Bentley's Birthday!

My little sweetheart turns 6 today! I'm a mommy in denial. I just can't believe it. We got Bentley just months after moving to Wisconsin. I was spending a lot of time alone and thought it would be a good time to get a dog. He's been just the perfect little companion.

 

Well, no special treats for Bentley on this birthday, just a few new toys. He tossed them around for a few seconds and that was it. :)

 

Have a great day!

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!

Heidi - Custom Pet Portrait

"Heidi" - Custom Pet Portrait in Pastel

I've been working on this cute pet portrait for the past few days. Luckily the customer supplied me with a great reference photo (which makes my job a lot easier). It was a pleasure to paint this beautiful dog. I did tweak the painting a bit after scanning it, but you get the general idea.

The customer actually commissioned me to do 2 pet portraits so I am starting the second one today. Another beautiful Golden Retriever.

I hope you have a great week! Please send me your good vibes, I have an interview for an internship on Thursday! :)

Sphinx - Custom Pet Portrait

"Sphinx" - Custom Pet Portrait

I've been working on this pet portrait for the past few days and it's finally complete. I have to say that I'm very pleased with the way that it turned out. I was a bit more loose with the cat than I would normally be. I applied the pastel to the face and then blended it. I really liked the effect that I achieved in doing that. I think the cat looks more soft than other portraits that I've done.

"Sphinx" is a surprise birthday gift and I hope the recipient is pleased. :)

Have a great day!

Bear & Lee

"Bear & Lee" 5 by 7, Pastel

I was working on this custom pet portrait today. It was a lot of fun to do, especially that little kitty in the background. The photo given to me for reference was not ideal and I had a little trouble working out the lighting. Unfortunately it was the only photo of Bear that the customer had. I tried to make it work and I'm quite happy with the way it turned out.

I just love these pet portraits. I might try some wildlife in watercolor this week. :)

A Pugs Life

"A Pugs Life" 5 by 7, Pastel Painting

Available Here

In an effort to get my groove back I've been working on this painting the past couple days. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I was however, disappointed with the way that it scanned. This particular piece looks so much better in person. The overall softness has not been captured in this photo.

This painting is 5 by 7, and the painting surface is Ampersand Pastelbord. I used all pastel pencils for this piece.

I'm thinking about a landscape for my next painting.

Have a great weekend!

Contentment

"Contentment" 5 by 7, Pastel Painting

I took a little break from quilting to paint yesterday. I finished up this little painting today. My final painting of 2011! I've never painted a pug before and it was fun. He's just so cute. It's also been about a month or so since I last painted and I felt very rusty. One of my goals for the new year is to better balance quilting and painting. Improving my painting skills is very important to me and I need to make it a bigger priority.

This painting will be available at the Stillwater Art Guild Gallery this next week.

I hope you have a wonderful New Year! Thanks for all your kind words of support and encouragement this year!

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! :)

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.

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!!

My Best Friend

"My Best Friend" 5 by 7, Pastel Painting

This Golden Retriever was so much fun to paint. I have never painted a dog before so I was scared to even attempt it. But I think it turned out pretty well. It's really pretty silly that I'm afraid to paint animals because I'm a big animal lover. I have two dogs who I treat like they were my children. I love, love, love animals. So, I think I might start painting more of them.

This dog is painted on pastelbord, with pastel pencils and pastel sticks.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Yes, I am one of those silly people that dresses up their dogs for Halloween! Actually this is the first year that I have, but don't they look adorable?

Bentley as a pumpkin is just too cute!! And Cooper as a ladybug is quite funny. I think I'll dress them up and have them help me pass out candy to trick-or-treaters tonight. :) I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween!

Weekly Dose of Bentley and Cooper

"Mom, do you think you could play with me, and not paint?"

Cooper is such a baby! He loves attention!

I'm not sure what Bentley was doing, but he looks so cute!


Bentley made himself at home on my desk!

As promised, here is the weekly dose of Bentley and Cooper! I snapped so many cute pictures of them this week; I found myself running for the camera, a lot! And unfortunately when they're doing something really cute, the camera is no where in sight. Like this morning when I gave them some apples pieces - Bentley ran to the couch with his and Cooper, who had already scarfed his down, rested his chin on the couch waiting to see if Bentley was going to be able to handle it on his own. They are such characters! :)

I hope you have a great week!

Bentley's Birthday

Bentley can't resist a laundry basket!

One of Bentley's favorite spots!

Bentley's very favorite spot!

Well I simply couldn't resist putting up some pictures of my Maltese, Bentley, today because he turned 3 years old. I just can't believe it! My Fiance and I got him shortly after we moved to Wisconsin, and I suppose it's equally hard to believe that we've lived here for so long. We left all our friends and family behind (in Michigan) when we moved here, and I wasn't sure we would survive this long! So, Bentley is very special to us. He has been a very loyal companion and I just adore him! I think family pets are so wonderful for so many reasons. They teach you patience and unconditional love. Animals love you just the way you are, and they're SO easy to love!! I imagine that would be similar to how someone feels love for their child, but I have yet to experience that! :) I never thought of myself as a dog person, but now I can't imagine not having one! I should mention that I also have a Yorkie named Cooper, and he's very sweet too. I'm thinking that I just might begin doing a "weekly dose of Bentley and Cooper" here on my blog. Why not! They're sweet, and they just might make you smile! :)