50 in 2011: Bella the Bichon-Poodle Mix is Portrait #4

Just in time to melt some hearts, if not the excessive amounts of snow we've all been enduring, here is my portrait of Bella, a Bichon-Poodle mix.

It's always fun to paint fluffy dogs, so I had a good time painting this 16 x 20 inch acrylic portrait.  Bella's mom intends to frame this picture, so I painted it on a traditional, 3/4 inch deep canvas.  Clients can always choose between the traditional, "frameable" depth canvas and the gallery-wrap I most frequently use, which can be hung as-is, no frame needed.

Here's one of the pictures of Bella I used for reference.  It's not the one I worked directly from, but I love the "over the shoulder" pose.

For color inspiration on this portrait, I even had a swatch of wallpaper where the portrait will hang!

My client was worried that giving me colors she wanted and wallpaper samples would limit me, but I welcomed the input.  After all, I'm working to make a keepsake my clients will love that also fits with their decor.

If you'd like to commission your own Rainbowdog portrait, please email me at janetburt@verizon.net.  You can learn more about sizes, prices and my process, on my website, rainbowdog.net. 

Rainbowdog Pet Portraits: Painting 50 Portraits in 2011.

Announcing the Rainbowdog Dead-of-Winter Portrait Giveaway!

Bring a little warmth to winter by entering the Rainbowdog Dead-of-Winter Portrait Giveaway Contest.  If you submit the winning photo, you will win a custom 9 x 12 inch portrait of your pet!

Here are the details. To enter, email a photo of your pet to me, at janetburt@verizon.net.  Because of the size of this portrait, please include only one pet per photo, and please send only one entry per pet. By all means, enter multiple photos if you have multiple pets! 

Once I receive entries from 30 people (I'll keep entries open at least until the end of this week), I will post the photos in an album on the Rainbowdog facebook page. Get your friends and acquaintances to vote for your entry by clicking "like." Voting will be open another week, or longer if needed, until someone has at least 20 unique votes. And yes, you can vote for your own photo, but only one time.  Winner will get a custom 9 x 12 Rainbowdog acrylic portrait from the winning photo!

I have two objectives with this contest/giveaway. I'd like to introduce more people to my art, obviously. But I'm also introducing a new greener Rainbowdog offering. The winning portrait will be painted on recycled board (which just means I've acquired large pieces of thin board that will make good painting supports), rather than on canvas. I've chosen the 9 x 12 size because I also have an upcycled frame in that size, and will include the frame with the portrait if the winner wants it.  

Eventually I hope to move the majority of my paintings over to upcycled/recycled wood supports, presented in refurbished frames.  They look fabulous AND help cut down on the amount of "stuff" in our landfills.

So get your cameras out (you might first want to watch my video on how to take better dog pictures, posted on the Rainbowdog facebook page), tell your friends to do the same, and send me your pictures. I can't wait to see them!

50 in 2011: Yellow Lab "Snickers the Wonder Dog" is Portrait #3

I have a soft spot for yellow Labs. My husband and I both grew up with a yellow Lab as the family dog, and our first dog together was the uncreatively-named-yet-wonderfully-special yellow Lab Daisy.  So I was particularly pleased to paint Snickers, known in her family by her full title, Snickers the Wonder Dog.

This portrait is a 24 x 30 inch acrylic painting on gallery-wrapped canvas.  At this dramatic size, Snickers appears on canvas pretty close to life-size - perhaps even a bit larger.  To help you compare, here's a picture of Snickers (the dog) posing with Snickers (the portrait).  She seems fairly humble and unaffected by all the attention.

This portrait was a surprise birthday present for Snickers's human "Mom." The rest of the family hung the portrait in the living room while Mom was out and waited for her to discover it. Now that's creative gift-giving!

If you'd like to commission your own portrait, email Janet Burt at janetburt@verizon.net, or visit Rainbowdog on the web for more details.  You can also check out special deals and get inside information on upcoming projects on the Rainbowdog Pet Portraits facebook page.

I'm just beginning my series of 50 portraits in 2011 (the year I turn 50 myself - gasp).  Join me in my quest to turn a mid-life crisis into beautiful art and commission your own portrait today.

Rainbowdog - Painting 50 Portraits in 2011.

50 in 2011: Dodger the Corgi Sparkles on Canvas as Portrait #2 by Janet Burt

I knew when I saw the photo of this adorable Corgi that I could turn it into a fantastic portrait.

Dodger the portrait is a 12 x 16 inch acrylic painting on gallery-wrapped canvas.  Dodger the dog is a 13-year-old Corgi who has already risen to fame as the Corgi of the Day on thedailycorgi.com.  You can read all about him and see more pictures by clicking here.

Dodger's "mom," singer Susan Stevens Mooring, has even written a song in tribute to her fur baby entitled Blues for Dodger.  No recording is available to share with you at the moment, but if Susan ever makes one I'll be sure to update this post.  Not many (if ANY) dogs have their own blues song, after all.  Here's a small sampling of the lyrics (copyright Susan Stevens Mooring):

He may be red and white, but he’s got a right to sing the blues
I say he may be a red and white dog, but he’s got a right to sing the blues
Let him tell you his story, hear this little Corgi’s views

Can't wait to hear that set to music.

If you'd like a portrait of your own unique dog (or cat), email Janet at janetburt@verizon.net.  You can visit Rainbowdog on the web, or on facebook, too.

Butter the Basset Hound Mix

Here's the final version Butter, my first portrait of 2011, and Number 1 in my projected series of fifty portraits for the year.

 Completing this particular painting was fraught with obstacles.  Before I began painting, my not-that-ancient Mac computer died (didn't know Macs ever died, did you?), and since I only back up my files weekly, some data, including the photos Butter's dad had sent me, were lost.  Once those were replaced (THANK YOU), there were issues of deceptive lighting in the photos to deal with.  I struggled to get his wrinkles painted in accurately.  But finally, after several revisions, I was able to complete Butter to my client's satisfaction, and I'm rolling on to portrait #2: Dodger.

Isn't that the cutest smile? Dodger has actually enjoyed his fifteen minutes of fame already, having been featured on The Daily Corgi blog here.   I'll be posting his finished portrait by the end of the week.  Stay tuned.

Pushing 50

Among my goals for the new year is to paint at least 50 portraits.  That may seem a modest goal in comparison to those daily painters who manage to churn out hundreds of paintings each year, but I'm realistic about my speed.  I was never the fastest sprinter in sports, and I'm not the fastest painter out there, either.  However, 50 paintings sounds like a good challenge.  That's about one per week with a couple weeks off for good behavior.

And here's my first candidate for 2011, Butter, the Basset Hound mix.  I just love his turned-in knees (or, that place that approximates knees on a dog's legs.)

Ill be posting the finished portrait later this week.  Please tune in to see the body of work I produce this year. I only just realized as I started to write this that I will also turn 50 this year, which makes the project of 50 even more fitting.

Please consider adding your dog to my project list for this year.