Amazon Merch Black Lab Pullover Hoodie and Redbubble Eskie Sticker

I’ve been painting portraits since I got my first iPad in 2010. I used to use pastels and watercolors as well as charcoals and pen and ink very early on. So the iPad reignited my interest in painting. Creating artwork digitally offers a variety of options. So I opened an Etsy shop in 2012 and have done a lot of custom pet portraits. Then I thought I could use these images on other websites. So I uploaded them to Fine Art America/Pixels, and opened shops on Zazzle, Redbubble, and Amazon Merch. And I have my own website called LITDigitalArt and Such that combines all of these things. I enjoy painting a custom piece, but it is exciting to learn when someone purchases an image that is available on line. I get email notifications when something sells, except on Amazon I need to check my stats to see if anything is bought. So yesterday I checked and noticed that a black lab pullover hoodie was selected. A couple of hours later Redbubble sent me an email that an American Eskie sticker was sold. It’s certainly not the commission I get that’s attractive - it’s the idea that someone noticed and liked something I painted enough to purchase it. There are millions of images out there. So thank you for noticing my artwork. I really appreciate it! 

Redbubble American Eskimo Sticker Sale

I’ve been hand painting custom pet portraits for quite some time. It all started when the iPad came around several years ago. It reignited my interest in painting. Except this time rather than watercolors, pastels, and ink it was much cleaner using my stylus and iPad. Since then I opened my Etsy shop, and I’ve used my completed pet portraits to populate my other on line ventures - Pixels/Fine Art America, Zazzle, Redbubble, and Amazon Merch. For these, I get notifications from the vendor when someone purchases an item rather than a request to paint a custom order. So last week I got a notice from Redbubble that someone in the US purchased an American Eskie sticker. Obviously I don’t make a living on these occasional buys. But it feels really great to know someone likes something I painted well enough to not only notice it (out of the literally millions of options out there), but to purchase an item with the likeness of the pooch, kittie, or other sweet face. So thank you for noticing! I really appreciate it. 

Chicagoland Eskie Rescue Auction Thank You

Yesterday I found a letter on the shelf of our mail room. It was addressed to LITDigitalPaintings. That's me, so I scooped it up and saw that the return address was from Indiana. A few months ago I agreed to donate a digital art custom portrait to the Chicagoland Eskie Rescue Auction. I participated in the auction last year with a positive result. Since I like dogs so much, I thought it was a good, and fun thing to do again. The winner contacted me last month, and I completed her portrait. She was so happy with it that the Eskie rescue group posted it on their website, and the winner sent me a picture of the completed framed artwork as well as where she displayed it in her house. The letter was a thank you from the organization for participating in the auction. I am still so touched that someone would request and display something that I created in their home. Those little Eskie critters are mighty cute. I'm just glad I was a part of it. 

Chicagoland Eskie Rescue Auction Portrait on Display

This is the second time I participated in the Chicagoland Eskie rescue spring fling auction. The winner of my custom portrait sent to me the photo of her Eskie that she wanted to have made in to a digital portrait. So I worked on it and posted the final product on my Facebook digital paintings page. She told me that she was very happy with the painting and had also posted it on a variety of Eskie sites with a lot of positive reaction from her fellow Eskie lovers. Then I received a note yesterday containing a photo of the actual painting in her frame choice as well as a photo of where it is displayed in her house. It's always so thrilling to see that something that I created is actually hanging on someone's wall, and is also eager to share her experience with everyone. It's also fun to see how customers choose to display the image - from traditional mats and frames to coffee mugs and even a ring bearer wedding pillow! Thanks so much for the positive reaction. It was a pleasure to donate the painting to the auction. I couldn't have hoped for a better outcome! 

Chicagoland Eskie Auction

How time flies! Last year I participated in the Chicagoland Eskie Recue auction by contributing a handmade digital pet portrait. So this year I did the same. It's for a good cause and keeps me in the loop. All the donated items are posted on line on Facebook. Then during the auction timeline, people make bids on the item they are most interested in, and are reminded when someone has outbid them, to encourage more bidding. So I have been following the transactions and see that there has been some action on the portrait. Once the winner is declared, they will send a photo to me via email, and I will send back to them a custom portrait of their pooch using my iPad as my canvas. Last year the winner liked the portrait of the first pup so much, she requested another one of his sister. I think because we lived in Milwaukee for thirty years and spent a lot of time in Chicago over that time I feel a certain affinity to it. Some things sound so familiar to me, but are now so far away. This is a great way to be reminded. 

A Chicagoland Eskie Thank You

A couple of months ago I participated in an auction for the Chicagoland Eskie Rescue. We have a connection to Chicago. When we lived in Milwaukee over a thirty year period we visited the Windy City at least six times a year. We always dreaded traveling through the city whenever we traveled by car on any long distance trip - the traffic is dreadful - about the same as rush hour here! My other connection is sketching and painting custom pet portraits - which is what I donated for this auction. It was a fun experience and there was a lot of bidding that resulted in not one, but two pooch portraits. Yesterday I received a thank you note in the mail from the rescue. I loved the image on the card, but I love my portraits even more!

Chicagoland Eskie Rescue Auction Art - Sold!

The auction started on Friday and ended Sunday evening. The Chicagoland Eskie Rescue sponsored my custom digital art pet portrait and I was curious to see how the bidding might go. So I watched the Facebook site and added some encouraging words once it began. It got as high as $95.00, but because some of the bids passed the time deadline, it ended up being a little less than that, but more than I usually charge for a portrait. So it was a really nice feeling to know a few folks were interested enough to participate in the auction, but also bid on my one out of a lot of other options available at the auction. I should hear within the next couple of weeks from the highest bidder. That's the best part - working with the customer to get it just right. After all, that pooch is something special and it's a fun way to remember him. 

 

Chicagoland Eskie Rescue Spring Fling Auction

It started yesterday and runs through May 3 at 8PM. I was asked to donate a digital pet portrait to the Chicagoland Eskie Rescue auction a few weeks back. Now the bidding started and I'm waiting for the result. There are many items up for grabs and it is worth the look. If you love dogs as much as most people it's for a great cause. We spent a lot of time in Chicago having lived in Milwaukee for thirty years and I feel a sort of kinship with the place. Last fall I participated in another on line auction for another rescue. It was fun to work with the highest bidder to paint the portrait of their pooch. In the end it's a great way to participate in a good cause and I really enjoy the experience. You don't have to go to an auction for a portrait, but it's an interesting way to showcase your pet.