Paintings With Soul

It's been a long time since I did a lesson painting, and I thought these puppies were the perfect fit! This 16" x 7" panel will ultimately star 8 Great Dane puppies. It is tentatively titled "Great Expectations," and is a fundraiser for  Ohio Great Dane Rescue  - if you are interested in purchasing it,  speak up now  and be first on the list! I started with an underpainting - the puppys' skin is pink and warm, so I chose a brighter value of magenta. I placed very general guidelines on the panel to represent the placement of the puppies. Next up came some local color to represent the negative space in the painting - yellows and lime green for the foreground, and darker greens for the background. See how the pink reads as orange when placed next to the other colors? There are some fantastic color vibrations happening, even at this early stage. I began loosely placing the pups' forms, using a broad brush and unblended marks. I want to get a sense o...

           "The Shibas," 6" x 10", commissioned double portrait of Shiba Inus done in Golden Open Acrylics on a Raymar panel. This painting is not for sale, but I would be more than happy to discuss creating something equally spectacular for you - email me.   "The Shibas" are a wedding gift - and who do you think will be the absolute favoritest guest at the reception? and for all eternity?   Portraits make for fabulous gift giving, and if you can't fathom sneaking around and collecting the necessary photos so that I can actually paint the portrait, just leave the research to the recipient. You and I will put together a killer gift certificate (killer sample pictured below).   Then you get to sit back and enjoy the perks of being at the top of your friends' A List.    Thanks so much for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com      

  One of the contenders - or should I say "two" of the contenders - for my Dragon Slayer painting. Entries are being accepted via  email only  through July 17th.        For generations, citizens of Lake Orion (my hometown) have told the story of a dragon living in the depths of our lake.    We even have a summer festival that pays homage to her - with dragon boat races, tours of historic lakeside homes, sidewalk chalk contests, and an art exhibition.   It's time for me to start my dragon painting for inclusion in that art exhibition - but I need your help finding my muse.   I want to do a larger than life portrait of an animal - dog or cat - accompanied by a toy dragon. In keeping with the tradition of the dragon myth, the animal must have an expressive face that tells legions of stories. (I already have the dragon - you simply need to supply the muse!)   You may nominate your pet by sending non-flash photos**...

  "Open Up," 4" x 6", portrait of a very tired Brittany pup   Want to win this painting (or a similarly sized custom portrait) for someone special? visit the  Daily Painters blog and leave a comment about who you would gift it to. But hurry up - the winner will be chosen next week!        You know the saying "those who work hard, play harder"? I'm testing the truth in that this weekend.   And doing my best to keep Finnigan safe - he doesn't like fireworks, which means he gets runs extra hard during daylight hours and goes out only on a leash in the evenings.   Thanks for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family.   Enjoy your weekend!! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     Weekly Recap   Starting this week, I'll be sending out an email that recaps the prior days' paintings.   Just because sometimes, in the thick of things, we miss a painting or two.   Or want to h...

         "Baby Moo," 5" square, Golden Open Acrylics on artists' Ampersand gessobord, depicting a young Holstein calf. This painting can be added to your collection for $239 - inquiries may come  to me .   Remember our trip earlier this week to Cook's Dairy Farm? This is one of the little fellas we hung out with for a bit. I'm sharing my reference photo below, so that you can see my source of inspiration.   Thanks for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com       Future Dragon Slayer?   For generations, citizens of Lake Orion (my hometown) have told the story of a dragon living in the depths of our lake.    We even have a summer festival that pays homage to her - with dragon boat races, tours of historic lakeside homes, sidewalk chalk contests, and an art exhibition.   It's time for me to start my dragon painting - but I ...

    ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS      "Annie," image approximately 8" square on an 8" x 10" paper, Golden Open Acrylics on artists' multimedia board. This is a commissioned pet portrait depicting a wonderfully lucky Standard Poodle.   Annie was brought by a rescue group to my clients, a family known for their love of poodles. The rescue group was looking for a foster home that would allow them to get to know Annie better while looking for her new forever home.   Little did the rescue know, but Annie had already found her new home. She lasted a whole 5 hours as a foster dog before completely winning over the hearts of my clients and becoming best friends with their two other dogs.   Her family are proud foster flunkies, and she's a jolly, goofy, delightful addition to their household.   Thanks for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     D...

        "Sugar," 6" square, Golden Open Acrylics on Raymar panel, commissioned portrait depicting a sleek and stunning English Pointer dog. Sugar hailed from  Best Friends Animal Sanctuary  before being adopted by my clients, and as such, I'm making a donation to Best Friends in her name.  Wanna join me?     Thanks for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

        "Ipo," 6" x 8", Golden Open Acrylics on Raymar panel, depicting a sweet and silky mixed breed. "Ipo" can be added to your collection - just  email me ! SOLD   This is one of my favorite combinations, the inky blues and purples combined with the firey oranges. It's a great way to depict energetic and clever souls like little Ipo here.   Thanks for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com       A New Muse   I bribed the kids with the promise of ice cream, and we hit Cook's Dairy Farm today.    The weather wasn't very ice-creamey-ish - things were a little cool temperature wise - but the overcast day made for some very nice photo opportunities.   You might best appreciate this photo accompanied by the soundtrack of The Princess, who was thoroughly disgusted by a puddle of bovine urine.   In her honor, we brought home a ga...

  ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS   "Out of the Box (Max)," image approximately 5" x 6" on a paper measuring 8" x 10", Golden Open Acrylics on artists' multimedia artboard, depicting a St Bernard. This is a painted sketch commissioned as a special birthday gift, so mum's the word, please, if you know Max's Mum. Now I'm off to get cleaned up and ready for tonite's party at the Orion Art Center (7-9pm, in case you are wondering). Hope to see some of you there! Thanks for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family. Enjoy the weekend, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com Time Flies It was this time last year that, with your support, I was chosen for membership in the  Daily Painters  group. This is a prestigious group of artists deep in talent, and I've thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities and benefits of being a member.  And it never would have happened if YOU hadn't stepped up and show...

I belong to a book club of a different sort - in my book club, we make our own books. We get together every couple months to exchange our handwork and catch up with each other. Wine, chocolate and laughter are also swapped.   Our exchange is tonite at Casa Santini.   Being the five star procrastinator that I am, I made my books today.       Above are my pages in progress - large sheets of paper layered on both sides with color - monoprints, doodles, splashes, drips, etc - using paint, markers, glitter pens, watercolor pencils, ink, and whatever else I could get my hands on.   The style of book I made involved one paper per book - with a creative folding technique and several carefully placed snips with a scissors and viola - a book magically appears!     And here's the magic! Finished off with blanket stitching, vintage buttons and a snippet of gold ribbon - each page is a colorful little treasure waiting to inspire deep, philosophical th...

    ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS     "The Three Musketeers," 6" x 8", Golden Open Acrylics on canvasboard, depicting three vintage Fisher Price dog figurines. The newest piece in my "Treats, Toys and Treasures" series of paintings being displayed at Poppyseed Deli  in Downtown Lake Orion. Inquiries may come  to me .   There's nothing like painting still lifes to train one's eye on the nuances of light and shadow. And all the good info I soak up when painting them gets put to use when I set my reference photos away, and try to imagine my pet portrait subjects sitting in the studio with me.   Meanwhile, there's nearly two dozen fresh paintings at Poppyseeds, all under $100. Stop by for a coffee, and go home with a treasure.   Thanks for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   It's A Party !!     Join us for dessert, beverages, and music, this c...

    ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS     "Balance," 6" square, Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord, a portrait loosely based on my blue heeler cattle dog mix, Finnigan. This is also my entry for the Daily Paintworks' Challeng e of last week (the challenge also titled "Balance"), and will be headed to the Canine Art Guild's July online exhibition, "Ying Yang." This original painting can be yours for $299.   Balance seems to be the theme du jour.   Today's the first day of my kids' summer vacation.   Want a little "Balance" in your life?  email me  and we'll work something out!   Thanks for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     Mona to Finnigan after the photo shoot that  inspired "Balance": "You do all these  ridiculous  tricks to get a treat. All I gotta do is look cute.  And everyone thinks YOU are smart. Hah....

ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS FROM THE TAGS, TOYS & TREASURES SERIES OF PAINTINGS I've been painting candy still lifes in preparation for hanging an installation at Poppyseed Deli in downtown Lake Orion. You see, they've added an olde tyme candy counter to their space and wanted artwork to compliment it. Here are just a couple of the paintings I'll be delivering later next week. If you see something you like, shoot me an email - I'm going to keep my candy paintings under $100 (they are on canvas panels and 8" square or smaller). (PSST - I will be more than happy to paint your favorite flavor, too.) And now a shameless plug for Poppyseeds - they've got uber fresh sandwiches made to order, homemade soups, a fountain and coffee bar, ice cream and homebaked goods, and now penny candies (with inflation they are actually nickel candies.....). Poppyseeds shows family friendly movies on weeknights, has re-stocked their supply of board games, and sponsor ...

ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS "Lucy," paper sized 6" x 8", image approximately 3" x 6", Golden Open Acrylics on artists multimedia board, depicting a Miniature Schnauzer. Commissioned and completed for a wonderful Painting a Dog a Day fan - thank you so much MBL!! Sketching in paint isn't something many artists make a habit out of. It's a process I love, though, and something I ask my students to consider trying. It gives me the chance to play with frames/margins and really push the envelope with brushwork while reinforcing my drawing skills. It helps me to get to know my tools in a looser environment. Painted sketches are lighthearted, fun to create, and whimsical. They also allow me to offer a lower price point - these puppies start at $49 (which compliments the $200 entry level for a miniature portrait very nicely). Want a painted sketch of your own? it's super easy - just email me ! Thanks for looking at - and sharing - my artwork w...