30 Dogs 30 Days - My Books

I've been a working artist for 18 years, and I learn something new every day. What I learned recently is that I've done a really poor job of sharing the fact that I wrote and published 3 volumes outlining the first years of Painting a Dog a Day. Above is the cover design of my 2nd book, "That's 14 in Dog Years."

How did I become an author? It started out as my wanting to review the work I had created in the first 18 months of the project, so that I could see what I accomplished and set some goals. Of course, being OCD, I couldn't just scroll through photos of the paintings on my laptop. Nope, I had to write an entire book.

And then I did one the next year, too.

And one the following year.

And then I was burned out. The act of designing, writing, editing, proofreading, marketing, pre-selling, and signing/wrapping/shipping was fun for a bit, but then it became something that took me away from the easel. I didn't start painting as a gateway to be an author/publisher. So I let the series sit at 3 volumes and moved back to my easel.

Each volume features over 100 full color images of my fav pieces from the year, along with an essay that carries you through my thought process and general life events of the same time frame. Volume One covers the first year and then some - October 2006 through December 2007. Volume Two is 2008. And Volume Three is 2009. And while my work, style and process has evolved over the years, the books themselves are a good starting point for anyone looking to begin a daily practice or work in a series.

These books are printed on demand, which means that my online vendor creates and ships directly to you. Here's the link:

https://www.blurb.com/user/ksantini

If you would like to have a signed copy of the book, you will have to ship it to me, and then I can personalize and forward it along to you. Reach out and we'll coordinate this.

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

Comments

Picture Book "A Dog Named Blue" - now available!!

The cover of "A Dog Named Blue," now available from Blurb publishers. When I first painted Amelia I never imagined that she would be re-christened "Blue" and inspire a book. In her defense, Amelia had a number of other partners in crime - animals who's portraits seemed to fall into a specific color category and prompt color-centric names. In typical ADD fashion, my brain started spinning 100mph. What if I turned those muses' paintings into a picture book for animal loving kids? I shared my idea with three friends in the industry, and they eagerly offered their expertise. I am truly indebted to them. Illustrator and author Matt Faulkner and children's book author and literacy expert Kristen Remenar edited an early version of the draft. They suggested key plot/conceptual changes that made it oodles better. Designer Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson worked her magic, pairing the images with perfectly color...

Tabby Kit

"Tabby Kit," 5" x 7", acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting a tiny little orange striped guy from Morgue File . This painting can be yours for $289, which includes s&h inside the US. And in case you didn't see it, a little doodle of him is also available for sale here . Inquires may come directly to me . Although it certainly doesn't FEEL like spring here (snow and ice and wind chills, brr!), I can tell that spring is coming. The mercury is rising a wee bit each day and the days are getting longer and brighter. Over the weekend we drove with the moonroof open just to feel the sun's meager and oh-so-very-welcome warmth (although the heat in the car was cranked, too, in the interest of full disclosure!). I wanted to work with spring-like colors today, and this little guy was still on my mind , so I grabbed a small panel and got to work. Of course, I also have Poppy to finish and some changes to make to another po...

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...

Paintings With Soul

Search This Blog