Closing My LITDigitalPaintings Etsy Shop

I started my Etsy shop back in 2012. I rediscovered my love for watercolors and pastels on my iPad. I started to paint pet portraits and thought I would give it a go on Etsy. I spent a lot of time and energy on this website. I literally self taught my way on two art apps - most recently Procreate. I had 341 sales over the years and still get requests from returning customers. Digital art has changed a lot in the last twelve years. And with AI anything is the limit. But each portrait takes a lot of time first sketching and then hand painting every speck of the canvas. There are also fees for every image and over time the revenues just didn’t match the expenses. So yesterday I decided to close my Etsy Shop. It was rather an easy process. I didn’t take the final step of actually deleting it - yet, but probably will once I feel more up to it. I still have my website and other sites that showcase all of my work - Redbubble, TeePublic, Amazon Merch, Zazzle, and Fine Art America/Pixels. On top of that Pinterest, Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram are also maintained. I want to thank all of my Etsy customers for the enjoyable experiences I have had painting beloved pet portraits. My Etsy shop was a small business venture and I learned a lot. Now I’ve moved on to taking photos for the 52Frames weekly challenges and create composite images as projects. Some of those images are being used as uploads to my other websites. It’s an evolving process just like everything else. It’s sort of sad to say good bye, but the pressure of turning around portraits isn’t worth the effort like it used to be. I still love painting portraits - I’ll just do on my own schedule. 

52Frames Something I Made Photo Challenge

I knew as soon as I saw the subject for the 52Frames photo challenge this week what it would be - my custom pet  portrait digital art of some sort. I started taking photos of my tshirts and then took a few with me in them using a timer to capture the image. Then the editing began. I really didn’t know how I would use the photos but started to play around. Three tshirts were grouped together and then the idea struck me to use the art as the head as well. It would be fun to have a dog with a dog image on his shirt. But it was looking much too busy. So I isolated one and used the art from the shirt as the head - but then thought it might look better using an actual photo of the portrait. First it was the black and white Shetland sheepdog. Then our beautiful Borzoi just didn’t look right. But then the goofy looking hound just looked just right. So I played around with that for a while and spent even more time figuring a complimentary background. The solid colors looked too overwhelming. Then I finally found a paint brush backdrop that looked like wrinkles and dog hair to match the shirt. Then the yellow of the shirt was lightened up and it seemed to look better. My husband liked that one the most. It was a fun project this week. So I could say something I made was not only the pet portrait, but also the composite photo for the submission this week. 

LITDigitalart TeePublic First Sale

A couple of weeks ago I got an invitation from Redbubble to open a TeePublic Website to sell my digital art. All of my digital art custom pet portraits are already uploaded to Redbubble where people from around the world have bought items with the likenesses of my art. But it does take a lot of time to open a shop and fill it with paintings. So Redbubble made it easy since TeePublic is owned by them. All I had to do was click on a link and all of the files would automatically be uploaded. I’d just then have to do a bit of clean up. But it definitely saved tons of time. I haven’t spent nearly the effort yet getting everything in order. So it was thrilling to get an email this week announcing that I made my first sale. It was a button with a greyhound on it. Unfortunately I can’t determine who or where the purchase originated from. Several of the other websites show that finer detail. All I know is that it is heartwarming when someone out there likes my image enough to purchase even the smallest trinket, or shirt, or wall hanging. The sky is virtually the limit. I always enjoy painting these furry critters because it reminds my of our two dogs that we had when we lived in the Midwest. It’s a wonderful way to remember them. 

LITDigitalart Labrador Puppies

I have been doing digital art custom pet portraits for over ten years. There is nothing better than to have a returning customer - not just once - but several times. A few years back I was asked to do a head shot portrait of a chocolate lab named Izzie. She was a special lab because she was being trained to become a service dog. So my customer wanted the portrait for her parents who are doing the training. A year or two later another request was made to have a yellow lab puppy portrait made of Humor, who was also being trained to become a service dog. By all accounts they have been successful in that effort. This year there was a third request for a black lab puppy named Lilac to have a portrait. It has almost become a tradition. All of the portraits are head shots, with a blank background. That way they look like they should all be together when they are on display. It is ironic that there was a black, chocolate, and yellow Labrador puppy to paint. I was told that if they don’t succeed in their training that the puppy is kept as a family member. I wonder if I’ll be asked to paint another one? 

A Very Intricate Cat Portrait

I opened my LITDigitalPaintings Etsy shop over ten years ago and have created three hundred and forty custom pet portraits. The competition is fierce since that time because digital art has become so mainstream and the options are limitless. In spite of that it’s always so nice to get a request from a returning customer. And that’s what happened last week. The request was for a cat portrait because they had just lost their pet of eighteen years. Usually the images are primarily of the pet without a lot of background. But this one was very intricate indeed. It would not only include the lovely kitty, but also the sunflowers and leaves surrounding her, as well as whatever else was in the background. I think this portrait required about thirty plus layers to get everything just right. It also doubled the time to do it because each section took twice as long as usual. I still charge the same amount as when the shop opened. Given the time it takes to paint some of these portraits it makes me wonder if it’s enough. But I really don’t do this for the money - it’s a great hobby and keeps me busy. Right after I completed this portrait I got another request from another returning customer. This time it was for a third Labrador puppy being trained to be a service dog. The first one was chocolate, the second was yellow, now this one is black. It’s a cute way to remember each pup. It looks like there may soon become a wall of portraits. 

Redbubble and Amazon Merch LITDigitalart Sales

I opened my LITDigitalart Etsy Shop around 2011 - primarily to paint custom pet portraits. Every time a portrait was completed, the digital image would then be uploaded to a variety of websites including Amazon Merch and Redbubble. Because the digital art industry has exploded over the last ten years, the competition is even more fierce. Luckily my living doesn’t depend on my art! So it is always a joy when I get a notice that an item that I painted was sold. Most recently Redbubble contacted me about a mug that was sold in Germany with the Westin’s portrait, and a t shirt was sold in Australia with the same image. It is amazing that people from all over the world not only see my work, but like it enough to purchase something. Then I received notice that two T-shirts were sold on Amazon Merch. What I loved about those T-shirts is that the image was of our beautiful pet Borzoi Tatiana. She was really the inspiration for painting pets and we have her portrait hanging in our home. My first request for a pet portrait was for a vizsla in Oregon. Over the years I’ve painted over three hundred. Every portrait is special and the customers are so great to work with during the entire process. I always liked drawing ever since I can remember. I never would have guessed I’d actually be selling it! 

Zazzle LITDigitalart Update

I’ve been dabbling in digitalart since the iPad came out in 2010. Every time a custom pet portrait is completed, it is uploaded to a variety of sites like Fine Art America/Pixels, Etsy, Redbubble. I got an email from Zazzle the other day that said I have not uploaded any new products lately - which I haven’t for a variety of reasons. So I figured I better get cracking. Last month two pet portraits were completed right before I had my first cataract surgery and those images would be perfect candidates. Since it’s been a while I had to try and remember the process and finally figured it out - again. And after that was done the same images were uploaded to Redbubble and FAA too. It’s not that I get a lot of traction for these images and products but it’s still thrilling whenever these products get attention from all over the world. Now digital art is common place. Lately I’ve been working on combining photos and digital art work for the 52Frames weekly photo challenge. It’s more fun to create a project rather than just edit a photo. Maybe I should start uploading some of those?

Fine Art America/Pixels Custom Pet Portrait Sales

I’ve been painting custom pet portraits for over ten years. My interest in painting was reignited when the iPad came out in 2010 and the rest is history. I wrote and illustrated three children’s books and self published them on Amazon. Then I opened my first shop on Etsy after first practicing with friends and colleagues. Then after each portrait was completed I used the images to populate my Fine Art America/Pixels website, as well as my LITDigitalpaintings Redbubble, zazzle and Amazon Merch shops. So it is always a treat to get a notice from any of these shops when there is a sale or a custom order. The custom orders require that I need to get to work. The sales are just lovely reminders that someone likes my work enough to buy it. It’s especially more meaningful now when there is so much stuff out there compared to ten years ago. So to get noticed is remarkable. And that was the case last week when someone from Pittsburg purchased an 11x14 matte paper portrait of the black cockapoo and also had it framed. In February someone from Brick, NJ bought an 11x14 glossy canvas of an eskie. I certainly couldn’t make s living on this hobby but it’s a fun past time. Aside from maintaining these shops they are marketed on social media - instagram, Facebook, twitter, Pinterest. It does keep one busy. I also appreciate staying in touch with technology and keeping my brain functioning. I really need to be grateful that I had to use technology as a clinician, nurse administrator, operations expert, and civil servant. It’s been so helpful and I try to stay as up to date as possible. So digital painting and keeping up have really helped. It still tickles me when someone notices my work. 

LITDigitalart Custom Pet Portrait

When the iPad came along back in 2010 I was one of the first embracers. Little did I know that it would become the device that I would use to start painting again. I found an app and started playing with it, then opened an Etsy shop and the rest is history. Now I have not only the Etsy shop, but Redbubble, Zazzle, Fine Art America/Pixels, and Amazon Merch shops where all of the pet portraits that were commissioned from all over the world are uploaded. So it’s always a thrill to get a request from new and returning customers. The most recent request was for a cat by the name of Frank for a mother in law gift. The hardest part is getting the portrait set up - selecting the best option out of several photos - with the customer. There is a lot of back and forth regarding what to include, exclude, background colors, etc. Then a prelim sketch is created. As the painting progresses the updates are provided over a two to three day period. Generally a few background options are provided. After the customer is happy with the outcome, the progression of the portrait is condensed in to six steps showing the start to the finish in an image; suggestions for how to use the jpeg image on a variety of products are provided; and a sample for a framed portrait is shown. It’s such a thrill the receive the feedback all along the way and to know that the final product is such a personal gift. There are so many choices out there for this kind of product compared to thirteen years ago. Whenever I get a request it is so rewarding. 

LITDigitalart Pet Portraits 2022

Yesterday I posted my favorite photos that were taken in 2022 for the 52Frames weekly photo challenge. Today my favorite custom pet portraits are highlighted. Several of them were requested from repeat customers - the nicest sort of request. Oftentimes the portraits are memorials. I’ve been painting digital art portraits for ten years - soon after the iPad was introduced. I always enjoyed watercolors and pastels and charcoal art and the iPad reignited my interest in painting. Soon after I opened my Etsy shop and have since drawn over 335 custom portraits for people all over the country and worldwide. After the portraits are made I also upload them to Zazzle, Redbubble, Fine Art America/Pixels, and Amazon Merch. The images can be reproduced on to many products. I never imagined this whole process would be in my future back in 2010. Now the landscape of digital art has changed exponentially and what was once unique is now routine with artificial intelligence and apps taking front and center. All I know is I enjoyed the ride and still occasionally create a hand drawn digital art portrait for someone who finds my work on line. Who knows what the future holds?