Photo Project Iterations

When I first joined the 52Frames weekly photo challenge the iPhone was and still is my camera. I’m not a photographer; rather, I have always enjoyed taking photos since I can remember. So the best photo that met the subject matter was uploaded to the site. Lately I have become more interested in creating composite photos - taking several images and putting them all together to make a more whimsical end result. I find this process much more interesting because it makes me be more creative. So rather than editing a photo for clarity and such, I also like to add a personal touch. And in the end I know whatever I post can not be duplicated. An example of this is one of the more recent challenges - in the center. I found a neighborhood lady who dresses in an interesting way swinging on the swing in the park. Her image was isolated from the photo. The background was changed to a simple sky with clouds and the swing chains were painted in. I wasn’t happy with that so another background was added. I painted in the background. It was actually good, but I thought perhaps I should use another photo instead of paint. So I took a photo of the night sky and tried that instead and then added a bit of paint to give it more texture. A star was painted in from which to hang the swing and the final image was created. You could say this is a bit more than point and shoot, but it is acceptable. So now every week I need to think through all of the elements that will be needed to create a project. That sometimes takes some doing, but it is usually a very enjoyable experience. 

Two Versions of Us

The new painting arrived this week. It was a digitalart painting I made of my husband and me in the “Where’s Waldo” style. It contains a lot of images of us as a couple over forty plus years. This new painting, double matted in white with a thin black frame, would replace the same painting I preferred as a part of a collage on the wall in the living room. The grouping isn’t even in the configuration I preferred. The original idea was to have the same blue and green colors coordinate so as to look like a collection. In the end I thought it would just be best to display what my husband likes more. So now the grouping is composed of the houses we lived in, the immediate members of our family tree/portrait, and us as a couple over the years. In the end it hardly matters what color they are. It’s a one of a kind art display that means the world to us. 

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! 

Fine Art America - Women on the Steps of Persepolis

I've been creating digital art pet portraits for a few years. I have an Etsy shop that showcases many of the custom commissioned pooches and kitties, as well as paintings from our travels, popular sights around Washington DC, and illustrations from the childrens books I wrote. One of the more popular scenes I painted is the women on the steps of Persepolis. This particular item was entered at the Library of Congress art show and received positive reviews. Someone purchased a print of it, and it has been ordered several times on line. It is also one of my husband's favorite paintings. We had a small 8x10 of Persepolis hanging on our wall, so I decided to see how Fine Art Amercia products really turn out. All of my images and photographs are also on the Fine Art Amercia website. Usng my digital file to order a 15x20 canvas for our living space, it arrived a few days later. It was packed nicely and the end result was fine! It is amazing how something I created on my iPad can be turned in to so many different traditional formats as well as unconventional items like coffee mugs and totes. We both really liked the end result, and I can claim it as my own! 

A Digital Art Painting Framed

For whatever reason, this year I've received a lot of orders for digital art pet portraits for Christmas gifts. This is the fourth year since I opened my Etsy shop, and there is something in the air! Many are memorial portraits, some are cats, and even parrots and parakeets. Once in awhile a customer will send me the final version of the art. That happened recently. A mom was having a portrait made of a puppy for her son. And the end result looks splendid in a traditional mat and frame. The nice thing about digital art is that the image can be uploaded on to a variety of products depending on the recipient's taste - t shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags - just about anything. I'm just touched that folks like what I do. It makes me feel really good to know something I painted is given as a gift so that special pet can be remembered. Someone else was going to make some t shirts. I'd love to see how they turned out. Thanks for sharing E! 

The Second Time Around

I've been painting with my iPad for the last five years. My Etsy shop was set up three years ago. I've submitted art works to the employee art fair the last three years and have two pieces ready to go for a fourth year. Nothing else could be a greater form of flattery to know that folks have my paintings hanging on their walls, or displayed in unique ways. In the last week I've had two requests for not just one, but two, paintings. And the subjects were varied and interesting. Any time someone requests a second item, it gives me confidence that they must have really liked the first. So there were two dogs, a baby, and a celebration. Some of the requests were very specific and require a lot of additional add ons - like tags with names, making the dog's tongue shorter, adding room elements, etc. Some of the photos I work from are very grainy and difficult to see the detail so I really need to use my imagination. In any event, each commission is a challenge, but I so enjoy the process it doesn't feel that difficult. And when the artwork is completed, it's such a good feeling to get such positive reactions. Thanks so much for noticing!

Persepolis - Sold!

As is true with most people I know, checking email is a regular habit. One purpose is for personal exchanges, and the other is for my digital art "business." A lot of my artwork are custom orders for pet portraits through my Esty shop - LITDigitalPaintings. But I also have paintings that represent my favorite past time and the things I like to sketch. Some of those items are people, animals or fish, but several are travelogue types. A few are from England, or Copenhagen, but one series is from Iran. We saw so many wonderful places there when we visited five years ago. One of the scenes that gets the most attention is the women on the steps of Persepolis. It was included in the art show at the Library of Congress where I work, and someone bought a copy there. In July, someone bought a copy on my Etsy site. Today when I checked my email, there was a notice that another one was sold. What makes these purchases nice is that I have already uploaded the image and the buyer just needs to make a copy of the digital image. I don't need to do anything more - except send a thank you note for noticing my shop and selecting an image I created. I've had my Etsy shop for three years. I always find it exciting when someone thinks enough of my work to want either a custom portrait or a painting I made. It's a lovely hobby and gives me a great reason to check my email. Stop by and visit my shop!

The Masterpiece From A Young French Artist

It was with a great deal of eagerness that we opened a letter from our French friends. The card was lovely, but the contents were most appealing. Enclosed was a delightful drawing from our little friend. The colors were stunning, the subjects well drawn, and the painting ability are all worth mentioning. It was crisp, neat, and clean with all the colors staying well within the lines. I'm not sure what the inspiration was, but we love it because it is so lovely and that it came from him. So it is now on display with my children's books hanging on a very fancy towel holder turned showcase. Thanks so much Gaspard for the lovely gift. It just makes us smile!

The Greyhound Pillow and Digital Art

It's really busy this time of year. Not just because it is the holiday season, but because I paint custom pet portraits and it makes for a nice gift. I've been swamped with requests and am having a hard time keeping up with it all! My husband has become a widower - but a very understanding one. My art is all hand painted, but I use my iPad to create the images digitally. It's so much neater than using my traditional water colors and pastels. So the end result is a jpeg image that can be used over and over again, and can be made in to more than just a portrait that hangs on the wall. I was so pleased to see that someone had their image turned in to a pillow of her friend's greyhounds. I was also pleased to see the feedback and comments other folks make about my body of work. Someone called it "digital magic!" Who could ask for a nicer compliment? What started out as a hobby when the iPad came around has now become a passion! Things have come full circle... I love painting, and I love animals. What a great combination. And to think someone would want to display the image in their home makes it all even more lovely. I still have that bird sketch I made in kindergarten. What an inspiration!

Custom Dog Portrait Feedback

I love to draw - I've been sketching since I was in kindergarten. I also love dogs. I have an Etsy shop that combines these two subjects. But now I use my iPad to create hand painted digital art rather than a sketchbook and pastels or watercolors.  Today I received such nice feedback on a portrait that I did for a Christmas present.

"I ordered a custom picture of my GSD from Lois as a surprise gift for my husband and son. This was my first experience using Etsy as well as doing business with Lois. Lois patiently walked me through the entire process. I sent her several pictures of my dog and she recommended the best one based on her expertise. She kept me in the loop throughout the entire process, often sending me pictures of the progress of her sketch. Her turnaround time was incredibly fast and the finished product was better than I could have ever hoped for. My husband and son were speechless and the picture is now proudly displayed in our den. Lois has such a gift and I am so grateful I stumbled across her site. We now have a picture we will treasure forever. Thank you Lois!!!"

Thanks J- you made my day. And it was such a great project too!