My daughter had a friend over, and she brought a small container full of these tiny little swirled paper people. They’re not more than 1-1/2″ tall, and don’t even fit onto my pinki finger. I looked at each one in amazement – little tiny details on so many – a hundred maybe? Some dressed as clowns, some with curly hair (tiny paper, curled and glued) – I don’t know who made them, but I just adore them!

Orange house finches are an oddity around here, I see maybe one a year. According to Cornell, the color variation is due to diet – so he must be eating more beta-carotine. I promised Taba a pic, so here it is!

The elusive Killdeer – they are everywhere, but I can’t manage to get a nice, crisp closeup shot of him! They are so fast.

Surely, you know better than to try passing them on the left.
A well protected gosling.

Gosling siblings.

Male Red Winged Blackbird, on top of a sign located next to the river. How, pray tell, do you park in the rear on a river?

My ideal Red Winged Blackbird shot.
Mama mallard and her babies. Awww.

Another mama and her babies.

I hope you, too, stop to look around. There’s so much to appreciate and enjoy all around us! Yesterday afternoon, I watched a hummingbird flit around my delphinium, saw a shrew hustle into his little hole alongside my garage, and watched a young bunny sit underneath my bird feeders and munch on dinner. A storm blew in and the fresh, clean air swept across my face as a few light raindrops trickled down from the sky. I trimmed my roses while warm rain fell on my back.

If you stop to appreciate these things, you’ll find all of your worries just slip from your mind. It’s hard to be troubled when you’re taking in all that is good around you.

Don’t forget to enter to win a custom portrait in my weekly giveaway!

 

Today begins Week #26 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.

Last week was another very busy week, so let’s try this again! I encourage you to share my giveaway with your friends, and thank you to those who have!!

 

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

WEEK 26 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

: Open (pets, animals, people)

Deadline

: Friday, June 26, 2009 (around 5pm CST)

To Enter

: Leave a comment, 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:

The Details…

 

Each week, 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 announce the winner on Saturday and post the completed portrait with the following week’s Giveaway announcement.

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)

Phew! Long overdue progress shots of Pete’s under painting! I’ve been busy trying to rescue my garden from the flooding along the house, and since it flooded again yesterday (well, the half that I don’t have complete), I’m now waiting for the mud to dry out so I can get the raised bed finished and back to non-back-breaking labor!

So, I did get Pete’s under painting complete and took a few pics along the way so you can see how he’s coming along. I’ve darkened in his wrinkles, then move along with bigger brushes to fill in the base coat of darker shades.

Here I’ve got most of his cute little pug face finished, and start filling in blocks of color around his neck and chest.

This is the completed under painting, of course I am sometimes tempted to call them done at this stage because I like how they are coming – but of course it doesn’t take long for me to want to kick it up a notch and get my pet portraits looking much more photo realistic!

Will be finishing up his portrait very soon – stay tuned!!

Today begins Week #25 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.

Last week’s winner was Tammy with her daughter Autumn, who passed away at the age of nine of a pituitary tumor. You can read her entry here.

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:

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

WEEK 25 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

: Open (pets, animals, people)

Deadline

: Friday, June 19, 2009 (around 5pm CST)

To Enter

: Leave a comment, 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

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 announce the winner on Saturday and post the completed portrait with the following week’s Giveaway announcement.

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)

Pete the Pug has his green gradient background now, and once it’s dry I’ll work in his under painting.

I also started another piece that I will share once it’s complete – it’s a really big piece, one that I’ve been wanting to work on for a while. With that, I’ll leave you to wonder what it might be, and share it when it’s complete!

I’m working on a new dog portrait – this is a sweet little pug named Pete! My client was gifted a gallery bucks gift certificate (available in my shop) for a custom pet portrait and selected an 8″ x 8″ full color oil painting for Pete – he’s going to look just gorgeous!

He’s getting a green background this afternoon, so I’ll post another shot later after that’s done.

Today marks the start of Week #24 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.

Last week, there were no entries – which was a blessing in disguise. We spent the weekend getting my eldest ready for her camping trip, so time was precious.

My plan, should that happen again, is to go back to previous weeks and draw a winner from previous entries.

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:

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

WEEK 24 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

: Open (pets, animals, people)

Deadline

: Friday, June 12, 2009 (around 5pm CST)

To Enter

: Leave a comment, include a link to your photo. For e-mail submissions,

leave a comment with your story

as your entry, attach your photo to an e-mail separately, and send to gallery *at* intricateart dot-com.

Note: *G* Rating only

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 announce the winner on Saturday and post the completed portrait with the following week’s Giveaway announcement.

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.

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 decided to join in on this weeks Bird Photography Weekly (#40) since I have a few bird shots that I’ve been wanting to share with you!

The beauty above is a Hermit Thrush – new to my yard and it took me a little while to identify her. I used my Bird Songs: 250 North American Birds in Song book
(and confirmed with Taba), and was just giddy to have a new visitor to my yard!

This male Red Winged Blackbird joined us over dinner by the river last weekend, he and his spouse were enjoying the tortilla chips I broke up and tossed their way.

The female Red Winged Blackbird came much closer than the male, such a pretty little girl. I’m glad I tucked my (big honkin’) camera in my purse before we left the house! There are always neat creatures hanging out down by the Mississippi River.

I hope you enjoyed my birds this week – we’ll see what photo ops present themselves for next week!

Don’t forget to enter to win a custom portrait in my weekly giveaway!

Over the past few months, I’ve been putting together a site for Lindsey over at Reading Red Letters. I had already designed her site once before, so I was excited to hear about the new vision she had for her site.

Lindsey uses RRL to challenge herself and her readers to learn and understand the Gospel. She found a plugin that would rotate themes with each change of season in the Liturgical year. Scott Lenger’s Liturgical Year Themes plugin does just that!

My task, then, was to create a theme with a strong structure that would carry the five themes she had in mind. Ordinary time, Advent, Epiphany, Lenten and Easter – she gave me the general color scheme and I started browsing for imagery that would convey those messages accurately, and give those graphics an old world feel to bring you back in time.

The first mockup – eh, it was okay. Lindsey was ever so patient and gave me creative license to dig in and create something that, though it was different from what she envisioned, still gave it the look and feel she was going for. The end result is something we’re both proud of, and something visually interesting and appealing for her readers.

(click here to view this image just a smidge bigger, for detail.)

The themes will switch automatically from season to season, and each season is identified beneath the blog title and will convey a message that will apply to that season. It’s really a very neat plugin, it was a very cool project, for a very awesome client!