Photoshop Tutorial on Doggy Eyes

This week I proofed sweet little Oscar. His original photograph was pretty awesome. The only real issue I needed to address before I could start painting was the eye to our left (his right eye), was a tad bit dark. I created a quick video tutorial that shows my process.

Join me in Dallas on April 11th and 12th for a Photoshop workshop where I teach my students to use the wacom drawing tablet and the smudge tool in Photoshop to create stunning pet portraits from their very own snapshots. Over the years I have had so many clients that like playing art director and I know half of them were closeted artists themselves. I really enjoy teaching Photoshop to people and letting them have the fun of creating their own original pet portraits. It is not an easy fast program to conquer, but in this class my students do walk away with a basic understanding of the tools and techniques that I use to create my art. This class usually fills up so don't wait to sign up on-line at the Creative Arts Center Website.

Pet Portraits with Toys

"Beufford"
© rebecca collins /  artpaw.com

I love doing artwork of pets with toys!  In this case the client asked me to change the green toy to red. She had ordered a small 14 x 14 and yet the square format did not allow for the entire long toy to be included so I offered her a free size upgrade to a 20 x 14. This is an unusual long rectangle and a custom size that fits the subject(s) perfectly.

You can check out all of Beufford's proofing options over at Smug Mug.

Productive Day

"Kota"
© rebecca collins artpaw.com

Well today was productive and I am finally turning the corner on this dumb flu virus.  Evelyn came in this morning and she shipped out Kota and organized the shipping shed.  I spent most of the morning on the computer ordering supplies and working on a couple of portrait projects.

This afternoon I was rather naughty and took a break in the middle of the afternoon to rest and watch Mr. Peabody and Sherman.  I never watch TV in the daytime, but this children's animation was just the ticket for me today. The dogs curled up next to me and I really enjoyed this clever movie with characters from my childhood. Higgins gives it 4 paws up.

Sick Days for the Self Employed

A lot of folks think that being self employed means having an easier time taking off for sickness and emergencies. In reality those of us that work at home have nobody to answer our e-mails or phones when we are sick and nobody at all to handle our projects. And when your office is only 10 steps away from your sick bed it is so easy to say, well I have time for one blog post or I can answer e-mail for 30 minutes and then that turns into half a day. 

I am battling a weird flu and My Dr. wants me to take off until the 16th, feeling a bit better I was going to ignore him today and then Higgins decided to step in and he chewed up my drawing stylus.  So I guess this one blog post will indeed be my work today at Art Paw.

I only have like 3 pending projects right now, I do not think I am terribly behind on anything if you are one of those clients, hang tight and know that I will be back at my desk on Monday.

I know it was Higgins it even has one of his little grey hairs on it.  What a little stinker.

Unexpected Beauty

Some of you guys that follow the blog know that for the last 6 months we have been undergoing a major renovation and addition to our tiny East Dallas bungalow.  We have been living with a big tree house in our back yard ... very big.

Sometimes it has felt like there is this giant war zone of construction mess happening in my backyard, and yet sometimes the rawness of it all and the different stages are just so very beautiful.
 
Today my breath was taken away by the beauty of these tree shadows hiding behind a plastic sheet they recently placed over this window opening.

Tree Shadows

When I saw this unexpected beauty as I was going out to my mosaic shed today I was reminded that I need to try to enjoy the waiting a little bit longer and to enjoy each stage. This weekend if it is nice we plan to have a picnic in the upstairs studio on Valentine's day. The natural lighting is so pretty up there on a nice day, and soon our open air tree house is going to be closed up.

Below I will post a few more pics and below that a quick video slideshow for those that want to see more.

I do not know why but I love this shot

Sunlight falling on wires

Sometimes I can not believe it is real ... upstairs is my future studio

New Pet Portrait Blog

Hey guys, I have some exciting news.  I have launched a new pet portrait blog. I will still be posting here at the Art Dog Blog, but it is my hope that the new blog will become a teaching tool and it will be the main place where I share video tutorials and works in progress. I have to do a shout out and thank you to Kathy Weller for gifting me with this terrific domain a couple of years ago. I am finally ready to take advantage of it. Check out the Pet Portrait Blog.com and also look at my Photoshop Classes page to sign up for my April workshop.

New Jack Russell Art

8x10
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

This adorable Jack Russell had a lovely original photograph to work from. This is a rush project for a new client.

Pet Portrait Sale Valentine Deal

"Mason"
© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

It is time to think about Valentine's Day
... you can save 50% on either a small 12 x 12 or a large 24 x 24 sized custom pet portrait. This is a non-proofing deal ... that means if you let me loose with my creativity I will do my very best unrestricted work for you. It is wonderful deal if you have worked with us before and you know and trust the quality of work that I do.  Click this link to order in time for Valentine's Day!

Mosaic Monday / Switch Plates!

Hey guys, my new website is up and running. You can still find out what I am doing with mosaics here with my Mosaic Monday posts, however if you want the full scoop please do check out 52mosaics.com

Last weekend I played with some favorite pals and created mosaic switch plates!  These were fast and fun and I want to make more now.

Studio Sneak Peek

The construction at the house is coming along great. I am starting to get really excited about my new studio. During the holiday months of November and December I did not even have time to worry about when the project would be completed. Now that work is slowing down here at Art Paw I am super impatient and ready for the building to be done.  I suppose I could use the next couple of months to purge  my belongings and declutter our lives a wee bit before we get to move into the new space.  Below is a video tour of the studio in progress....

Mosaic Monday/ 52 Mosaics!

"Robot #1811
2.5 x 3.5
© rebecca collins
available for purchase

-----  New year and new Mosaic goals  ----
Inspired by both mosaic artist Margo Anton  and the painting a day artists I have decided to try and do one small scale mosaic per week this year. Margo tackled one per day for an entire year, and while I would love to try and devote time every single day to mosaic making, I know I can not make that happen, but one small mosaic per week seems very doable.

How I will play .....
I will be creating mosaics that range in size from 2.5 x 3.5 inches on up to 6 x 6 inches. I will be experimenting with both abstract and figurative subjects. I will be starting a blog just for this experiment and will go into detail on that blog about the work and what it opens up for me. I will also be making these works available for sale in my Snobby Robot Big Cartel Shop and over on Etsy.  Next week I will share a link to the new blog once I launch it.

Doing the Math ....
I always tell young and emerging artists that think they want to make a living doing art full time that the 1st step is to just do the math.  I did that with Art Paw when I decided I wanted to make a real income with pet portraiture. I looked at what my husband was bringing in each month and decided I wanted to match it and so I figured out just how many pet portraits that would take. That was way back in 1998. Five years later in 2003 I was starting to realize my financial goals.  What does it mean for me to now "do the math with fine art mosaics"? Well I have no fantasy or desire to make a full time living with my part time passion .... not just yet anyway. I do however want to continue to share my mosaic work by placing it in collector homes and I do want to make a decent part time income with it.  So I have a financial goal and I am writing it on a scrap of paper and placing it in a red envelope and sticking it on my bulletin board.  I will let you guys know next year at this time if I make it. Wish me Luck!

Pet Portraits Are Shipping!

Evelyn is here today and we are shipping out all of November's approved orders. We are caught up with all orders that were placed by posted deadlines and now I am tackling new orders that have come in this month.  I am still accepting orders this month and promising proofing and even delivery in most cases. 

Sunday the 14th will be the very last day to place an order for a holiday delivery... rush fees will apply.  The best way to order is on-line.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for, I have my health, a warm home, a terrific extended family and many many friends.  As I sit here at my desk on the evening before Thanksgiving, waiting for Dan to get home from work I realize I am most thankful to be loved by a man that has always loved art and animals as much as I do. That is really no small thing, no small thing at all.  I love my husband and our 4-legged family.  We are so fortunate in so many ways.

I threw together a small video of my guy and a few of the animals he has loved over the years. I know he will be embarrassed by it, but I don't care.  Nobody is reading this blog the evening before Thanksgiving anyway. If you are reading this then I do wish you all a terrific Holiday!

Art Paw will be closed tomorrow, but I will be back at my desk on Friday working on holiday portraits.

Sending Images At Full Resolution

It is that time of year again, the holidays are upon us and that means I will often be working with whatever pics people can get their hands on. That usually means compressed low resolution images sent from a friend of a friend or downloaded right off of facebook.  It also  means celebrating pets that have passed on using whatever photos are available. I always do my best to create something wonderful with whatever images people can send. If something just will not work I will tell my clients that. When I can I will encourage folks to send again and try different menu options.

What Clients Need to know about sending phone pics:

• Texting your image to my e-mail is going to auto-crunch your image and reduce the file size.  Try to use an actual e-mail ap to send your image to me.

• The auto send or share feature on most phones sends low resolution pics for speed.

• Most phones these days take great high resolution images.

• There is a way to send at full resolution and a google search for "send full resolution images from my: insert name-brand phone ", will yield a plethora of tutorials.

• There is no way to auto fix a low resolution image, it will pixelate like crazy when enlarged. Using the smudge tool a good artist can smooth out the jagged pixelation that occurs. It is time consuming, and requires smoothing and smudging every single pixel. 

Today I am posting a Video tutorial I found on-line that may help iphone users send us their images at full resolution. This fellow walks you through it with a lovely British accent.

 

What You Need to think about as a Digital Artist:
I always tell my Photoshop students that you learn ten times as much trying to create something from low res. poor quality images than you do by working with stunning photos at full resolution. Any hack can take a stunning high resolution photograph and make it even prettier, the challenge is working with lower quality images. With that said I too prefer a minimum of 500KB and I love it when I can get my hands on an image that is at least 1mb.

Tips For Other Digital Artists:
• If you plan to stick to your image size requirements when working with clients plan to do half the pet portrait volume you could be doing.
• Always give help and tips when trying to get good images from your clients, but be prepared if they can not follow through.
• Know that sometimes all a client will have is a photo that was e-mailed from a pal at low resolution and asking their loved one to jump through hoops for the original image at actual size might just spoil the gift giving surprise.
• Your clients are not dumb, they are often very busy professionals and probably have not ever needed a full resolution image before. Many people are on their 3rd or 4rth phones and you never know, they may have a brand new phone that they are still learning about.
• Respect your client's time and know that at the end of the day your flexibility and skill at working with all types of images will pay off in the amount you will learn about Photoshop and in your ability to build great relationships with your clients.

Holiday Pet Portrait Deadline

It is that time of year again.   Time to post my holiday deadlines.

Order by 11/18 .... and get my very best unhurried creative work with a guaranteed delivery by Christmas.

Ordering now means that your pet will get the time they deserve and I will even have an extra pad of time so I can make a few color changes if they are needed.

Place Your Order On-line Today!

 

Happy Howl-o-ween

Happy Halloween guys!

Keep your critters safe tonight.

Showing at Exhibit3 / Day Of The Dead Scottie Mosaic

"Atticus"
© rebecca collins
12 x 12 Mixed Media Mosaic

Hey guys, I am showing at a new gallery in Oak Cliff this weekend. Come out and see me Sunday at Exhibit3. I was invited to show by the gallery owner Adam Spigel. He will be showing his lovely panoramic landscapes and artist Cap Pannell will have some Day of the Dead works on view as well. I will be at the gallery around 7:00 and will hang out in the evening.  Drop by anytime on Sunday, the entire Bishop Arts area is having a Day of the Dead celebration. It should be a fun day to be in Oak Cliff.

About the Mosaic Above:
This is a project I did a few years back in honor of my sweet boy Atticus.  He was my very first Scottie dog and the muse and inspiration behind Art Paw. I think it is one of my most successful earlier mosaics. There is text below the glass about the breed and additional handwritten text about our sweet boy, including favorite nicknames and personality quirks.

2014 EXHIBIT3 Grand Opening - New Bishop Arts Gallery
Sunday, November 2, 2014 12:00p to 10:00p
EXHIBIT3 - 1221 W. Davis Street, Dallas, TX 75208

This Artist's Growing Pains

So much has been happening this year, it is a year of both major growth and major loss. Back in June we had to say goodbye to our sweetest pup Ajax. His illness came out of nowhere and with tons of tests we still do not know what took him and we are still blaming ourselves for things we could have done better and second guessing the choices we made.  Those are things I tell my clients never to do, and yet it is human nature, especially when you are hurting so much.

© rebecca collins / artpaw.com

Sweetest Boy Ever ... Ajax

In August we adopted a wee little pup named Higgins, he and Whitman are the best of friends. The name was given to him by his foster Mom and I liked it so it stuck. Higgins combined with Whitman makes us sound like a masterpiece theater household or something.  Pixel ( A.K.A. Pickle)  likes him ok although she does have to snap at him on occasion just to keep him in line.   Our sweet Scottie girl has bladder cancer and was diagnosed back in February. She has great days and months and then a week or more where we think it is time for her to leave us.We were worried about bringing a new guy into the mix while she has been getting so much additional love and attention, but in reality she has enjoyed watching the boys play so hard and their antics keep her amused.

Higgins

Lazy dogs Whitman & Pickle

Doggy loss is a road we are not unfamiliar with and we accept it as part of the deal. Whenever it happens the world keeps turning, as much as it feels like we are loosing a kid since they are our surrogate children after all, and as much as it hurts we move forward and often that has meant pouring myself into my work. This year however I have not totally immersed myself in either the fine art mosaics or Art Paw. I am keeping up with my commissions and loving all of the pet projects in front of me but the true distraction and area of focus is the construction happening in my back yard.   

Yes, we are finally building on to our little bungalow in East Dallas. We have a 2 bedroom one bath cottage on a huge lot. I have always enjoyed sitting in my backyard and saying that the yard is my largest and favorite room. Well that yard and that space has gotten eaten up by new home square footage.  We are doubling the size of our home, adding a master suite, laundry room and huge studio space that will house both Art Paw and our fine art pursuits.  I am super excited and hope to be moving into the space by the spring of 2015.  Having a smaller backyard will mean less area to landscape so it will be easier to make  a big statement with my plantings.

© Modern Craft LLC
Rendering above of our new space
Check out Modern Craft on Houzz
We love our builder!

 So the Growing Pains ... well living where construction is happening is never easy. I do not feel like I am doing nearly enough creative work in my off hours. I feel like I am in some weird purgatory space, it is neither Heaven or Hell. My one salvation ... I have been taking Figure drawing classes with Dan and I am loving that. Susan Giller is a terrific drawing teacher at the Dallas Creative Arts Center.  It is such a luxury to have live models to draw.  Drawing in general is a wonderful discipline for any artist, I do not know why drawing the human figure is so special, but you know what ... it sort of is. Below are a couple of 20 minute contour drawings from class. I created these on leftover paper that was used for spray painting so there is a lovely layer of color and texture beneath the line drawings.

© rebecca collins
original drawing available for purchase

© rebecca collins
original drawing available for purchase

Mosaic Monday: Tempered Glass Worskhop

"Blast Off"
© rebecca collins 2009

"Blast Off" ( detail)
© rebecca collins 2009

Today I have been prepping to teach a workshop that will take place next Sunday on Tempered Glass Mosaics. I have taken the workshop myself twice and it is always a lot of fun.  Tempered glass is the type of glass we have in our cars.

 Definition:
Tempered glass is a type of safety glass processed by controlled thermal or chemical treatments to increase its strength compared with normal glass. Tempering puts the outer surfaces into compression and the inner surfaces into tension. Such stresses cause the glass, when broken, to crumble into small granular chunks instead of splintering into jagged shards as plate glass (aka: annealed glass) create. The granular chunks are less likely to cause injury.

The first step in creating a tempered glass project is to create a fun layered collage and I will be bringing some lovely papers left over from my old greeting card days. Other fun paper elements might include personal photos, stamps, maps, any sort of ephemera that will spark inspiration in the design process.

  I will be structuring the class in such a way that my students will be able to finish an 11 x 14 mosaic in one day ( grouting at home later ). I feel I am particularly well suited to teach this class because of my love of layering and mixed media collage work. Sometimes mosaic purists feel that tempered glass is way too easy because you do not do any precise cutting and instead rely on the fun random crackling of the glass itself to create patterns.  I happen to think that just because a technical process may seem easy at first, it does not mean that it is not worthy of pursuit.  A true artist can create amazing work with a box of crayons and does not necessarily have to spend a million dollars on oil paints. Tempered glass is like that box of crayons, it is affordable, accessible and the only limits are your own imagination.  Check out my Pinterest Board on Tempered glass to see some fun works by a wide variety of mosaic artists: http://www.pinterest.com/artpaw/tempered-glass-mosaic/. 
One of my favorite mosaics using tempered glass is a dragon fly by my pal Cherie Bosela. She combined the glass with other traditional mosaic materials to create a stunning work.

::::::::::::
Tempered Glass Mosaic
Instructor: REBECCA COLLINS
Tempered glass, a type of safety glass, is used to create jewel-like surfaces. In this workshop students explore the various ways tempered glass can be used on both 2-D and 3-D forms. With tempered glass you can create a window of enchantment, displaying a collage of colors, pictures and words. This is a great method for adding an interesting new element to your designs; one that invited the viewer to take a closer look into what you have created. This workshop is for beginners and seasoned mosaicists alike. All materials are provided. Please bring a lunch.

Date & Time:		Sep 21   Register (just a few spots left open) SUNDAY 10:00am - 4:00pm (1 day)
Location:		Building A - Mosaic Room
Cost:		$95.00 ($125.00 Non-Members)$25.00 Materials Fee

Mosaic Monday/ Butterflies and other news

Above is another Artificial Pollinator that I created for my pal Eve Lynch's Butterfly Mosaic project. You can see a few butterflies from her last project by clicking here.  I missed out on that first call out as I thought I was too busy ... you have to make time for the things that matter and this is such a fun group community project. I just had to take part this time. Eve will be installing the flutter of submissions at an elementary school in Florida.

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

Check it out!  I made my local neighborhood magazine the Lakewood Advocate! This is their special pet issue that they do each year. Bottom right corner is my artwork of Prada the Pug.  Hoping that  this ink will make us fortunate enough to find a few new local clients or even just hear from some old ones.

.........

Higgins never backs down in play!

Higgins ... my sweet new cuddle bunny.

Ok and last but of course not least ... I have to introduce the newest member of our pack ... Higgins is a rescue and our very first random bred baby. I have always wanted a good old fashion mixed breed pup and yet time and time again we have rescued Scotties because they are my husband's breed of choice. I have no complaints, all of our Scotties and of course Whitman the Fox terrier have been amazing companions. I just wanted to mix it up a tiny bit this time and this very wee little guy is just the ticket!