Looking back at 2018!

Well it is the last day of 2018, it sure went by quickly. Looking back on the year I have definitely grown as an artist and learned a lot. I wanted to visually break down what I have done this year and since I started working on pet portraits. Here are the numbers:

1775 Total Paintings

1203 Dogs

502 Cats

20 Birds (16 Parrots/Budgies, 2 Pigeons, 1 Finch, 1 Hummingbird, 1 Chicken)

15 Guinea Pigs

12 Rabbits

4 Iguanas/Lizards

3 Pigs

3 Horses

2 Hamsters

2 Rats/Mice

2 Ferrets

1 Hedgehog

1 Turtle

1 Snake

1 Fish

1 Donkey

1 Chinchilla

This doesn’t include any of the commissions or other projects I did this year, such as all the dogs for the card deck. Cool and crazy to think about!

Have a Happy New Year!

Painting of The Corgis

I needed a piece to fill a local show, so I painted my own corgis! Here is a video of the painting process!

Painting of Smokie

Here is another painting I forgot to post back when I painted him! Another cutie! Smokie was a fun one because the background was included!

Painting of Ralphie

I forgot to post about this guy back when I painted him! It is always fun to paint older pets, so much white sprinkled in with the gold. Painting text was a new challenge in this one, I definitely don’t feel that it is my strong suit, but hey I tried and it’s on fabric so it is a bit more forgiving.

One thing I love to do is ask about the pet I am painting and learning about the quriks special to them. I love it when long descriptions like this are sent!

“Ralphie is a very social gold retriever who grew up on a lake.  When he was young he would roam the neighborhood looking for new friends.  If he found a party sometimes he wouldn't come home until the next day!  Although he does like other dogs, we like to joke he likes dog people more.  He also loves going to stone's throw brewing to get pets and beg for treats from the food trucks.  My parents bring him there every Friday.  They like to joke that he has to make it to his shift as a greeter. They even made him a bandana. He is very well known there.  Sometimes if we take him on a walk somewhere complete strangers will recognize him!  

Ralphie loves food.  I don't think he really cares what though.  He has even gotten in trouble for eating the neighbors cabbage out of her garden.  He loves everything from hotdogs to brussel sprouts.  His favorite toy is a stuffed California quail that  makes an authentic bird call.  He also likes to carry around shoes but never chews them.  We have  tried to get him other ones but  he hasn't liked them. One thing Ralphie does not do however is retrieve.”

That face!

Hamster!

Bit busy this week! So have a look at this painting of a hamster I did!

Painting of Jiggy

Jiggy was a fun painting! Her reference photo was a bit challenging due to having a very light colored towel over her back that had to be replaced. Overall she was a pleasure to paint.

Maxine, Frankie Louise, Daisy Mae, & Quincy Oil Painting

This was a really awesome and challenging painting to paint! It was a larger one and as you can see has 4 subjects! From left to right they are Maxine, Frankie Louise, Daisy Mae, & Quincy. 

This one was a really fun one because it involved combining lots of references together and getting the lighting right on them. Each dog was in their own photo, two of them have passed. We actually did not have an official photo of one of the dogs and worked off of many photos to re-create her. Overall it was a really large challenge but very fun!  

Argus and Mini Argus Acrylic Painting

I have gotten really behind in uploading some of the commissions that I have done this year! This is an 8x10 acrylic painting of Argus and Mini Argus the German Shepard. Argus has a mini stuffed animal version of himself!  

It was really fun and a new challenge to paint in the wood floor in this one. 

Miah Acrylic Painting

This is a 9x12 acrylic painting of Miah the Yorkie. Miah is an awesome dog that has lived way longer than the vet originally expected. This painting was a gift for her owner from the owner's daughter. 

Yellow is Miah's owner's favorite color so we chose a bright vivid one to use as the background, it really brings out the sunny nature of the painting.

Millie Oil Painting

This painting is of Millie, who sadly has passed. This painting is 8x10 and in oils. We focused on featuring her wrinkles, ears, and droopy face. Her owner really loved her titling her head to the side when she looked at you. 

“She was almost 100 lbs but thought she was a lap dog. She loved to snuggle on the couch, and was very lazy, until she was outside or around other dogs. She loved to be chased and to wrestle. She could chase a ball for hours but was terrible at retrieving it to the thrower. ”

— Alyson

I really enjoyed capturing all the subtle colors in the black of her snout. It had a lot of violet and red undertones. Working with oils on this one really allowed me to blend those colors together.