Today begins Week #43 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 Kathy who submitted Ace on behalf of her grieving friend.

My best friend, Janet, rescued Ace four years ago when he had a terrible case of mange and eye problems. She proclaimed she was not really a “dog” person when she found Ace in her life, but he worked his magical charm on her and she fell in love with him. Many happy times have been spent these past four years with Ace, who never meant a person or a tennis ball he didn’t like.

Ace died two months ago suddenly. This has been a awful blow for all of us who loved Ace, especially for his mom, Janet. She is grieving terribly.

I know that a portrait of Ace by you would be a great comfort to her. I hope you will consider Ace as the next subject for the beautiful portraits you give away. He was the most special big beautiful lovable hunk of black Labrador Retriever boy you could ever possibly meet.

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

WEEK 43 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

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

Deadline

: Friday, October 23, 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!
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I’ve begun a new dog portrait in oils, Effee. She’s a gorgeous greyhound who recently passed away. It’s such a sweet, peaceful pose. I know I typically share the sketch first, but I went straight into painting without any hesitation to get the background worked in. I have a bit more to do on the rug/blanket that she’s lying on, I’ll do that while I work in her coats under painting.

I’m working this on an 8″ x 10″ canvas panel, so she’ll be matted and framed to a larger finished size.

A few weeks ago, I was looking forward to photographing my niece’s Senior portraits. It seems like just a month ago she asked me, as a freshman in high school, to be the one to do them for – and now the time has come.

My Panasonic Lumix (FZ50k) has been amazing to me, and I’ve loved owning a Panny for the last several years. It’s given me some beautiful shots (you can see a great sampling on my freebie wallpaper page) and I knew that it would serve me well when the day came to photograph my niece.

Then, something unexpected happened.

I was waiting for Catybug to finish volleyball practice one day a few weeks ago and one of the girls came out and asked if I would do her Senior portraits. Of course I said yes – she’s adorable and as soon as she said it I started taking pictures of her in my head. I have all of these compositions in my mind now and I’ll be so disappointed if I don’t execute them the way that I see them!!

Then, it occurred to me that my camera might not be “big” enough for the job. I tossed around the idea of getting a SLR for a couple of years but since photography is more of a hobby for me, I didn’t feel the need to have a bunch of expensive equipment. Now, though, that I’ve got two Senior sessions approaching, I needed to quickly decide if my Panny was going to be enough to give me the shots I was seeing in my head of these young ladies.

I went shopping (at Dell, because they have more than just computers, they have cameras AND credit cards!) and started comparing. Researching. Asking friends. I added the Nikon D90 (and a few lenses) to my cart and hesitated. I just got up, and walked away from my computer. Talk about stress!!

I talked to my hubby about it and we realized a few things:

1. I would be taking a lot more professional shots than hobby shots in the future
2. These Seniors are really important, and I didn’t want to give them anything less than my best
3. I need the tax deduction.

With all of these things in mind, we decided that I should not empty my shopping cart, but proceed to checkout. Once the equipment arrived, I would put it together, take a few shots, compare them to my Panny, and then make the final decision.

The day arrived, the UPS man gave me a big old box and I was both excited and nervous at the same time. I took out the battery and charger and got that going first – it only took a couple of hours to charge the battery, just enough time for the girls to be home from school and be my guinea pigs!

My first shots were my decision shots. Catybug sat in my studio and I set up my tripod. I put my trusty old Panny on the tripod and took the first shot:

And then, I put the Nikon D90 on my tripod in auto mode, using the default 18-105mm lens and knowing nothing about the camera:

I think you can probably guess what my decision was at that point, but I did leave these photos up on my monitor so my hubby could make the call, too. That was a no-brainer. I couldn’t believe the difference – and so now I’m even more excited to get these Senior portrait sessions underway – because it’s quite possible that I’ll be adding portrait sessions to my price list and offering them on a regular basis.

Next week, I’ll be sharing photos from my two upcoming sessions. Stay tuned!!

Today begins Week #42 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, Theresa, entered her gray tabby, Sebastian.

As I write this note to you, Sebastian is peacefully sleeping next to me. My father has been seriously ill and rather than submit Sebastian to another dreaded airplane trip (I flew out here with him in August), I left him at my parents house while I made a quick trip back home to winterize my house and take care of some things. We’ve been apart for three (whole!) weeks and now that I’m back, he’s sticking pretty close. 🙂 I am, too! My parents report that he was a perfect gentleman while I was away, but my house back west felt terribly empty without him! What a comfort to have him here with me, clear across the country from “our” home.

You can read the rest of her entry here. Congratulations, Theresa! Give Sebastian some belly rubs from me. 😀

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

WEEK 42 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

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

Deadline

: Friday, October 16, 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)

Just a note to let you all know that I’ve just added 14 (FOURTEEN!!!) projects to my portfolio! You can view them all here: Leanne’s Portfolio

…and by all means, if you’ve got a project included in my portfolio, feel free to leave a comment! All of my weekly portrait giveaways, blog designs and paintings are present and accounted for.

Happy browsing!

I finished Mookie’s portrait today! This is a beautiful chocolate lab who lives up in Canada. She is a well loved older dog, and so I reversed time just a smidge for her and took away her cataracts, giving her back those beautiful golden brown lab eyes.

She’s painted in oil on a 6″ x 6″ canvas panel, not a wooden stair, though it does look that way.

I’ll post the scanned portrait once she’s dry and varnished!

Interested in commissioning your own custom portrait?
Purchase a portrait package right here in my shop and get your project started today!

Today begins Week #41 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, Jackie, entered Kiara for her grieving friend.

Kiara was a special dog of a friend of mine. She was a wonderful, faithful companion to Margie for 8 years.

Kiara started out as a running companion for Margie and the bond grew. Kiara kept Margie safe on their nightly walks and alerted her to potential dangers on a regular basis. Kiara had allergies and for the last few years of Kiara’s life, Margie would get up each morning and cook special meals for Kiara’s dietary requirements.

A month ago, Kiara died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Margie had a wonderful day before with Kiara… they had taken a special walk and enjoyed the cool crispness in the air.

The image that I sent is Margie’s favorite photo of Kiara. Kiara would lay next to Margie at night, similar to how she’s laying in the image…

I would love to give this as a gift to Margie – in honor and memory of her beloved Kiara.

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

WEEK 41 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

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

Deadline

: Friday, October 9, 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)

Today begins Week #40 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, Dianne, shared this story of Brownie Sue:

Please meet Brownie Sue, AKA Louise, and Arnette, and Piglet. When she joined our pack 12 years ago, her age was estimated to be 4-5 years. Before joining our family, this dog was living in nearby woods for at least 6 months, apparently homeless, surviving on road kill and garbage. She was very wary of people and would not be captured. However, winter was on its way and I knew she could not survive outside. No rescue group would help me in my efforts to bring her to safety. So I placed food out for her daily and talked to her from a distance for a period of 6 months. One day, I placed the food out as usual and spoke softly to her coaxing her to come to me…AND SHE DID! I managed to get a leash and collar on her and walked her to our home. She was then vetted and groomed and declared to be in reasonably good health despite her homelessness. She was advertised as a “Found Dog”, but, fortunately for us, no one claimed her. Whoever owned her previously had cut half her ears off and most of her tail as well. She has been nothing but a joy to our lives. She is the “Big Sister” to our other rescue dogs, and even warmly welcomed our foster dog. She earned her Canine Good Citizenship certificate shortly after joining our family. In her younger days, she was clearly a brunette, but in this photo, her maturity is obvious. While not a conventional beauty, her sweetness is evident in her dark brown liquid eyes. We know her time with us is waning and we treasure what time we still have to share with her.

Thanks for reading her story.

Congratulations, Dianne! Thank you for sharing Browne Sue!

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

WEEK 40 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

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

Deadline

: Friday, October 2, 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 begun painting Mookie’s portrait. As you can see from the photo I’m working from, I’m cleaning it up quite a bit, dropping the noise out of the background and foreground, and I’ll be bringing out a lot more detail in her fur as well. Since she’s a chocolate lab, the green background (sap, my favorite) paired with the ochre in the wood will really be gorgeous against her coat.

Here’s a close up of her portrait progress – wet paint!