New Pet Portraits

"Josie"

"Taz"

"Chester"

"Killian"

Working a long full day today to try and get a jump on the work-week. Tomorrow I will try to go through my folder of pending projects and give a shout-out to all clients that have not followed through with photos, or payments. Please keep in mind, if you are waiting on a proof that an order is not considered finalized and will not move forward unless we have both your payment or down payment, along with suitable photos to work from. Unfortunately at this time of year I do not have a lot of time to spend following through with dropped ball or pending projects.

Pet Portrait Deals on Black Friday

ONE DAY ONLY! Blog promo....
Save 30% on Electronic Gift Certificates at Art Paw. Let your loved one choose their favorite colors for their portrait after the holiday rush. This is an easy way to order a custom pet portrait for gift giving. You don't have to worry about trying to find that perfect photograph to work from. Let them send us their photos that they take of their favorite 4 legged kids. Click here to order.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

CMYK Turkey Hand

This CMYK Turkey hand cracks me up. Click here to check out this Flickr member's Turkey hand photo set and then go make your own turkey hand. Or better yet make your list of things you are grateful for.

Today I want to thank my dog art blogging buddies for the many things I learn from your blogs. I don't have time to list you all, but I will link to a few of you today with gratitude.

Melissa ...thanks for teaching me that life is supposed to be fun and there is always time for non commercial creating, crafting, classes, and ... and, ok I can't think of a 4rth thing that starts with C. Cute Creatures?

Manon ... thanks for teaching me that discipline is a choice we make every day. Your work is lovely girl and it is matched only by your fierce determination.

Kathy ... thanks for teaching me the importance of our 4 legged client's stories. Your work embraces the mythology we create for our fur-kids.

Miss Linda... thanks for teaching me that it is ok to step away from the web when life takes over. I am glad you are back on-line, I missed your work while you were away.

Jamie ... you are a crazy workaholic and you remind me of me. I have been meaning to thank you for some time for the Smug Mug site idea on proofing. It has saved my but this season. I will probably return to site proofing during slower times, but Smug Mug rocks.

Moira ... thanks for exposing me to so much dog art!!!! You continue to remind us all that dog art is a genera that deserves respect.

Jill ... thanks for your continual support. Your blog is another read that seems to speak of the amazing reality of a "balanced life" where family & work can coexist.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Buckley The Golden Retriever

"Buckley"

Going to be a late night and I am working on Buckley. Dan started this project for me last weekend. Tonight I added a few additional smudges & paint strokes. This very happy boy still has a way to go. I think he is still a bit photographic and needs some more layers, more smudging maybe.

I hope to proof in the morning ... crossing fingers.
This boy's humans are local. My client found me with one of those world wide web Google queries that will throw you almost into your own zip code... by total coincidence.

Yes, I know there is that new gated pattern again. Nobody has chosen it yet. Buckley will have a wide variety of background options before I am finished.

A Few New Works

"Blacky"

I love Blacky the German shepherd. His photo was a tad low in resolution, but I think he worked up rather nice anyway. He looks like such a character. His human has signed off on one of his proofs so he will get printed this week.

"Tex & Rex"

Yep, I guess you can tell I like this new background above. I think it has sort of a classic feel and yet I was able to loosen it up by layering it with another paint ground.

"Moses & Grady"

These two pups are a wee bit crowded, and yet if I make them smaller so that all ears are on board I will end up with a football field's worth of empty space above their heads. Multiple pet projects always seem to have compositional compromises. I like the way the brown pup pops out against that blue patterned background.

Making the Best of Good Pet Snapshots

When I get in a new client snapshot the 1st thing I do is look for what is great about that photograph. Above we have Luna, an adorable white Boxer. In Luna's case we have a crisp sharp image with lots of detail. The resolution was decent on the digital image. The eyes are stunning, the pose sweet, all in all this photo ranks as a 10 in my book.

When I start cleaning and optimizing I often start to notice things that can be even more perfect. If you check out the cleaned image below you will notice that the ear on the right seems plastered to the side of her head, while the ear to our left is loose, perky and happy. She is also staring straight forward in a wee bit of a mug-shot style.

In the altered image below you will see that I have loosened up that one ear and loosened up her entire demeanor by slightly rotating her head just a tiny bit.
I am still fine-tuning this project and plan to play more with color and try a wide variety of background options. Miss Luna is another excellent example of how high resolution, well shot photographs make the best pet portraits.

New Pet Portraits

"Cassie"

"Aggie & Otis"

"Chester"

What a busy week. I have created quite a few new portrait proofs for review. I plan to work all weekend on some projects from early November that are still pending. Everyone waiting on proofs should sit tight and don't worry. I will get to your project very soon. I promise!

Gangster The Rotti

"Gangster" ( see all 6 proofs )

Working hard today to get several clients finalized. This adorable Rottweiler is Gangster. I love this happy photo. The resolution was great and the pose is just perfect.

Sasha & Toby

Busy today printing and shipping a few approved commissions. Be sure and check out the Ebay charity auction ...today is the last day to bid:
Dogs Rule Art Book Auction Here

Ya gotta love Barney!

Found the great Barney video above from our friends over at the Scottish Terrier News Blog.

For some more White House Doggy stuff check out these links:
Barack Obama's Election Night New Puppy Speech - Remix

My Date With Barney

Buttons Pet Portrait

"Buttons"

I just spent 3 hours organizing new orders and e-mails. It is amazing how many e-mails can stack up in just 2 weeks time. I answer most client requests in a timely fashion, but then there are all the newsletters you have to read or delete, many that I even enjoy. I started a November folder and all client related stuff goes in there this month. Next year I have to figure out a better system for mail. The NYtimes.com has an interesting article about the new president elect and e-mail.
Ok, it is back to work for me.

Sunny The Boston Terrier

I seem to have lots of Boston Terriers in-house this month. Yay for me. I love Bostons. I had one growing up named Butch. He was a very high energy pooch. He had a pink squeaky elephant toy that he treated like it was alive. He would pick it up ever so gently so as not to hurt it.

Today I plan to work several hours and try to get a few more projects well under way.

Dogs Rule Art Auction Is Live!

The Dogs Rule Fat Book Auction is live guys! Check out the video above to learn more or just click here to start bidding. This book is so darn cool. Each page is a hand crafted work of art. 100% of the proceeds will benefit A Place To Bark.

This one of a kind project was started by Jill Beninato of Sit Stay Smile Photography and includes work by the following artists:

Jill Beninato of Sit Stay Smile Photography
Bernie Berlin from A Place To Bark
Rebecca Collins of Art Paw
Wendy Crumbley from 2 Dog Studio
Manon Doyle of Hoochie Poochie Studios
Anne Leuck Feldhaus of Anne Leuck Feldhaus Studio
Leigh Jackson of Noisy Dog Studio
Melissa Langer of Pug Notes
Moira McLaughlin of Dream Dogs Art
Nicole Mlakar-Livingston of Nicole Mlakar Photography
Linda O'Neill of Abby Creek Studios
Jamie Pflughoeft of Cowbelly Photography
Kathy Weller of Wellerwishes Illustration

Friday Art Dog Vlog

Wow has it really been a hundred years since I last Vlogged? Seems like it. Today I talk about an upcoming art auction starting tomorrow for a copy of the Dogs Rule fatbook. Tomorrow I will be posting that auction link and a promo video for the book. In today's Vlog I also tell you guys to check out Dog Art Today for a chance to win a free mug by submitting your pooch's photo . Uhhm, ok that is it ... gotta get back to work. Check out my Vlog.

Artwork for Baby Nursery

"Drifter the Dalmatian at home"

In the past I have worked with many expectant Moms and just this last summer I had several pieces that were created for baby nurseries. I love families that honor their 4 legged kids when the real deal comes along. Too often the family pet can get lost in the shuffle of excitement when a new baby arrives. I know all of my clients have huge hearts and are able to celebrate all the loves in their abundant lives. I also know these babies will grow into caring young people that understand how to respect and get along with animals.

Thanks to Audrey for sending us this great shot. Love that dark chocolate changing table. The pale blues in this piece work well for the room and the rich red border is nice and masculine for a growing baby boy.

Benny The American Bulldog Portrait

This is Benny the Bulldog. His proofing set can be found by clicking here.
I have started using Smug Mug for proofing instead of my main site during this busy holiday season. The reason for this is "TIME". I find it much faster than making a web page for each proof with thumbnails, and enlarged detail images and so on. There are a few negatives, one being that the client can not easily visit Art Paw years from now to find their original proofing page. Another draw back is that I am not feeding my site fresh content which the search engines tend to like. I do like the clean and easy to use interface over at Smug Mug and I can even customize the look when I find time.

New Kitty Art

See all proofs by clicking here

This kitty is " Cloud" as you can see from the cute name tag. The top proof has a lot of loose jabby paint strokes added to the coat in aqua, orange and violet. The bottom sample is calmer with subtle violet highlights on coat. This morning I am working up a variety of background options for this cool cat so I can proof my client. This painterly portrait project is for a 24 x 24 canvas.

Last Week's Travels

Rebecca & Melissa Langer

Last week I flew out to Boulder to watch the election returns with Dan. He spent a couple of extra days there helping to get the vote out. Before we headed back we stopped for a fun visit with Melissa Langer of Pugnotes.com. Melissa is a talented dog artist and cyber pal. In person she is upbeat, and full of energy. I introduced you guys to Melissa back in September when I had time to do my weekly artist interviews. Thanks to Melissa for taking time out of her busy schedule to visit!

This week it is back to work. Today I am expecting a large box order, I plan to proof 3 clients, need to work on getting some biz forms printed and then there are a handful of recent new orders that need to be placed on the board. This Saturday the 15th is my official cut off date for a guarantee delivery by Christmas. Things should calm down after that as I focus on finishing up all existing orders.

Screech Owl Update

The update on this little boy owl is that he probably got into some poison by eating a poisoned mouse. I took him to the Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
He had a little blood in his eye as well so he probably became disoriented and flew into something as a result of the poisoning. Check out this link for tips on what to do if you find an injured or sick bird:
http://www.rogerswildlife.org/rescue.html

By the way, it is not only wildlife that can suffer from eating a poisoned mouse. Pet owners should always avoid using any kind of harmful poisons or garden chemicals.

Grey Owl and Grey Day

It is a grey fall morning and I found this little guy in my yard today. He is grounded and not doing very good. I placed a laundry crate over him to protect him from predators until I can figure out what to do with him. I have called a local wildlife rehabilitation center and hopefully they will get back with me today.

If I had a tail it would be wagging today!

Yes we did. We have a new President!
Of course as a dog lover I laughed out loud when he said in his speech that his girls had earned that new puppy that will be going to the White House with them. I don't have time to write much today and I am at loss for words anyway. Check out Moira's blog post titled " Democracy is a Warm Puppy".

VOTE TODAY!

Ok I have been bugging you guys for a week to vote early .... now it is here ....election day!!!

If you are an Obama fan like myself get to the polls, do not think he has it wrapped up. The media could be 100% wrong ya know. It is never over till each vote is counted.

If you are a Republican ... get on out there, your guy is the come back king after all. Ok if you want to stay home, that is ok too:) Just kidding .... EVERYONE VOTE!

New Pet Portrait

This new doggy portrait is for Charlie. When I started my digital painting I noticed there was a nice graceful arch of the tail along with some nice movement at the torso. With that in mind I created a lot of texture and movement by adding some loose line work in the bedding. I like the energy it creates...what could be a lazy or peaceful scene now has just an added punch of excitement like maybe Charlie is about to get off that blanket and chase a ball, or some other prey. I think I could have gone heavier with the brush strokes on Charlie and if the client wants me to I can go in that direction, adding more crazy color to Charlie. At any rate I like the direction I have started here. The deep green that I added to the bedding creates a nice contrast. As you can see the original photo was a wee bit monochromatic ...beige, beige and more beige. It was however a very nice crisp photo to work from. Charlie is a handsome boy.