New Work

I haven't been blogging much, but I have been painting quite a bit lately (yay!) Here is some of my recent work -

 "A Summer Day on Lake Pepin" - Watercolor and PanPastel (9 by 12)

 "Butterfly in Spring" - Watercolor (8 by 10)

"Sunset Petals" - Watercolor (5 by 7)

 "Fly II" - Watercolor (5 by 7)

"Mr. Kitty" - Watercolor (5 by 7) (My first animal/pet in watercolor!)

Untitled - Watercolor and PanPastel (5 by 7)

Some of these paintings are available in my Etsy shop and the others are just practice. If you'd like to keep up with my work, please follow me on Instagram - @angelasexpressions

Hope you all had a great weekend! xoxo

Another Maggie

This is Maggie, a cute Yorkie I've been painting over the past week. This is actually the 2nd Maggie I've painted in a row. I painted her in pastel (sticks and pencils) on Ampersand Pastelbord.

 

This painting was a challenge for me because my wrist has been bothering me a lot. After the last 2 pet portraits I did I was experiencing a lot of pain. I fear that it's carpal tunnel. I've been trying to rest it as best I can, and have been wearing a support. Hopefully I can avoid any kind of surgery, but ultimately I'll do what I need to. I have to be able to paint! :)

 

I hope you all have a great week!

Frank

"Frank" 8 by 10, Custom Pet Portrait in Pastel

I've been working on this custom pet portrait for the past couple days and he's finished! I felt a bit rusty because I haven't painted in pastel in a couple months, but I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out.

I've been very busy with quilting things and still working on that huge addition to my business! I'll blog about that soon.

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!!

Goliath - Commissioned Pet Portrait

"Goliath" - Commissioned Pet Portrait, 8 by 10

I've been working the past few days on this pet portrait. A customer requested this painting as a gift for her sister. I was a bit nervous before starting it because the right side of the dog (in the reference photo) was mostly in shadow. It didn't look bad in the photo, I just wasn't sure I was going to be able to render it the way I wanted to with paint. But, I am very pleased with the way that it turned out. The scan isn't perfect, but the original looks great.

If you're interested in a custom pet portrait, just check out my Etsy page. I offer 3 different sizes and I think the prices are very reasonable.

Off to plan my next painting! :)

A Visitor

"A Visitor" 5 by 7, Pastel Painting

Another little kitty today. Actually it's the same cat as in my last painting. Once again, thank you to Nancy Rose for allowing me to use your great photo for this painting. This one was a lot of fun. It was nice to spend an equal amount of time on the background as on the cat.

I haven't listed this painting on Etsy yet, but I plan on doing so within the next week or so. I have some collectors of my little cat paintings and I'm waiting to list a few of them at the same time.

Also, if you're interested in a custom pet portrait, I am taking orders. I was thinking of what a great Mother's Day or Father's Day gift that would make! For more information on custom pet portraits, click here. I also have listings available for different sizes in my Etsy shop.

Have a wonderful day!

Custom Pet Portraits

I'm officially offering custom pet portraits. I so enjoy painting animals and would be happy to create a lasting memory of your beloved pet.

The portrait will be done from your photograph(s). So you will need to find your favorite photo or take one that captures your pets personality and character. Photos are very important to this process. The quality of the portrait depends on the quality of the photo. Here are a few tips for capturing a good image of your pet:

- Take the photo at the eye level of your pet. Don't take it from above or below.

-Light is important. Try taking the photo with your pet near a window with light coming in, if indoors, or outdoors. Natural light is best.

- Don't take the photo too close.

- Take a bunch of photos so you will have several to choose from.

After you have chosen the photographs you can email them to me or send them by mail (they will be returned to you) along with any requirements that you have.

Your pet portrait will be painted in pastel on acid free and archival paper or board with the finest quality pastels. Pastels on archival surfaces will hold their color for centuries without fading, cracking, or yellowing as other mediums do.

To purchase you can either view my Etsy shop, or contact me via email (angela292@hotmail.com).

Prices:

5 by 7 Pet Portrait - $75 + shipping

8 by 10 Pet Portrait - $100 + shipping

11 by 14 Pet Portrait - $125 + shipping

If you're interested a different size than listed above, contact me for a quote.

Please note that these prices are for one pet. If you wish to have multiple pets in one painting there will be an additional charge.

I will ask for 2-3 weeks to complete your painting.

Also note that framing isn't included, but available at an additional cost if you're interested.

You are certainly not obligated to purchase the final painting if you are unhappy with it.

Payment is due when the painting is complete. I may ask for a nonrefundable deposit before I begin.

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." ~ Anatole France

Maverick

"Maverick" 11 by 14, Pastel Painting Commission

SOLD

My first pet portrait commission is complete! Maverick was just a joy to paint. I was a little nervous about this because the customer wanted an 11 by 14 and the largest I've ever painted a pet portrait is a 5 by 7. But it turned out not to be a big deal, and I'm very happy with the way it turned out.

Maverick was completed on pastelbord and with mostly Mount Vision pastels and a few pastel pencils.

If you're interested in a pet portrait of our own, just let me know. I will be working on some pet portrait commission listings to add to my Etsy shop also.

Have a nice afternoon!

Maverick Update 2 & 3

This is Maverick, the little sweetie I've been commissioned to paint. I gave the first update on him yesterday.
Here is update number 2. I finished the background and completed the eyes and nose. I always begin the actual portrait with the eyes. The eyes bring the animal to life, and if I can get them right, the rest of the portrait seems to come together nicely.

Here is update number 3. I put in an initial layer of pastel all over. I always like to fill in the tooth of the board first because then I am able to achieve finer lines and details.

I know he doesn't look like much now, and please excuse the poor quality of the images. All paintings reach what I call the "yuck" stage and that's probably how I would describe where I am at. Something we have to keep in mind is that painting is a progress and you have to be able to envision the end result. I think this is especially difficult for non artists.

I hope to finish this today or tomorrow so stay tuned! :)

Maverick Update 1

This is Maverick. He's the sweetie that I've been commissioned to paint. The customer requested progress photos so I thought I would also share them with you.

This is the original photograph. I decided to keep the background because I like the sunlight.
This isn't the greatest photo, but you get the idea. I started the background today and I probably won't do too much more to it. A lot of it will be covered with his wispy hairs off his face. I feel so terrible for Maverick and his owners because he has a brain tumor and suffers from seizures (and he's 14 years old). As a "mom" of two puppies of my own, this just breaks my heart. But I am happy that I can create this lasting memory for his owners.

Can You See Me?

"Can You See Me?" 5 by 7, Pastel Painting

Available Here

I think it's safe to say that this is my favorite cat portrait so far. It was so much fun to paint. Pets have such cute personalities and it was fun trying to capture that in this painting.

This painting was of course done on Pastelbord and I used a combination of pastel sticks and pencils. This painting is available in my Etsy shop.

Also, I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop this week. 40% off every purchase. Use coupon code "HolidaySale" at checkout. Sale goes until Friday (this painting is not included in the sale).

If you're interested in a pet portrait of your own, just let me know.

Have a great Monday!

Lucky

"Lucky" 5 by 7, Pastel Painting

Available Here

"Lucky" is my latest painting. With the holidays literally around the corner, I wanted to make sure I fit in some painting today. I've been waiting to paint this dog and tried it on this new board. Well, it's Ampersand Pastelbord, but it's in the color "sand" which I have never used before. I ordered it by mistake but thought it would make a great neutral background for pet portraits. I think I was right. I like the way it turned out.

I tried to be a little more loose and expressive with this portrait. I used mostly pastel sticks and pencils just for small details. I also painted standing up again, and I'm really enjoying that. The only problem I have with standing up and painting is that I tend to dance to the music I have playing while trying to paint. :) On the up side, I'm burning calories!

I probably won't be painting the next couple days, but I will be posting my list of goals for 2011.

I hope you all have a very happy holiday!!

In The Garden

"In the Garden" 5 by 7, Pastel Painting

Available Here

Well I'm back to cats! At least for today. I was going to start a painting challenge for myself and paint 30 animals, but I don't think I really want to do it. At least I don't want to paint the 30 animals in a row, but I think I'll start working one in here and there.

"In the Garden" was completed with pastel sticks and pastel pencils, on pastelbord. I particularly like the background and had a lot of fun with the colors. Actually the cat was a lot of fun too, but I just love layering and blending colors.

Looking Out

"Looking Out" 5 by 7, Pastel Painting

Available Here

SOLD

"Looking Out" is my latest pastel painting. I have been enjoying painting cats lately. This painting was done on pastelbord with soft pastels and pastel pencils for the small details. I have already listed this painting on Etsy, if you're interested.

I've missed being loose with my pastels and painting skies and water, so that might be next. After my recent trip to Michigan, and seeing the lakes again, it has me longing to paint those types of scenes again.

I hope you all have a lovely evening.

Kitty Green Eyes

"Kitty Green Eyes" 5 by 7, Pastel Painting

SOLD

Kitty is finished! I really didn't think I would be able to finish this by today, but I worked on it for a while last night and finished it this morning. I have to say, I love painting cats! Actually I'm beginning to fall in love with painting animals in general.

"Kitty Green Eyes" was painted with soft pastels and pastel pencils on Ampersand Pastelbord.

As I said in my last post, I'm going on vacation tomorrow, just for the weekend, so I won't be around until next week. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Portrait of Madisynne

Madisynne

Well, I'm quite embarrassed to even post this, but I thought I would anyway. In school I was never any good at portraits and I haven't even tried one in probably 10 years. Since I have been exploring other subjects, like animals for the first time, I thought I would also try a portrait. This is my 4 year old niece, Madisynne. It didn't turn out very well, and I'm not sure that I will be painting more portraits in the future. I've never really had the desire to be able to paint faces, so I don't know if this is something that I will work on to get better, or not. I suppose it would be nice to be able to paint one once in a while, if I wanted to. But why do they have to be so difficult? :)

Anyway, I painted her on pastelbord with pastel pencils.

Have a great Monday!

Custom Flower Portraits in Pastel

I'm starting a new venture, flower portrait commissions. That's right, flower portraits! I've always loved painting flowers and I would like to start painting them for others. I have received several commissions for cigar boxes hand painted with flowers, but this is more of a fine art approach.

What woman doesn't have a favorite flower? Imagine having a painting done of your mother's favorite flower and giving it to her for a gift. Instead of buying real flowers that will only last a few days, give the gift of a flower painting that will last forever.

Maybe you went on vacation to an exotic place and took some pictures of some flowers. You could create a memory of that trip with a painting of those flowers. Or perhaps you planted some flowers in memory of someone (roses for instance). How about creating a permanent memorial in a painting of those roses? Or maybe you just love flowers as much as I do, and your home could use a splash of color. Whatever the case, I would love to paint some flowers for you!

Now for some specifics - I can use photographs that you have taken as references, or you could simply tell me the type of flower that you would like and I can use my own references. As far as composition goes, I would like to keep the painting to one or two blossoms. Anymore than that, and the detail will be lost.

You can be as involved in the process as you would like. If you would like to see updates on the piece, or an original composition idea, that is completely fine. And if you'd just like me to use my own ideas and creativity, that is fine as well.

Your flower will be painted in pastel on acid free and archival paper or board with the finest quality pastels. Pastels on archival surfaces and papers will hold their color for centuries without fading, cracking or yellowing as other mediums do.

To purchase you can either view my Etsy page, or you can contact me personally via e-mail (angela292@hotmail.com).

Prices:

5 by 7 Flower Portrait - $ 75 ($30 non refundable deposit is required, unless purchased through Etsy)

8 by 10 Flower Portrait - $100 ($40 non refundable deposit is required, unless purchased through Etsy)

I will ask for 2 weeks to complete your painting.

You are certainly not obligated to purchase the final painting, if you are unhappy with it (less the deposit).

I also offer custom pet portraits. If you're interested click here to learn more.

"Flowers have spoken to me more than I can tell in written words. They are the hieroglyphics of angels, loved by all men for the beauty of their character, though few can decipher even fragments of their meaning." ~Lydia M. Child