Shih Tzu Cream and Pekingese Puppy

A couple of new paintings today, although one was finished yesterday.

Both paintings were created from photos submitted to me by customers. As usual, they were under no obligation to buy anything at all, and I was under no obligation to them, either. However, I created the paintings, notified them, and they may buy whatever they wish, or nothing. I, on the other hand, have two new wonderful paintings to sell and use the images for the other items I make and sell from my original paintings (such as prints, clocks, pendants, earrings, etc.)

Another Dog Painting I just Finished - a Corgi - with a Ferret!

This is a commissioned dog painting I just finished right before Christmas. It was a Christmas present from a client for his wife. It includes both their beloved corgi and one of their several also beloved pet ferrets. It was such a pleasure to do this painting - and difficult, too! I had no idea how tiny little ferret's feet were! Obviously, it's already sold, but I wanted to show it off anyway.
I've mentioned it before, and I'll do so again. If you don't feel you can afford a commissioned painting, I do have another option. I don't promise you that I'll paint your pet; but if you want to take a chance, send me very good, clear, well-lit, etc., photos of your pet; and if it's something I like and think I can sell prints of as either a print alone or as an image on a clock or on my very popular pendants and earrings, send the images to me, along with a letter, giving your pet's name, age, and any other important information. When - and if -- I paint your pet, I will email you when the painting is finished and published on my website and on this blog. Most all paintings done in this manner are 8x10's, and the original sells for $100 plus shipping. After I notify you, you have one week in which to purchase the original if you wish. But you have no obligation to purchase anything at all, though -- nada, nothing, rien -- well, you get the idea. The upside for you, obviously, is you can buy a really low-cost original painting of your pet, or a print, or a clock or a pendant, or nothing, but can see your pet's painting online anytime you wish. The downside is that I can't promise you I'll do a painting of your pet (but I really, really try to get to them all), and I give you nothing free in return. The upside for me is that I get to paint yet another beautiful animal and then I also own all rights to the painting once I've painted it. You're more likely to get your pet painted if: number one, it's a dog; number two, it's a specific dog breed; number three, the photos are clear enough for me to use; it's a popular breed of dog; it's a really, really cute pose of your dog, etc. I think you get the idea. If you're interested and need more info, just email me at dottie@wildwildthings.com and I'll give you even more info. If you want just to take a chance, then send me your photos to me at that email address (at least 100Kb, by the way, each). I promise you I'll email you when the painting is done. Okay, nuf said. Hope everyone is having a wonderful, wonderful Holiday Season. I know I am!!

American Bulldog with Yellow Ball

This is a sweet little painting I did yesterday for someone who submitted her photo, hoping I would find the time to do a painting of her dog. I did. And it was a pleasure to do so. I do try to paint all the images submitted to me, and I let the person who submitted the photo(s) know when I've finished the painting and it's listed on my website. Of course, I make paintings of those photos that, one, are very well composed; two, have an adorable dog (or cat or whatever) in them; and, three, (sorry, but I have to make a living) those that I think I'll sell either the original, prints, clocks, or prints on my pendants/earrings. If you wish to submit photos to me, keep those three thoughts in mind. There's no obligation either to you -- or to me, but again, I do my very best to make paintings of as many of the photos submitted as I can. This little pup's image is on my website, www.wildwildthings.com, available as either an original, a print, a clock, or on a pendant or earrings.

Black and White Chihuahua - "Roo"

This is one of my favorite paintings in a while -- well, I say that pretty often, don't I. There was something about this one, though; it almost painted itself. It didn't hurt that the dog, Roo, is absolutely perfect. Anyway, I did him for a customer, so he's already sold.

I love my "work" more and more every day. And when I'm not painting, I'm thinking about whatever painting(s) I have in progress. I don't "just paint." I plan, look at problematic areas and search for solutions and study, study, study my subject. Some might say too much, but it's how I function. This little fellow, I did several drawings of him first, including one where I studied only broad value areas, using the several different photos sent to me by his adoptive mom. He seems to me to be quite shy, judging from his interactions with people in the photos, so I wanted to convey that shyness, too, in the painting. ---- Well, I'm going on a bit. I'll just say again, he was a great pleasure to paint!

Black Chihuahua Face

Well, I've not been adding my new paintings for a while I just realized! So here's one I've done recently, already sold, by the way. Her name is Lily, and she's one of five I'm doing for a very sweet customer who loves her little chi-chi's! The previous painting, a tan chihuahua named Biscuit, is hers, too. Next comes Roo, then Little Bit, and then Molly. But other paintings come in between all these chihuahuas, too, because I've been painting up a storm lately!

It's that time of year when everyone who has a beloved pet and who wants a painting from me decides it's finally time to get one done - now! Actually, though, I've had to stop taking more commissions/requests for the rest of this year because I have all I can manage for the rest of the month.

Speaking of, this has been a good year of growth and learning for me. There were so many times that I just wanted to quit, thinking I could never be good enough. And I still lack a lot of confidence, but I must be doing something right because people seem to really like my work -- which feels great! We artists, I'm afraid, are a narcissistic but often insecure group of people. But even with all the ups and downs I've gone through with this career, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world -- even money! And for a long time, I resisted doing "just dogs," but now, I've really come to appreciate each new dog I do as an interesting and exciting new challenge. Their heads and bodies really are just a different kind of landscape; and the more I learn about them, the more I know about them, the more I realize I've got yet to learn. So when -- and if -- I ever fully master painting dogs, a "dog painter" I'll continue to be!

A Beautiful Chihuahua, one of Four I'm doing for a Customer

This is Biscuit. She's a beautiful tan and white chihuahua, one of three other chihuahua "siblings" in a loving family. Her painting will be followed by the other three as soon as I can get to them. As usual, this time of year is becoming really, really busy. Prints, pendants, and earrings bearing her image are available on my website, www.wildwildthings.com.

Haven't been getting much painting done lately

Well, I guess my title says it all. I haven't been painting much lately, but I am starting on a collie today, which I should be able to list in a few days. What I have been doing is making little pendants, using prints of my paintings as the focal point. I've shown a couple of items above. I think they're really cute, but I've got a lot to learn about jewelry-making before I can go big-time. They take me a really, really long time to make at this time. I'm taking a precious-metals jewelry-making class this next week, in fact, to start my new educational process. It's always so much fun to learn something new. Right now, I'm putting the prints onto wood backings that my husband Randy cuts for me on his laser cutter, and then I'm "floating" resin over the tops. The resin is the hardest part of all because it has to be absolutely perfect. Very, very difficult for me, plus awfully time-consuming, with lots of rejects per session. I'll develop a technique eventually, that will allow me to work faster and more accurately, though.

Well, I just noticed a few paintings I have done since my last post, so I have been painting more than I realized -- just not in the last week or so probably. I'll try to list the most recent ones in the next few days. It seems that no one is interested in more expensive paintings these days, though, so I'm doing much smaller versions now, mostly 8x10's on heavy paper or wood. A sign of the times, I'm afraid. But I still just looooove painting, so I have to do it whether they sell or not! Maybe sometime soon, I'll have a huge painting sale so I can reclaim my closet -- and start over filling it up again! What I make from the paintings would at least buy more supplies for me! Okay, that's all for now.

Britttany Spaniel Dog Painting

Okay! I'm on a roll now. I've been managing to do a painting a day for the past few days, and I can already see an improvement in my work. It's much looser, more "painterly," and just a lot more fun. It's still scary as ever, but I'm just forcing myself to paint, no matter what. I just have to do it -- and hope that it's something I can let the world see -- well, anyway, anyone who might see my works in the few venues that I show it, anyway.
This little dog is just beautiful to me. She didn't happen as easily as the previous painting did, but she finally came together. Took me most of the day, though.

I often wonder if other, more experienced, more schooled painters have to spend all day doing just a simple portrait like this. Maybe I'll learn some "tricks" if I keep up my daily paintings again this time. I think in a few days I'm going to try something besides a dog. I've got quite a few people waiting to get their dogs painted, but sometimes I just need to take a break and try something entirely new. I think it will help keep me fresh. I took some photographs a few days ago of some magnificent trees down in Corvallis, OR, that I really want to try my hand at. Yes, that's what I'll do, paint some trees. But not tomorrow or the next day because I really do have some people waiting for paintings of their dogs, and I want to get those out of the way first. I know how hard it is to try to wait for something you're really, really excited about seeing. And one of the paintings is for someone who's recently lost his precious dog. I did one of her already, but I want to do another one, too, before he sees either of them. I'm stalling on the second one. Maybe I'll finish it tomorrow.

Okay, that's enough.

Shih Tzu Puppy Dog Painting

Awwww! Isn't this one cute? I just love it. And I didn't let myself work it to death, either! That's what I usually do, work one until it starts to lose life and spontaneity.

It's a new (old, rehashed?) promise I'm making to myself: I have one job and one job only, to do a single painting a day. It doesn't have to be good; it doesn't have to be elaborate or grand; it just has to be done! I've got to get over this fear of failure, and this has got to work! If they're too awful, I can throw them away. If they just don't look good enough that I would want anyone to see them but not awful enough to throw away, I can put them in a stack and maybe work on them again another day in the indefinite future.

But this little guy, I'm happy with him. I think he's fresh, pretty, and has lots of personality -- just like my Henry Higgins (my shih tzu who's lying underneath me as I write this) after whom he's modeled. I had to do some guessing, though, because I adopted Higgins when he was already around six years old. He's a ripe old 9 or 10 today and going strong, too, I might add. As with all my paintings, this one will be available on my website, www.dottiedracos.com, or www.wildwildthings.com (both addresses take you to the same place).

Frodo the Magnificent, Part 1, a Border Collie

Okaaay! I'm finally starting to get this! I'm very pleased with this guy. And he practically painted himself. I think forcing myself to paint through my fears is working and I'm actually becoming a better painter. Funny, though, as always happens, in a few months I'll look at this painting, too, and see all the flaws. But that's a good thing, isn't it? It means I'm growing. Who woulda thought that at my age I would feel like a little child who is learning something new and is so very excited (but in my case, awfully, awfully fearful, too) about it.

And for those of you out there who think that "just painting dogs" isn't much of a challenge, I've spent a large part of my life in universities and graduate schools, studying what I thought would end up being my life career, neuroscience/psychology. That was really, really hard, but it doesn't even halfway measure up to what I'm doing now, both in difficulty and challenge but also in just the thrill of getting to do this marvelous "work" every single day.

Okay, nuts and bolts now: This is an acrylic painting on gallery-wrapped canvas, 11x14x3/4", with the sides painted dark red, wired and ready to hang. It's $200, plus shipping, and may be sold. I'm doing two paintings of the same dog for a person who took my challenge to send me photos and let me do the painting and let her either buy or not buy the painting(s). As soon as she's made her decision (I give people one week to do so), if she choose only one, both, or none at all, I'll let the rest of the world know. But prints and clocks will be for sale, no matter what.

A Yorkie I Finished Yesterday

He's a pretty little thing. I found his "hairiness" to be especially difficult, though. I need to practice "hairy" dogs more to get more of a feel for how their abundant hair lies -- or doesn't!!!

Anyway, it was a pleasure and a challenge to be able to paint this little guy. He'll be up in about a week for sale on my website. He's on an 11x14 gallery-wrapped canvas.

West Highland White Terrier Westie Dog

Well, I'm back to painting daily again -- and it feels good! Getting more confidence in my painting. This is a Westie, or West Highland White Terrier. I see why it's affectionately called a Westie with a long name like that! Anyway, it's acrylic on an 11x14x3/4" canvas, with the sides painted red, and is wired and ready to hang -- or frame if you wish. It's $200 plus shipping and is now available on my website, www.dottiedracos.com. I'm working on a couple of yorkies that'll be listed tomorrow and the next day.

Dachshund Puppy

This is a little 8x10x1/2" acrylic painting on gallery-wrapped canvas that I just finished. It's a sweet little dachshund looking up into your eyes -- probably for another treat, even though s/he just finished one -- or two.

I'm really trying to paint in a looser manner -- well, at least a know-when-to-stop manner! So I tried to keep the strokes much fresher in this painting. Hope I succeeded; I really like it.

Fergie

Meet Fergie. She's an English Springer Spaniel, and she's getting up in years but wearing them well. She'll be 13 this August. Her painting was a commission, so she's already sold; but I wanted to show her off because I really enjoyed painting her.

"Mudpuppy" Golden Retriever Pup

(Sorry, this painting has already sold.)

I just looooove this painting! Her name is Riley, and she had just had a great romp in the mud. Her parents were smart enough to take photos of her before she got a bath. It was a great challenge to paint her, but I think I did a pretty good job. The hardest part of all was to make the mud good and gooey-looking. I have, of course, a print and a clock made of her at my website, http://www.dottiedracos.com/.