Increasing My Exposure (without using Vimax)

How to increase exposure of one's artwork can be a difficult and daunting task. There's print advertising, online advertising, gallery shows, studio visits, blogging, art competitions, auctions, word of mouth, etc. I'm trying a variety of things hoping that the combined onslaught will trigger some people to take a second look, visit my site, and perhaps commission me or buy an original. The latest thing I'm taking a shot with is Best Friend NYC's "Artist Spotlight" page. The company sells high-end, environmentally conscious dog grooming and lifestyle products online. On April 1st they are launching an artist spotlight page showcasing 12 artists in a rotating fashion. The artists are from all over and work in a variety of mediums and styles. It's nice being in a grouping so potential clients can choose which style they prefer. So check it out, and who knows where you'll be seeing my artwork next.

Jazzy (alt. ver.) Mid Stage

After completing the block-in stage, you can assess how the colors and values are working. I noticed that the values were a bit jumpy. That is, there wasn't enough of a transition between them so I kept that in mind while doing this stage. As far as the colors were concerned I knew that I'd have to make Jazzy's fur whiter and a bit cooler to reflect the blue in the background. White can sometimes be a difficult color to paint as adding too much color can take it out of the "white" realm. Just ask yourself where the brightest white is, leave that pure white and work the other shades down from there always checking if it should be warmer or cooler than what it's next to. In this case I am mixing different proportions of white, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, and touches of indigo. Oh, and that halo around Jazzy is where I first laid down my medium to work the paint into. Next will be the finished piece.

Take care 'til then.

Unexpected Good News

I was just going to tell you that I have an ad in the March/April edition of Fido Friendly magazine. But upon looking through my advance copy I noticed that my pet portrait services were included in their "Top 100 Pet Products for 2009". Color me excited!

Jazzy (alt. ver.) Early Stage

Okay, this is the block-in stage or what I call the "Best Guess" stage. Here all I'm concerned with is establishing a sense of the lights and darks (or values) and the color relationships (warm colors or cool colors). In the initial reference photo I was really taken by the contrast between Jazzy's light fur and the dark of the blue blazer behind her so I used that to establish what tone I was going to use for the background. You can also see an orange-ish color peeking through some of the whites, that's from the burnt sienna I laid down on the entire surface before I started painting the subject. It's much easier to judge values if you're not working on a stark white ground and burnt sienna is my default color, although sometimes I'll use a green or purple. That's it for now. Stay tuned for the refinements.

Jazzy (alternate version)

In the winter of 2008 I donated my portrait services to Labrador Life Line's "Heart Dog Auction". The resulting portrait was this painting of Jazzy. There were a couple of poses to choose from and Cecilie (the dog's owner) thought the profile version the best. The painting turned out to be one of my best, but I thought I'd do an alternate version based on the other proposed pose. What you see above is the photo reference and the drawing I did for it. I am currently working on a full color painting of this pose. Check back in a few to see how it's progressing.