March 6x6 Pet Portraits

Here are  all of the pet portraits from March. 

How I Stay Focused on a Project

Somehow I missed my post last week! Oops! Well this post is about staying focused and hopefully not missing a week like I did! Generally I tend to get detracted quite easily. However,  over the years I have found a way to stay focused on the project that I am doing. Here are three of the things that keep me working on a painting, design project or other task! 

Listening to a Story

I work maybe a little different than most artists. Many have music blasting to inspire their work and keep them moving. I always seem to need a storyline to follow. This is why I tend to either listen to audio books or watch TV shows. Looking back to when I used a shared studio space in college, most people did not work this way and opted to use music only.

Generally I don’t follow the visual aspect, but I do follow the story. So streaming services are great! With a combination of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu I can “watch” many shows. Audible and Libby (library audio books) are fantastic for listening to books.

I tend to get absorbed in the story and it actually allows for a looser more natural painting. I have worked this way for years, both when working in design and in painting.

Not Have Other Tasks

I find that I will get distracted if I have other chores or tasks to do. Generally I try to get the dogs walked or emails written before I sit down to work on a painting. Getting these daily tasks completed allows me the freedom to work on my paintings longer.

A sleepy dog! 

Have a Planned and Organized Workspace

Having all the supplies needed for a project ahead of time, such as clean water, all the paint needed, and clean brushes, all help in keeping me working. This obviously makes it so I do not have to get up to get these things once I have started already. This does not translate to a clean workspace for me however! I do try to clean and organize and it does help, but for some reason it does not seem essential!

February 6x6 Pet Portraits

Here are  all of the pet portiats from February. 

January 6x6 Pet Portraits

It has been awhile since I uploaded the pet portraits I do each week. These are all of the ones from January. 

The time I spend on each varies, as does the quality of the photos I am working from, so they all look a bit different! 

Common Art Scam

I’m going to write about something a bit different this week. Art Scams!

Scammers suck, especially ones that target artists who are just starting out. Hopefully most people are honest and don’t do this, but there has been one in particular that I get quite often. Like once every two months often. Generally it will look like a legit email, from a real email address. Sometimes they even fill out my submission form. However I have gotten it before where I am CCed in the middle of a list.

I am not even going to sensor this because scammers blow but generally the scam looks like this:

Or this:

Normally they have something to do with getting their wife a present. Or they want to purchase a piece on your site immediately. They base their email on something you probably would customarily would respond and be receptive to. They include personal details and make you believe that they are actually interested in your work.

What is the scam?

Their intention is usually money and perhaps personal information. They state that their “wife” handles their credit cards or PayPal accounts, so they have an elaborate explanation about how they will get you the money for the painting (or art). Something common they do is they say they are traveling or overseas, and they overpay and ask you to send the extra amount to their shipping company who is transporting it for them. Once you do pay with your own bank account – you discover the cashier check they sent you is not legit. So essentially you paid them and they didn’t actually pay you, note this is what I have gathered from searching the scam. Sometimes they will ask you to ship before they make payment, obviously don’t do this.

Here is another, this one I did reply to:

My reply just included the price of the painting in question.

This second email immediately sent up the alarm bells, I kindly told them to shove it.

So generally keep an eye out for these “Wife” emails or other complex stories. Other things to look out for is anyone that wants to arrange the shipping themselves or purchase immediately. If all else looks okay but you are still suspicious, google their email address, scammers send so many emails that it may already be on a list online.

Where I live on the Internet

I am not at home for this post. I am spending time with my grandma while she recovers from wrist surgery. So today I am just going to throw down some different places you can find my work! 

Instagram - @KendraAldrichArts

Facebook- Kendra Aldrich Arts

Twitter- @KendraAldrich

YouTube- Kendra Aldrich

Tumblr - Grumpycorgi

Dribbble (Design work) - Kendra Aldrich

Behance (Older digital work) - Kendra Aldrich

You can also find me on VERO  as Kendra Aldrich

Oil Vs. Acrylic Paint

Oils or Acrylics? The ever looming question for painters, I have gotten the question many times about which I prefer. And for me there really isn’t a straight forward answer, as there are benefits to both.

Some of these are painted in Oils, some are painted in Acrylics. Can you tell which are which?

Acrylics

Acrylic paint was first introduced in the 1950s and are made from pigment in an acrylic polymer emulsion (plastic). They can be thinned with water and the paint dries fast. Acrylic paint can be mixed with various “mediums” such as gels, to create different effects.

Oil

Oil paint is what the old master’s used. The paint is pigment suspended in an oil, which makes it non-water soluble. A solvent is required to dilute or clean up paint. Paint is often thick and buttery (due to the oil) and dries very slowly. Depending on the thickness, it can take days for a painting in oil to dry.

So which do I prefer?

There are lots of things to consider, such as ease of use, clean up, speed of drying, color of dried paint and price. Acrylics dry fast, which is nice when something needs a quick turn-around, as I can work quicker with it. They are also easier to clean up as it just takes water to clean brushes. Oils dry slow, which can be a benefit or a hindrance, they also require solvents to clean brushes. These need special and careful handling. Acrylic paint dries a bit darker than it goes on the canvas, this is known as color shift. Oil paint dries pretty much how you apply it to the canvas. Acrylic paint is usually a bit cheaper than oil paint, which can also be a factor.

When painting one of the most important aspects to me is how the paint feels when coming off the brush. I like thick, buttery, smooth. These are the qualities of oil paint. However, I use heavy body acrylic paint, which does a really good job of getting that same quality in acrylic paint. I can usually make them look quite similar in my painting style. If I absolutely had to choose one I would choose oil, only based on the fact that I like how genuinely buttery it feels when going on the canvas! 

Acrylic

Oil

Did you guess correctly? 

Small Business Need to Fight for Net Neutrality!

This post is a bit different than usual, but just as important. 

On December 14th the FCC is most likely voting to dismantle Net Neutrality.

Net Neutrality allows that every service (websites, information, products) on the internet competes on a level playing field and are treated equally. Without Net Neutrality big companies with lots of money will be able to speed up or slow down websites based on corporate or political interest. This could undermine small companies before they even have a chance to develop.

Without Net Neutrality companies like Comcast, AT&T, or Verizon can set up tiered package costs, meaning customers can’t access your website quickly without paying more. Internet service providers could pick the market winners and losers – for example, your website could not show up in google results as rankings depend on speed. (Your website being slower as than others because it’s not in the fast tier.) Or those companies allow your website get a decent connection to customers - as long as you pay $$$ for prioritization. Small business can’t afford $$$, but the multi-million competitors can, putting your small business in the slow lane, cutting off your customer’s road to you.

This all matters to small business owners – especially ones that do most their business online like artists who take commissions and sell online! Make your voice heard, take action.

Start Here: 

https://www.battleforthenet.com/

Write Congress first, then call, then join the day of action December 12th.

Time Lapse Catch Up + Cyber Monday!

I hope that everyone had a good and very filling Thanksgiving!

Here are a few time lapses that I have not posted here yet! It has just become part of my process to film while painting so I get these videos for nearly all paintings. 

Also today is Cyber Monday! I didn't end up doing a Black Friday deal.  So if you are reading this and would like to order a painting, use the code CM10$OFF for 10$ off on any order!  Valid though 11:59 PST Nov, 27th! 

Holiday Pet Shop Updates!

The holiday shopping season is upon us this year! Inquiries have been rolling in for pet portraits and I just love seeing all the cute faces. This is my first real year being a full time painter, and dealing with the holiday rush, so bare with me in getting all my ducks in a line! 

First off a gift of custom artwork is one that can't be beat, it is a very personal way to show someone that you care about them! I will work with you to create something that you and those you are gifting to will love for a very long time. 

PET PORTRAITS

I will be open to accepting inquiries until the end of the month (Nov 30th) for pet portraits that can be delivered before Christmas. This date may change depending on how many portraits I get to do between now and then. So be sure to check back in with me, I do however, suggest ordering earlier rather than later to be safe! (Also if you happen to want a huge painting I may not be able to guarantee completion before Christmas.) Start your order here. 

GIFT CERTIFICATES

If you are interested in a custom painting and it is too late to order it, or don't have access to photos, my gift certificates are another option. They allow the recipient to take part in the fun creation process, such as picking out what photo they want or background color. Gift certificates can be found here!  *Gift certificate orders must be placed no later than December 19th for Christmas delivery. Gift certificates redeemed between Dec. 1st - 25th don't guarantee a delivery by Dec. 25th.*