You can help!

Would you like to participate in a random act of kindness AND get a custom portrait of your pet at the same time? You can order as many portraits as you like but, please, only one animal per portrait. Completed portraits will measure 8x10 inches and be matted (white), backed and bagged with archival artist-quality materials. Cost is $100 and includes shipping (continental U.S.). All monies will be donated to a member of our community in need of surgery. (see note at bottom). Payment via PayPal please. I'm offering two different styles (see attached). Send me a private message if you are interested and I will work out the details with you - you can also find me on Facebook to send private messages. Please provide a quality, well-lit photo of you pet and will create a portrait of his/her head/chest.

Border Collie Pup (Study)

Charcoal on Tinted Pastel Paper

Head/chest portrait of your pet in charcoal pencils. Finished portrait will be matted in white with backing board and clear bag, all archival materials.

"Ginger - Cat Lady"

Watercolor

Arches 300# Paper

Private Collection

If you prefer your name or your pet's name in watercolor I can create a piece like this. This is watercolor on watercolor paper and will be shipped with a mat board backing and an archival bag (no matting with this format as they will all be different sizes)

More info about the beneficiary: His name is Brian Wetzel, he lives in Santa Rosa, CA and is a comedian and advocate speaker for NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness). He puts on a one man show to bring awareness about depression. He needs three different parts of his shoulder operated on and doesn't have insurance or money to pay. He gives to the community at large and I would like to find a small way to help him. I believe if you google NAMI you can find him and maybe even buy a DVD of his show. I am doing random acts of kindness throughout 2013 and I personally have experienced horrible pain so I understand how he feels. I also think that NAMI does a tremendous amount off good for people . Lastly, I just love dogs (and cats)!

Charcoal Pencils on Colored Background

I am really enjoying drawing dogs and cats, this little guy is different in that he is done in charcoal instead of graphite.  He looks like he wants to come home with me, what do you think?

Here he is all finished!

Lesson 3 - Practicing with Black and White Charcoal Pencils

5-Minute Studies

We had 5 minutes to do each study, the one with the two German Shepherds I took 5 minutes for each dog.

Long-Haired Dog

Our next assignment was to choose a cat or dog with long hair to draw.  I thought this Yorkie has the sweetest scruffy face.  He is intentionally left unfinished with the dark border and lettering added to help balance the weight of the finished left side and to show a little of the "process" that went into creating him.

YORKIE

4B Pencil on Strathmore Bristol Vellum

8x10 design

11x14 exterior mat dimensions

Short Haired Cat

I really like this kitty, she looks a lot like my cat, Tia.

Short-haired Cat

4B Pencil on Strathmore Bristol Vellum

Drawing Dogs & Cats - New Online Class

On the heels of the Watercolor Lettering Class I started Val Webb's on-line Drawing Cats & Dogs Class.  She is a great teacher and it is good to be back drawing again.  I forgot how long it takes to draw something with care and not with the intent to then paint it.  Basically we are just using 4B pencils and eraser so far.

The first couple of lessons were practicing drawing marks with a pointed and beveled edge pencil and lifting with a kneaded eraser.  We also experimented with different types of strokes to achieve the look of long silky hair, short curly fur and wavy long fur, we also worked on eyes for both cats and dogs and noses.

OOPS! Need to update the blog!

I've been taking an on-line Watercolor Lettering class by Val Webb and have since moved on to her current class, Drawing Cats & Dogs.  I've been diligent in posting our the homework site but not here on my own blog.  Let's see if I can bring us all up to date....


 This lesson was one of my favorite.  We chose a word and decorated each letter inside a box.  I chose my friend, Ginger, who adores cats.  I was pretty happy with her response when I presented her with it. :)

I had so much fun with the previous assignment that I decided to do it again, this time my husband came up with the idea to commemorate our recent trip to Maui where we celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary - amazing he has put up with me this long!  

The next assignment is called a CRAZY QUILT.  The idea is to pick a poem, lyric, etc. and incorporate it into a patchwork-style painting.  I couldn't think of a poem I liked so I made up my own words keeping in theme with my "trying to find Zen" concept for 2013.

The final project was another type of CRAZY QUILT but this time having a larger central picture.
Because I had already started the next course, Drawing Cats & Dogs, but had one more Watercolor Lettering project to do I decided to combine them.  So this is my sketched (and then painted) kitty and my quote from one of Jimmy Buffet's songs, "Wrinkles will only go where the smile has been".  Recognize my zen thing continuing on here? :)  This little guy was actually looking really good in my sketch but I wanted to paint him so he fit in better with the overall project.  I tried to recapture the loosey-goosey feel of the portrait I had done previously of Mollie but I'm not sure I quite got there.  Either way, I am entirely pleased with all that I learned in Val Webb's class and my projects.