Summer cards

I've  been busy creating summer cards and pug cards.  I am also trying to think about my blogging platform.  I need to integrate my blog and my web site more closely so I drive traffic to my web site so that my rating goes up in Google results...

 

Any way, check my web site this week (tomorrow, perhaps). Click on Art Work and then card designs, to see closeups of the new cards.  They will also be available as cards on Etsy. 

Cooper, looking up

My dog (whose painting is almost done) is a pitbull mix.  We have joined Seattle Walkabulls, where we have met lots of responsible and fun walkers, square-headed and human.  We have walked with Lillian, who is the trainer at Northwest Boxer Rescue. She asked me whether I wouold be willing to show at their fundraiser, but I was busy that day. But, she offered to display some of my work and postcards there anyway. 

Since I haven't painted any boxers, I asked for pictures that I could use. I got lots of great shots, but I decided to paint Cooper.  And, this was one of the easiest subjects to paint.  I think it was because Lililian gave me 200 dpi pnotos, which give me enough detail to work with.  Plus, Cooper is so expressive and photogenic. 

I used this painting in my new postcards that should arrive this week and in an ad by the Puget Sound Pet Business Owners. I will order cards based on this painting, too, and they will be available in my Etsy shop within the week. 

Crusher, revisited

You may remember the portrait I did around Christmas of Crusher, the mini poodle. Well, he was ordered by a lovely man whose wife is the house color authority :). (I can relate as I am as well.) Because all my commissions come with a "I'll work on it until you like it" philosophy, I received the portrait back to change the color of the background and to lengthen the ears.

 I received other reference photos and chose one where Crusher had more of a direct stare rather than looking up. (The looking up is what led me to paint the ears shorter.) I changed the background color to a green-brown-grayish background. 

I am now waiting for approval. I have no problems posting it again, with another background color if it helps them to love the painting. 

Ear blanket

Yes, I could crop this picture to better reflect what you see if you buy the card, but I actually like the edges.

This little kitty uses his friend's ear as his security blanket.
 
For me, this painting is about security and friendship.  How nice to be such good friends that you know you'll be protected. That you can snuggle in to a warm place even in an open field. 

We all want that safe place. Some of us find numerous safe places in expected and unexpected locations.  And, some of us never find it.

A card based upon this painting is available at Ideal Pet Stop and at my Etsy store. 

Cat as a hat

Thanks to Dr. Seuss, you've heard of the cat in the hat, but you may never have heard or seen a cat AS a hat. 

 

This acrylic and marker painting shows that scenario -- an orange tabby lying across a golden dog's forehead.  The dog doesn't even look irritated!  You know who rules this household.

 

In all my cat-caring adventures, I have never had the privilege of sharing my abode with an orange kitty! Nor with sibling kitties. I digress though.  This blog is supposed to be about paintings and my meanderings about them. 

 

Indirectly, this painting is about love and how we accommadate those we live with.  In a perfect world, we accommodate each other.  

 

This design is available as a card from Ideal Pet Stop in Seattle and through my Etsy shop.   

 



Dog hugs

 

Best friends need hugs, too!  Although I am unsure whether the shepherd agrees!

 

Were I to do this card again, I'd put a big heart between the two dogs!  Maybe next year for valentine's day!  Right now, this card can be used as an everyday card or as a Valentine's Day card. 

 

This card is available from Ideal Pet Stop in Seattle and through my Etsy shop.

 

 

Nose kisses, aka more interspecies love

This is another Valentine's card that is available online and at Ideal Pet Store in Seattle.  You can also email me if you are interested!  My contact information is available on the blog and on my web site at www.animalfriendsportraits.com.

 

I love golden retrievers. They are so happy!  And, my two black kitties are the most gregarious and dog loving of my bunch, so it was easy to picture a golden with a black kitty.

 

 This card is available from Ideal Pet Stop in Seattle and through my Etsy shop. 

 

 

Interspecies love

Are you ready for Valentine's day?  I was trying to have cards done  by January 15th but I made it last week!  These cards are available at Ideal Pet Stop and soon on Etsy. ( I really do need my own camera: my husband and I have been sharing.)

 

My inspiration are my own animals, although I do not have a white cat or a yellow dog.  Instead, my orange dog loves her black cat! 

 

I am using this as a wedding card to celebrate my friends' wedding.

 

This card is available from Ideal Pet Stop in Seattle and through my Etsy shop.

Crusher

This 10" x 10" painting was a surprise Christmas present from Crusher's dad to his mama.  Crusher is a poodle with a big personality! 

She was named by her papa. He wanted a manly name for his little girl dog to balance the estrogen that he had to live with, living in a house with two women and a female dog. 

This painting would be called mixed media because there are rhinestones on Crusher's tag!

The reference photo is looking down on Crusher. In person, her ears are much longer.  I have Crusher back this week to lengthen the ears, darken the eyes, and change the background color to fit in with the earthstone-painted  house that Crusher lives in.   

Scarves

This is another of my winter cards. While others may think birds in snow covered trees represent winter to them, to me, it's sweaters on dogs.  But have you ever seen a scarf on a dog?

 

My dog, Penny. just got a new sweater that she loves . While I got it at Ideal Pet Stop, it's a Chilly Dog Sweater.  And they sell scarves too!  But I have never seen a scarf on a dog -- or a cat.

 

Here is my attempt to show scarves on cats and dogs.  I originally thought I'd dress the animals in Washington university scarves.  And the colors are nominally a homage.  I just needed to add more pattern that the scarves I saw on the football fans that I crowded next to while they were riding the light rail home. 

 

This design is available as a card both individually and as a set at my Etsy store. Soon it will be available as a 7 x 7 print, too.  I must get mats!

 

 



Skating with dogs

Once in a while, I am not sure how well I execute a certain idea. I first thought I'd do a card with couple's figure skaters, perhaps a dog lifting a cat in one of those complicated poses.  But, with the anthropomorphism of the skaters, I got stuck.  So I simplified the skating (and the costumes) and put three figures on the page in a simple triangle placement.

I was happy enough with the design to make it into cards, just like I did with the other holiday cards labeled on my blog.  I thought this design was the least successful, but it was the first card sold.

You just never know... 

Frenchie in sweater

I saw a friend's picture of her french bulldog in a monkey sweater while I was creating holiday card designs. The original photo was full of shadow, emotive. I originally was just sketching, playing with ideas, and when the personality emerged so fully, I decided to paint with autumnal colors. 

This painting is the only one I did this year in yellows and oranges. 

 

My lovely  dog got a new red sweater, so any red sweater I'd paint would have to have my dog as a model! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cat in Tree

Hello. Sorry for the absence.  I bought a new printer that didn't have scanning capabilities and failed to recognize it before I gave the printer away.  I finally bought a freestanding scanner and now I've got lots to add to my blog.

 

I've spent the last few days creating holiday designs to make into cards for sale at Ideal Pet Stop and the new Munsey and Bayle in Seattle.  I also hope to create an Etsy store this week (Tips, anyone) where I could sell to more than just Seattle. 

 

This is just one of the card designs.  I also used it as part of a weekly challenge I have with an artist/illustrator friend of mine. We've committed to have illustrations done every week to show one another. 

 

I am posting this design first, not because I think it is the best, but because I also plan on showing it  as part of Illustration Friday, where a new topic is chosen each week and participants show illustrations related to that theme.  This week's theme is tree.  I think this covers it!

Ad for Washington Boxer Rescue

A new friend gave me space in the Washington Boxer Rescue fundraising calendar and I spent a couple of hours this week designing a 12" x 2" ad. These are the two finalists. I asked for feedback from my Facebook people as to which color they liked as a background and got about 50% of folks liking the red and 50% liking the purple. 

I gave my new friend the choice.  We'll see what color the ad will end up and on what color of paper.

I am about ready to begin two more commissions.  But I am also painting a couple of portraits for fun: one is my sister's cat, and the other is a cute dog of another Facebook fan that had the happiest expression I'd seen in a long time. 

I am also painting some spirit animals...Currently, I am thinking about a series with attributes woven into the paintings.   Currently, I have plans for a coyote (my major power animal, according to Faye the Tattoed Psychic), a deer, and a crow.  I've got the coyote ready to paint. 

As always, you can see more of my paintings, by going to www.animalfriendsportraits.com.

Louie in Blue

A couple of months ago, a gentleman for whom I had painted two portraits contacted me.  He wanted me to paint a portrait of a dog who accompanies a woman back and forth from Bainbridge to Seattle.  This gentleman is a state patrol officer in the K9 unit stationed at the Colman dock.  The dog, Louie, reminded him of his dear lab, Abby, who I painted as a surprise Christmas present for him from his partner.

This officer struck up a friendship with this woman years ago because his black lab was about the same age. As the years went by, the black labs' muzzles grew gray, their mobility decreased.  Eventually, his lab, Abby, died. It was two months before her 16th birthday.  He received one of my paintings for Christmas when the grief was still fresh.

But the woman still had Louie.  Eight  months ago, Louie could no longer manage the 1/2 mile from the ferry terminal  and so the state patrol officer didn't see him any more.  Then, Louie died. The woman, (and I think, the officer) was heartbroken.  The officer wondered what he could do for her.  He remembered how much it helped to have a painting of his dearest friend Abby and contacted me. 

I had to finish a couple of other commissions before I could start on Louie.  I then worked with low resolution pictures because the officer didn't want to ask for photos as a basis for a painting.  My usual tricks of changing the contrast and light values on the digital photos to see the lines better didn't work:  the picture became fuzzy.  Areas that I had difficulty with where the jowls as they moved toward the ear and the definition of the ear.  I  left this painting and tried a different layout that showed more of Louie's body (and, I hoped, where the "problem areas" didn't fall into the powerful area where, employing the rule of thirds, the horizontal and vertical lines met).

I tried again and got the curves right on the left side and the right ear. I then went back and fixed the same lines on the first painting. I asked the officer to choose which painting to give to the woman.  He chose Louie in Blue.  

Bailey

 I have painted all of my friend Kris's cats.  They were early paintings, created to make sure that I could capture unique personalities on canvas.  And, they were easy... Three different personalities, even if they all wearing the same color scheme.  I knew them too -- I've even cat sitted for Kris, because she, like me is very particular over who cares for her animals.  We've talked about being the caretakers for our animals if the other dies -- because we each trust the other to do the right thing for our animals. 

 

I would do most anything for Kris.  Recently, her cat, Simon, ran away from home.  Naturally a skittish cat with feral roots, Kris has been worried for over 20 days.  She has tried to trap him.  When she thought she had him cornered, my husband and I stopped what we were doing and ran over to help. The attempt failed and I ended up driving Kris to the emergency room in her new car. 

 

I think Kris would do a lot for me, too.  She buys me thoughtful "just because" presents and keeps my dog and cats well stocked in toys, treats, and aqua filters.  She even thinks of my paintings when it's time to give othters special presents. 

 

This is a painting of Kris' friend, Mindy's, dog Bailey. 

 

Bailey was a girly dog and loved very much.  Kris imagined the painting to be in pinks and purples. The background was originally lavendar. I thought I had finished the painting, but it didn't feel done. One day, I took it with me "to finish" at another friend's house.  I was inspired by the bright colors that her very girly children were wearing and put a few brighter colors in the background. 

 

 

Valentine cards

These are two cards that I recently delivered to Ideal Pet Shop for Valentine's day--a little break from pet portraits. My next portrait is a lovely black cat. I am looking forward to it.

I'll post the most recent pet portraits next,

Gidget

Gidget is a sign of balance in my life.

When I last posted, I had just finished 3 commissions. They were all rejected. I thought something was wrong, that perhaps I lost the grace that I feel while painting.

And I realized I had slipped from my purpose. I was spending too much time being angry rather than a conduit of creativity, so I quit the community board I was on.

The decision was a little harder than that; I did feel I had made a commitment and I struggled over it. But, what really got me was the lack of time I felt and the feeling that I should be doing something more productive.

As a reward for getting more time, I bought a bike, which I have taken out on a few fair weather spins. But, what's more important is that I am painting again, and liking it. The bonus is that ,folks who have asked for commissions are liking the paintings.

I feel on the right path again.

I was really happy about this painting, until I scanned it and saw an error with the eyes. I must get back and fix it, but I've been busy.

I've been involved in this community organization and then I realized I wasn't having any fun. I woke up stressed, went to bed stressed, was stressed at meetings, etc. I wasn't happy. I quit.

I celebrated on the day I quit, I went for a walk around Seward Park tonight, followed by a lovely dinner at St. Dames. But tomorrow. I begin painting in the evenings again. And the first thing I'll do is fix the eyes.

I've also deliberated over going to a few dog events in the past couple of days. We'll see.

Henry

I am so used to painting full face portraits that I forget about the joys of painting bodies, profiles, and paws. I like to see sparkling eyes looking at me.

But perhaps I needed a challenge. Or perhaps the gods were smiling. The first sketch I did of this little retriever, on canvas, was perfect! I knew that it would be just as easy to paint.

I still have a little eye work to do, but I am very happy with this little 5x5 painting.

Even the fangs.