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It’s been a very busy week over here! I’m working on several projects for Christmas that are keeping me VERY busy and have a(nother) illness to battle while I work! I’ve had a few family photo shoots to edit and prepare for clients, one is staying under wraps until after Christmas but the Daffara Family portraits are ready for your viewing enjoyment!

As soon as I am able to share my other projects, I will – but you know, Christmas presents are hush-hush! I do have a couple of drawings I’ll be posting, one from the weekly portrait giveaway and another beautiful German Shepherd drawing that I’ll have ready in a few days as well.

‘Til then, stay in your seats! (Okay, you may get up to go to the bathroom. But come right back.)

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I had the opportunity to take several family/group photos over the last week so I’m really excited about sharing them with you! This is my first family set – one of my best friends from high school and her gorgeous husband and girls. Their dog even got in on the action and posed well for me! (That’s Sophie. I love Sophie.)

Enjoy!!

This December, Lee is turning 120 years old! To celebrate, Lee is giving away 120 pairs of jeans EVERY DAY from December 1-31 on their Facebook Fan page: facebook.com/leejeans! PLEASE NOTE: YOU CAN ENTER ONLY ONCE.

Lee Jeans? Well, they rock. If you haven’t found a pair that you love, you haven’t tried on all of the different fits they offer. A fit for every person, for every figure. I kid you not. (I have most of them.)

From the press release:

“Our longevity in the denim industry is thanks to our loyal customers so we wanted to do something to say ‘thank you’,” said Liz Cahill, Vice President of Marketing Communications at Lee. “We’ve grown with our customers through the years so it’s only fitting we celebrate this important milestone with our valued customers and friends.”

And while Lee Jeans is a household name today, many are unaware of just how impactful the company’s work has been in developing the jeans we know and love today.

“It’s hard to imagine a time when women didn’t have the option to choose between a skinny jean and a boyfriend jean, but until 1949 when we introduced the Lady Riders, the industry didn’t even offer a cut tailored to a woman’s curves,” said Cahill. “We come in a lot of shapes and sizes, and Lee’s proud to have led the way in fit innovations for both men and women alike.”

Lee’s innovations through the years include:

1911: Lee introduces the overall
1926: Lee produces the first zipper fly
1949: Lady Lee Riders was introduced to the women’s market
1964: Lee introduces the first no-iron pants
2007: Lee introduces the Natural Fit instantly slimming tummy panel
2009: Lee introduces Slender Secret, an ultra-stretch slimming jean for every woman

Today begins Week #49 of my 2009 weekly graphite portrait giveaway! Each week, one winner will be selected to receive one 5×7 graphite (pencil) drawing from their photograph. There are only a few short weeks remaining in 2009 – and my year-long contest will come to an end!

Thank you ALL for sharing your pets with me! Again, I encourage you to re-enter if your entry was not chosen! (Tip: you can repeat your entry and photo! One entry per animal per week, please.)

Last week, Nanci’s kitty Jackson was the winner. Here’s Nanci and Jackson’s story:

My kitty Jackson, was found by a student of mine. It was a bitterly cold evening and he heard a faint mewing in the bushes. On inspection, he found a nearly frozen tiny tiger striped kitten. The student scooped him up and placed him inside a box with a heating blanket to warm him. Later he talked me into taking him home and I named him Jackson after the student who saved his life. I was going through a rough spot in my marriage and eventually divorced and kitty Jackson was a source of comfort. He and I had a fast bond. He was so loving, had the loudest purr and just seemed to know when I needed him. He would drop toy mice at my feet and wait for me to throw them so he could play fetch. He later went through a difficult surgery and recovery when he swallowed a thread, and I nearly lost him, but he pulled through and our bond was even stronger. Sadly I lost him a year ago to the ravages of kidney failure – he was 15. I miss him all the time as does his feline buddy, Hooper. I would love a portrait of him to honor his beautiful spirit. He was one of the sweetest cats I ever loved.

Hugs to Nanci and Hooper. I hope you enjoy Jackson’s portrait for many years to come!

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

WEEK 49 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

: PERSON OR ANIMAL (single subject person, dog, cat or any other critter!)

Deadline

: Friday, December 4, 2009 (around 5pm CST)

To Enter

: Leave a comment as your entry (your chances are greatly improved if you share something about your subject), include a link to

your

photo (a photo that you have full permission to use). If you do not have a photo uploaded online, please indicate that you are e-mailing the photo and e-mail the photo to: gallery *at* intricateart dot com.

Your entry must be left below, or it will not be considered.

Note: *G* Rating only

A note on framing for portrait winners: I recommend
Nielsen Bainbridge Archival Gallery Frames

available through Dick Blick. Sox & BJ (below) are framed using this frame:

Each Monday, I post the weekly Call for Entries along with the previous weeks completed portrait (above). I may change the subject theme each week, or leave the theme open, so please pay close attention to the details in each announcement.

Entries will be accepted through Friday afternoon around 5PM CST, at which time I will close comments and select one winner from the entries received. I’ll publish the completed winning portrait with the following week’s Giveaway announcement. If you’re a fan on Facebook, you might just get a sneak peek at the winning portrait before I publish it here!

Qualified entries will include a valid e-mail address, and the comment should include one link to a photograph owned/taken by the entrant. If you do not have a place to upload photos to link one, you can e-mail it to gallery *at* intricateart dot-com. Your entry, however, should be included in the comment section below, with your story – should you choose to include one.

The Selection Process: In case you’re curious, I’ll share my little artsy process in selecting the winner. First – I do not read any entries at all during the week. I do not read them because I don’t want anyone’s entries to have any more time than any others to settle in my creative brain. At the end of the week, I close comments. When I sit down to go through all of the entries, I read the story first, and open the photo link in a new window. When I finish reading, I flip over to the photo and my initial reaction is what I go by.

If your entry is not chosen, you may enter again. I encourage you to include a short story with your entry.

Once you have won a portrait, I ask that you refrain from multiple entries, to give others an opportunity to win one as well.

Your challenge? To inspire me! Choose your photo wisely – I will select a winner based on how the photo and/or story moves me.

Good luck!!

 

Put this button on your blog to remind yourself to enter each week!
Link it to:
http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/Or just copy and paste this code:
<a href=”http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/”><img src=”http://intricateart.com/wp-content/uploads/leannewildermuth125.jpg” title=”Leanne Wildermuth, Artist by Nature” alt=”Weekly Portrait Giveaway” border=”1″/></a>Get the latest updates – Subscribe by Email!
Don’t want to wait? Commission your own 5×7 graphite custom portrait
for just $70.00 right here in my shop!
(Checkout using PayPal)

Today begins Week #48 of my 2009 weekly graphite portrait giveaway! Each week, one winner will be selected to receive one 5×7 graphite (pencil) drawing from their photograph.

Do you know someone who would appreciate a free portrait of their pet? Share my contest with them – there are still a few weeks left in the year before my year-long giveaway ends!

Thank you ALL for sharing! Once again, I encourage you to enter again if your entry was not chosen! (Tip: you can repeat your entry and photo!)

Last week, I chose Bob’s entry of King, who sent his entry via snail-mail and included the articles from the local news that described their whole community’s search for this beautiful white German Shepherd. King was a therapy dog, a gentle servant and loving companion, and his family misses him very much. It must be terribly hard to go on day to day without having any kind of closure, as they haven’t found King to this day.

You can read more of King’s story here.

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

WEEK 48 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

: PERSON OR ANIMAL (single subject person, dog, cat or any other critter!)

Deadline

: Friday, November 27, 2009 (around 5pm CST)

To Enter

: Leave a comment as your entry (your chances are greatly improved if you share something about your subject), include a link to

your

photo (a photo that you have full permission to use). If you do not have a photo uploaded online, please indicate that you are e-mailing the photo and e-mail the photo to: gallery *at* intricateart dot com.

Your entry must be left below, or it will not be considered.

Note: *G* Rating only

A note on framing for portrait winners: I recommend
Nielsen Bainbridge Archival Gallery Frames

available through Dick Blick. Sox & BJ (below) are framed using this frame:

Each Monday, I post the weekly Call for Entries along with the previous weeks completed portrait (above). I may change the subject theme each week, or leave the theme open, so please pay close attention to the details in each announcement.

Entries will be accepted through Friday afternoon around 5PM CST, at which time I will close comments and select one winner from the entries received. I’ll publish the completed winning portrait with the following week’s Giveaway announcement. If you’re a fan on Facebook, you might just get a sneak peek at the winning portrait before I publish it here!

Qualified entries will include a valid e-mail address, and the comment should include one link to a photograph owned/taken by the entrant. If you do not have a place to upload photos to link one, you can e-mail it to gallery *at* intricateart dot-com. Your entry, however, should be included in the comment section below, with your story – should you choose to include one.

The Selection Process: In case you’re curious, I’ll share my little artsy process in selecting the winner. First – I do not read any entries at all during the week. I do not read them because I don’t want anyone’s entries to have any more time than any others to settle in my creative brain. At the end of the week, I close comments. When I sit down to go through all of the entries, I read the story first, and open the photo link in a new window. When I finish reading, I flip over to the photo and my initial reaction is what I go by.

If your entry is not chosen, you may enter again. I encourage you to include a short story with your entry.

Once you have won a portrait, I ask that you refrain from multiple entries, to give others an opportunity to win one as well.

Your challenge? To inspire me! Choose your photo wisely – I will select a winner based on how the photo and/or story moves me.

Good luck!!

 

Put this button on your blog to remind yourself to enter each week!
Link it to:
http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/Or just copy and paste this code:
<a href=”http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/”><img src=”http://intricateart.com/wp-content/uploads/leannewildermuth125.jpg” title=”Leanne Wildermuth, Artist by Nature” alt=”Weekly Portrait Giveaway” border=”1″/></a>Get the latest updates – Subscribe by Email!
Don’t want to wait? Commission your own 5×7 graphite custom portrait
for just $70.00 right here in my shop!
(Checkout using PayPal)

Today begins Week #47 of my 2009 weekly graphite portrait giveaway! Each week, one winner will be selected to receive one 5×7 graphite (pencil) drawing from their photograph.

Do you know someone who would appreciate a free portrait of their pet? Share my contest with them – there are still a few weeks left in the year before my year-long giveaway ends!

Last week’s call for entries gave me quite a selection! Your heartfelt stories and photos are the reason that I’ve continued on this journey all year. I can’t believe there are only 7 weeks (7 drawings!) remaining in 2009!!

Thank you ALL for sharing! Once again, a tough choice, so if your entry did not win, I encourage you to enter again! (Tip: you can repeat your entry and photo!)

Jessica’s Chihuhua, Cano, was last weeks winner.

This is Cano who was our 3yr old Chihuahua and a true firecracker. He was mauled by a 90lb dog just a few weeks ago and our house has been so quiet since. I remember running to my door when I’d come home from work because he was always so happy to see me it looked as if his head was going to explode with excitement. I miss his little nails clicking on the hardwood floors when he was running to me or when it was time to eat. He loved my boyfriend more than me especially when it was bedtime, Cano always seemed to wiggle between us and get really mean when I would try and snuggle closer but that just made me love him more because he had some much personality for such a little body. I treasure this picture of him because it’s really the only good one we have of him, he was busy hiding in laundry baskets because he was camera shy.

Jessica — I pray that Cano’s portrait will bring peace to your hearts and give life to all the wonderful memories you have of him! Thank you for sharing him with me!

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

WEEK 47 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

: PERSON OR ANIMAL (single subject person, dog, cat or any other critter!)

Deadline

: Friday, November 20, 2009 (around 5pm CST)

To Enter

: Leave a comment as your entry (your chances are greatly improved if you share something about your subject), include a link to

your

photo (a photo that you have full permission to use). If you do not have a photo uploaded online, please indicate that you are e-mailing the photo and e-mail the photo to: gallery *at* intricateart dot-com.

Your entry must be left below, or it will not be considered.

Note: *G* Rating only

A note on framing for portrait winners: I recommend
Nielsen Bainbridge Archival Gallery Frames

available through Dick Blick. Sox & BJ (below) are framed using this frame:

Each Monday, I post the weekly Call for Entries along with the previous weeks completed portrait (above). I may change the subject theme each week, or leave the theme open, so please pay close attention to the details in each announcement.

Entries will be accepted through Friday afternoon around 5PM CST, at which time I will close comments and select one winner from the entries received. I’ll publish the completed winning portrait with the following week’s Giveaway announcement. If you’re a fan on Facebook, you might just get a sneak peek at the winning portrait before I publish it here!

Qualified entries will include a valid e-mail address, and the comment should include one link to a photograph owned/taken by the entrant. If you do not have a place to upload photos to link one, you can e-mail it to gallery *at* intricateart dot-com. Your entry, however, should be included in the comment section below, with your story – should you choose to include one.

The Selection Process: In case you’re curious, I’ll share my little artsy process in selecting the winner. First – I do not read any entries at all during the week. I do not read them because I don’t want anyone’s entries to have any more time than any others to settle in my creative brain. At the end of the week, I close comments. When I sit down to go through all of the entries, I read the story first, and open the photo link in a new window. When I finish reading, I flip over to the photo and my initial reaction is what I go by.

If your entry is not chosen, you may enter again. I encourage you to include a short story with your entry.

Once you have won a portrait, I ask that you refrain from multiple entries, to give others an opportunity to win one as well.

Your challenge? To inspire me! Choose your photo wisely – I will select a winner based on how the photo and/or story moves me.

Good luck!!

 

Put this button on your blog to remind yourself to enter each week!
Link it to:
http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/Or just copy and paste this code:
<a href=”http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/”><img src=”http://intricateart.com/wp-content/uploads/leannewildermuth125.jpg” title=”Leanne Wildermuth, Artist by Nature” alt=”Weekly Portrait Giveaway” border=”1″/></a>Get the latest updates – Subscribe by Email!
Don’t want to wait? Commission your own 5×7 graphite custom portrait
for just $70.00 right here in my shop!
(Checkout using PayPal)

I’ve just completed this gorgeous memorial portrait of Effee, a very sweet greyhound who is unfortunately no longer with us.

(update: swapped out images for a daylight photo.)

My schedule got a little wonky there and I lost some time so I’m a little bit behind but working steadily to get caught up again! I still have a week or so available before Christmas so if you’re wanting to gift a portrait to a friend or family member, please do get in touch (use my contact form or quote request form in the menu above), I’d love to paint for you!

Today begins Week #46 of my 2009 weekly graphite portrait giveaway! Each week, one winner will be selected to receive one 5×7 graphite (pencil) drawing from their photograph.

Do you know someone who would appreciate a free portrait of their pet? Share my contest with them – there are still a few weeks left in the year before my year-long giveaway ends!

Last week’s call for entries brought several amazing animals and touching stories! Thank you ALL for sharing, I would choose them all if I could, but since I can’t – I encourage you to enter again! (Tip: you can repeat your entry and photo!)

I selected Susan Gross’ Chinese Crested Powderpuff, Tyke, as last weeks winner. His cute little tongue and big, watery eyes did me in, for sure.

I have only had Tyke for a short time; however, I am just in love with this happy, energetic “old man.” He is such a sweet, funny little dog. Tyke loves everyone he meets, and his cute little face makes everyone smile. Wherever I go with Tyke, I make sure to let people know about the importance of adopting from rescue – especially the senior pets. I understood when I adopted Tyke that his time with us may be limited; however I believe each day with him is a gift.

What a cutie, Susan! Thanks for sharing him and he thanks you, too, for rescuing him and giving him a loving forever home!

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

WEEK 46 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

: ANIMALS (single subject – dog, cat or any other critter!)

Deadline

: Friday, November 13, 2009 (around 5pm CST)

To Enter

: Leave a comment as your entry (your chances are greatly improved if you share something about your subject), include a link to your photo. If you do not have a photo uploaded online, please indicate that you are e-mailing the photo and e-mail the photo to: gallery *at* intricateart dot-com.

Your entry must be left below, or it will not be considered.

Note: *G* Rating only

A note on framing for portrait winners: I recommend
Nielsen Bainbridge Archival Gallery Frames

available through Dick Blick. Sox & BJ (below) are framed using this frame:

Each Monday, I post the weekly Call for Entries along with the previous weeks completed portrait (above). I may change the subject theme each week, or leave the theme open, so please pay close attention to the details in each announcement.

Entries will be accepted through Friday afternoon around 5PM CST, at which time I will close comments and select one winner from the entries received. I’ll publish the completed winning portrait with the following week’s Giveaway announcement. If you’re a fan on Facebook, you might just get a sneak peek at the winning portrait before I publish it here!

Qualified entries will include a valid e-mail address, and the comment should include one link to a photograph owned/taken by the entrant. If you do not have a place to upload photos to link one, you can e-mail it to gallery *at* intricateart dot-com. Your entry, however, should be included in the comment section below, with your story – should you choose to include one.

The Selection Process: In case you’re curious, I’ll share my little artsy process in selecting the winner. First – I do not read any entries at all during the week. I do not read them because I don’t want anyone’s entries to have any more time than any others to settle in my creative brain. At the end of the week, I close comments. When I sit down to go through all of the entries, I read the story first, and open the photo link in a new window. When I finish reading, I flip over to the photo and my initial reaction is what I go by.

If your entry is not chosen, you may enter again. I encourage you to include a short story with your entry.

Once you have won a portrait, I ask that you refrain from multiple entries, to give others an opportunity to win one as well.

Your challenge? To inspire me! Choose your photo wisely – I will select a winner based on how the photo and/or story moves me.

Good luck!!

 

Put this button on your blog to remind yourself to enter each week!
Link it to:
http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/Or just copy and paste this code:
<a href=”http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/”><img src=”http://intricateart.com/wp-content/uploads/leannewildermuth125.jpg” title=”Leanne Wildermuth, Artist by Nature” alt=”Weekly Portrait Giveaway” border=”1″/></a>Get the latest updates – Subscribe by Email!
Don’t want to wait? Commission your own 5×7 graphite custom portrait
for just $70.00 right here in my shop!
(Checkout using PayPal)

I’ve just completed Stacie and Foo Foo (aka A Girl and Her Bunny) – what a sweet portrait this turned out to be, with the bunny love and the feelings I get when I look at this precious moment!

Of course I gave my own Dusty bunny some love while I painted, too, and she also helped as a reference when I painted Foo Foo’s nose. It’s always good to have a live model on hand. (Need to remember this for future paintings of loveable furry things that I do not have in my family yet.)

It’s been a while since I painted a person in oils, and funny thing – I used the exact palette I always use. Natural skin tones can be achieved with just five colors – yellow ochre, magenta, white and sap green for the majority and the deepest shadows, lashes & brows were done using raw umber tinted with magenta. I’ll be painting a couple more humans here in the next few weeks, so I’ll get plenty more skin time very soon!

Enjoy, and have a great weekend! I hope you’re healthy and keeping your snouts and hooves clean!

(snort, snort… swine flu… get it? We’ve got it!)