I was hoping to paint wet in wet and complete ACE’s portrait in one session, but that isn’t going to happen. The salt and pepper variation in his fur makes that much more difficult – the light turns dark and dark turns light to mud, so I’m stopping for the day and will finish his painting in the next session.

Still, he’s a lovely work in progress – and I’m enjoying the green and blue tints in his eyes!

I’ll update again with a pic of the completed portrait within the next few days.

I’ve completed Mari’s under painting as well. I really like the tones in this one, I used cadmium orange mixed with a bit of indigo and magenta into white for the shadows on the white, and it’s given her such a warm tone. Her pupils were washed out in her reference photo so filling them in really puts her personality on the canvas!

As promised the background shade is much more accurate in this progress shot now that the under painting is complete. Those bright colors definitely needs something to balance against!

You can see her previous progress here, and her initial sketch against the photo here. If you’d like to just go ahead and order your own custom portrait (this one is a 5″ x 7″) you can do that here!

I spent a good chunk of the day painting today after updating my portfolio with 8 new projects!

Cuddles’ under painting is complete. A bit flat and muddy right now, once this layer is dry I will go through and apply all the detail fur and feathers, and she will be a glowing, angelic tuxedo kitty.

You can view her previous work in progress stage here.

Today begins Week #15 of my 2009 weekly graphite portrait giveaway! Each week, one winner will be selected to receive one 5×7 graphite drawing from their photograph.

Last week’s winner was Pricilla, an entertaining account of her life on the farm – as a pregnant goat!

I am the head goat on the Happy Goat Farm. I want to tell you how much I love it here with the other goats and cats. It is all because of the publicist and the male person. They take such good care of us. For example; all of the cats were wandering around hungry and without a home before the publicist took them in, fed them and gave them a warm place to sleep. The male person is not so happy about the cats as the publicist but he loves her so he deals with the cats.

You can read the rest of her entry here.

A note on framing for portrait winners: I recommend the Nielsen Bainbridge Archival Gallery Frame, available through Dick Blick.

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

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.

WEEK 15 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

: Pets, Animals (1 subject only – Easter related if possible! Chicks, dogs with bunny ears – get creative!)

Deadline

: Friday, April 10, 2009 (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

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!
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Just a quick update on ACE, I’ve bordered out his chunky 4″ x 4″ canvas edge with a rich milk chocolate color, and will work on his under painting today. Looking forward to painting his gorgeous green eyes!Order a custom portrait today, prices start at just $55!

Mari’s second work in progress (see the sketch and her reference photo here), her mom liked the background on another cat portrait I completed back in 2005 of Nicki, so I’ve used similar shades on Mari’s. It’s showing a bit more red than it is, the color will be more accurate once I can balance it against her under painting.

Will update again when her under painting is complete!

I started Cuddles portrait earlier this week (view the first work in progress here), sketching out her pose and adding wings, since Cuddles has passed over the rainbow bridge.

Her mom wanted a beautiful sunset of pinks and yellow to fill the background of this 8″ x 8″ portrait, so I did a nice gradation of warm colors (winsor yellow, cadmium orange, magenta, violet, a little white and a smidge of french ultramarine), painting the deep gallery wrapped sides of the portrait in a mix of magenta and violet. I worked in the window sill as well and will start on her under painting as soon as this is dry.

If you’re interested in commissioning me to paint (or draw) a custom pet portrait for you, I’ve added several sizes to my shop, to allow everyone to find a size that will fit into their budget. You can order a custom portrait package directly from my shop, checking out securely through PayPal!

Here’s ACE (Andy’s Cat Extraordinaire), zoomed up close and tightly cropped on a 4″ x 4″ chunky canvas. I’ll be painting his portrait in oils, similarly to Annie, Momo & Callie’s portraits.

If you’d like a piece of original art at a really reasonable price, this size is just perfect. I’ve made a 4″ x 4″ portrait package available in my shop to make it easy to check out (using paypal) for just $55. Click here to order yours!

Meet Cuddles, a tuxedo with really neat markings across her face and nose. She had a wonderful, blessed life with her loving family and passed away last fall after 22 years! I’ve given Cuddles her wings, and she’ll continue to watch over her momma for years to come.

I’ll be painting Cuddles’ portrait in oils, she’s on an 8″ x 8″ chunky canvas (Want your own? See my portrait package available in my shop for just $192!).

More progress to come!