Lucy finished

I used mostly Prismas and Luminance cp's with mineral spirits on 100% rag mat board.  I'm almost sad I darkened the foreground.  It's hard to know what to do once you have taken the plunge.  Even if you photo shop values into the comp during the designing stages, there's the perspective and "reality"aspect.  Would I leave a detailed background and a blank foreground?  Wouldn't that be odd?  My thought was that subtle roughed in details and shadowy earth tones would support the portrait without busying it up too much.  What do you think?

Doberman Pincher WIP

Lucy is coming along.  Her coat colors are a gigantic challenge. I have hundreds of colored pencils rolling around on the drafting table! The use of mineral spirits was crucial. Tweaking will come later. I am going to set this aside for a little while to work on something else.  Plenty left to do, but I'm "Artist blind."

Portrait commission WIP of Lucy the Doberman Pincher

I'm having a little trouble with my rag mat board surface holding up to all the color pencil layers.  One thing I've found: odorless mineral spirits when allowed to over saturate breaks down my surface.  I've since switched back to good old regular mineral spirits, but the damage was already done.  -Came close to starting all over, but was able to dip and dab color where needed. The detailing is just about impossible.  Working fixative allows a little repair.  Otherwise, the piece is coming along. I will never return to odorless mineral spirits.  Thank goodness for windows and fans!

Graphite portraits, powerful and beautiful.

This triptych study of my daughter's cat Linus has had more Facebook shares and likes and pins than I ever imagined.  I did several cp paintings from the series of reference photos taken of Linus two from the graphite study. The graphite triptych sold to an extreme cat lover who set aside money from her limited retirement income for five months.   She was delighted to finally unwrap the framed piece after months of waiting.  As luck would have it,  I was at the gallery to witness the reveal.  It was a great moment for both of us.  Just a simple pencil drawing, but well loved.  These moments are what keep me on track. No matter the medium, if a portrait reaches into someone's heart, it is a success.

Accepted into the 22nd Annual CPSA International Exhibition in Daytona Beach Florida

This is "Waiting"  30x16", Prismacolor, Bruynzeel and Luminance pencils on rag mat board. I'm excited about this folks!  This means I become a CPSA Signature member! Rags, Ginger and Stewie are excited as well: my three beloved rescues who've managed to make it BIG.

Portrait Commission Contract

After many years of doing  portrait commissions, I have just recently started to get serious about contracts.  For the first decade or so, most of my patrons were local.  Many were clients at the veterinary hospital where I was office manager.  When the economy plummeted into recession, my portrait commission business slowed as well.  I became very aggressive  about using social media and internet to make sales. I don't always have the luxury to look a client in the eye.  A contract helps both the client as well as the artist.  It articulates possibilities that one might forget or be afraid to mention.  It spells out the rules.  And though it adds time to the initial process (I don't begin a project without both a signed contract and a nonrefundable deposit,) it reduces stress in the long run.

Expanding Horizons!

I am so excited to expand my horizons! Hot Dog is on its way to Laguna Beach CA to an exhibit called MAN'S BEST FRIEND. And 10% of all proceeds will go to SPCA.This feels good! Thank you Las Laguna Gallery. I am so impressed with your website. It is a beautiful gallery! Now I have someone representing me on the West Coast. http://www.laslagunagallery.com/

This wonderful Pitbull mix, was a rambunctious, sweet dog and represented the best personality traits of a much misunderstood bloodline. If this portrait sells, part of the proceeds will go to the SPCA ,where many of her kind wait to be adopted. This portrait would never have happened if not for the devoted couple who adopted her as a puppy.

Waiting

"Waiting," 30x16" Prismacolor Pencils on rag mat board.  The reference is mine of course.  If you follow my blog and work at all, you will see these three characters crop up often.  This is what I imagine dog purgatory to be- that somewhere in between breakfast and when mom gets home.   The cat can do as he likes, but for the moment, is interested in something outside. I chose the french grays for inside and full color outside to create an obvious border between dream state and full awareness. I hope it works.  I had to try anyway.