to be in business when I was younger," he said. "(The school) wanted some drawings. I started punching a bunch out, and I thought, ‘Ahh, here is my way.'"
Scott sold his work on the waterfront in Halifax for five years. Unhappy with working in an assigned place, he often overstepped his boundaries and got in trouble.
"Every third day the security guard would come and kick me off," he laughed. "I'm glad that I don't have to do that anymore, but I'm glad that I did."
After creating a piece with world champion horse Somebeachsomewhere, Scott realized an easier method to make money.
"I saw that if I attached myself to something that already had a following, it would make it that much easier to make money."
Next, he decided to swing for the fences, and connected by earning Crosby's endorsement in 2012. Soon followed Michael Jordan and Bobby Orr, and Scott hit a wall. His stock was piling up faster than it was selling and his family needed him more than his customers.
Then, a little over a year ago, Scott walked away from a deal with Wayne Gretzky to take some time off. During the break, he was "unofficially diagnosed" by a doctor with severe ADHD.
Scott said while the diagnosis doesn't mean much to him, it did explain his past troubles and his shortcomings in school.
"I always had a sense of failure because of that," he said. "When you can't keep up to your peers even though you feel just as intelligent as them, you feel like something is wrong with you."
With his art, he found a way to harness his problem. While he struggles to focus on other things, all his energy goes into his drawings. Rather than be medicated, he throws himself into his work, he said.
"It's not hard to focus on a piece if I'm enjoying it."
After 350 hours with a pencil in hand, the focus has paid off for Scott with his newest piece. He's also partnered with Brian Ehernworth of Frameworth Sports Marketing, a firm with major NHL connections. The result is an ungoverned access to the biggest names in hockey.
"I don't want to be blocked by anything," Scott said. "I want to go big and not be like any other kind of sports art out there.
Anyone interested in purchasing a print can contact Scott through his website for a $promo code.
