Many new Pet Portraits

So what is the best way to create new business and make sure that portrait orders slam in to your in-box? Go on a 2 week vacation. I had a lot of orders come in while we were in Alaska. I use to freak out that business can stack up just a tiny little bit when I am not around and now I realize that a watched pot never boils and it is ok to actually step away and let a few orders slip in while I am gone.  Lola was out last week so I had all week to myself so I could focus on new projects and today she is back and we are shipping out around 7 projects. Life is very good and I am getting back into the swing of things. I have not had any time to work on any non-commissioned art projects just for myself lately, but that is ok. I am really enjoying my day job these days, and I am eager to work on more pet portraits. The holidays are just around the corner, time to gear up.
Here are my most recent projects ....

"Bennett"
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

"Panda"
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

"Allie & Sophie"
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

"Jake"
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

"Rocky"
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

"Zeke"
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

"Norman"
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

Mosaic Monday/ Alaska

I have been on vacation in Alaska for 14 days ... the longest vacation I have ever taken in my entire life. It went really fast though, and we had tons of fun. It was very hard to be away from  my business for that long. I had a handful of orders come in while I was away and I am jumping on organizing those today. I am taking 2 entire days to just get caught up with communication and then I will start working on Pet Portraits this Wednesday. I am full of inspiration and ideas for new art.

Alaska ... wow, it was just as beautiful as everyone says. I searched high and low for mosaics to shoot and only found a few. I will post those here today along with a few other shots of cool art.  I have tons of scenic shots that need to be edited and sorted. Going to try and compile those into a brief movie. This was a trip of a lifetime.

Mosaic Octopus
Ketchikan Alaska

Owl Mosaic
Anchorage Museum of Art

Owl Mosaic Detail
Anchorage Museum of Art

Seattle Airport
Mosaic of light and Plastic

Seattle Airport
Mosaic of light and Plastic Detail

Ketchikan Alaska

Totem Pole
Ketchikan Alaska

Seattle Mural

If you have sent me an e-mail in the last 2 weeks, I will be getting in touch with you soon. You can also reach me by phone this week M-F 10:30 - 5:30 p.m.  (214-321-1150).

More Doggy Portraits

"Lucy the Cow Dog"
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

The pup above is Lucy. This project is for a terrific repeat client from Australia. I love this girl's sweet smile in her original photo and those pretty eyes. I enjoy doing work for this client, she always gives me great pics to play with. She also orders rolled, which is really convenient when shipping overseas.

"Wiggle & Izzy"
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

"Wiggle & Izzy"
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

 

I adore bulldogs and so I was very excited to get to create a large 34 x 54 inch canvas of these two big headed pups. I am still in the proofing stage on this project and will be tweaking the first round of proofs with a few minor changes. If you notice the image above this one you will see a mock up of this proof in the client's living room. When folks send me a shot of the wall where the art will hang I can easily do a quick photoshop mock up of the work in home ... it is never 100% to scale, but close enough to get the general idea.

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Lola is coming in today and we are shipping out all approved projects. It is going to be a busy ship day. On Saturday I will be leaving for an Alaskan cruise. I have 2 different sets of pet sitters staying at the house, and Lola will be coming in on her regular days to hold down the fort her at Art Paw. E-mail may be spotty so I will be setting up an auto-responder, and trusting that if there are any pet portrait emergencies, Lola will be able to handle it.

More Custom Pet Portraits

I have had a busy couple of weeks. Lots of kitties and pups to work on this month. I will post a few recent projects below. Summer time is the best time to order a pet portrait for Christmas gift giving. If you order a portrait in the summer you know you are getting my very best unhurried creative energy.

"Ripley"
© Rebecca Collins / artpaw.com

"Howie and Flowie"
© Rebecca Collins / artpaw.com

"Owen"
© Rebecca Collins / artpaw.com

"Ruby"
© Rebecca Collins / artpaw.com

Mosaic Monday/ Robot Totems

"Purple Robot Totem ( detail)"
© Rebecca Collins

I am still working on a series of mosaic robot totems. I am having fun with these projects and I want to fill a room with them. I have a  long way to go. I worked up an artist statement for this series. I am lucky to have a writer for a husband and he tweaked my statement for me. I always create the main content and then he polishes it for me, making it stronger and often more confident. He understands my work and by the time I want to write about it we have usually had many conversations about what is going on with the work.  I will paste my statement below the images.

"Purple Robot Totem "
© Rebecca Collins
4.5"x8.25"

"Green Robot Totem"
© Rebecca Collins
5"x18"

"Green Robot Totem ( detail)"
© Rebecca Collins

"Pink Robot Totem "
© Rebecca Collins
5"x18"

"Pink Robot Totem ( detail)"
© Rebecca Collins

Rebecca Collins / Artist Statement:

Totem: a being, object, or symbol representing an animal or plant that serves as an emblem of a group of people such as a family, clan group, lineage, or tribe reminding them of their ancestry (or mythic past).”

Concept: This last year I have found myself exploring an evolving theme of Robot Totems. Robots today occupy a space between pop culture romance, emerging science, and economic powerhouse. To deny them artistic consideration is to be ignorant of their impact on our changing cultural identity. On one level, I’m just having a lot of fun carving out their little clay heads and combining them with found objects, and techniques such as Photoshop collage and mosaic. On another level, I think of “robot” as a larger metaphor for the growing intelligence of the machines in our lives. I am seriously considering the powerful implications that “robot” is bringing to the forefront of what it means to be a 21^st century human. In these works I define the idea of robot in many ways at once. I hope that the viewer sees them in archeological terms as well as recognizing their contemporary presence. To me they are at once religious, irreverent, post-apocalyptic and full of creative promise.

Process: Like most of my work, these pieces are about experimentation and the intersection of artistic technique. By working in series I am able to push my skills and my ability to combine a wide variety of disciplines. One day I may be carving clay robot heads and then the next day I may be shooting them so I can drag them into Photoshop to manipulate them on the computer. I am having a grand time combining my ceramic work with digital collage, hand drawing, painting and mosaic. I want the viewer to be drawn in by the rich materials and then hopefully crack a smile as they sort out the conceptual constructs. I also want them to create their own stories, thus adding new layers to the complexity of these works.

Photoshop Student Work

Last weekend I gave a 2 day workshop that was an intensive 12 hour intro to Photoshop and the Wacom drawing tablet. It was a small class, and I am glad because just 3 students really had me hopping with lots of questions. We had a really great time and everybody finished a pet portrait.

The first day I spent the morning with a little demo work and then after lunch everyone isolated their subject, erasing the background on their photos and then spent the afternoon smudging almost every pixel on their digital canvas using the smudge tool.

Pinky & Oscar
By Linda Clemens

Rascal
By Dallas Gorman

Buddy
By Dawn Oberst

On day two I did a little demo work in the morning using regular people photos to show what types of fun Photoshop fixes you can do on humans. I use Photoshop for painting, but I wanted my students to understand some of the great tools PS offers for enhancing our regular snapshots.  Then my students got busy finalizing their portraits by adding color with the finger painting tool and we played around a little with filters. Each student had different challenges and different approaches. Dallas seemed to struggle the most with understanding layers and yet her portrait of Rascal turned out so very cool and so very painterly.  She wanted a Van Gogh feeling with sunflowers and I think she totally achieved it. Linda was very good at the smudging and I think where she really excelled was in creating a very original and dynamic background for her painting that had little shapes representing kitty dreams. Everyone did great on their background choices, Dawn used a red leather texture she shot at home for Buddy's ground and Dallas had a great pic of Sunflowers she shot for Rascal.  Dawn seemed to pick up the tools the quickest and she was able to knock out a second portrait of her pup Lucy.

All of my students really did great work and I was reminded just how hard Photoshop is. We barley skimmed the surface of all that this program has to offer. I kept our focus very narrow and we learned about the paint brush tool, the smudge tool and the finger painting tool. We learned that "command Z" is our friend, and we learned that layers are tough at first, but the most powerful aspect to working in Photoshop.

Lucy
By Dawn Oberst

I really enjoyed teaching this class. My students were great and insisted on buying me lunch both days. That was really sweet. I brought bagels on Sunday and we snacked and played on the computers all weekend. If you are interested in taking a class with me you can follow me on my fine art portfolio site to learn about upcoming workshops. My next workshop is in October.

Summer Art Programs In Dallas

Every time I turn around I am discovering new and fun places for kids and adults to indulge their creativity.  A couple of weekends ago I played over at Pigment School of The Arts one Sunday with a drawing workshop and today I just went over and checked out Studio Arts Dallas.  Both locations are small and interesting and full of creativity. There is also Oil and Cotton over in Oak Cliff. Dallas is also home to The Creative Arts Center and The Craft Guild of Dallas. 

With so many choices how do you choose a summer art program for yourself or for your kiddos? Check out their websites and then visit in person. Then see which classes have openings.

I will go over my general  impressions and knowledge of each below....

The Creative Arts Center:  Well I have to start with the place I have been taking classes at since 2007 and have recently started teaching at. The CAC has been  cultivating creativity since 1965. It operates in a converted elementary school built by the WPA during the Great Depression.The CAC offers a laid back casual environment where adults can explore a really wide range of courses from Welding to Mosaics and everything in between. There really is something for everyone here.
I highly recommend it.

Craft Guild of Dallas :  I have not taken any classes at this school yet however I have visited and listened to a free lecture there.  The Guild's facilities are really lovely and new. The guild has a long history in Dallas and their new facility is in Addison.  It is a bit of a drive for me but I would love to eventually try out a class there. I believe the Craft Guild's main focus is on adults however I noticed on their site they are registering students right now for their Summer Camp For Young Artists.

Pigment School of The Arts: This charming school is in a sweet old house on West Lovers Lane. Tori Pendergrass is the director. Tori is a very creative artist herself and she exudes such a calm energy. I can imagine that she would be an ideal instructor for young artists. This little arts center has a very magical energy to it. I highly recommend it.

Studio Arts Dallas: This very cool school is in a converted Whataburger restaurant. I discovered today that my next door neighbor is a long time teacher there. I knew he taught art, but had no idea that he was at this fun and funky little school. One offering on their website that I really like is the portfolio class for young students wanting to apply for The Dallas Arts Magnet High school.  I went to the Dallas Arts Magnet when it was brand new and getting in was really a matter of signing up and maybe getting a school counselor to recommend you. Today the process is much tougher and performers audition and visual artists must have a winning portfolio.  This little school looks like a terrific place for young artists to grow into more serious artists.

Oil and Cotton: I have been to a few readings and video events in this fun and hip little location. I have never taken any classes here however if I had kiddos I am sure I would try and get them into a workshop or two, after all it is a great excuse to get over there and soak in the energy of a vibrant urban economy that is booming. Oak Cliff is just a really fun place to be. Check out Oil & Cottons' Calendar on-line.


Go Take a Class! Make some art!

June Pet Portraits

I have proofed a handful of clients this month, but have not been posting many to the blog. I will start correcting that today. Artists blogs are often nothing more than image posting or promotion. I am always trying to find the right balance between writing about process and inspiration and art image posting. I guess I need to go ahead and just rely on posting art when the writing muse is absent from my life because in reality people really do enjoy seeing pictures more than they enjoy reading.

"Jackie"
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

"Georgia"
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

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.

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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.

Mosaic Monday: Obsessions, Studies, Production?

ATC Mosaic Trading Cards
© rebecca collins

Pink Octopus
© rebecca collins

Last weekend I took part in a local ATC mosaic card trade and the theme was the beach. It gave me a great excuse to revisit Squid and Octopus. I made a pink octopus and a red tentacle that I traded, but I had one pink Jelly fish looking guy that I could not let go of because I loved him too much. I really liked his composition and it sort of inspired an entire "series" of ATC sized Octopuses, or Octopi. So this last weekend I started working on a full dozen ACEO cards.

Red Tentacle
© rebecca collins

Doing so many of these in different colors I started thinking about the terms artists use when working in multiples on the same subject. I could call this a "study" because I am having fun seeing how the different glasses combine and cut. I could call it a "series, or I could say that it is "production" work since I do intend to sell them eventually. I will for now avoid the "production word", because for me that implies it is no longer fun and I am actually have a great time doing these little cards. Each one is very different even though they have the same basic layout. I do intend to choose my favorite color combo and create a larger project based off of these little experiments so I suppose they are study in a sense.

And then there is the whole concept of "obsessions". My very first mosaic was an octopus, and then my next 6 projects were Cephalopods of some sort and here I am returning to the subject again.  We recently saw the Chagall show here in Dallas and boy did that man have his iconography down. Half way through the show you started looking for a goat, rooster, or violin in every single painting he did. Don't get me wrong, I loved his work and the show. Where was I, oh yes, artists do tend to get stuck on subjects and themes and I do not know when it borders on obsession and when it is just knowing what you like. I like squid, I like bugs, I like birds, I like robots, and yes of course I like dogs and cats. I like technology and I like glass.  I think I will always return to the same themes over and over again. When it comes to my personal mosaic work it is never really about the subject when you get right down to it and it is much more about the process and the simple love of making things.