Back in the beginning of 2005, Karen came to me about her baby girl, Maddie, who passed over the rainbow bridge. I remember painting Maddie like it was yesterday – how she tugged on my heartstrings then, and how compassionate and loving I thought her Momma was to have her portrait done. Over the years, I’ve painted all of Karen’s pets and they have definitely all touched my heart and become an extended furbaby family to me. I think about her and her babies regularly, so it was very sad to hear that Callie had passed away.

Part of me was so torn yesterday when I started contemplating her background color. I wanted to paint her face on a cloud with a sky blue background, like Maddie. But I kept being pulled away from that thought and my mind filled with this gold color, a rich warm gold like sunshine was filling the canvas around her. That’s just how it happened, too.

Morris’ background is a really rich, beautiful and leathery chocolate brown color. He just kind of “gave” me this color. Let me try to explain how that works, because to me – the background color is just as much a part of the portrait as the subject itself. It is an extension, a mood. Color conveys feeling, and each pet says something different to me. They’re all individuals, so they deserve more than a standard blanket background color that matches the sofa.

Sometimes, the background color just comes to me while I’m looking at the photos I’ve been given to work from. His reference photo is a bit blurry and small, pixelated with a lot of flash. But even though the reference might be bad, the only thing I really need to see his his personality coming through in the photos. Knowing the anatomy of a cat is extra helpful, and I think since I’ve painted so many cat portraits – the anatomy is embedded in my mind now. With Morris, though, it was the personality that I saw that led me to mix this color for his portrait.

I just felt it, and that’s what I love most about what I do.

Simba doesn’t have much background since it’s a really nice & big macro of his kitty face, so the shot is more of a side view to show how the color wraps around the canvas edge. I chose this color because when looking at his photo, I was immediately drawn to this really cool shade of lime in the reflection of his eyes. Since he’s an orange tabby and he’s just got a hint of the lime in his eyes, it will really make him pop and give the portrait loads of dimension.

Many, many portrait sketches = lots and lots of art to create this week!

Here’s what’s on my easel:

Badger is a certified therapy dog, she is allllways happy. I love that she’s smiling for her portrait. This will be an 8×8 oil portrait.

This is Morris, an orange tabby who recently crossed over the rainbow bridge.  He’ll also be done in oils, on a 6×6 canvas.

I’ve painted Callie before, but this portrait of her will have much more meaning since it is in loving memory.  Another 6×6 oil portrait.

Simba is a stunning orange tabby. Also in oil on 6×6 chunky wrapped canvas.

 

This yellow-sided green cheeked conure is Kiwi, she’s also having a 6×6 oil portrait. Kiwi and Boo (below) belong to Lisa’s daughter – these are a birthday surprise. So ssssh.

Boo was a beautiful parrotlet that passed away, her portrait pairs with Kiwi’s in 6×6.

This pose of Claire is just gorgeous, big curls falling down into her face – this is the line drawing for a 4×6 graphite drawing that All Adither won in January for giving me the bestest birthday wish.

A long wait in the hospital waiting room, a box of pencils and a hand held sharpener. I worked Moggie’s second pencil portrait, a 6″ x 6″ piece to compliment her first portrait – which I finalized as well, adding whiskers and her name to her tag.

I’ll add a new scan of her first portrait behind the cut if you’d like to see that one in it’s finished state.

I’m offering these graphite portraits at $2 per square inch, which is a really nice price for an original piece of artwork. If you’re interested in having a graphite/pencil piece done, please get in touch with me through my “contact” form (linked in the top menu).

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See, power outages can be a good thing. I had received this commission to paint a pencil portrait of Moggie in a 4″ wide by 10″ high size a couple of weeks ago. Peeling myself away from the online part of making my living can be pretty tough, and honestly? I have a confession to make. I procrastinate. For good reason, I think (sometimes).

I haven’t drawn a drawing since High School.

Seriously, a true graphite pencil start to finish full drawing in its final form this is IT piece of artwork – it’s been about 18 years. You’d think that since I’m an artist for a living, I would produce more graphite drawings. I’ve worked in colored pencil, watercolor, oil, acrylic, even india inks – but it’s rare that someone asks a graphite of me. I always attributed that to not having any in my portfolio, I guess.

Once in a while though, I get a client who asks “can you do this?….” and of course I never decline. I will, however, procrastinate at least a little out of sheer fear that I’m totally inept and unable to create something with a certain medium on a certain ground.

I know, it’s crazy. I should know by know that this fear of mine is all in my head. This God given gift just flows through my hands out onto whatever is in front of me with whatever tool I have in my hand. I am so humbled by that. I finished Moggie lastnight (well, almost – she is in proofing stage and still needs whiskers and her tag wording, and then of course my signature) and when I took my hand away from the pad I thought “Woah. Well. There she is.” And when you finish something and see it through your own eyes but know it happened not because of anything you learned in school or taught yourself, it’s a sort of euphoria that you can’t feel from anything else.

It’s when you crave that euphoria that you find yourself doing what you’re meant to do more often, and feeling a sense of peace and calm in your life that you can’t attain any other way.

This is what dreams are made of, and this is how you live them.

Get in the Christmas Spirit!
Now Playing : God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
[audio:godrestyemerrygentlemen.mp3]

    Annie, Momo & Callie Custom Portrait Set
4″ x 4″ Oil Painting
3/4″ Traditional Profile Wrapped Canvas
© 2007 Leanne Wildermuth
All Rights Reserved

 

Here are Annie, Momo & Callie’s final portrait painting images – you can click them for a larger (actual size, or very close) view in my portfolio. Of course you are welcome to leave feedback about their portraits in my portfolio as well! These three little 4″ x 4″ custom paintings are already on their way home and all their Mama needs is three nails and a hammer, as they’re ready to put right up on the wall.

If you’re considering getting your own portrait (Christmas is coming – I saw geese flying South this morning!), you can find sizes and pricing both in my shop and on my order form.

All three of these 4×4 custom oil paintings are complete now, I’ll get them varnished and scanned in to show you details after Callie has dried (later tomorrow/Thursday).

You can follow Callie, Annie & Momo’s portraits work in progress here.

Momo’s custom cat portrait is drying right beside Annie now, waiting for Callie (tomorrow) and they will be the fabulous trio their Momma knows and loves. Still lovin’ this size and these close-up detailed macro shots for paintings, painting each layer of fur stroke by stroke gives it so much depth and dimension, these kitties could purr (if they had recorded push button purr boxes attached).

You can follow Callie, Annie & Momo’s portraits work in progress here.