Reflections From Life

German Shepherd WIP 3

2011-08-24T14:02:00.002-04:00

An update on this lovely dog. Still have much to do, but it's coming along quite well.

Details:
11" x 14" on Ampersand Scratchbord
#11 Exacto knife
Ampersand repair black Ink
Sable brush

Thomas Update

2011-08-10T14:42:00.004-04:00

Well, I made some changes, added his whiskers, toned down his nose, and tried to fluff up his tail some. Unfortunately, my scanner is on the fritz right now so this is a digital pic, but not a very good one. I have since fluffed up his tail just a bit more too, but haven't taken another photo of it yet. His nose is not as colorful in real life as it looks here.

I'm almost afraid to varnish this. It night darken it too much.

German Shepherd WIP

2011-07-29T01:23:00.003-04:00

A while back, I was asked to donate something to an auction to raise money for my local SPCA shelter. I chose to donate a gift certificate for an 11" x 14" custom pet portrait. This handsome German Shepherd was the winner!

This portrait is being done on 11" x 14" Ampersand Scratchbord using only a #11 Exacto knife and the Ampersand Claybord inks. There is still lots to be done yet, especially value tweaking, but it's certainly coming along. There's some corrections that I can see need to be done now that this is on my computer screen, and I will be making them soon.

Rebecca, If you see this, please feel free to comment in the comments section, or you can email me directly to let me know how you feel about how this is coming along.

Thomas - Almost There!

2011-06-29T15:54:00.003-04:00

Thomas is finally coming along fairly well now. After having some issues with him, I think I'm just about there. I still need to finish the chest he's laying on, and of course, Thomas still needs many adjustments and details added, but it's almost done.

Thomas - More colors and layers down

2011-03-08T15:58:00.008-05:00

Just a little update on my progress on Thomas.

I have put down more layers of color, this time on his body. There is still much to do with color, value, and details on ALL of the painting. Very difficult to get his coloring correct, but I think I'm getting there slowly but surely. As you can see, Thomas's bib around his neck is barely started and one ear and one leg are not even begun yet. Also, I have not yet completed the markings on his head either. I need to go back to those and finish them.

Also, I am curling his beautiful long furry tail around his body. The ref pic I took of him had his tail sticking straight out toward the back and I wanted to include it in the painting. I'm using my cats as models for how long his tail should be as it curls around his body. I'll use Tony and Treat (my two long-haired cats,) as well as my other ref pics of Thomas, as models for how a fuzzy tail would lay beside him.

I really need to increase my values before I get too much more done so that the shadows on Thomas agrees with the direction from which I have the light coming in the painting. This is another problem with creating your own light source. Everything must agree!

Little side note here - my four cats are highly jealous that I am working on the painting of a strange cat. They're even more bothered by the fact that I'm also working on a painting of a dog at the same time (horror of horrors - a DOG!). Lol! They are giving me funny looks, some of them look like their little kitty cat brains are scheming something ........

Note for Kristina: Should Thomas have more gray in his fur or is this coloring all right?

Thomas - WIP 1 - Starting to Add Color

2011-02-12T11:07:00.004-05:00

Here's the latest update to Thomas. As you can see I have started to add color. I will be toning down the yellow in his fur and adding more color to his face. These layers of color are only the preliminary layers. There are more to come.

In the photos I have taken of Thomas, he has some yellow/gold in his fur on his back and a little bit on the side of his body. However, when I saw Thomas, I don't remember seeing that much yellow. I have asked his owner to take a look and make sure the photos aren't lying to me.

I have also decided to darken the background on the right side a little bit. As you can see, I have chosen to have the main lighting source come from the right side at an angle. However, I do think it is a bit harsh as it is. I won't start on the right side of Thomas's face until I get that darkened just a little bit more.

Next I will be adjusting his colors and doing more to his head.

NOTE: To get a better view, click on the photo and view the photo in a larger size.

Thomas the Maine Coon - Values and Sketch

2011-02-07T14:36:00.006-05:00

I've got more work done on the Maine Coon cat. Here is a rough value sketch of the cat and the wooden chest he's on. This sketch helps me figure out values before committing to them on the board so, hopefully, I won't make a mistake and not be able to erase.

I have now transferred a basic outline sketch of Thomas to my prepared pastelbord. At this point, I decided that I needed to add pencil to the watercolor background I had prepared. I am using french greys over a cool gray wc background. I may just combine some cool grays over the french grey too. Not really satisfied with the background just yet. Unfortunately, you can't see the nuances, the transitions of color in the background in this photo.

I have also begun working on Thomas's ear. Remember, nothing is permanent until I am finished with the painting! These colors are not the finished combination.

Sorry for the poor photos. It's very overcast here today and the natural lighting is not good. This has also affected the colors in the photos. I will be posting another update soon that should be better.

Background for Maine Coon

2011-01-29T18:13:00.004-05:00

I recently received a commission to paint a Maine Coon cat named Thomas. He is one gorgeous boy! After trying three different supports out, I have settled on Pastelbord. What a surprise.

I got a white 9x12 piece of pastelbord out, pulled out my Neocolors II, and began the background. I applied quite a few layers of the Neocolors, wetting the colors to blend them in between layers. Most of the time I just apply more color without waiting for the previous layer underneath to dry. My problem is that the layers tend to dry too quickly, so I tried to keep the support a bit wet without removing or dulling down any color.

I started off by using a large Aquaflo brush, but had a lot of trouble getting the water to flow out the way it is supposed to. I quickly switched over to a 1" Creative Mark Fundamentals wash brush. I kept the brush damp all the time and went over and over the painting in a circular motion, blending and reblending the colors using a sfumato technique until I got the effect I wanted. The result is the photo above. It took me a couple of hours to get this much done.

The Neocolors I used are; light grey, steel grey, dark grey, and white. The white was only for toning down and lightening up an area.

Next is the sketch and then beginning with the colored pencils.

The Pressure to Donate

2010-06-24T15:39:00.011-04:00

I read an article this morning from Fine Art Views Newsletter that brought back memories that are slightly painful. It was called How To Give Without Being Taken. Many of us artists have been asked to donate art for some fund raiser of another during the course of our artistic careers. It's hard to donate a painting that could be sold for full value and pay the electric bill, yet at the same time, we feel guilty and selfish if we say no. So how do we come to some kind of balance?

The above article, written by Luann Udell, offers some good suggestions. Following the suggestions does not guarantee that it will work, but it is at least a start.

One suggestion is to give the organization an invoice stating the value of the painting you are donating, a little blurb about you, the artist, and suggesting a minimum bid. I have donated to a fundraiser and it did not turn out the way I had hoped. I provided a paper with all the particulars on it including the value, size, medium, and info about me. I hoped this information would be passed on to the auctioneer, because it is after all, the auctioneer that is responsible for selling the painting. However, even an invoice, or similar paper, does not mean they will understand the true value of the painting and therefore promote it appropriately.

Luann also suggests that you give to a fundraiser that means something to you. That way, you won't feel so conflicted in offering a painting for free to an organization and losing the value of it (donating a painting to charity cannot be claimed on your taxes as a write-off). I frequently get requests to donate paintings to organizations to raise money for animals, usually shelters. If I gave to all of the organizations that make requests, I probably wouldn't have any paintings left. If you are an animal artist, you know what I mean. I especially do not feel obligated to give a donation to a shelter in Arizona when I live in North Carolina and my local animal shelter needs as much, if not more, help than theirs does. I want to raise money for my local shelter, not one that is on the other side of the country. It is because I care for animals that I am doing my Faces of Love series rather than donating to an unknown organization over 2,000 miles away.

In addition, Luann makes a wonderful suggestion that you offer to sell your painting to the organization at a wholesale price. That way both you and the charity can get paid! It also gives more value to your painting and the organization will work harder to sell it for a higher price. The shame of it is that too many people, organizations, and charities think you ought to give away your art and be happy with the exposure you will, hopefully, receive.

Lastly, Luann suggested that the artist be present at the charity event. That is a good idea, if they let you in without charging you. I naively thought I would be invited to the event because I made a donation to the auction. Not so! If I wanted to attend I had to pay the full price of a ticket - $35.00 per person. Wow! I learned the hard way. Not only did they not get anywhere near the value of my donation at the auction, but I could not attend to help promote my own donation to help raise the bid on it. In addition, I got no future commissions from the exposure I received at the event and that was what I had really hoped for since I was new to the area at the time.

It was a hard learned lesson for me, but it was worth it. I am more careful to whom I donate my artwork. I make sure it's a charity that means something to me, and I no longer feel guilty saying "No" when asked to donate.

Next week, Luann is covering "Part 2: The perfect way to handle requests to donate your work!" I look forward to seeing what she has to say about that subject.

Sennelier La Carte Paper Review

2010-06-20T23:30:00.009-04:00

I tested a new paper (new for me, that is) the other day. I painted a quick Persian cat portrait on Sennelier La Carte sanded paper and I used pastels. I have already tried this paper with pencils (wrong surface for pencils!) So, now I'm trying pastels. I have to say though, I didn't have high hopes due to what I had already seen in the paper.

La Carte paper is a stiff 200-lb paper that is not easily bent or creased. The surface of the paper is coated with vegetable fiber that actually comes off quite easily. When I rested my hand on the paper, the vegetable fiber was all over my hand when I picked it up, AND there was a bald spot on the paper! That bald spot cannot be covered up with pastels or pencils, so that means the paper, in that one spot, is not usable. If that bald spot happens to be in an area of your painting that cannot be cropped out, then you have a big problem.

In addition, when I blended the pastels with my fingers, as I usually do, the vegetable fiber came off and smooshed around on the paper along with the pastels. Not good.

Finally, hard pastels most definitely did NOT work with La Carte paper; they simply scraped the fiber right off the paper.

Needless to say, I will not be using this paper again. Since it is expensive, I will not miss paying the price for it either. Now, what to do with the left over paper??????

*********************************************************************

Here's a little mini drawing I did for an artist trade on an artist forum that of which I am a member. Just a simple ole onion on black Stonehenge paper. I used Primsacolor Verithins and Premier colored pencils. I've been wanting to draw this onion for a while now. Size is 2.5" x 3.5".

Blog Changes

2010-06-15T17:02:00.004-04:00

In case you have noticed something different on my blog, you're not seeing things. I have changed the look of the blog a bit. Okay, more than a bit.

I have had this blog for several years now and to be perfectly frank, I have become bored with the look. Not only that, but I felt the look was not entirely professional looking. I didn't like the color of the text but I couldn't change it. Now eblogger has come up with new templates and let's me have much more control of the design of my blog, so I took the opportunity to experiment and change the look.

Please let me know what you think. Does this color scheme work? I think it's easier on the eyes, but you guys be the judges and tell me what you think!

Something I thought I'd Never Do!

2010-06-10T17:52:00.005-04:00

Have you ever totally disliked something, I mean REALLY disliked something and for some inexplicable reason suddenly decided you might just like it after all? Well, I have just taken a turn down that road.

I have never, ever liked oil paints at all .... nada, nein, nunca and every other form of negative you can come up with. I have always been thankful that I am a pencil artist because oil paints, canvases, brushes, and oil mediums are so expensive! I don't know if it's out of boredom, pent-up creativity, or experimentalism, but I have a sudden urge to give oils a try.

*sigh* I have a feeling I am really stepping in it this time. Mind you I will never, NEVER give up pencils, but I think we all need a little experimenting now and then in order to grow as artists.

I started working with pastels a while ago, but have been indecisive about how far I wanted to go with them considering they are an incredibly fragile medium, and they pain they are to mat, frame, and ship. I love how pastels look, their simplicity, ease of use, and portability.

However, Oils can just be popped into a frame just like my colored pencil paintings, and I like that very much! There are a lot of other issues with oils that I will have to work out, such as the amount of time to dry and the fact that my house is full of cat hair. Artists Cathy Sheeter and Leslie Harrison have the same problem. I'm not sure what to do about that, especially since I cannot shut off one room since we have no AC and need all of our doors and windows open for cross-ventilation. At least I don't have to worry about having good ventilation when I paint!

I am planning on buying some good quality oil paints and archival panels and renting a few oil painting videos to get me started some time in the next few weeks. I don't have to worry about my busy schedule until next month, at which point I may not have enough time. I am very excited to get started, but apprehensive as well. I don't like wasting money and I'm still not entirely sure I should spend the money to do this.

What do all of you think? Should I take the leap and give oils a try or just stay with what I know best????

Elegance

2010-06-09T15:59:00.005-04:00

As all of you know, I love horses. I grew up raising and training horses, and taking part in different types of competitions. This painting, Elegance, grew out of my love for horses. I like to focus on the beauty, gracefulness of horses, as well as the horsemanship and showmanship skills of their riders and handlers.

While I was judging a horse show last year, my husband kindly took photographs of the horses and people for me. He got some really great shots too! This was one such shot. Now, I have cropped it quite a bit. My husband took the shot from quite a distance, but I wanted to focus on the graceful curves of this horse, the way he was moving, and the lower body position of the rider. I decided on a gold background because I associate gold with elegance and this horse had a decidedly elegant look. I kept the background simple so as not to interfere with the horse and rider. I let the horse's swishing tail add to the composition in the empty part of the painting.

I enjoyed painting this picture very much and I hope you have enjoyed viewing it and reading about its creation.

Details
Medium: Prismacolor Colored pencils with Neocolor II watercolor underpainting
Support: Pastelbord
Size: 8" x 10"
Accessories: Stencil and bristle brushes for blending
Ref Photo Credit: My husband

Drawing Class 4: Lighting Types & Techniques

2010-05-05T22:42:00.003-04:00

Last night was the class on Lighting: Types & Techniques.

We played with lighting types for portrait art, such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Downstage. We talked about the differences and the effects the lighting had on the subject.

Next, I set up a still life with a silver set, adjusted the lighting several different ways to see what it did to the silver and the reflections. Then I added a red canister to it to get some interesting reflections.

Lastly, I brought out some breakfast items - a bowl, a mug, a napkin, a placemat, and two spoons. Then I had all the students set up their own still life by working together, including how they wanted the napkin to drape on the table, then adjust the lighting. Once they got it the way they liked it, they had to draw it! :D Finding the right view point from which to draw it was the hard part.

They all did very well! I'm proud that they are willing to stick with me through all of these challenges I keep putting them through! I want them to really aim high with what they draw. It is only when we challenge ourselves to do something we don't think we can do that we learn the most. I don't want them to always take the easy way out, whether it's because they are bored or because they don't think they can do it. Either excuse will stunt their growth as artists, and I don't want that to happen.

NEXT WEEK: We experiment with colors, using only the three primary colors, they will have to work out a palette by mixing their colors many different ways to achieve different colors, then draw a picture. They will have a choice of a couple of pics that I will provide. I think it's lots of fun and a great learning experience!!

Here are some pics from the class. Three are of students, the other one is the still life they set up.

It's a Blooming Spring!

2010-04-30T14:03:00.013-04:00

Our flowers are starting to bloom all over now and they're making me think that perhaps it's time to paint a floral or two ..... maybe even in pastels instead of colored pencils. I've been itching to use my collection of pastels lately, maybe now is the time.

Basic Drawing I Class

2010-04-29T00:20:00.004-04:00

I am into the fourth week of the Basic Drawing I class I am teaching at the AoA Gallery (Arts of The Albemarle), and having a great time! I thought I'd take a pic of my students drawing their first "test". The purpose for this "test" was for them to put into play all the things they were taught in the first two classes, namely values, shape, and form.

You can't see the subject they are drawing in the above photo very well, but it is a drapery test. I hung a piece of white material on a 30" x 40" foam board that I placed on my easel so they had a good view of it. It is a simple drapery subject. You should have seen what they had to draw at the end of the class - an inert mass!! I threw a large white piece of material over a chair that I had placed on top of a table, making sure it draped nicely down the chair and onto the table in a variety of folds. Then I said, "Okay, draw it!" A couple of the students hated me ..... until the end of the class when they looked at what they did and realized they really could do it! Plus they said they DID learn a lot from it, so in the end they were glad I made them draw it. I'm glad. I would be very sad if my students hated me. :p

Next week they are going to learn about the different types of lighting. I hope I don't forget to take some pics to post for you here. It ought to be a lot of fun! I'll see if I can get some pics of their drapery drawings too. They did a great job!!! I'm very proud of their work!

Pastel Experiment

2010-04-16T19:24:00.006-04:00

Recently, I found a pastel tutorial by Diana Ponting using a ref pic of Allsorts that she had taken. Since I very badly needed more practice with my pastels I decided to give it a try, however, I ended up not following the tutorial at all but doing it my own way instead. I began the painting and learned a whole lot in the process.

First, I decided to use a piece of paper that was new to me. I had heard that Fabriano Tiziano was a very good pastel paper and so bought several sheets to give a try. I chose one for this painting. That was my first mistake. I did NOT like the paper! It is too rough and extremely difficult to get a nice smooth look to a painting.

Second, I had always thought that pastels were an opaque medium - not so. I used a combination of my very nice Rembrandts, Nu-Pastels, and Richeson semi-hard pastels along with some Mungyos (a cheaper brand of pastels). None of them could cover up my graphite lines from where I had drawn my sketch for the painting. You could see my pencil lines right through the pastels!

Third, the first painting of this pic being thrown out, I begin again with UART 600 grit. I don't like UART with my colored pencils, but I have never tried pastels on it, so this was a good time to experiment. This time I used white transfer paper to transfer my sketch to the UART. Alas, it too had problems being covered up with the pastels. I'll have to come up with a new game plan for the next piece.

Fourth, UART worked beautifully with the pastels!!! I am very pleased with the results! I will definitely be using UART with future pastel paintings.

So, I have learned several things from this experiment. I need to come up with a better transfer method that I can cover up with the pastels, I will NOT use Fabriano Tiziano again (at least not with pastels), and I love UART paper for pastels. I enjoyed this pastel experiment, but chose not to complete it. Since this is not my ref pic I cannot exhibit it and I can not enter it in competitions, so I do not want to spend too much time on it. Therefore, I am going to move onto one of my own ref pics and continue the learning process.

The first pic is the first painting on Tiziano that is now in the trash. The second pic is the one done on UART. Big difference I think. What do you think?

A Storm's a'coming!

2010-04-09T01:51:00.003-04:00

Yep, windy day today with lots of clouds. Could not get a decent photo of Is Your Name In The Book today. Sorry. I tried. I don't like how it came out though, so I'll have to wait until this weekend to see if I can get a good pic.

In the meantime, I rearranged my pastels and cleaned out the drawers I keep them in. Took longer than I thought it would, but they are nice, clean, and organized. Didn't get any artwork done today though. Tomorrow we're going to a concert with Guy Penrod of the Gaithers and will be gone most of the day. It's my birthday present from my hubby! Can't wait, but am concerned about getting home. It's a very long drive home and we won't get home until about 3:00 AM. If there's going to be a storm, I hope it's over with by then.

New Christian Drawings

2010-04-08T01:41:00.005-04:00

I have spent a lot of time recently working on my work-ups for my latest Christian paintings. All of my work-ups are in graphite, and are the same size as the paintings will be, which means they are very large!

I am very excited because I have spent the past almost two years trying to figure out how to draw one picture in particular, and feeling very inadequately skilled to do it. I have struggled with a sense of inadequacy ever since becoming an artist, but I do have my moments when I am suddenly so inspired I have no doubts that I can do the job! Yesterday was one such day.

Soon after getting out of bed, I felt the urge to start working on a drawing that had been sitting dormant for months. Eight hours later, I had an almost completed the work-up for the drawing and am excited that very soon I will be able to start on the painting of it!!! Some of you know about the drawing because I've mentioned it a few times, so you know how very long I have been struggling with it. The title of it is: Is Your Name In The Book. I know I'm going to be really struggling with inadequacy once I get the painting started, but I believe that, with God's help, I will be able to complete it ........ and a lot faster than the drawing tool! The painting will be 18" x 24" on Pastlebord.

Today, I spent four hours working on yet another work-up that I had not been able to figure out how to do, but now have almost half of it done. The work-up is for another Christian painting called The Great Compromiser and Deceiver. This one is a bit strange shaped. I think it's going to end up being 14" x 18" on Pastelbord.

Now I just need to sit down and finish my work-up of Cowboys For Christ and I can get that painting started too. It, too, will be 18" x 24" also on Pastelbord. I have several big corrections to make on that one though, so it's going to take awhile before I finish that one. There are many more details to work out on that drawing.

I realize that I did not include any photos with this post, but that is because I have not yet taken any. I will take some pics tomorrow and try to post Is Your Name In The Book.

Lastly, I have to get going on my shelter series!! I have seven more paintings I have to finish before December for my show. Lots of work to do!

One more note. One of my followers requested that I would write the second article on conducting photo shoots and I told him I would do it as soon as possible. Obviously, I have not posted it yet and for that I apologize. I will seriously start working on it tomorrow and get it posted as soon as I can.

And here is a drawing that has absolutely nothing to do with Christian artwork. Just some eye candy to enjoy!

Red-Yellow-Blue Challenge

2010-03-21T22:46:00.007-04:00

In my effort to get back to the basics, I decided it would be interesting to do this project. I have learned in my almost six years of being a self-taught artist, that too many self-taught artists have not taught themselves the basics. Maybe because the basics are boring and we want to hurry up and get to the good stuff. I know that was my excuse. I have also found many students in art programs in colleges who are not being taught the basics. They are told to just paint what you feel, to express yourself! The problem is, if we don't learn the basics our art will suffer for it. So, for the past couple of months I've been trying to teach myself the basics again, and this time, really spend some time and effort on it.

This is done on a 5" x 7" piece of Stonehenge. I wanted to try out some Dick Blick Artist Grade Studio Colored Pencils, so I used DB pencils: Pthalo Blue, Yellow, Carmine Red, and white for highlights. I ran out of Pthalo Blue and had to replace it with a Prisma Copenhagen Blue, which was about the same shade as the Pthalo, but the red, yellow and white remained DB. I only used the Prisma copenhagen for the snow, that's it. So, not much.

I left a lot of the white paper showing and some of the paper has very light layers of blue and red on it. In addition, I blended the colors with a bristle brush. Yes, it actually worked, although not nearly as well as on sanded paper or Pastelbord, but it worked okay.

The ref pic is by DaisyRee Bakker at WC (and at Flicker). The colors of this pic are a bit off, unfortunately. There's not as much red in real life. I think I'll try to scan it and see what happens. The background is not as red as this pic appears to be.

I learned a real lot doing the project and I'm glad I did it! I've even decided that I'm going to have my own students do this as well. I enjoyed it very much, especially having to really think about my color palette and how I was going to mix these three colors to get the colors I needed. I would change a few things in the composition were I to do it over again, but overall, I'm pretty satisfied with it.

I will try to post a better photo of this later.

Cowboy Sketch WIP

2010-02-16T23:42:00.005-05:00

Here is an update on my cowboy sketch. It's a work-up for a huge cp painting. Getting a lot of details and values figured out before putting it on the board.

Lots more to do still. Got to work out a major flaw in the saddle as well fix the values in the flag. I hope to have another update at the end of this week.

Drawing From Life I

2010-02-13T17:42:00.006-05:00

In keeping with my theme for back to the basics, I have been trying to draw from life as well as from ref pics. The gallery director asked me the other day if I wanted to start a drawing class or workshop at the gallery. I told her I would think about it and let her know. So, along with back to the basics I've been doing lately, I've decided it's time to get back to drawing from life and make sure my drawing skills (from life) are up to snuff! If I'm going to do this class, I want to do a lot of life drawing, so I'd better have my skills up to par.

In addition, I've been asked to do a colored pencil workshop by both people interested in taking the class as well as the gallery director. So, I'm thinking up a lesson plan for that as well.

Here is a quick little drawing today from life. It's a small pitcher I bought for still life set-ups. This pitcher has some strange ornamentation near the handle. It's a very small pitcher, and the ornamentation was hard to make out, especially in this lighting.

It's only a quick sketch to practice drawing. I apologize for the bad photo. The weather here is bad today and the sun has not even come out all day. Snow and rain. Love the snow, hate the rain! Yuck!

Lessons Learned This Week

2010-02-11T21:35:00.004-05:00

This week I have been in the gallery everyday doing demos of my artwork. I started a new horse piece before going in on Monday and have been working on it all week. It's just like when I've done "Artist In Action" in the past at art stores. I just sit there and paint all day. When people come by, I greet them and explain my work. I explain my medium, my techniques, and have several completed pieces on display for them to see. The piece I have been working on all week is very close to being completed! During the course of the past five days, I have learned some important lessons:

1. Shutting yourself into your studio to work is a good idea .... initially, but........ it takes getting out into contact with other people, especially other artists, that will really motivate and inspire you. I have accomplished more this week, even while teaching others how I work and talking to many interested people (and potential clients) about my art. I had become lazy, unmotivated, and uninspired by staying at home working in my studio day after day. By getting out into the middle of the local art world, I was rejuvenated and my confidence was boosted. I had many inquiries about commissions, about selling the art pieces I had on display, and many, many compliments and a great deal of encouragement. Everyone needs encouragement and support. That is exactly what I have received this week. Not that I don't get that at home. This is different. It's by people I don't know and who have no reason to say something simply to please me. That is important and makes the compliment more effective.

2. Don't blow dust and pencil particles off your painting while chewing gum ........... you might get unexpected ...... and undesired ....... results.

3. Be prepared to market yourself at all times ..... even at the most unexpected or unplanned times. Unwittingly, I have been marketing myself all week ....... and I hope to be feeling the effects of that for some time to come. You just never know who you will run into while you are out there in the world working on your art - potential clients or people who know potential clients and will recommend you to them. I also ran out of business cards and desperately need to get more made ASAP!! Never run out of business cards!

4. Exposing your art to the public will give you name recognition in the future....... people will talk about that animal artist that was demoing her art at the gallery, you know Nancy Pingree Hoover ...... ! And if they forget my name, they now know where to go to get it, and my contact information.

None of this means you need to paint in public all the time. It simply means not to be afraid of getting out there and exposing yourself, and your art, to the world! I feel that I have completely changed many of the public's previous (and prejudiced) view of colored pencil artwork now that they have been able to see it done and had it explained to them by a colored pencil artist. I feel more confident in displaying my art locally. Chances are, it will be better understood than it has been in the past, and if someone makes a disparaging remark, I bet there will be someone nearby who can correct them now that they themselves are better educated about colored pencils.

By the way, goals one and two are now completed for this year! I am now established in an art gallery AND I have, as of tomorrow, completed one week of being the featured artist at the gallery! I am psyched and ready and rearing to go with completing a lot more artwork!!

What Are Your Goals for Your Art This Year?

2010-01-25T19:29:00.003-05:00

No, I do not call them resolutions. They are goals. Goals that are thoughtfully pondered over and realistically set for both the short-term AND the long-term.

A short-term goal is one that should see completion within a relatively short period of time, such as six-months, one year all the way up to five years. Long term goals obviously then would be five years and beyond. Haven't you ever gone for a job interview and been asked, "Where do you see yourself in five years? ..... in ten years?" I always hated those questions, and usually the interviewers did not like my response (but that's a story for another day). The point is, if one is to succeed, one must first set realistic goals, otherwise one tends to succeed at nothing more than wandering aimlessly.

I find goals easier to manage when they are broken down into small chunks, much like a painting. In case you hadn't noticed, I like to work my paintings one section at a time rather than all over at once. I have to feel like I'm making progress or I get discouraged. When I work one section at a time I am constantly seeing progress. So it is with goals. I break them into smaller, more manageable pieces that can be completed in a short enough period of time that I can see and feel the progress I'm making.

Furthermore, it is important to write how you intend to accomplish your goals. Simply listing your goals is not enough. You need to have a plan of action other wise it becomes too easy to fall by the wayside and never achieve your goal.

Although it is putting yourself on the spot by making others privy to this information, it helps to let others know what your goals are. In this way friends and fellow artists can help you, and I, achieve our goals by occasionally nudging us in the right direction, or reminding us of a goal we may have forgotten about.

So I am taking my own advice and writing my goals for 2010 here. I will not be including what my plan of action is here. That is for you, and me, to do for ourselves, because a goal without a plan of action is probably a goal that will never be achieved.

Here is my list of goals for this next year, and included is the date when I would like to have that goal accomplished:

1. Get established in at least one gallery within the next eight weeks.
Goal = Feb. 28, 2010

2. Do store demos, an "Artist in Action" sort of thing.
Goal = March 2010.

3. Enter at least two national art competitions this year.
Goal for first entry = May 2010.

4. Enter at least two local and/or regional art competitions.
Goal = May 2010.

5. Write at least one tutorial for my website.
Goal = July 2010

6. Finish my Christian paintings!!!
Cowboys for Christ: Goal = September 2010.
Is Your Name In The Book: Goal = December 2010
The Great Compromiser/Deceiver: Goal = June 2011

7. Work on my art basics. Turn what I learn and what I work on into lessons that can perhaps help other artists as well.
Goal: Ongoing throughout the year.

Now what about all of you? What are your short-term goals for this next year? What would you like to accomplish in your artistic life?

I challenge you to think carefully about what you would like to accomplish this year and write out your goals, then write your plan of action to accomplish each and every goal. Make your goals known to others and take their reminders and inquiries throughout the year as encouragement rather than as nagging. You may just find yourself accomplishing more than you thought you would, and hopefully more than you have in other years.

Angles of Light and Shadow: How to Draw the Shadow of an Angled Object

2010-01-19T19:22:00.009-05:00

Supplies needed for this lesson:
Protractor
Straight ruler
Rolling Ruler (if you have one)
8” x 10” piece of paper
Eraser
2B Pencil
HB Pencil

Yesterday’s lesson covered the very bare basics of shadows. Today, we’re going to tackle the problem of What if the sun hits an object on its corner? How do we know how to draw the shadow and how long to make it? So, take out your supplies and let's get to it!

If you have never used a protractor before, now is the time to give you a brief lesson on how. Look at fig. 1. You will see a line drawn horizontally, and another line perpendicular to that line. Where the two lines meet you will see a circle. That circle is where you want to line up the little circle in your protractor. See fig. 2 to see what I mean.

Fig. 1

Fig 2

To figure out the angle of the light, first decide how steep or shallow an angle you want the light to reach your object. In today’s lesson we will be using a 45 degree angle for the light. Look to the left side of your protractor and look for 40, then count five more bars up and that will be 45. Then, to draw a straight line, you can place a small straight ruler over the protractor (make sure you hold onto the protractor tightly so you don’t accidentally move it), and line the right end of the straight ruler up at the location where the two lines meet, and the other end should line up with 45 degree angle. You can then make a short line along your straight ruler. Lift the ruler and protractor up. You have now drawn a line at a 45 degree angle to your square!

Okay, now that you know how to use a protractor, let’s draw our object, which is a square turned so that the point of the square is facing you. A one or two inch square should be big enough, but you can go bigger if you want. Just remember, you will be drawing lines and a shadow outside of the square too, so you will need a good deal of room surrounding your square.

To help you see just how to draw a square with its corner facing you, look at Fig. 3. Remember when drawing your square, all angles and all sides should be exactly the same! You will also notice that I have drawn in the angle of your light source as well. Use your HB pencil lightly so if you have to erase you can do so without leaving a lot of marks on the paper. I erase a lot since I tend to be a perfectionist, so I draw lightly at first, then when I am sure I have the object exactly the way I want it I will go over the lines with my 2B pencil (using the straight ruler of course).

Fig. 3

Now that you have a 3-d square, we need to finish it off by indicating where the back corner and bottom sections of the square are located. These, of course, would be invisible to your eyes, but are necessary to help you measure where the shadow falls from the object. So, take your HB pencil and, using your straight ruler, lightly draw dotted lines where those invisible sections are located, use Fig 4 as a guide. Ignore the lines in fig. 4 that are drawn outside the square at this time.

Fig, 4

Once you have drawn those “invisible” sections, you will want to draw in some ref points outside your object as well. You will notice the line at the front part and to the right of the object is not exactly parallel to the base line you drew. That’s the way it is supposed to be. You want that line to be just a little bit off of parallel, and you want it to be dotted. Then, from the right corner of the square, draw a dotted line parallel to the dotted line you just drew. Finally, you want to draw one more dotted line from the back corner of the square parallel to the previous two lines you drew. These lines are used to tell you just how long the shadow is going to be.

Before you can continue on, if you have not done so already you will need to draw in the angle of light you want to use. We are using with a 45 degree angle for this lesson. Place the angle of light in the same location I put mine in Fig 4.

If you have a rolling ruler, you'll want to pull it out to use for the next part. The lines indicating the angle of the shadow must be the same as the angle of light. Line up your rolling ruler with the line for the angle of light, then roll it over to the top corner in front of the square and lightly draw a solid line from that corner down to the first dotted line you drew. Do the same to the next two corners on the top of the square going to the right, lining them up with their respective dotted lines. If you’re not quite sure what I’m talking about, take another look at Fig. 4. I circled the points at which the dotted lines and the angle of the shadow intersect.

Now I want you to draw in the lines of your shadow. To do this you will connect the lines from where the solid and dotted lines you just drew meet. Look at Fig. 4 again and see the small circles I drew where those lines meet. Just connect the dots, so to speak. For more help, take a look at Fig. 5.

Fig.5

You can now erase your lines that show beyond your shadow, and then fill in your shadow using your 2B pencil, and your drawing should look something like Fig 6.

Fig.6

Now you can erase your dotted lines inside the square and add shading and highlights to your square and you will have a 3-d square with an accurate shadow. Congratulations on completing your first lesson on angles of light and shadow!

The next lesson will cover how to draw the shadow of a pyramid and how to draw a shadow cast against a wall.

Angles of Light and Shadows: The Bare Basics

2010-01-18T20:05:00.007-05:00

Today I worked on shadows.
I only covered the very bare basics concerning shadows for these drawings. But tomorrow we're going to have some fun while I will show you how to determine the angle of basic shadows for yourself. For that lesson the tools you will need are: a protractor, regular ruler, plain piece of drawing paper 8" x 10" in size, and two pencils - an HB and a 2B.

Here are the bare bones basics for today:

Have you ever asked yourself, " How can I know at what angle a shadow falls from an object?" Well, here is are a few examples to help you understand just a little bit. Remember, this is just a beginning.

The angle of a shadow is determined by the angle in which the light is hitting the object that will be casting the shadow. The smaller the angle - the longer the shadow; the larger the angle - the shorter the shadow.

In Pic 1, the angle of the light on the left side of the box on the top is 40 degrees. I've shown how I drew the lines lightly to determine the angle of the shadow that will fall on the right side of the box.

The angle of light on the right side of the box on top is 25 degrees. Again I lightly drew the lines to show how I determined how the shadow should fall at that angle on the left side of the box.

For the box on the bottom of Pic 1, the angle of light on the box from the left side is 15 degrees. This particular angle would be equivalent to a late afternoon/early morning sun. As you can see, the steeper the angle of light, the shorter the shadow is from the object.

You will notice that as the angle gets smaller, the shadow gets longer so that the light at a 15 degree angle casts the longest shadow.

In pic 2, the angle of light on this box is 65 degrees, which is equivalent to the late morning/early afternoon sun. This angle is steep enough to cause very little shadow from the object because the light is coming from almost directly above the box. A perfectly square box will not cast a shadow at high noon because the light is coming from directly above the box and shining straight down on it.

Now these are the very bare basics of angles of light and shadows. What if the light came from the corner of the box at a 40 degree angle rather than hitting it straight on? What would that shadow look like? It's much more complicated at that point to get not only the angle of the shadow correct, but also the shape and length of the shadow.

Tomorrow, be ready to have lots of fun while I show you how to measure the angle of the light and shadows as well as how to measure the length of a shadow. It gets a little bit complicated, so bring your thinking caps so you can get right down to work!

The Use of Our Talents and Gifts

2010-01-17T15:42:00.003-05:00

"You have been given a gift, and those that get a gift must use it!"

Although this is a quote from a fictional story called Dragonspell, it can easily be applied to our lives.

To each of us is given a gift, and it is not randomly given. The gift is chosen to fit our personality and abilities. Each one of us are unique and although others may have been given the same gift, no two of us will ever wield it in the same way. Each one of us, depending on our personality and abilities, will develop our own style, techniques, and ways of using our gift.

The greatest misuse of your gift is to NOT use it at all! The second greatest misuse is to use it for evil. I hope none of us ever falls into either of those two categories!

How are you using your gift?

Gazing Toward Heaven

Joe - Faces of Love Series #3

2009-11-18T12:39:00.005-05:00

Here is the next in my Faces of Love shelter animal series. His name is Joe. Don't worry, you won't need your tissues for him.

Joe is a lively and friendly beagle that came to the shelter seeking a new home. As you can see from the painting, Joe is a fun little dog who loves kids and a good romp in the grass! He was a very popular dog at the shelter during his stay, and thankfully did not stay long. Soon a loving family came and fell in love with Joe and adopted him. He now lives in a good home.

I might be making a few tweaks here and there on some things I've noticed in this pic, but it's pretty much finished. And, yeah, I'm still toning down the grass a bit. Told ya I can't do grass. Brenda Mattson gave me a tip on what to do to help me fix the grass. It's working, if I can just do it right. I need some more pencils. I ran out of kelp, one of my favorite colors (and no there is no kelp in the grass, but there should have been).

Details:
Medium: Prismacolor Colored Pencils
Support: Avocado Suede Board
Size: 14" x 18"
Accessories used: None

Study in White I

2009-10-31T10:41:00.002-04:00

This one is just about completed. I think I will tweak the shadows a bit, deepen them some more to bring out the highlights, but otherwise, I think it's done.

Okay, now this doesn't really seem to be a study in white, what with a red canister sitting smack dab in the middle of the picture, but it is. I added the canister in order to liven up the pic a bit, and to get the interesting red reflections off the white.

The whites on the right side of the painting I did in cool grays (my favorite grays!), sky blue light, white, and poppy red for the reflection off the canister.

The white cloth the canister is sitting on I did mostly in periwinkle, sky blue light, white, cool gray 10% and 20%, and indigo.

The white wall I did in cool grays and sky blue light.

The canister was done in deco pink, poppy red, scarlet red, crimson red, crimson lake, tuscan red, jasmine, cream, indigo, black, and white.

This piece was created for a member exhibition on Ann Kullberg's Ezine "From My Perspective."

DETAILS:
Size: 5" x 7"
Medium: Prismacolor colored pencils
Support: White Pastelbord
Underpainting: Light blue Neocolor II
Accessories: Stencil & bristle brushes for blending
Ref Credit: My own photo

Study in White 1 - WIP

2009-10-23T23:20:00.003-04:00

This is a new study I'm doing. I set up this still life with drapery in white as the main focus. But that was a bit boring, so I decided to add a colored object into the mix. This small canister seemed to do the trick. Not only did it liven up the composition a bit, but it also added very nice colored reflections onto the white drapery.

The white cloth the canister is sitting on I did with several blues and some white. That part still needs some work. The drapery on the right side is being done in cool grays and white. The wall in the background was done in grays also and will be darkened up some more to bring out the white drapery on the right.

This is being done on white 5" x 7" Pastelbord. I used light blue Neocolor II as a watercolor wash on the Pastelbord first, which you can still see on the right hand side. Then I transferred my drawing to the bord, and began adding colors. I am, naturally, using my stencil and bristle brushes to blend.

This should be done this weekend. Not too much more to do, then I'll just have the tweaking.

Jessica Completed

2009-10-23T23:11:00.006-04:00

Here is Jessica all done. I didn't get a good pic before I had to send her off for an exhibition, but she is back now. Jessica won first place in the professional division of Colored Pencil Portraits.

Details:

Support: Pastelbord
Medium: Prismacolor Colored Pencils
Size: 8" x 10"
Ref Credit: My own from a photo shoot

Golden Retriever Final!

2009-10-17T16:39:00.008-04:00

This is the second shelter animal in my Faces of Love shelter series. I'm not sure the colors are quite right here. I think my large display is a bit off, both in brightness and in color.

This lovely dog had a beautiful golden glow about him when I took this pic as he soaked up the sun outside the shelter. His pensive look reveals his apprehensiveness over his future. I do believe that the animals in shelters realize their situation is critical and desperately want a place to call home and people to love them as much as they are willing to love in return. This big guy arrived at the shelter happy and full of life - ready to play - yet was able to calm down and sit quietly when necessary. He was able to completely capture the hearts of not only the shelter workers, but the visitors as well. He was adopted so fast, the shelter didn't even have time to name him. I barely had time to include him in the photo shoot!

The slight bit of background you see in the upper corners are actually the color of the board. I decided the color complemented the dog and left it at that. I will be spraying permanent fixative and varnish on it so it can be framed without glass or mat.

Finally , here is a close-up of his eyes for those of you who like close-ups.

DETAILS
Support: Gray Pastelbord
Size: 5" x 7"
Medium: Prismacolors Colored Pencils
Tools: Stencil brushes for blending.
There is NO watercolor underpainting on this one.

Golden Retriever WIP 2

2009-10-02T11:09:00.004-04:00

Got quite a bit done yesterday. The colors I've used on the fur so far are: cream, jasmine, yellow ochre, light umber, dark brown, mineral orange, pumpkin orange, white, black, indigo blue, sienna brown, and burnt ochre. I have several other colors I'm considering adding as well. This dog is one of the more colorful golden retrievers rather than just plain blond/buff colored.

I can see a few adjustments I need to make, like the left eye. I know exactly what I need to fix there, so I'll work on that this weekend. I don't have a lot of detail included in this painting yet. I always put in the detail at the end.

We'll be away to our church's homecoming this weekend. Nine preachers in two days!!! Now that's church! Especially when they are as good as these guys are. I'll be taking my laptop with me, but not sure if I'll be able to do much on the painting while I'm gone. I will try though.

Golden Retriever Shelter Animal - WIP 1

2009-10-01T13:58:00.011-04:00

The second in my "Faces of Love" series to raise money for my local shelter, is this beautiful Golden Retriever. He didn't have a name at the time I did the photo shoot, unfortunately. He was a sweet, calm, and loving dog. Thankfully, he did get adopted.

I started this on white Pastelbord. I used steel grey Neocolor watercolor stick to put a couple of light layers on the bord as an underpainting to start. I then transferred my sketch with white transfer paper. I am using only Prismas .... so far at least.

I began the dog by applying the highlights and shadows first.

Then, as usual, I began the first layers on the dog's nose and then his eye. From the eye I began to spread out, covering one section at a time.

I am using bristle and stencil brushes to blend the colors and smooth out the surface of the bord. I am spraying it with Krylon Workable Fixative after each session on it to prevent wax bloom. After I'm finished I will spray it with a permanent fixative and then varnish.

Review of MultiMedia ArtBoard With Colored Pencils

2009-09-22T13:49:00.011-04:00

Here is the latest ATC I have done. It's on a new support for me: black MultiMedia ArtBoard.

According to the MultiMedia ArtBoard website, the ArtBoard is an innovative combination of paper and epoxy resin provides an exceptionally durable product that has few limitations. I find that it is very rough on the surface, rougher than it appears to the eye. You don't realize just how rough it can be until you put a pencil to it. Here is what pencil marks look like on it. The marks on the far left are burnishing on the board with sky blue light. The marks to the left are single pencils strokes. You can see how you really cannot get detail on this surface due too its roughness. The final marks on the bottom are cross hatching. As you can probably see, this support is a real pencil eater!

I was expecting a solid board like a heavyweight illustration board or Pastelbord. Surprisingly, it appears to be very thin and fragile, and yet it is somewhat strong. I tested its strength on a small piece. I tried bending it to see just how much it would take and what the resulting effect would be. It gave quite a bit before breaking. Well, it did not exactly break. It was more of a snap which usually left behind messy edges. When it snaps, a whole piece of is broken right off, completely. The ArtBoard can also be torn, surprisingly easy, and that does lave a mess behind! In the photo below you can see the results of my experiment. On the left is the result of when I snapped the board in half. The piece on the right is what happened when I tore the ArtBoard. You can see that is a mess! You can also get a glimpse of the texture of the ArtBoard.

It was very difficult for me to get any detail on this support or to even attempt to fill the tooth. I don't think I will be using this support with pencils anymore as it simply is not appropriate for this surface. I will be experimenting with pastels though, as I think it will work much better than pencils. In the photo below is a close-up of the puppy ATC. You can see the trouble I had trying to get the type of detail I like to have in my artwork.

I'm a bit disappointed. I was hoping for another support I could use in the heat and humidity of the summer here in Eastern NC. Worse yet, I could only find MultiMedia ArtBoard in packages of five, so I purchased a 5-piece package of 11" x 14" of black and a 5-piece package of 18" x 24" tan colored MultiMedia Artboard. The ArtBoard also comes in white. Guess it's back to the Pastelbord for the summers, except for pastel work. I'm now wondering how well pastels will adhere to this surface. That will have to be my next experiment.

If you interested in purchasing the MultiMedia ArtBoard, it is available from the websites listed below. Not all of the websites have all of the colors or the sizes. You will simply have to explore each site to find one that meets your needs. I can say, however, that Daniel Smith was the only website that had the ArtBoard in tan.

Dick Blick
Jerry's Artarama
Cheap Joe's
Daniel Smith

Art Shows & Festivals

2009-09-12T00:28:00.003-04:00

Well, two down, one to go. I turned in my two entries for the Landmark Art Show & Competition yesterday. They called me this morning to say they couldn't find them and asked me to describe them. One half hour later they found them.

Show two is the NC State Fair. I have two paintings for that, and they are now packed up and awaiting transport.

Show three is the Chowan County Fair. I have four so far for that competition. Still getting those ready, have to finish two of them!

I always plan to enter the big national art shows, but end up never having anything finished in time for them. I decided it was time I got something in a show, even if it is a small local one or two..... or three. At least I will have at least seven paintings out there, all at the same time!

I have also started two additional paintings. Another shelter cat and a portrait of a very special person to be revealed later. I got in about ten hours on paintings this week and about six hours in preparation time for the shows. That's a total of 16 hours in the studio. BAD!!!!! Need to get much better for next week!!!

The weather is gorgeous here. Raining off and on, makes it difficult for doing yard work, but the temps are soooooo nice!!!! Tonight I trimmed tree branches from the trees lining the driveway. Spent about one hour straight doing that and my arms were a bit tired, but after an hour's rest, I was fine.

Tomorrow, I'll be going to a horse show and to the Edenton Indian Summer Festival, and Sunday is the Currituck Wildlife Festival. That's what I love about Fall - all the fairs and festivals!!!

How Did I Do In This Week's Challenge?

2009-09-05T14:43:00.004-04:00

Considering I didn't start the challenge until Wednesday of this week, I did okay, but should have been better. I got in 6 hours, and completed 95% of a painting, but I need to pout in more hours next week. However, I have a bit of a jump start on next week's challenge. I just out in three hours in my studio and finished a complete underpainting of a new shelter animal piece! I will be putting in more hours later on, but not too many. I have to be at my step-daughter's house later tonight to help her prepare for her son's b-day party which will be held on Sunday.

I have my two paintings for one show all prepared and packed up, ready to go. I just need a frame and I'll be all packed up for another show. The third show for this month is still in the works. I have two paintings for it completed and two more I'm trying to finish up. Busy show month it is!!

So, how did all of you do in the studio this week??? Did you accomplish a lot? Finish any paintings? Let me know how you did and all the problems you ran into that prevented you from putting in more hours in the studio. I want to hear your stories!!

Finally, I've done quite a bit of work on Treat, but still have a lot to do to finish this one. Here is an update. She looks a little funny over on the left side, but that's because it's still not completed there. More hours yet to go!

Food for thought and laughter

2009-09-01T20:41:00.006-04:00

Tonight I read two very different blogs that made me both think and laugh.

The first was a blog by Jack Speight called Knuckleball. His writing will keep you laughing and wondering how you never thought reading about toilet troubles in room #16 could be such good reading, or how you never knew the "Freedom Leak" was so popular among men (this one had me crying it was so funny). I realize this is not an art blog, but we all need a good laugh now and then, and this guy can write!

The second blog was the 20 Hour Studio Challenge Blog. The challenge is for artists to make a contract with themselves to spend at least 20 hours per week in their studio. Since I have been extremely lazy toward my artwork lately, I thought about it for awhile. I can do 20 hours a week ....... I think. I used to all the time, but my passion for art seems to have been waning of late, much to my dismay. It gets a good kick start every now and then and I get inspired and fairly quickly whip out a painting or two and call it a success. If I were honest, I would realize that what I am doing is simply not cutting it. I'm getting no where fast.

Thus, I have realized that I am at a cross roads of sorts. If I want to continue being an artist, and I do believe that this is what God wants me to do, then I need to discipline myself better so I can accomplish more. Yes, I said the dreaded "D" word. I didn't need to worry about disciplining myself for the first three years I was a professional artist. I was obsessed with creating artwork. I couldn't seem to stop, no matter what. If I could have I would have been drawing while doing my business in the bathroom. From the moment I woke up until I reluctantly closed my eyes at 2:00 AM, I would eat, sleep, and drink art. Thank God my husband was very supportive and understanding, or who knows where we'd be right now. I learned more than you can imagine during those three years, but now I seem to always be struggling. I think it's time for the dreaded "D" word. Yes, I need to discipline myself.

I have come to the conclusion that the best way to initiate this discipline is to join the 20 hour studio challenge. If I can spend at least 20 hours in the studio - doing artwork not on the computer or reading, or organizing art supplies, or going through ref pics, but actually working on art - then I can get get an amazing amount of art done in a short period of time!!! Since I have three quite large pieces I'm working on, that is a good thing. I will need all the time I can find to complete them.

So, I invite all of you to do one of two things, or possibly both:
One - follow me on my journey and make sure I spend 20 hours per week in the studio and then you can be the first to see the results of those hours of labor; or
Two - join me in the challenge! Sign up at 20hoursstudiochallenge Web Site and begin your journey as a "D"isciplined artist and see how much artwork you can create in your 20 hours in your studio every week!!

Featured Artist on IBX Arts Website

2009-08-31T23:26:00.004-04:00

Wow! I just read a write-up on me as the featured artist on IBX Arts website.

IBX stands for Inner Banks as opposed to the Outer Banks. IBXarts.org supports and promotes the 22 county Inner Banks area of North Carolina. The majority of the tourists in Eastern North Carolina go through the Inner Banks, but rarely stop except to get gas while headed on out to the Outer Banks. Thus, Inner Banks artists do not receive nearly the attention, business, nor the opportunities that the Outer Banks artists do. Tom Kilian decided to change all that. An artist himself as well as a preacher, Tom created IBXarts.org and works hard to promote artists who live and work in the Inner Banks. He is even going to be holding an IBX Arts Fest, free of charge to Inner Banks artists, in the Spring of 2010. The Arts Fest will be a way to bring attention to these artists, and hopefully business too.

For the month of September, Tom chose me as the featured artist, and what a write-up he did! Excellent! Thank you so much Tom!!!!! I look forward to seeing you for the Arts Fest in May.

Treat WIP 2 and an artist link you have to check out!!

2009-08-31T17:45:00.003-04:00

Still working on Treat. Pretty much finished with the background although I'll make a few more adjustments to color. It doesn't look like much progress, but you wouldn't believe how many hours I put into the background! Dreary day today, so no photo update at the moment. Sorry.

I ran into a wonderful artist all of you should check out. His name is Teddy Wayne Smith. He paints and draws even though he only has partial use of one arm and is wheelchair bound due to a handicap. He's amazing!! You have to go see his work.

The weather has finally cooled, at least for a few days!!! I'm excited about being able to get more artwork done now that it's going to start getting cooler. I'll be able to test out my new papers I got from England too! Yay!

Will post an updated photo of Treat tomorrow.

Treat WIP 1

2009-08-18T14:02:00.004-04:00

Okay, I have started on a painting of my cat Treat. She's a tortie, so she's very colourful. Now, this is rough since I haven't finished any parts yet. Still deciding on the background. And yes, her fur really does look like that. It's VERY thick and long and often looks like feathers rather than fur.

This is on Uart 600, which I'm still not thrilled with. Using Prismacolors only. It's 8" x 10"

Remember, it's only a start.

Upcoming Artwork & an Announcement

2009-08-15T15:36:00.005-04:00

I know, I know, I haven't posted much lately. I've been away for the past two weeks going to the Atlanta CPSA convention, which was fantastic as usual (pics to be posted later). We then dropped down to Florida for a quick visit to my son, then onto Texas to visit more family, and finally home to NC. Home to nothing but rain ever since arriving including about 6" in the last 24 hours!! And our lawn is almost two feet high and we can't mow it until it dries out. So, I guess we have an african savannah outside our door for awhile longer.

UP COMING ARTWORK
I have actually been working on some artwork. I just finished the sketch of one piece I would like to enter into CPSA next year. It is a 14" x 18" piece, which grew from 12" x 16". I had wanted to do it for this year, but I'm glad I waited because I just added something extra to it that I think really gives it a bang!

Then I have my 18" x 24" piece that I am still sketching out. Almost have the subject sketched out, but then have to figure out the background. *sigh* How I dislike backgrounds, especially if they involve grass (which this one probably will).

I also have a 16" x 20" piece that I have started but reached a point where I just don't like part of what I've done but can't figure out how to fix it.

AND I have the "Faces of Love" series I need to continue to work on. Of course, there are also some other side pieces I need to work on, but these are the major pieces I am going to be doing over the course of the next year.

I can see how I am suddenly working on much bigger sizes than usual for me. I like big sizes except for all the pencils it uses up with pastelbord. But that's okay, just need to stock up!!!

ANNOUNCEMENT
Now, for an announcement. a friend of mine, Jennifer Rose of Fuzzy Dragons, is celebrating her blog's first birthday, which will be on the 26th of August!! To celebrate she has decided to giveaway two items, but she has some very specific rules for entering the giveaway, so read her blog entry carefully. You must go look at her Etsy store as well! She has some wonderful drawings there you need to see!!

Okay, now I guess I need to get back to my artwork. I'll post pics of the convention later on, so be sure to stop by later to see them!

Happy creating everyone! :D

ATC #1 for Atlanta!

2009-07-16T13:09:00.003-04:00

I just finished this ATC for the ATC trade at the convention in Atlanta. Obviously, it's a tiger (at least I HOPE it's obvious).

This was done on a new support for me: Multimedia Artboard; this was the black board. It is much different to work on, even from sanded surfaces and Pastelbord. Lots of tooth that is impossible to cover up completely, I suspect, unless you use a watercolor wash first. I'll have to try that next.

It's, of course, 2.5" x 3.5" in size and I used Prismas & one coloursoft and one pablo. I hope to get at least one more done before I leave for Atlanta.

Veggie Still Life in Pastel

2009-07-12T15:32:00.003-04:00

It's finished! I completed it in less than a day, but couldn't get a decent pic until now.

This was fun and a great learning experience! Hopefully, I will build up my confidence in pastels so I can try larger paintings from my own ref pics. We'll see.

For now, this is finished and I am back to working on my shelter puppy!

Veggie Still Life

2009-07-11T15:41:00.004-04:00

I decided to pullout my pastel pencils and do a quick painting with them today. This is from a ref pic by Nicole Caulfield. Thanks Nicole!!!

I'm using my Derwent pastel pencils on gray Pastelbord, 5" x 7". I have a couple of hours put into it so far. Hoping to finish either today or tomorrow, then back to my shelter puppy.

I kind of like this so far. At least my husband recognized all of the items in the painting, and that's saying a lot! What do you guys think?

Pinky & Rosie - A Memorial

2009-07-10T11:35:00.003-04:00

I have started a series called Faces of Love: A Shelter Animal's Journey. This series is being created due to an agreement between my local animal shelter and myself. They gave me permission to come in and have several photo shoots of all the resident animals. I then turn those photos into paintings. When the paintings are done (approximately 10 or more paintings total), I will hold an art show to sell them and give 40% of the proceeds directly to the shelter. You can read all the details of the project on the Faces of Love page on my website.

Here is the first painting completed: Pinky & Rosie.

Enjoy!!

Jessica WIP

2009-06-26T15:41:00.003-04:00

As you can see, I am pretty much done with Jessica's hair. I will tweak her hair and still add stray hairs here and there, but for the most part, it is done.

Now onto the rest of her lovely face! Hopefully I'll be done within the next week!

2009-06-23T14:45:00.005-04:00

Here are updates for two paintings I am currently working on. First is the update on the soldier. I have pretty much finished the flag, except for the stars, which I haven't even started yet. I need to tweak the flag's colors a bit, but I guess it's okay for the most part.

As you can see, I have started on the soldier, but will also work on the stars little by little at the same time as I work on the soldier.

Second is a new portrait I'm working on. This is Jessica, a young lady of 13 years who goes to my church. She's obviously a beautiful young lady and I've been wanting to paint her for a few years now. I was fortunate to have a few moments of photo shooting with her a couple of weeks ago, and came away with fantastic shots!! I just had to paint her right away! I need to see if I can set up some more photo shoots with her. She's a natural model.

This is on white Pastelbord with Prismas. I really have developed a preference for working on gray Pastelbord, especially for portraits, however, I do not have any gray bord at the moment. So, I used Neocolor II steel gray to create the gray underpainting instead. I would lay down a layer of Neocolor, brush it, let it dry, and do it again. I put down probably five layers total, one at a time. It worked out beautifully! I was worried about the tooth with using that much Neocolor, but there's plenty of tooth left. Lesson learned: I can buy white Pastelbord and use Neocolors for the underpainting instead of stocking up on all the different colors and sizes of Pastelbord! Of course, this also used up most of my Neocolor as well, but that's still cheaper in the long run - I think.

I have been using Ann Kullberg's tips on doing hair from her Portrait CD, because we all know I stink at doing hair. I think it's coming out okay, although I will still be tweaking it and adding some stray hairs, etc. I'll start on the other side of her hair next.

2009-06-15T19:48:00.003-04:00

Okay, I'm calling this one done! I will wait until tomorrow to spray and varnish it, just to make sure I don't see anything that needs fixing. I'm posting a close-up to, just for fun and for anyone who might be interested.

I'm ready to move onto the next one! I'm starting to get anxious to get more paintings done. I'm tired of not producing anything! :D

This was a fun piece though and I enjoyed doping it very much. Now, onto the next one!

Correction: The horse's fur is not as red as shown in the full size photo shown here. It is closer to the color in the close-up pic. Don't know what went wrong there. Digi camera didn't get it right. *shrug*

Soldier Portrait & Equine Bling-Bling

2009-06-04T16:20:00.007-04:00

I have finally completed my most recent portrait commission, and am currently working on two other paintings.

The first is SFC Adams. This soldier portrait is of a man who was killed in action in Iraq, leaving behind his three children, his wife, and his mother. The original photo had the soldier leaning forward, elbows on knees and hands together, almost in an attitude of prayer. I received the photo with the soldier's hands partially cut off. I asked my client if I could turn the portrait into a landscape view so I could see all of his hands. In addition, my client wanted to have a flag behind him. So, this is what I came up with.

So far I have only been working on the background, which is not nearly finished. I haven't even begun the stars yet. This will take awhile, and because it is on paper and we are entering into the hot and humid season, it may not be done for several months. Because of this, updates may not be very often.

This portrait is being done on sand colored Colourfix paper, 11" x 14" in size, and using only Prismas (with bristle & stencil brushes for blending). This photo is appearantly not quite as good as I thought it was. I'll get a better photo for my next update.

For more information on Soldier Portraits, a non-profit organization made up of artists who paint portraits of fallen soldiers for free, please see Fallen Heroes.

The second one is a fun piece!! I have been wanting to paint a picture of a very detailed and decorative horse bit and bridle, but have had a great deal of trouble finding just the right ref photo. Whenever there is a rated horse show around here, I either can not get close enough to the horse, the lighting is too poor, or the horse will not stand still long enough for me to get a good photo. So I went to WetCanvas' Image Library and found a very nice photo that I could use.

This is on gray Pastelbord, and is 8" x 10" in size. I used a watercolor pencil wash for the background, with Prismas over the top. The rest of the painting I am using only Prismas with bristle and stencil brushes to blend.

The background is just about done (although in this photo it looks a bit blotchy. In real life it is nice and smoothly blended together), but nothing else is even near completion.

I have been working on this quite a bit today and should have an update tomorrow.

Bird of Paradise

2009-05-16T14:08:00.007-04:00

I have been able to finally spend some more time on my art. I still have a commission I am desperately trying to finish for my incredibly patient client. As you all know, I also work several pieces at one time so that when I run into a kink with one, I can move onto another until I figure out what to do about the problem.

Here is a small piece I whipped out in just three hours. It is not colored pencil however - it's in soft pastels. The size is a mere 6" x 11.5".

If you remember my last piece, "Morning Devotions", was done on the new Mattson sanded pastel paper and I had a terrible time getting the details I wanted with my pencils. I also deemed it not appropriate for colored pencils unless you want a more painterly effect, in which case it's fine. So, I decided to try out my new Rembrandt soft pastels on the paper and see what happens. I chose the terracotta colored paper (Mattson pastel paper comes in four colors) for its rich color.

I started by using my new Richeson semi-hard pastel sticks to draw and block in the colors. These are brand new pastels Richeson came out with and I grabbed up one of the first sample sets. The main difference between these and Nu-Pastels are that Richeson's are lightfast whereas the Nu-Pastels are not. Very important difference. I love the feel of the Richeson's. They are just soft enough to lay down the color comfortably, but hard enough to get nice solid lines. I highly recommend these new pastels! They come in 120 colors. I've shown below a sample of a 12-piece set.

After getting the color blocked in I pulled out my Rembrandts and began in earnest applying the local colors. The Rembrandts have an absolutely delicious range of colors and were perfect for this flower. I added deeper values and highlights using Rembrandts, Richeson, and Mungyos. At the end, I added the highlights.

I think I probably could have sharpened the edges on the yellow petals a bit more, but otherwise, I'm fairly satisfied with this piece and am calling it done.

BTW, there is another 1.5" of background to the right of the flower in real life. My photo of the painting cut it off unfortunately.

Sorry, no close-ups. I still do not have my new graphics software yet, so I am having problems with editing my photos.

Hope you all like it! Comments and crits are always appreciated.

Morning Devotions

2009-04-04T13:25:00.005-04:00

Well, FINALLY, I have finished my latest inspirational painting, and it has been entered into a Christian art competition called Art4God.

This painting was done on the new Mattson pastel paper by Richeson. For colored pencils, I do not recommend this paper. It is far too rough in texture for pencils. I had a terrible time getting the detail I needed in the painting, such as the letters in the Bible. I do plan on trying out my pastels on it next; I'm sure it will work just fine with them.

I set this composition up one afternon and took many photos of it, trying to get the elements and lighting just right. However, it wasn't until the sun started to set and the beautiful colors of the setting sun were shining into the kitchen that I realized it was truly just right! I had to use my photos for reference because it was the only way to keep the lighting while I was painting it.

Originally I had designed the painting to be a 6" x 12". Then I changed it to a 9" x 12", which I did not like at all, so I switched it to a 7.5" x 12", and that seemed to be just right.

I apologize for not showing any detail or close-up shots, but all of our computers are down and out at the moment and I am having a devil of a time trying to crop and adjust my photos. When one of our computers comes back, I'll post some more pics for all of you.

Making Primer for Sanded Supports

2009-02-14T17:04:00.006-05:00

Well, here's what I have been doing lately. I have been interested in preparing my own surfaces for artwork, but didn't know how to go about it until recently. I found an outstanding book on pastels that gave me a recipe for making my own primer. The book is called Painting with Pastels by Maggie Price. I have had a lot of fun making the primer. It has allowed me to make my own colors as well as have control over the amount of texture in the primer. It saves me money from having to go out and buy sanded paper all the time (although I can't see myself giving up Colourfix completely). I've been using mat board as the surface I paint the primer onto.

I use a large spoon with which to mix the primer. When I paint the primer onto the mat board, I use a foam roller rather than a paint brush. This is mostly because if I want to use pencils on it, the paint brush does not produce as even a surface as a foam roller will. These are the foam rollers I use:

First thing I do is to paint a light layer of HP gesso or Liquitex matte medium on the back of the mat board, being sure not to use too much. After the back of the board has thoroughly dried, I turn it over and mark off the part of it I want to paint the primer onto. I make various sizes, the most common being 11" x 14" and 12" x 16". To mark it off, I use blue painter's tape. I then proceed to paint the primer onto the surface, being careful not to paint beyond the blue tape (although I am not always successful). However, if I go beyond the tape, it's okay because that part will end up behind a mat anyway.

I have learned to apply the primer in thin layers or the primer will not come out with an even texture usable for pencils. It is very difficult to get an even surface on the primer if you apply it in layers that are too heavy. Make sure you let the layers dry completely before adding another layer. Generally I use only two layers. If I apply much more than that it may end up saturating the board.

After the primer dries completely, I gently peel off the tape and place the boards into resealable plastic bags. Then I set very large, heavy books on top of the boards and leave them there for several hours. This simply makes sure the board lies flat.

Here are the results:

The first mix I made came out so-so. I used 1 cup gesso, 6 tsp. pumice powder, and acrylic color. It ended up being very coarse. I tested it and found it worked fine for soft pastels, but would not be appropriate for colored pencils. I did sand down the primer a bit, but it is still quite coarse. I call this color sandy beige.

The second mixture I made was much better! I mixed 1 cup gesso, 1 tsp pumice powder, and acrylic color. It came out much finer in texture. Although I haven't tested it yet because I just mixed it this afternoon and it needs to set for a bit. I call this color sky blue.

And finally, I mixed a medium coarse primer. I mixed 1 cup gesso, 2 tsp. pumice powder, and acrylic color. This also seemed to come out well, though, again I haven't been able to test it since I just made it. I call this color Raw Sienna.

CAUTION: When handling Pumice Powder you MUST wear a NIOSH approved nuisance dust respirator mask that will not allow the fine pumice powder to be inhaled. Pumice powder is made from volcanic ash and is a cancer agent if inhaled and will cause lung damage. It is also recommended that you use the pumice in an exhausting hood or glove box. Be sure to wear gloves when handling the pumice. In addition, I have nearby a set of goggles to wear.

When mixing the pumice into the gesso, gently fold it in so as to avoid creating any dust that might become airborne. Clean up your work area thoroughly after using the pumice. Do not use near food, cups, utensils, etc. I keep any utensils I use for mixing separate from my other utensils and only use them for mixing primer, nothing else.

I hope this article has been of interest to some of you. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Morning Devotions WIP 3

2009-01-30T19:26:00.007-05:00

Here is an update on my new inspirational painting.

The yellowy area on the cup will be getting toned down a bit. Worked on the saucer quite a bit, but I can see I still need to do some more work. I'll have to go over the placemat some more on the left side. You can see where it is still so rough looking. I'm having a very difficult time trying to even coming close to filling the tooth, and I usually don't have a problem with that on sanded paper, so that tells you just how coarse this paper really is. You can see the coarseness in the close-up pic I provided. I also provided greyscales of both pics.

I still need to work just a bit more on the back part of the napkin too. Not too much, but some tweaking needs to be done there.

I have done some more on the book since the photo and I will be starting on the grapes this weekend. I didn't get too much done this week. It turns out I worked a full week afterall. Next week I'll probably have my hours cut. If so, I'll have more time to put into it.

Anyway, it's coming along. I hope to be near completion within two weeks.

Morning Devotions WIP 2

2009-01-18T16:32:00.006-05:00

Here's an update on this painting. It's coming along, thought I still have much to do on it. The pic is a bit blurry because it's cloudy & rainy and I didn't want to use a flash. Nothing in the painting is done yet; still working on values, colors, etc. I hope to be done soon. I don't look forward to working on the Bible. The lettering is going to be very difficult to get right, and it could cause me to mess up the entire painting! Ugh! I just realized that a competition I wanted to enter it in has their deadline next month!!

I'm still undecided on this paper. It's quite rough for pencils. I need to try it with pastels too and see what happens.

Here's the update and a smaller detail pic. In the smaller one you can see how rough the paper actually is.

New Year - New Artwork!!

2009-01-06T00:01:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!! I hope this Christmas season has been wonderful to all of you!

I have been playing with my pastels, teaching myself how to use them. I bought about 20 pieces of Mi-Tientes paper to practice on. Here is my first practice piece. I am attempting to figure out how to layer pastels and mix the colors (and NOT get mud). This one was good practice in not getting mud. The original ref pic had a very dark, almost black background, but I didn't like that, so I changed it to this. The red in this digi pic is a bit deeper and as a whole the pic is darker than in real life, but it's very close.

I also tried another experiment. I have read so much about how pastelists hate to use a fixative on their work because it tends to change the colors but I thought I'd try it and see what would happen. In this case, I not only sprayed permanent fixative, but then got real crazy and decided to go for broke and spray varnish on it - just to see what would happen. When I spray varnish on my CP pieces, it tends to deepen the colors and bring them out more. Thought I'd see if it would do the same to the pastels. It did seem to a little. I like the result very much, but I think it worked okay for me because I really push the pastels into the paper when I blend and don't leave them sitting on top of the surface of the paper. *shrug* Don't know, but it didn't ruin it at least. :D

I am currently working on my fourth inspirational piece, but this one is special. The others I followed a ref photo, this one I created entirely on my own from scratch. I put together each item in the painting on purpose. Unfortunately, tomorrow begins two weeks of 10 hour days at work. So, I will try to update this blog as often as I can. The biggest problem I will have is being able to get good pics of the piece to post.

Here is the beginning of the piece. It is called Morning Devotions. I have a full pic and a close-up for those of you who like those. You can see how rough the paper is on the close-up.

I set this up on my kitchen table at sunset rather than sunrise (the only part of my house that gets the morning sun is my bedroom, so I figured sunset would work just as well). I got very inspired to start it while visiting my step-daughter and her family in Texas for Christmas, and I got much more done than I expected to.

I'm using a new sanded pastel paper named after Brenda Mattson and made by Richeson. They have four colors, which are much like Colourfix colors, but the paper is much rougher. It eats pencils way more than Colourfix does! I'm using the dark gray color for this painting and Prismas, plus brushes for blending. I have only just begun and I'm kind of jumping around rather than following my usual routine of almost completing small parts individually. The cup needs tons of work. You can see the gray of the paper where there is no pencil (which gets confusing around the cup, since there are so many grays in the cup).

I don't like how the napkin looks yet. I'm trying to get a smooth look and smooth transitions from one value to another but it is proving to be difficult. I think this paper may definitely be better for pastels than pencils, but it was yet another experiment.

Originally, I designed this painting to be 6" x 12", but then realized that it would cost me a small fortune to get it framed, so I thought I might try to turn it into an 11" x 14". Don't know what size it will end up as though.

First time trying this kind of composition so C&C's are welcome!

Two completed Pieces!!

2009-01-02T19:29:00.010-05:00

Hey everyone, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! Hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

Believe it or not, I have finally completed some new work. I have finished the Purple Tulip, which I now officially call Welcoming the Day Break. It's all ready now for a show this month.

I have also finished an a miniature piece I call Mini-Moo. It is 3.5" x 2.5", it's all Prismacolors, and it's on green suede board.

Lots of work on more paintings as we speak!! Hope to be posting again soon.

Merry Christmas & Update

2008-12-22T17:41:00.003-05:00

I realize I haven't been around here much for the past two months, and I apologize for that. I have been working on Christmas commissions and my laptop has met with an early demise - permanently. This has put a serious crimp in being able to post and update bth my website and blog, but I'm working on rectifying that.

I have now completed the tulip I posted awhile back as a WIP and I am finishing up another flower, a Bird of Paradise. Those two will be put into a show in January, along with another tulip that I completed several months ago.

In addition, I am starting on my next two inspirational paintings, Morning Devotions and Is Your Name In The Book? I will post those as they come along.

Right now I want to wish everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a BLESSED NEW YEAR!!!

Tulip Experiment - WIP 1

2008-11-01T19:49:00.005-04:00

In between working on my latest portrait commissions, I'm doing some smaller pieces. I'll be going to an art trade show in Raleigh, sponsored by Jerry's Artarama two weeks from now. I'll be taking one pastel workshop and doing lots of art shopping!!

I was contacted by a rep who works for UART who make UART sanded paper in four different grits. He asked me to stop by his booth so we could talk about how well the paper works and any problems colored pencils artists may be having with the paper. So, in an effort to get ready for this conversation, I have decided to do something small on each grit of the paper. Here is one of my tests.

This is on UART 500 grit paper with watercolor pencils for the background and Prismacolor colored pencils for the flower. Now, it's not nearly finished. I need to go over the background again, and I'm trying to decide if I should do it with CPs, WCPs, or pastels. Obviously the flower is not done yet either.

So far, I really like this grit. It has enough tooth to be able to hold many layers, plus being able to blend the colors with a brush over and over without running out of tooth. I don't like my sanded paper to be too smooth. To me it defeats the purpose of using sanded paper if it's too smooth. On the other hand, there is such a thing as too much tooth! I also tried a miniature piece on La Carte sanded paper and I didn't like it very much, for a variety of reasons, one of which is that it appears to be too rough for me - but that's for another post.

In addition, I probably put about five layers of watercolor pencils and was liberal in my use of water, yet I still have lots of tooth yet to fill! The paper was easy to get flat again after all the water dried - I simply put the paper in a resealable plastic bag, then placed a very heavy, large book on top of it and left it for a day or so. Viola! The paper is flat once again!

Guess I'd better get working on this and finish it so I have time to work on at least a few more.

Enjoy and commeny away!!

Youthful Innocence

2008-10-25T20:53:00.003-04:00

Here's another one on Wallis paper that I quickly finished - about four hours!! That's very exciting for me to finish anything in that short of time!!

It's ATC sized, so not very big. Still experimenting on Wallis. I told my husband it's not good news. This is the second picture I've done on Wallis and both were done quickly and came out fairly good. I am very happy with my experience so far with this paper. That's not good! Wallis is not cheap. I can't afford to use it all the time!!!

What's even more depressing is that I am working on two portraits as Christmas Commissions on Pastelbord and they are coming out horrible!! I have even been thinking about giving my client back her money. I've done these little pieces to help boost my confidence. I'm sure I'll get those portraits done in time, but it's rough going at the moment.

Details: Prismacolors on Wallis Beige Mist
Size: 2.5" x 3.5"
Accessories: Bristle brushes
Ref Credit: Ref Lib at WC

The Eye of the Tiger

2008-10-19T08:29:00.002-04:00

Betcha all of you thought I had disappeared, huh? Well, now that I have a job that requires 33 hours per week, I don't have as much time for my art, unfortunately. I also have two portrait commissions for Christmas that I'm working on and that is keeping me very busy as well.

I finally finished a new piece. It's an ATC for an art trade on an art forum. I couldn't post it before now because they hadn't posted the results yet. So tell me you didn't see this one coming! Yet another macro of a cat. Granted it's a very big cat, but of the feline species nonetheless. :D I'm actually considering trying a landscape ATC for next month. Scary thought, huh?

This was done with Prismacolors on Wallis sanded paper. The size is 2.5" x 3.5". I have been wanting to try out Wallis for some time now, but didn't have the money since Wallis is so expensive. I have no idea how artists can afford to buy Wallis! I only bought a pad with a few pieces of paper in it and it cost me as much as three full sheets of Colourfix paper. So I won't be using Wallis a lot, even though I did enjoy using it very much. The surface of Wallis is much rougher than the Colourfix, but it was, indeed, a pleasure to use.

So, enjoy "The Eye of the Tiger"!

Goldie - Completed!

2008-07-23T12:44:00.002-04:00

I believe this is completed! I have spent a few hours tweaking it and looking at it in greyscale, so I think it's okay. Just need to hear back from my client and get his okay before I begin spraying.

This painting will get two layers of permanent fixative, then three layers of varnish before it is ready to be handed over to my client. It's better to do all of that spraying over the course of at least two days, so I need to begin it ASAP so he can get the portrait on time. I am awaiting my client's approval so I can begin spraying.

Goldie WIP

2008-07-22T20:43:00.000-04:00

All right, I've almost got this portrait done! Spent all day working on this and bathing cats (yes, plural - three to be exact). I'm very happy with how much I got done!

Lots of tweaking to do now. I see something with her left eye (as we see it) that needs to be fixed, and some areas above her left eye that also need to be tweaked, and several small areas that need the values fixed a bit. I'll sit and look at it for a day to see what I else I need to tweak, then I'll have to spend at least one whole day spraying.

This painting will get two layers of permanent fixative, then three layers of varnish before it is ready to be handed over to my client. It's better to do all of that spraying over the course of at least two days, which means I have to finish tweaking tomorrow so I can start spraying. I hate to be rushed like that because whenever I am, I always find something glaringly wrong later on that screams to be changed but I won't be able to do anything about it. However, my client really wants it for his wife's birthday, and I really want him to have it on time. Since we are going away to Seattle for the CPSA Annual Convention from July 27th - August 3rd, I need to have this done before we go.

Goldie WIP 6

2008-07-22T09:09:00.000-04:00

Another update on Goldie.

I have started her body now, but still needs a lot of work. The first 4 layers are layed down, but still need to get more depth to her body. It's looking a bit flat at the moment.

Still hoping to get it done before our trip!

2008-07-18T18:54:00.000-04:00

I have done half of Goldie's face now and checked the values. I have to be careful though because Goldie's face is mostly white, with a few other colors mixed in. The values are simply to model her sweet face, not to add color.

Now I'm actually starting on her shoulder.

Goldie WIP 4

2008-07-18T11:49:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update. I'm mostly working on the values on her neck, chest, and ear. Ignore the part under her right eye (as we see it). I have only just begun to work on that. I'm mostly working on the shadows right now while I try to figure out how I want to do her face.

Still hoping to have it done by July 25th!

Goldie WIP 3

2008-07-17T19:00:00.000-04:00

I've started working on her face and ears now. None of this is finished yet. Got more adjusting to do with the values on the ears. The muzzle is only just started. Working on her neck and chest now too. I'm concentrating more on the values at the moment and will add more detail later toward the end. Got to fix the values on the right ear tonight.

Tomorrow I have all day to work on this and to prepare for a horse show I'm judging on Saturday. Still hoping to have this completed by a week from Friday (July 25th).

Goldie WIP 2

2008-07-13T17:53:00.000-04:00

I have fixed Goldie's eyes now. Someone pointed out that they were a bit uneven in size, so I got out my ruler, checked my proportions and found out they were off just a bit. The size and proportions are now correct, but I need to tweak the right eye's coloring now.

I have the background near finished, but it won't be completely finished until after Goldie is done. Now I can get started working on Goldie in earnest! I'm trying like crazy to get this done before we leave for the CPSA convention in Seattle on July 27th, so I need to move fast and hope I don't have any problems along the way.

The coloring in the photo below is slightly off, but not too much. I'm using quite a combination of colors on the background. Let's see, Coloursoft brown earth and mid brown (LOVE those two colors), Derwent Studio brown ochre and golden brown, Prisma goldenrod, burnt ochre, dark brown, dark umber, and black, and Polychromos burnt ochre (which is quite different from Prisma burnt ochre). And of course I'm using my handy dandy trusty bristle brush to blend the colors in. The dark areas of the background definitely need to be darkened a bit more, but I'll get there. It's time to get Goldie going now!

Fallen Soldier Portrait - Completed!

2008-07-07T23:42:00.000-04:00

All right, it's finished, finally! Whew! I knew I got the flak jacket right when my husband (with twenty years of military experience) looked at it and could recognize the different parts right away. I wish he had explained all of that to me BEFORE I started working on it, it would have made a lot more sense and been easier!

The young man's mother has seen the painting and I got the ultimate praise - she immediately recognized her son and started crying, which of course started me crying. I REALLY must have got it right because I never had to make any changes to it. She said it looked like him and nothing needed to be changed. WOW!! Talk about making my day!

It's all done and ready to be sprayed. I won't be making any changes to it, especially since the family is very happy with it, but all of your comments and critiques are welcome. I have two more to do after this as well, so the learning process is continuing, and C&C's will help on the next one.

I just looked at it and thought some explanation was needed to clarify something. The young man's face was actually quite burned by the desert sun and since he had to wear goggles often, he was actually very pale all around his eyes. I didn't want to make his face quite like that, but I also didn't want it to be unrealistic. So I compromised. I made his skin around his eyes darker, but not completely equal to the rest of his face. That's why he has a kind of ring around his eyes.

Details: Prismas, Coloursofts, one Lyra pencil, two Verithins, and a multitude of bristle and stencil brushes on sand colored Colourfix paper.
Size: 11" x 14".

2008-07-02T16:02:00.000-04:00

Well, what a day I've had! I got up at 8:30 AM, got my coffee, sat down at my drafting table, and spent the next seven hours (minus one hour for a lunch break) working on my soldier portrait. I am SO close to finishing it now. Only a couple of hours more, then the tweaking begins and it will be DONE! Yay!! Wow, I was beginning to think I'd never finish it.

The weather was so cooperative today. Temp in the 80's and low humidity. I had to take advantage of the beautiful day and get a lot done because the heat and humidy are coming back again tomorrow. Once I finish this piece, everything else I'm working on is on Pastelbord, so I don't have to worry about the weather.

2008-07-01T10:52:00.000-04:00

Down the homestretch now. Almost done!!

Couldn't sleep this morning so I got up. Since it was amazingly cool, I pulled this out to work to before it got hot & humid again. Worked for about 2 hours on it before it started heating up. I still need to tweak the colors of his uniform here and there, as well as his eyes, but I am getting soooo close to finishing this .... finally. His family has been waiting so patiently for this to be done!

Goldie Portrait Commission WIP 1

2008-06-29T23:04:00.000-04:00

I have just received a new commission for a portrait of a dog. She's a real sweetheart too! Goldie is a 17 year old mixed breed dog and the love of my client's wife. My client wants this to give his wife for her birthday in August. I think that's sweet, but I'll have to work fast!

I'm going to be doing Goldie on gray Pastelbord, because I don't have to worry about heat & humidity with it. It's a sanded primer painted on a wooden surface, so it's pretty tough stuff. I first did a practice painting of a cat on a 5 x 7 piece of Pastelbord to practice techniques and such since I have never done an animal on this surface before. I don't want to mess up Goldie, so I wanted to make sure of everything before I got started.

I have now sketched out Goldie and have just begun work on the portrait. So far, I have worked on her eyes and nose, but they are not finished yet. They won't be completely finished until the whole portrait is done.

Goldies eyes are now very dark and have cateracts in them. When she was younger, she had more brown in them. I'm lightening her eyes a bit, adding some brown, and taking out the cateracts, but trying to not change them to such a point that they are unrealistic for her age. Her nose needs much more work. I always seem to have trouble with the colors in a dogs nose. Next I will start working more around her nose and eyes, bringing out the 3-D look in them.

The first photo is the entire sketch but not including the background space. I have also included a close-up of her eyes and nose.

Any C&C's are always welcome, especially at this stage!

Soldier Portrait WIP 8

2008-06-28T20:21:00.000-04:00

Didn't have to go to McDonald's today because the humidity dropped unexpectedly and I got a chance to spend a few hours on it before the humidity started coming back again. I now have about one third of his uniform done.

Not too long to go now before I'm done!! I can truly see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Unfortunately, this photo of the portrait looks a bit on the dark side. I'm currently using my husband's computer and I've found that his monitor tends to be on the dark side, so I really don't know if the colors are off or if it's his monitor. If the photo really is dark, I apologize.

2008-06-26T07:42:00.000-04:00

I have now started on his uniform. This part should go fairly fast since I have already worked out the palette. I just need the days when I can work on it. The weather's back to being humid, so it's back to McDonald's tomorrow. Also, the face is still unfinished and will be finished when the uniform is done.

Hoping to have this done by the end of the month, first week of July at the latest. Then I have to start on another soldier portrait.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on this at long last!

Soldier Portrait WIP 7

2008-06-21T13:09:00.000-04:00

I have now finished the soldier's helmet, but there are still bit & pieces of his face that I am tweaking. His eyebrows mainly. Now I'm onto his uniform. That should go fairly quickly since I have already worked out the palette for it. However, it has turned humid once again here and we currently have a storm passing through, so I may have to go to McDonald's again to get more work done on this.

This is now moving along nicely and I hope to have it completed by the end of this month.

Soldier Portrait WIP 6

2008-06-19T11:56:00.000-04:00

I have managed to get some more done on this portrait. I'm hoping to have this done by this weekend, at the latest by the end of the month.

I still need to work on his eyebrows and I haven't put his eyelashes in yet, other than that and maybe a few other tweaks, his face is almost finished. I'm finishing the helmet right now, then onto his jacket. Of course, the background is completely finished except for some fine tuning around the edges of the soldier after I finish with him.

Soldier WIP

2008-06-13T07:41:00.000-04:00

Drawing day was almost a bust for me. We have had a heat wave here you would not believe! Five days of near 100 degree (or more) weather and humidity over 70%, and we don't have A.C.!!! So, not much art got done. I couldn't pull out any paper because it would immediately be ruined. Also, my laptop is going to be shipped back to HP for repair after I go to a photo shoot for a commission this morning, and will be gone for two weeks. I can use my husband's computer, but at the moment, I can't download anything from my digi. So, my updates will be limited for awhile. Hopefully, my soldier portrait will be done by the time my laptop gets back!

I have finally got the background finished on this portrait! Whew! Now, onto finishing the mouth and the eyebrows. Hopefully, we'll have a few more days of low humidity so I can work on this some more.

Tulip I

2008-06-03T10:45:00.000-04:00

Here's what I was doing while it was too humid to work on the soldier. I decided I wanted to do some more flowers, having been properly inspired by a wonderful pastel artist. My rendition of a tulip is rather sad compared to her gorgeous paintings, but I tried!

This is Prismacolors & Derwent Coloursoft colored pencils on white Pastelbord. It's 8 x 10 and it will be varnished as soon as I am confident that I do not need to do anymore on it; then it will be framed sans the glass.

This is also part of a collection I have started to bring to a gallery in November.

BTW, sorry about the copyright mark. An unfortunate necessity nowadays.

Soldier WIP 4

2008-05-27T09:53:00.001-04:00

I had to take a break from working on this piece due to humidity. I didn't want it to get ruined, so I put it aside, sealed up in plastic, until the humidity went down. I am determined to get this finished ASAP. Not only because I want this young soldier's parents to get it, but I need to get it done before the humidity sets in here for the summer. I have been blessed so far with cool fronts coming through (with the exception of a few days last week). Oh, and we had a daughter and her family come up from Texas to visit and to see my husband's ordination ceremony. So, I've had a very busy week, but everyone's gone now and I can concentrate on getting this finished.

Remember as you look at this, nothing is finished yet. It's on sanded paper, so it looks rough in some areas, and the colors are not all smoothly blended yet. The young man's face will also lighten up as I put in the dark background too.

I opted to make his forehead darker than in the photo, but not as dark as the rest of his face. I don't want it to be totally unrealistic.

You'll notice I am leaving the eyes and mouth for last. Usually I do these areas first, but in this case, these areas in the photo are not clear. They are a bit blurry, so it's hard to see the exact shapes and details. I hope I can get them right.

Pencils & Colors for the Soldier Portrait

2008-05-19T20:11:00.000-04:00

It was brought to my attention that I did not show, nor did I tell you what kind of pencils I am using on my soldier portrait. So, here is a photo of a couple of the pencils.

You can't tell from the photo very well, but I'm using Prismacolors and Derwent Coloursofts. I'm really only using the Coloursofts for the background (mixed with the prismas), and only the Prismas for the actual portrait part. I'm showing in the photo above, two of my favorite Coloursoft colors: Mid Brown and Brown Earth. The Coloursofts have wonderful browns!!!!

The colors I've used so for the background are (not in this order):
Coloursofts
Brown EarTh
Mid Brown
Pale Brown

Derwent Studio
Burnt Yellow Ochre
Golden Brown

Prismas
Dark Brown
Dark Umber
Black

I will be adding additional colors as I continue on with the background.

Soldier Portrait WIP 3 - Blending Lesson

2008-05-18T20:02:00.000-04:00

I told you I would show you how I blend my colors on Colourfix paper, so here goes. I apologize for the color and lighting in the photos. It's a cloudy day and I didn't have much natural light when I took the photos.

Okay, I'm working some more on the background. This first photo is after I added five light layers of various colors onto the colourfix surface. You can still see a lot of tooth. As a matter of fact, it doesn't look like I've added that much color at all, but five layers is enough to start the blending process. Just be sure not to start your blending with the brush too early. It won't work if you have only a couple of layers of color on the paper.

Now, I've blended gently with a bristle brush. Actually, I got carried away and added a few more layers of color and then blended again, then I remembered that I forgot to take a photo as I went. So, I will do another section so you can see step by step how I do it.
All right, I'm back at five light layers of color on a new section of the paper. Again, you can see how much tooth is visible.

Now I blend the colors gently into the paper. If you aren't gently, you can use up the tooth faster, so be careful. Now, this stage looks pretty bad, but that's okay.

Now, I add about five more layers of color on top of the blended area. I'm trying to get a smooth transition as well as slowly lighten the background making it gradient. Here are the colors added on top of the blended section before blending the second time.

It just occurred to me that I have not shown you the kind of brush I use for blending. There are two kinds I use. One is a stencil brush. They come in several sizes and I get them all. In this case, I am using an inexpensive bristle brush. It cost me $1.00. You don't need anything expensive because you'll be abusing the blazes out of the brush and it will only last a little while before you have to throw it away and replace it with another one. Here's the brush:

Usually, I trim the tip of the brush a little shorter than it is when I purchase it. This helps with the blending process, however, make sure you don't trim it too short! It will be harsher on the paper and will brush all of the color OFF of pastelbord and colourfix paper instead of blending it into the tooth. You'll have to trim loose hairs every now and then as well.

Be sure to only use the brush on one color at a time. This is important because you don't want to mix colors! Look back at the color on this brush. If I went and used the brush to blend the soldier's face, what do you think would happen to the color of his skin????? That's why I have MANY brushes of all sizes. I probably use five of them on each piece.

One final note on the brushes: They are washable!!! Just wash them in your sink with regular soap, rinse them out real well, and dry them on a paper towel. Darker colors such as black or dark umber will stain the brush, but if you have thoroughly washed it with soap & water, you can use it on any color the next time, even skin tones.

Okay, back to the painting. here is the painting after blending yet again, very gently, the additional layers of color. I can still add many more layers and blend more if necessary to smoothly blend the colors together so they transition gradually, not abruptly.

And here is that entire section finished. I wish you could better see the colors as they very gradually transition to a lighter color. I guess you'll have to take my word for it until I can get a cooperative day with sufficient sunlight to take a good photo.

If anyone has any questions about this lesson, please just ask and I will try to answer your questions as best as I can.

Soldier Portrait WIP 2

2008-05-13T16:39:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: Here is an updated pic of this young man's portrait. His skin looks a little rough but it will be smooth out as I go along. Nothing is finished in this portrait at all yet! I'm still getting the basic layers down and starting the blending process. Also, this pic is a bit darker than it is in real life. I just noticed that. Sorry.

Now, the decision I have to make is whether or not to remain true to the photo and make his forehead as light in color as it is in the photo. In reality, this young man's forehead is very light colored because it has not been exposed to the desert sun as the rest of his face has been. I would rather make it all evened out and not such a drastic change in color. However, his natural skin tone is, in actuality, quite light. So, I have a few things to think about and work out.

I'm using my brush method to blend the colors and smooth out the painting. This method has worked wonderfully for my paintings on Art Spectrum Colourfix paper, but thus far it's been a bit harder to get as smooth a look on Pastelbord (I'll post examples of those at a later date). I'll see if I can get a close up soon of how I use the brush to blend the colors so you can see what I am talking about. It's a great technique that I love to use, but it must be used carefully so you don't fill up the tooth of the paper.

Soldier Portrait WIP 1

2008-05-04T16:54:00.000-04:00

IPWell, look at that. It's been almost a month since my last post! I've been in such an artistic slump for quite awhile now. But, finally, I got started on trying to finish up a portrait I had started eons ago. Actually, I started all over again on it. I had begun on BFK Rives paper, which I had used for "The Power of a Praying Child" and it turned out okay, although I wasn't thrilled with the paper. I started the soldier on the Rives, and it just wasn't going well at all! It was depressing and slow going. I felt like I was fighting the paper.

So, after much thought, I decided to start all over again on a different surface. This time it is on one of my all time favorites - Art Spectrum Colourfix sanded paper. Now, it is going much better!!

I have begun with his face and helmet, taking it one section at a time. I like working this way because I get satisfaction seeing the portrait really come alive day by day rather than waiting weeks or months to really feel like I was getting anywhere. I got depressed working on it before, I didn't want that to happen this time.

His skin is a bit sun burnt from being out in the desert sun in Iraq. He is a 19 year old young man who died in Iraq last summer. It's heartbreaking, but this is a special request from his mother. I only hope I can do him justice and that they like the end result.

Here is the portrait:

Here is a close-up of his face:

I'll add an update as soon as I have made more progress.

2008 CPSA Entries

2008-04-06T21:44:00.000-04:00

I didn't finish the paintings I was trying to get done to enter into CPSA this year, but my family & I have been so sick for the past 6 weeks I could not spend enough time on them. So, I touched up one from last year and entered that one instead. However, I will have several new pieces to choose from next year, since I am working on two new paintings at the moment with several more in the sketching stages. I'm hoping to finish them for another competition next month.

On the right you can see Bird Watching, one of my CPSA entries. It's a painting of Dusty, the "owner" of a local antique store. He greets everyone at the door as they come in. The painting doesn't show it, but Dusty is a very hefty cat who loves to be petted and played with, but watch out, his playing can get rough. Dusty gets full reign over the entire shop and also gets to lay on anything his Majesty's royal tuckas so desires - literally! The painting is only 9" x 12". I used Prismacolor pencils on Colourfix paper - soft umber color I believe.

My second entry, below, is one that reached it's time limit this year. You can only enter pictures created during the past three years. I made Intensity II three years ago, so this is the last year it can be entered in a show. You can see a small version of Intensity II in my banner at the top of my blog. here is a slightly bigger version of it. It's done with Prismacolors on suede board, with lots of workable fixative sprayed on it. It's a very small piece, only 4" x 6".

Miniature Animal Series on Vellum Film

2008-03-29T18:50:00.000-04:00

I suddenly realized that I hadn't posted any of my artwork here yet. How could I have been so remiss?! Well, I will just have to fix that then!

I am currently finishing up a small piece for a competition and a portrait just for fun. But, in the meantime, while I am working on those, I'm going to post my animal series on vellum film.

These pieces are miniature works, all 2.5" x 3.5", and they are all on vellum drafting film. This type of film is archival and acid-free. It is textured and rather than being transparent, it is translucent, meaning that it is cloudy looking and not completely see through. This film uses up more pencils than you would imagine it too. So, if you use it, be sure to have your pencils stocked up. I used Derwent Coloursoft pencils with a few Prismacolors thrown in for good measure.

Unfortunately, you cannot get very many layers on the film, even if you use a light hand. Therefore, you need to plan out how you want to mix your colors ahead of time and plan on getting the color mix you want within 3 -4 layers. If you use a very light hand, you might be able to get more layers on, but it's better to plan on only 3-4 layers; anymore than that is a bonus.

In addition, because this is film and it is translucent you can work on the back of the film as well as the front. Not all films let you do this, it needs to be textured (matte) on both sides in order to do this. Many people who work on film use the back to do a grisaille or a complementary underpainting. A grisaille is generally done in grays. Both techniques are used to help establish the values of the painting before adding the final colors and to add a sense of depth in the painting. However, I did not use the back side on most of these mini's, though I probably should have.

As you can see, I really enjoy creating macro shots of animals. I love doing the eyes most of all. To me that's the part that makes or breaks a painting.

I hope you like these little miniature treats! All of them now belong to new homes all over the world.

Guidelines For Conducting A Photo Shoot – Part I

2008-03-24T21:55:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm feeling much better now, though still not completely well. Well enough at least, to finish another article. And not soon enough I see. Her Royal Highness Treat appears to have taken over my last article. It looks like she's feeling better at least, but I'd say she had better look out for Tooki & Tony. It looks like they're out to get her, but then again, what's new?! *Grin*

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Okay, onto the article: Guidelines For Conducting A Photo Shoot - Part I

When I get a commission, I try to arrange to have my own photo shoot with the subject rather than accept my client’s own photos as references. I have only had one commission thus far that was not exactly within reasonable traveling distance. As a matter of fact, the commission was from Texas, which is approximately 1400 miles from Shiloh – just slightly beyond reasonable travel distance. I opted for the client to provide their own ref photos with guidance from me on how to take them. However, the photos were still remarkably bad even though they obviously did try to take good shots. I think that was the worst portrait I ever made, and it shows just how important it is to be able to take your own reference shots.

I’m going to cover this topic in two or three articles so that each one doesn’t get to long or boring. I hope I give you the information you need, but if not, please contact me and ask me whatever you want and I will try my best to answer your questions.

Today I will be covering:
1. Arranging The Photo Shoot
2. Getting Ready For The Photo Shoot
3. Equipment You Will Need

Using Your Client’s Own Reference Photos:
Since I rarely use photos other than my own for commissions, I’m not going to go into detail about this. Maggie covers it quite well and humorously in her blog. Be sure to check that out as well.

Arranging The Photo Shoot
The first thing you have to do, obviously, is set up a time and date with the client for the photo shoot. I always do my shoots at the client’s house, for various reasons.

The subject will be most comfortable at home. If your subject is nervous or tense, it will show up like a red flag in the photos. Number one rule is that you want your subjects to be at ease when you take their photo.

It is far easier to get outdoor AND indoor shots at the client’s home as they have ready access to both. If we go somewhere public to take the photos, we would be extremely limited in the kind of shots we would be able to take, and that you don’t want.

You will need to find a day and time that agrees not only with both you and your client, but also with the subject. This can be an exercise in patience and pain. If the subject is an animal that regularly gets groomed and/or their fur cut, be sure your client has them groomed and cut no more than 2 weeks before the photo shoot, otherwise, the fur will have had time to grow back and look messy again. Also, I always ask for one to two hours time. I also go over the contract at this time, so I leave plenty of time to get the photos I need plus time to go over the contract thoroughly.

I did a photo shoot with a Bichon-Friese one time. I had a terrible time getting the shoot scheduled because my client was an investment banker who traveled almost constantly. She sent Bentley to get groomed, we set the date, then she was sent away on business at the last minute and had to cancel. By the time we finally were able to do the photo shoot, Bentley’s fur had all grown back. I didn’t realize the difference though, because I had never seen Bentley (or a Bichon-Friese) that was freshly groomed. However, when I delivered the portrait on Bentley’s birthday, there was a newly groomed Bentley and I barely recognized him. When I put the portrait on the sofa, he jumped right up and sat down next to it. I took a photo of him with the portrait, and I was horribly embarrassed!! He looked nothing like the portrait with the exception if a few features on his face and some character traits. My client understood and said the portrait looked just like Bentley when his fur was longer, but I was mortified and promised myself this would never happen again!

Getting Ready for the Photo Shoot: The Equipment You Will Need
Okay, you’ve checked on the subject’s grooming/hair cutting schedule and you’ve set the appointment. Now, it’s time to get ready to go to the photo shoot. Here are a few pointers to remember:

Always get all of your equipment ready the night before and lay it out somewhere where it will be easily accessible to you in the morning, but out of the way. I put mine either in the kitchen table of the sofa. What kind of equipment might you need? Here are some suggestions;:

Batteries - Always have extra batteries charged and in your camera bag. Make sure you have a way to separate your used batteries from your charged ones, other wise you’ll have a heck of a time trying to find four batteries that are all charged when you need them.

Camera - If your camera is digital, have at least one memory card in your bag. Your memory card should have at least 2 Gigs of memory, which today is not very expensive, depending on which type you need to get. I use SD cards and the last one I bought (Christmas 2007) cost $40.00. I always have two cards because when I go to upload one card I put the other one in my camera right away. The card I am uploading stays in my computer until the next time I need to upload, and then I just trade them out again. This method has allowed me to always have one memory card in my camera at all times. It’s just a little trick I play with myself so I don’t forget my card at home.

After my previous digital camera got stolen (along with my camera bag, batteries, and memory cards) You don’t know how many times I went off with my camera and no memory card! It was very frustrating! I was so used to having two cards and using the “swap out” method that when I only had one card I was forgetting my card at home in my computer.

Tripod - Bring a tripod, although I have never used one yet, you never known when it may be necessary. Make sure you know how to use your tripod very well! You do not want to waste time setting it up, getting the camera on, setting different angles, etc. I never use one because I prefer to get candid shots and those are very spontaneous. Impossible to get with a tripod.

Toys & Treats - If the shoot is with an animal, be sure to have some treats and a squeaker toy with you. It is amazing the difference between a bored dog, cat, or horse and one with their full attention riveted in one direction and ears pointed! However, you might want to save the treats for after the shoot. I made the mistake of trying to get a dog’s attention with a treat one time, and I never could get him under control again for the entire rest of the photo shoot! Treats are either for well trained dogs or for a reward AFTER the shoot. Of course, always ask the owner first to make sure it is all right.

Camera Bag - Hopefully you bought a camera bag when you bought your camera. You can carry all of your extra batteries, memory cards, lenses, animal toys & treats and other camera equipment in the camera bag. It’s a handy little piece of equipment to have, but you’ll want to use the shoulder strap that came with it so you can keep your hands free for other things.

Laptop - One of the reasons my husband bought a laptop for me was so I could immediately plug in my memory card, upload the photos of the shoot, and go through them with your client right then and there. You can pick the particular photos you want to use, discuss the pros & cons of it, what changes you might want to make, etc. By the time you leave the shoot you can be prepared to start on your first sketch of the portrait. Just make the laptop is completely charged the night before.

Date Book - I always bring my date book so I can give my client some sort of timeline of when they can expect me to reach the halfway point (which is when a second payment is usually due) and when the portrait should be finished by. We also decide the delivery date, although I don’t like to set that date in stone unless my client needs the portrait for a special occasion such as a birthday or Christmas.

Commission Contract - DO NOT FORGET TO BRING THE CONTRACT!!!!!!! Unless you have already gone over the contract and had your client sign it, they must sign it at this point and give you a deposit and down payment. You will need to give your client a copy of the contract as well. Two ways you can do this. One is to take the signed contract and make a copy of it then either hand deliver it or mail it to your client. The second way is to bring two copies of the contract with you and have your client sign both (you sign as well), then leave one copy with them while you file the other one in your filing cabinet for safekeeping.

Directions - Do not forget your directions and your client’s phone number in case you need to call them!!!!! Trust me, you WILL need them. Do not try to go by your memory!

Map - I always bring a street map of the area with me as well. If I get lost I can pretty much figure out how to get there by using the map, but if not, I always have my client’s phone number with me too!

Change of Clothes - Remember we ARE talking about children and animals here! You never know just what to expect, so you might as well be prepared for anything (such as baby throw up, dirty paws, grass stains, mud, manure, and a multitude of other things! It is especially important to have a change of clothes if you have to go somewhere else after you finish with the shoot.

Hair tie, barrette, etc. - Yes, I know I’ve already mentioned this before in a previous article, but it doesn’t hurt to mention it again. Be sure to take care of your hair if it is long enough to get in your eyes.

NEXT:
I'll go over how I actually conduct my photo shoot with my subject. I'll also have some photos that I took at a couple of photo shoots and YOU decide which ones should be used. Put your vote for which one in a comment and I'll show you which ones I actually did use.

Queen Treat Introduces Other Household Residents

2008-03-22T11:32:00.000-04:00

Good afternoon good people of blogville! I am the residing Queen of the Hoover household, Treat. My human, Nancy, is still sick so I thought I would take it upon myself to introduce you to my loviness and give you some insight into the other, ahem, residents in the house.

First is the most important one of all, ME. You can see all of my resplendent glory in the photo above. This is me watching over all of my kingdom, that is, before my human decided that I wasn't allowed outside at all except for the dreaded ........ oh I hate to say it ............. exercise. Argh!! Yes, she actually makes me exercise. Oh the inhumanity of it all - of course all the attention I get while exercising is worth it, plus the added benefit of getting the lowdown on who's been around visiting us and any little presents left for us makes it ...... almost ...... tolerable. But I ask you, look at that glorious body of mine!! Do I look like I need exercise?? Of course not! I'm just ............ poofy! It's all that beautiful fur, that's all.

Anyway, I love to sit along the back of my human's chair when she sits at her drafting table drawing or working on her computer. She has this thing about me sitting ON the drafting table. Claims I'll hurt her artwork. Sheesh! When I'm not on the chair, I'm either following her around the house or forcing ... er ..... sweetly loving my way into her lap. If her lap is unavailable, I'll try another human's lap. At night, I lay cuddled with my human, preferably across her face - her breathing is so warm, soothing and relaxing. For some reason my human finds this position uncomfortable. Humans! Go figure!

What? Oh, oh yes, I need to continue, don't I? The next resident I'll introduce you too to the goofiest, craziest, most ridiculous fool I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. His name is Tooki. You can see him in all of his foolishness right there on your right. Yep, he's a winner all right! I'm not quite sure why my human wanted him, but here he is. He was born here along with his brother, Blitz. Let me tell you, sharing a home with those two clowns was torture!! They were always tag teaming poor little me. Well, Blitz is no more now (he got too brave with the mean outdoor critters), much to Tooki's dismay. Now Tooki and Tony (more about him in a moment) have turned my wonderful home into a race track! *sniff* It's awful! They whip around here, sliding around corners, bouncing off of everything from the top of the sofa, to the bookcase, right through the middle of my House master's (my human's mate) feet and under his desk ........ oooooooooooh, that's not good. Boy do they get in trouble for that! *snort* Hehe.

What? Oh all right stop pouting. Tooki is insisting on me putting up a more flattering picture of him. So how's this one??

(hehehehehe). Oh be quiet! All right, all right, I'll put up another one! Sheesh, male cats. Sometimes there's no pleasing them. *smirk* I still like the one with Tooki's head in the watering can better. Hehehe, Hey! Back off there! No swatting the Queen! By the way, I had heard a nasty rumor that my human is painting a picture of Tooki for a competition. I actually saw it today.
How insulting! Why she would ever want to paint such a nincompoop as Tooki I don't know, especially when she has such a glorious model like me around.

Last year a new resident moved in. Why my humans felt the need to add to the number of felines in the house I do not know. Humans often do fickle things for no reason. We have now got yet another male cat in the house.

That's just not fair, two male cats against little ole me! Well, I had to make sure this new upstart understood his place here, and he was quite good about it all. Better than that furball Tooki is. Tooki will just never get it!

Tony is of the long-haired variety, like me but not nearly as beautiful. You can see him below. Whereas I have many splendid colors in my coat, he has only two, gold and white, just like Tooki. Can you say booooooooooring! He is quite mannerly though, and is even willing to play with me occasionally. However, he sometimes has the audacity of trying to play with me when I have not instigated it! I can not have that happening, so I put my paw down in no uncertain terms whenever that happens. Tony has been pretty good, even though he did not grow up here like the rest of us did. My human has raised all of us from kittenhood, but Tony came to us already grown up. He's the same age as Tooki (God have mercy on me!), and I heard he lived in a garage before coming here. My humans have had a terrible time getting Tony to understand the concept of not getting directly under their feet and he has been stepped on several times. I think he's finally getting it though. Poor Tony doesn't understand, the only one here who can lay in the middle of a doorway in the middle of the night and not get stepped on is me! That's because I'm the queen (that, and I'm not stupid enough to just lie there and let myself be stepped on like he does). Tony doesn't try to steal my human's lap, or sleep with her (like some other buffoons), so he's okay. I won't post an embarrassing photo of him. *grin* Tony mostly likes to spend time in my human's brother's room. I go in there now and then to make sure everything is in order, but I let Tony have the run of that room. As long as he leaves my human and her son alone, it'll be all right.

Now, there's one more resident feline here, she lives outdoors though. My human says we have to go live outside when we stop using the litterbox properly. The horror of it! I shall always be sure to park my tookus in the litterbox whenever I feel the need to go. My human is really serious about this!

The outdoor feline's name is Mischief, and Mischief actually raised me to be the glorious Queen that I am today! She isn't my real mommy, but Mischief was already an adult feline living in my human's home when my human brought me home as a little baby. Mischief is about one year older than I am, but she is sooooo much more experienced from living outdoors with those possums, raccoons, bears, and other mean neighborhood felines!! *shiver* I don't think I could cope if I found my house taken over one night by one of those big ole nasty possums! But, Mischief likes living outside, although she does occasionally get lonely and my human brings her in for some loving when Mischief feels like that. Mischief has her own nice comfy house with a nice soft padded cushion for a bed and protection from all of the nasty weather we have here in northeastern NC! She's almost treated a bit too much like royalty for my taste, but I give Mischief some slack because she's outdoors. At least Mischief doesn't try to take over sleeping with my human like some felines do (Yes Tooki I mean you!!!! Just because I was sick myself while my human was sick doesn't mean you can take over comforting her).

We also have several visiting felines who actually live here more than at their own human's homes. One my human has already painted a picture of, is Mufasa. He's an all right feline. Kind of handsome, quiet, not too rambunctious, more of a gentlefeline. My human likes him very much, but poor Mufasa must not get treated very well by his humans. He's always so scared, but he likes my human and lets her pet him and even hold him. My human is glad he spends more time here and she takes good care of him. Tooki loves to play with him on the times when he sneaks out, which is getting out of hand lately. I've heard rumors that if he doesn't stop he may end up out there with Mischief ......... sharing her house!......... permanently!! Hey, this could work out for me! Tooki, look the door's open a crack. Want to go out?! *Snicker*

Hey folks! This is Tooki. Tony has her highness trapped and quivering like a kitten. We thought you should see what her highness is really like, so here's a photo of her overlooking her "kingdom" while plotting horrible things for me. Yes, it was ME she was looking at. *shiver* The Horror!!! ! Oh no, here she comes!! Run away, run away! The great behemoth queen is waddling after us!!! Ahhhhhhhh!!!

The Commission Contract Part II: Costs & Copyright Law

2008-03-18T23:53:00.000-04:00

It seems I have joined everyone else with getting sick. My whole family has been sick and some of us twice! So far two versions of this year's flu strains have made their way through my house, hopefully the third will think the first two did us in enough and leave us alone. At least, for the next few moments, I can actually think clearly enough to get this done.

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Continuing on with the Commission contract, we now find ourselves at the most complicated part of the contract - costs, and the most important part - copyright information. I have tried to simplify everything in this article as much as possible, but some parts may still seem a bit difficult to grasp. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or comment and I will try to respond as soon and as clearly as possible. I understand that this all seems rather dry, but it is critical information to know if you plan on doing commissions, so please hang with me here!

It would probably be much easier to understand this information if you first refer back to The Commission Contract - Part I, just to brush up with where we are on the subject and where we have already been.

C. Costs
1. Tax: I am required to charge state taxes on any commission I have when the client resides in North Carolina, so I write down this amount first.

2. Portrait Costs: I add up all of the costs in section B and write it down. This is the total price of the commissioned portrait, which included matting, but does not include framing.

3. Shipping & Handling: I add shipping & handling costs, if any. (If the client is within driving distance to me, I personally deliver the portrait to them at no cost).

4. Total Price: I calculate the total price of the portrait by adding together #’s 1, 2, and 3 from above. Matting is always included in the total price, but framing is extra.

5. Down Payment: I write down the amount of the down payment the client wants to make, a minimum of which is a $75.00 non-refundable deposit. This down payment guarantees the total price in the contract and holds the client’s place in the calendar.

D. Payment Plans
This is where the client chooses which payment plan he or she wants. It generally takes me at least two months to finish a portrait (usually more), depending on the size and complexity, so I allow the client to make monthly payments on their commission. This is much easier on the client, which in my case, generally turns out to be a hard working middle/working class person with a family. It also helps me to get some commissions I would never be able to get if I asked for total payment up front or at the least, all at once when the portrait is completed.

I have two payment plans, but I am also flexible. If I know a portrait is going to take longer, I allow the client to make more payments. As long as the portrait is completely paid for before I deliver the portrait, I am happy. I never deliver a portrait and leave it at my client’s house without first receiving the final payment.

Payment Plan A: Two payments. A first partial payment, which usually is 50% of the entire commission. The first payment is made in the down payment stage when the contract is signed. The second payment is made when I deliver the portrait to the client (sometimes the client has requested to make the final payment earlier, which is, of course, also acceptable). I clearly write out how much each payment will be for, and I spell out at what point the payments will be made.

Payment Plan B: Three Payments (mostly for commissions over $300.00). A first partial payment, which usually is 34% of the entire commission. A second partial payment of 33% is made at the halfway point. The third and final payment of 33% is made at the completion and delivery of the portrait. Again, I specify the exact amounts in the contract and spell out at what point the payments are to be made, including dates.

Additional Info: Lastly, I include a little blurb that describes the portrait process, including at what point they are to sign off of the work, meaning that no additional changes may be made from that point that will require a major reworking of the painting. If such a reworking is requested, the fee that will be charged for the extra work a rate of $50.00 per hour. This is not greed on my part. It is simply to strongly discourage any major changes to be made beyond a certain point in the painting process. I make sure when I am going over the contract with the client, I emphasis this part so that they completely understand it. I explain how difficult it is to make such changes and that sometimes if such a change is requested it would require me to completely start over and all the time already put into the painting is gone. Just a little note here; I send the client updates of the portrait as I progress and they let me know if I have gone a stray anywhere so that I may make any necessary corrections right away. This should avoid any problems later on, and so far I have never had anyone ask for major changes and no one has ever gotten angry at me about the fees.

Insufficient Fees: This MUST be written into the contract if you want to charge a fee for a check that bounces due to insufficient fees or for any reason that the bank returns the check and refuses to cash it. If you do not include this in your contract, you cannot charge this fee!! I write in bolded lettering that I charge a $25.00 fee for any check that is returned by the bank and the bank refuses to cover the check for whatever reason (this also includes stop payments). That fee gets added to the total commission price to be paid before delivery of the portrait. Also, if I run in this problem before the final payment has been made, then I will with hold portrait delivery until the check clears the bank completely. Only when the bank has given me clearance will I deliver the portrait.

For artists who are from other countries, please check on the laws of your country on this matter so you can conform to them.

E. Copyright Information
Whereas the cost section was the most complicated part, the copyright information is the most important part of the contract!

Always, ALWAYS (and I cannot emphasize this enough) include copyright information in your contract. Make sure you read it to the client and that they understand it completely! This section will be different for people in different countries because the laws are not all the same. Basically, I make sure the client understands that ALL copyrights of the original portrait, the reference photos used (if such photos were taken by me) remain with the artist. The client is not to reproduce the commissioned portrait or sell any reproductions of the portrait. I state that I agree not to reproduce or publish any commission in any derogatory manner whatsoever.

Copyright Specifics:
(All quotes in this section have been taken from the U.S Supreme Court case of Community for Non-Violence v. Reid, 490 U.S. 730 (1989). I include citations from the case and the location from where the quotes were taken so you may look them up yourself).

According to the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of “Community for Non-Violence v. Reid, 490 U.S. 730 (1989),” an artist commissioned to produce artwork is considered an Independent Contractor, rather than that of an employee as is the case of “work for hire.” According to the decision, factors that help define the relationship as that of an Independent Contractor are: everything written inside the parentheses are my own inclusions and not from the quote)

“the skill required,
the source of instrumentalities and tools, (does the artist supply his own tools, such as pencils, pastels, paints, drawing board, paper, boards, etc., or does the hiring party directly supply them)
the location of the work, (does the artist use his own studio or home to work in or does the hiring party provide the workspace)
the duration of the relationship between the parties,
whether or not the hiring party has the right to assign additional projects to the hired party,
the extent of the hired party’s discretion over when and how long to work, (does the artist set his own work hours)
the method of payment, (does the hiring party give the artist a "paycheck" with taxes taken out)
the hired party’s role in hiring and paying assistants, (does the hiring party have any say over whether or not the artist can hire additional help to work on the commission)
whether the work is part of the regular business of the hiring party, (if the artist works for a company and created the artwork as a part of his job for that employer, or created the piece while working at his job, then the employer could claim copyright of the artwork)
the provision of employee benefits, (does the hiring party provide insurance benefits, vacation, and sick leave)
and the tax treatment of the hired party.” (page 7, section B, paragraphs 1 & 2)

In addition, "section 101 of the 1976 Act provides that a work is for hire under two sets of circumstances:

a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment; or
a work specially ordered or commissioned for use as a

contribution to a collective work,
as part of a motion picture or other audiovisual,
as a translation,
as a supplementary work,
as a compilation,
as an instrumental text,
as a test,
as answer material for a test,
as an atlas.” (page 3, section II, part 2)

Thus, a sole artist working alone, who is commissioned to produce a portrait does not fall under the definition of “work for hire” and is not considered an employee of the hiring party so long as the above conditions are met. Therefore, copyright is NOT automatically assigned to the hiring party, however, Joint Ownership of the copyright could be assigned to both the artist and the hiring party if the hiring party and the artist prepared the work “with the intention that their contributions be merged in inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole.” (page 7, section B, paragraph 5)

Fortunately, there is a way for the artist to retain sole copyrights to his/her artwork. The Copyright Act of 1976 allows the artist to retain the copyright IF there is a contract signed by both parties stating that the copyright will be retained solely by the artist.

Therefore, ALWAYS add into your contract that the copyright of the original artwork and of any reference photographs taken by the artist for the artist to use in creating the commissioned artwork, remain solely with the artist. However, make the client comfortable by also including a blurb that the artist agrees not to reproduce any commissioned artwork in any derogatory manner whatsoever, and that any transfer of the copyright from the artist to another individual or company/organization must be in writing expressly identifying what rights are being transferred and for what purpose.

The above should protect you in an American court of law. If you live outside of the U.S. & its territories, you need to research your own country’s copyright laws.

Final Bits:

At the end of the contract I have a place for the signatures of both the client and myself, along with a place for the date, and I make sure the client’s name is printed as well as signed.

You will note that in numerous places I mention that I read something in the contract to the client. Well, I actually read the entire contract not just parts of it. I have found that most people do not bother to read the whole thing, even though it is only two pages long and I have simplified it as much as possible. The details outlined in the contract are extremely important and if you want to avoid trouble in the future you had better make sure they know every little bit of it! I explain to them how important it is and that I want to be able to answer any questions they may have. So far I have never had anyone act like I was insulting their intelligence by reading it to them.

Other Tips: Here are some final tips for you.

This is a business contract and a serious matter, even if it is between you and a friend, co-worker, or family member. It not only protects you from a dishonest client, but it also protects the client from YOU. However, if you want your client to take this seriously, you need to dress and act the part.

You are a business man or woman – look the part! No, just because you are an artist does not mean you can dress sloppy. You don’t have to wear a suit, goodness knows I never have. But go dressed for the part. If I am doing a photo shoot of the subject, I generally wear black dungarees with a nice button down shirt tucked in and don’t forget the belt (if your pants have belt loops). Some shirts are made to be worn outside of the pants; just make sure it does not look sloppy. However, don’t wear a top that would be difficult to clean if it becomes dirty. Remember, you are working with animals, children, and adults, accidents do and will happen!
Have your hair neatly brushed and out of your way. If your hair is long enough to get in your eyes at all, pin it up, put it in a ponytail, or put a barrette in it. Nothing is more distracting or frustrating to getting a job done than having to keep your windblown hair out of the way (both from your eyes as well as the camera lens).
Be sure to carry on in a business like manner. That doesn’t mean a boring, dry, ho-hum manner. You can laugh, play with the subject, and have a good time because if you don’t your subject and client surely will not. But do not get carried away or say anything questionable, distasteful, or inappropriate.
In addition, remember that anything that is said in front of you by your client and/or their friends or family can be considered confidential. Be very careful of the stories you tell about your clients and your experiences in doing commissions. Ask yourself that, if your clients read what you write or hear what you say, would they be hurt, embarrassed, or angry or would YOU feel that way?? If the answer is yes, don't say or write it. Remember, people aren't always thinking when they speak, and your client's friends and family don't expect you to repeat what you hear in their presence.

Remember, you can still lose the client and commission right up to the final payment and sometimes even after that.

Next Article: I'm going to cover how I conduct my photo shoots with my clients & subjects.

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For more information on copyright laws:
U.S. Copyright Office

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Here is more about using photo references for paintings by Maggie Stiefvator

The Commission Contract - Part I

2008-03-10T22:21:00.000-04:00

The Commission Contract: The Most Important Part of a Commission

There have been numerous people asking what I include in my contract for commissions, so I thought I’d write an article on what I put in my contract and why it is necessary. As artists, we don’t like to think our clients are people we can’t trust, or that our clients will ever stiff us or give us a problem. However, those of us who already do commissions know that, unfortunately, you cannot always count on the good side of people when dealing with a lot of money for a portrait. So, for those of us who would far rather avoid headaches with difficult clients, or want to just have a clearly written and concise contract that spells out everything for the client as well as for ourselves, I hope this article helps.

For ease of the reader, I have divided up this article into parts. This particular article covers the following:

1. Why Do You Need a Contract?

2. What Is In a Contract

Client Information

Portrait Information

This is a very simple beginning. Although ALL sections in a contract are important, some sections are absolutely crucial. The next article will cover those crucial sections, so be sure not to miss it.

Why Do You Need A Contract?

You need a contract between the artist and the client for a variety of reasons.

1. It spells out ALL costs and expenses involved in the commission.

2. It explains any special fees that may occur during the course of the commission.

3. It contains all the information you, the artist, need to get in touch with the client, how & where to deliver the painting, details about the commission and the subjects, and copyright information. In addition, it is a signed contract between the two of you and is legally binding in a court of law if, God forbid, it ever needed to go that far.

As much as we would like to think the best about people, and as often as agreements start out amiable, they do not always end that way. Without a contract, you could end up being left high and dry, or you could end up with a lot of extra work and not get paid for it.

What Is In A Contract?

So, what exactly does a contract consist of? I have broken down the contract I use into sections, and I will cover each section separately.

A. Client Information

This is pretty self-explanatory. I include the client’s name, address, telephone number and alternate number (usually a cell phone number). If the client has a P.O. Box, I also ask for a physical address.

B. Portrait Information

Okay, now we start to get down to the nitty gritty. I begin this section with a little blurb about how the client wishes to commission me to create an artistic portrait and that by entering this contract the client acknowledges that he or she has reviewed my other portraits and is familiar with my style. This blurb is to make sure that the client really understands what he or she is getting and what the portrait is likely to look like in the end. That way, the client cannot say he did not know what your artistic style was from the beginning.

Portrait Size
The sizes I include are a total of six different sizes:

8" x 10"
9" x 12"
11" x 14"
14" x 18"
16" x 20"
18" x 24"

I keep to standard frame sizes to make it easier to mat and frame. Each size has a base price that I have already determined. The base price is the starting point, and it goes up from there depending on the particulars. After checking which size the portrait is to be, I write the base price in the spot provided next to the size.

The portrait to the right, "Gazing Toward Heaven", is a 9" x 12" three-quarter body with a simple background. I didn't make it complex, even with the garden sign included.

Type of Shot
This tells me how much of the subject is included in the portrait. My clients have three choices:

Head & shoulders
three-quarter body, or
full body

I charge 25% more for the full body.

The portrait to the right, "Bentley", is an 11" x 14" full body with a complex background (because it has furniture in it).

Background
Last, I ask what kind of background my client would like. They have two choices:

Simple - a background of gradient color
Complex or detailed - including furniture, nature, specific items, etc.

I charge 25% more for the complex background.

The portrait to the right, "Bird Watching", is a 9" x 12" three-quarter body complex background.

Additional Information

I use a separate piece of paper to record such information as eye color, hair color, height, and any additional distinguishing features or information the client wishes to include. I used to include this info in my contract, but it got too cluttered and confusing, so I took it out. Now the contract is much more understandable!

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One thing I have decided not to do is to provide a copy of my contract. This is because I want you to write your own, one that suits you and your needs. I got the basic information for mine from another artist, then changed it to suit my own needs and preferences. That is what you should do as well. I am providing you with the information that I feel is necessary to include. You may feel that I am missing an item or two that you want to include. Additionally, you may feel that I have included sections you do not feel necessary. Again, this article is simply meant to be a guideline for you to use in the creation of your own contract.

NEXT: Costs, Payment Plans, Copyright Information, and Other tips.

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