Learn Digital Pet Portraiture

Well it is official, after 15 years in business at Art Paw I am celebrating by sharing my secret sauce Photoshop recipes. Well, not exactly, but I am teaching Photoshop and digital pet portraiture. I have taken on a Pet Portrait student that I will be meeting with bi-weekly and she is flying through all of my lessons and she is hungry for more. She is doing great work, and she came to me with a little experience and self taught knowledge under her belt. She admitted to me that she will find herself so immersed in Photoshop late at night that the next thing she knows it is 1:00 a.m. and she is the only one in the house still awake. 

So those of you that are interested, I am offering private lessons this summer during the week and you can message me at artpaw.com@gmail.com to learn more.  I will not take on any new students in the fall since that is our busiest time of year.

I also have a group workshop on using the Wacom tablet coming up very soon at the Dallas Creative Arts Center:

Date & Time:		Jun 29 to Jun 30   Register SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10:00am - 4:00pm ( 2 days)
Cost:		$225.00 ($255.00 Non-Members)

If you are not able to come to Dallas to take a workshop from me or take private lessons then be sure and subscribe to my youtube channel where I do post occasional video tutorials.
 Next year at the latest I will be offering on-line courses that will be video and blog based.  A lot of people have been asking me to get some courses on-line and I will, it just takes time.

Teaching keeps me sharp. I have been so fortunate to run a successful art business for so many years and now it is time that I share and lead a little bit. My pals often ask me, aren't you afraid that your students will end up competing against you? That is a valid concern especially since I have a unique approach and style.  The reality is there is plenty of pet portraiture work to go around. I also believe that there are very few folks that are willing to work 60 hour weeks for 5 straight years (without rest or vacations) in order to get a business off the ground. That is what I did and that is often what it takes to see a return on most start up businesses.  So no, I will not be teaching any sort of "get rich quick with art" ideas in order to get students.  That is not really how it works. My hope is that my students will take the knowledge I share with them and then use it to create original work in their own voice and in their very own style. If I end up creating a small hand full of Art Paw clones then I will just have to reinvent myself and change my style, and I can easily do that.  If I can teach "well" then I will indeed inspire people to find their own approach to digital art, once they have a handle on the tools. Then they will go on to create works that raise the bar for us all. Yes, that is my hope.

The Clock Is Ticking / Make Art

The Clock is ticking ....  lately Dan and I keep saying that more and more. The Mosaic community lost an important artist this last week. Earlier in the year my husband lost a friend in his writing community. Both artists were around our age and they were taken suddenly without warning. I am sure the mosaic artist must have had unfinished work on her table and the poet probably had poems left unedited.  We also lost Dan's Father just last year and so yes, we are constantly looking over our shoulder these days at that bitch mortality. We are looking at the mirror and saying it out loud. As we prepare the evening meal after a long day at work we are saying it out loud, the clock is ticking.  Make art, the clock is ticking.

Make art like nobody is watching ... you have all heard the phrase dance like no one is watching, well I challenge you to make your art like nobody is watching. We all know that feeling of singing loudly in the shower or in our cars, or dancing alone late at night in our living rooms. Well, you need to be making art like nobody is watching. And when you are creating and it does not feel that great and uninhibited, well keep working because discipline is important too. Just keep making art.

Create more than you compare...  anybody that says don't compare yourself to others is just not living on this planet. We all compare and it can be healthy. When I compare my work to people that are better than me I am motivated to try harder. When I see people that I "deem to be no better than me" selling more art, getting more shows, awards or recognition I refuse to be a Bitter Betty, instead I am motivated to work harder. I am motivated to learn from them and see what they are doing so very right to earn their success.  Football players spend their lives comparing their performance and when they come up short they do not whine about it ... they get out there and they kick ass. Do not stop comparing, but spend much more energy creating than comparing.

Buy art from other artists ... I can not tell you how much this has made me a better seller of my own art.  When Dan and I got together we were weighed down by credit card debt. We spent around 3 years digging out of that. Once the debt was gone we were able to actually start saving and seeing a little fruit from our labors. We are still frugal people but we do like to indulge in art buying on occasion. I like to buy from my pals and from strangers too. Buying art has made me value and respect my own customers so much more. If you are not occasionally buying original art then you will never fully understand the nuances of selling when it comes to your own work.

Ok so those are my tips today for other artists. I am writing today hoping I may have an audience for these ideas, but mostly I am putting this stuff down to remind myself to take my own advice.

Mosaic Monday / The Snobby Robot

Robot drawing
5.5 x 8.5
© rebecca collins
Purchase at Etsy $15

I just opened up a new Etsy shop. For ages I have been thinking about trying out a robot themed Etsy shop that would be just for my fun and experimental works that I do apart from Art Paw and my day job.  A drawing workshop over the weekend was just the kick in the pants I needed to go ahead and list a few things in my new shop. The new shop is called "The Snobby Robot" and I am planning to have a lot of fun with it. You can find drawings for as little as $15 and mosaics for as much as $333.

"Zort"
2 inch Diameter Clay
© rebecca collins
Purchase at Etsy $22

"B1"
6x6 Mixed Media Mosaic
© rebecca collins
Purchase at Etsy $333

Slide Share For Artists

I feel a tad bit late to this game and I am not really sure where I am going with it but I am playing with the on-line site Slideshare.net today.  I created a very quick little slideshow that is a simple intro to my business. I can imagine telling more involved and elaborate stories with this tool. It seems sort of flat compared to video however the site does allow for video and sound, so I guess I may get fancier as time goes on. Please check it out and follow me on slideshare if you play in that neighborhood.

Art Paw Pet Portraits from artpaw

New Dog Art and Flexibility

"Herschel"  ( See All Proofs )

© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

Today I proofed sweet Herschel. I love his original photo. Our Big Tommy was a ball dog and he played with these orange and blue balls too, they really bounce. I have provided both full body proofs and also head and shoulder options on-line. My client will be hopefully checking the blog later today to find his proofing set. Right now I do not have a working e-mail for her, not just yet anyway. No worries, the blog is always a quick and easy way for me to communicate and share proofing links when lines get crossed or for some reason we do not have the complete contact info.

Flexibility in Business ...
Over the years I have worked very hard to set up an easy ordering process on-line at Art Paw and have created videos, and FAQ pages on the website to try and help potential new clients with my easy web ordering process. At the end of the day however I am constantly reminded of the need for flexibility on my part when taking orders. This week I have two clients that have sent old fashion printed pics for me to scan, and lately I have had many phone orders from clients that do not wish to go through the shopping cart. Often I wish the process was more seamless and automated, but then of course I would not get to speak with as many people by phone, and I would not get to form the client relationships that are so very important to me and to the success of my business. Yep ... I am half way into the year and I realize my focus needs to be flexibility.  I am very flexible, but I need to work harder there.

Mosaic Monday/ Art Sale and Garden Tour!

 Starting to get really busy with new commissions and I have a sale to prepare for in May, I get to sell alongside my best pal from college, Rebecca Swann. I will be taking part in the White Rock East Garden Tour on Sunday May 19th. Today I worked on our flier. I will be selling a little bit of everything, clay robot heads, mosaics and of course I will have samples of my pet portraits on hand. My girlfriend will have her newest jewelry creations for sell. Her work is stunning, so drop by and check us out.

..............................

This Garden tour is always a fun one because we have such a diverse group of gardeners in our area. I have even seen chickens and bee keepers on past tours.

Here are the details:

SUNDAY, May 19, 2013 - 10:00 to 5:00

Casa Linda Estates, Little Forest Hills, Forest Hills

$10.00 price of admission to 9 gardens in the 3 neighborhoods and an additional plant sale.

Voted: Best Garden Tour in the USA!

Mosaic Monday/ Etsy Mosaic Octopus

"Pinkie"
2.5x3.5 ACEO
Purchase at  ETSY

I just listed an ACEO over at Etsy. This is Pinkie the octopus, and she will be on sale for 50% off this week if you check out using promo code: iheartmosaics. She will go back to full price next week. Great addition to any Cephalopod collection.

Description: Iridescent glass in the background, pink and orange glass on the Octopus. She is signed on the back and there is a hook for easy hanging. This small work  of mosaic art is 2.5 x 3.5. She is packaged in a cotton bag for safe keeping.

I will be listing new works all month over at Etsy so check back often. In addition to Octopus and Robots there is always plenty of dog and cat art!

Photoshop Tutorial/ Smudge Tool

Today I want to share my recent process video that shows the prep work I do using the smudge tool to soften and blend each and every pixel on my client photos.

My subject is Lady and I hope you enjoy this Photoshop tutorial. If you are a potential client I think you will have a better understanding of my process and if you are a fellow digital artist I hope you find it helpful. I do offer classes in Photoshop and my next workshop is in June.

"Lady"
©  rebecca collins /artpaw.com

Photoshop Tutorial Doggy Eyes

Today I just uploaded a video tutorial on using the liquify tool in Photoshop for opening up eyes. Most of my clients are totally unaware of how much prep work I do with their images before I even start playing with colors. Half shut eyes, missing ears, and pixelation due to low res images are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to issues that I often must resolve before I start working with color and paint tools.

I know a lot of other pet portrait artists follow me here and I plan to start doing more tutorials when I have time.  I will also be teaching a 2 day workshop in June here in Dallas on using the Wacom tablet. You can register for that on-line at the Creative Arts Center WebsiteCreative Arts Center Website.  The fee is $225 and I will cover the smudge tool and the paint tool and students will get the chance to play with the Wacom tablet themselves. 

The workshop is

Jun 29 - Jun 30/ SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10:00am - 4:00pm ( 2 days)

Creative Arts Center Dallas Texas.