Kiwi’s portrait is complete. Yes, I spent a nice weekend day relaxing in my studio and garden. I can’t help but be productive, because it doesn’t seem like work to me! Here’s the previous work in progress so you can see the difference:

I’ll likely finish Boo tomorrow, after church and other planned festivities. Then I’ll be preparing all of the portraits I’ve painted this week for shipping, and sending them out Monday and Tuesday.

Jam’s portrait is complete (Mom – Dad – did you want a big pic?) – my webcam went CRAZY today. Ugh all I can really say is friends? Don’t let your friends sing on webcam without realizing the VOLUME IS ON. Nobody heard that, right? Well I found a mute button, clicked it, and then it kept freezing and crashing. You are either going to have to deal with my singing, hollering at my kids and general normal person-ness or I am going to have to find a fix for that. (ahem. I’m looking.)

So here’s Jam, in all her firey Red & White Bi-colored Eyed Husky glory – enjoy!

I just put the finishing touches on Simba’s custom portrait, he’s even got a whisker poking through my signature.

I’ll post the scan & details once the painting is dry, of course.

If you watched me on cam, let me know how it looks – can you see the details going onto the canvas? Should I reposition the cam?

Rex’s portrait is complete. If you tuned in to watch me paint (my signature, five times), thank you for stopping in! Let me know how you liked it!

I’ve set up a little photo album to feature some of the photos that my clients have shared with me – so if you’d like to be featured in my rotating gallery, send me a pic of you with your painting, or the painting/print on your wall.

Jambalaya is SUCH a pretty girl. Those bi-colored eyes are so cool! I am in love with this dog.

Her underpainting is complete, so I’ll give her a day to dry and finish her portrait in the next few days.

I’ve got to find a better live webcam service – if you know of one, drop your suggestion in the comment box! The quality on this one is so rough. I’ll see if I can’t get a new one going before I start painting tomorrow.

If you’ve caught me on my studio cam – this is what you were watching me paint. This portrait of Rex is just 4″ x 4″ so it’s pretty small and these move along pretty quickly. He’s about finished – I’ll detail his black fur and white whiskers tomorrow, and enhance the gloss on his eyes just a bit more.

Just a quick update on my schedule, for anyone interested/waiting:

I’ve completed two blog designs this week:

• SpencersGame
• Eartodastreetz

And a few last week, in case you missed them:

• VividNUrban
• Fanboy@50
• Kissythecutie

Next week is wide open and I’ll be in the studio finishing up several custom pet portrait paintings:

• Simba, a fluffy orange tabby
• Kiwi & Boo, a pair of bird portraits
• Jambalaya, a red & white husky portrait
• Rex, a tuxedo kitty cat portrait

Then I’ll be back to blog designing for a few more weeks, then a couple more portraits, then a couple more designs … it’s going to be a busy summer!

Stay tuned for portrait progress updates!

I was bored and had my camera in my lap. These are my Levi’s denim shorts.
Who, me? Pose? Lemme swallow, first…. ::gulp:: Okay, shoot!
(male cowbird.)

Hey Fred! They’re fresh out of suet — c’mon over here!
(female downy woodpecker.)

Hi! I’m Chip! Chip! Chip! Chip!!! CHIP CHIP CHIP CHIP!
(chipping sparrow.)

I am infatuated with my new Batik Irises. This is a Tiger Honey.

Ooooh so comfortabuhhllllsssss. Dusty Bunny says “Yessss”.

Extreme close up of Mini Rex comfortabuhllness. Stretch those kickers!

mmmm. Strawberries.

A gigantic German Bearded Iris that I cut and brought inside to enjoy.

My Knockout Rose bushes are in bloom – don’t forget to stop and smell the roses!

 

Ta-da! It’s been 17 days since I planted my garden, and I have progress! I was goo-gooing and gaa-gaaing over this baby green pepper yesterday. Here’s what it looks like now:

I got my hoe on yesterday, prettifying the “aisles” and adding cucumbers and another couple of musk melon plants, because I think my other two are pretty hopeless. The beets, bush beans and spinach have all germinated and are going crazy. I’ll have to thin them out, but first I have to figure out when and how to thin them out. I’m such a garden virgin.

* * * * * More non-garden dirt * * * * *Still scratching things off my to-do list, getting my girls graduated from 6th and 1st grades, gardening, Wii Fit’ting – and doing a bunch of extra stuff that my hubby usually does but can’t now that he’s one-armed.

The girls have been on summer vacation since Wednesday afternoon, and they were, in usual form, bored after being home for 10 minutes. Catybug went to her friends, Chickeymonkey invited her friend over, and since then it’s been crazy with slumber parties and sleepovers and playing rain in the driveway with the garden hose – and then, just when you think things have calmed down for 5 minutes, they argue over the Wii.

Ahh yes. School’s out.

I have to brag though, Chickeymonkey finished 1st grade with a straight A average, and Catybug nearly an A+ average. Her GPA was 98.6 for the year – but her test scores (The ISAT) were at 99%, she tested at a 10th grade 5th month level, which is the highest you can go. (Beaming? Why yes, we are!) We are very pleased with the education they’re receiving and glad to make the sacrifices to get them a good one.

* * * * * Art & Design related dirt * * * * *I’ve also been working like a mad woman over the past week, and though I wasn’t able to hit the studio as I would have liked, and I still haven’t gotten the progress pics of Jam and Rex for you, I have managed to design and launch a few neat blog designs. The next couple of weeks will be hugely busy as I try to get current again with everything – finishing design projects and paintings both.

I know you’re anxious to have a look at those designs, so here you go:

• VividNUrban – this is an urban magazine style blog, the main page is all custom code to pull in all of the categories he wants to highlight, linking to each post and also the full category. You also have the option to read it as a “blog” in the main menu. It’s a sweet design, and nearly caused my brain to burst.
• Fanboy@50 – Lew deals with anime and comics – he’ll probably be opening a shop on his blog as well.
• Kissythecutie – Though Kissy is still formatting her content, you can at least view the design and the beginning of her career in the blogosphere. I’m looking forward to seeing where she takes things with her blog!

And that was my week in a nutshell – I’m looking forward to lounging around today and recuperating so I can start it all again tomorrow morning.

How was your week?