Skip to main content

Webster


"Webster," 6" x 8", acrylics on museum quality panel, a commissioned portrait of a Yellow Lab. Webster's portrait has a home, thank you very much to my returning collectors.

If you are thinking about a pet portrait as a holiday gift, now is the time to start a conversation. The process takes several weeks, and this is my busiest time of year - once I'm booked, I'm booked! I also do gift certificates if you would rather gift the whole commission experience and spare yourself sneaking around getting photos (or if I happen to be booked and cannot guarantee holiday delivery). But that's not going to happen if we talk now and get things started.

It was homecoming weekend in Lake Orion. Or Hoco if you're young and hip. The Princesses first and The Caped Crusader's last. I spent lots of time with them and their friends, and very little time in the studio.

One of those rare studio-free weekends, because soon the holiday rush will be on us. For me the holidays are extra busy - not only do I do nearly half my annual business from September through the year's end, but we also celebrate each of my kids' birthdays. 

We don't shift into holiday mode until after our last birthday, when The Princess turns 15 on December 15th. Up until then, we try to keep things focused on the kids and family as much as possible.

What are your holiday traditions?

Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork,
Warmly, Kim 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

“Katie’s Moustache,” 6x12, pet portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $90. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . One glimpse of Katie’s face, and I was hooked. Not only did she fall into my beloved “black & white” category, but she came with a full moustache and doe-like eyes. I first covered the canvas with a variety of blues and purples, using a (mixed) light green and pink for the highlights. (Right now my palette has been expanded to include the following: pthalo blue red, azurite hue, cad red dark, alizarine crimson, cad yellow dark, and then for graying/hazing out I use light green yellow and ultramarine purple.) I lighten with titanium white and darken with one of the blues and a touch of one of the reds. As a side note, at this time last year I was really struggling with my limited palette (I went from about 60 pots of paint to 3), but I have lived the benefits – I am so much more familiar with what I can mix given just this handful of colors. My paintings are also m...

Dear Copyright Thieves

Dear Copyright Thieves,   Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's free for the taking. So let's just stop pretending the internet is a free-for-all.   Don't play the card that you didn't know - that's insulting. And don't also tell me that you meant to follow up and get permission but never got a chance to. That's insulting too. And by the way, don't you have a copyright protection notice on your own site?   And don't even try and point the finger at a third party who commissioned you to make a copy of my painting - again, an insult - you and I both know the difference between a reference photo and a painting.   And don't tell me that I asked for it because I share my artwork on the internet. I share my paintings and ideas and the stories behind them so as to encourage others to pursue  their own passions . I do not share so that those lacking integrity and morals can copy and market the images as their own...

Golden Open Acrylics

I get all sorts of process oriented questions. Most recently I've been getting asked a lot about my paints and palette, which made me realize what a nice blog topic this would make! I use a Masterson Sta-Wet Premier palette box . This is comprised of a box (think Tupperware) with a sponge liner and a slice of palette paper that work together to keep my paints wet. This setup allows me to work with the same palette for about a full week, having the box open for multiple hours every day. You can see what the palette looks like at the beginning of a new session above - below the exact same palette after this week's work. For the last 25 years I have used Golden brand acrylics, mediums, and varnish. I love the overall quality of these paints and the fact that, when I have a question, their customer service department is made up of artists who actually use the products. Until last year, I used their Heavy Body paints exclusively. They have a buttery consistency, a little loose...