Digital Artwork with a Jack Russell Model

Brandy poses for some digital pieces last year. Yes, I said last year - opps, I realize that I've slacked a bit in showcasing these.  I've created a bunch of different pieces from my own photos, and if you're interested in having a look at them, please stay tuned to this blog as I will be posting more in the future. Nothing for sale at this time though, I've still got the task of testing out the print quality on my Epson Stylus R1900.

To see more of my traditional artwork, visit my website:

www.juliesillustration.com

CONTEST WINNER!!

I happy to announce the I've drawn my portrait contest winner!

The winner is Shelley, and she will get a 5"x7" portrait completed of her late coonhound Maggie (shown above).

I'm really looking forward to getting started ... hopefully sooner than later. Seriously, anyone looking for a house to buy? I've got the perfect one right here. Milo is waiting patiently under my spare bed to be finished.

Congratulations to Shelley!! And thanks to all those who entered.

My little child is getting old...

That's right, my little baby child is 20 today!! Actually, she's not really mine, I can't take credit for her. She is my parents little baby child, but she feels like mine. And, she's making me feel old.

She is my mini-me, my protegee if you will. It scares me sometimes how similar we can be; perhaps more than sometimes. But she is a very talented little thing, and I say she got it all from me - the good looks and the fantastic abilities!

She reminds me a lot of Brandy in many ways, and I suppose that Brandy is her mini-me ... though it is a very odd resemblance at best. They are just both brats I suppose, both brats that are getting older, and making me feel like life passes too quickly. But they are both brats that make my life complete, and I couldn't imagine being without them.

Life is great when you have a Q and a B (don't ask, she'll know what I'm talking about and for now, that's all that counts).

Happy birthday Gabe!!!!!!

To see her photography and art, please follow the links below:
http://deano-art.smoothfolio.com http://gabrielledeansphotography.smoothfolio.com

Printer Trials and Errors

The super fantastic Epson R1900 arrived at my house on Monday, about 2 hours after my post. It's huge! I'm not sure what I was expecting in the size department, but the thing is enormous. This makes me very happy about my Ikea desk addition purchase that was bought and assembled on Sunday, making my desk about 3/4's of the size of my office.

So, I am now in the testing phase. This printer is much more complicated than your average desktop unit, housing 8 individual ink cartridges, including a gloss optimizer for stunning output. I'm slowly learning what this beast can do, and so far, am extremely happy when I the pieces fall together. The prints are full of rich colour, fantastic detail and the single piece of art that I printed last night (after a half hour of trying to figure out settings) looks perfect!

To learn more about his printer please visit:
EPSON R1900

Web Site Re-Vamp

Slowly, but surely, I am coming along with my business/web site re-vamp. It is taking longer than I anticipated as I am very picky about how I want things displayed and what I need to include. Overall, I am taking a more gallery-business type of approach, so bare with me, and visit frequently to see how the changes are progressing. Though, I'm thinking it best not to ease into it, but rather jump feet first and make a big splash. So perhaps keep an eye out for a brand new site, rather than just changes to the old one.

I will still be offering Pet and People Portraits, however, I will also be offering fine art - originals and prints - for sale and some new products available in my boutique. And, as always, I am still available for design work.

So, with that said, I'd better get back to work. I'm hoping to be fully operational in about two months.

New Designs

Well, I have been dabbling in the world of digital painting, and have come up with some pop-art style designs that will now be available as prints on my imagekind website. Also included on this site are prints from some of my traditional artwork and prints of my photography.

Please feel free to browse the site, there are many different pieces there, sure to suit all sorts of tastes.

http://juliesillustration.imagekind.com

Another walk in the woods today, sans camera (images are from a previous visit), got me and the little dog turned around and upside down. Not sure how I managed to veer off left, when I needed to veer right, but coming up to another intersection with the handy dandy posted trail map, I realized that I goofed.

I stood there pondering, looking rather stupid, eying the map for about 5 minutes, not a sole in sight (thank goodness), and no encouragement from Brandy. In fact, when I decided to double back, she was completely sure that I was a nut, and wasn't going to follow the idiot that got her "lost".

I'm pretty sure that not many people wind up "lost" in the wilds at Crawford Lake. It's really not that difficult, trails are pretty clearly marked, but in my defence, everything looks, well, different when the leaves are in their full summer glory. Plus, I suppose I can admit when I haven't been paying attention, and this weekend has been full of non-paying-attention moments for me.

I had an idea of my dense move when I passed a bench that I'd never before seen on my hikes. Commenting on this to the little dog, who also looked at the bench, perplexed, I continued on, bringing myself to the point of turned around and up-side down. The moral of the story is, next time I encounter an unfamiliar landmark, stop, drop and roll, back the way I came. Especially if I seem to be moving further into dense bush and darker trails.

And to top it all off, before becoming "lost", on an off trail, we were being followed. Brandy noticed before I did, and when I get the low growl directed somewhere off in the woods from her, I admit, I panic a little.

I stopped, which you all know is a stupid thing to do, you see it in the horror movies all the time. People stop when they think they're being followed (idiots) and go back to investigate who's following them (major idiots). So I was just an idiot.

I stopped, looked back into the ground cover, and witnessed it being moved in a wave like motion towards us, without the wind blowing. I really only stopped for a second, because when I saw the wave in the vegetation, I started to speed walk away perhaps even jogging a little.

Brandy, being the terrier that she is, kept an eye behind me, growling the whole time, which just made me even more tense because all I had as a weapon was my cellphone (a good battering ram it does not make), and a 12 pound Jack Russell, whom I have no doubt would have gone toe-to-toe with whatever was trailing us, but she is only 12 pounds. My guess, it was probably only an angry squirrel, a large rampaging chipmunk, a boisterous raccoon or a rabid pack of wild chickens, but I don't take chances in the woods by myself, so I got the heck out of there.

On the bonus we get a lot of comments on the little blue backpack. Perhaps not comments, more like remarks, at first they're playful and funny, but then they just get to be laughing behind our back remarks. So, perhaps it's not a bonus. Has no one ever seen a dog with a backpack on? Seriously?

Another Sneak Peak...

These April showers better bring some May flowers, or I'm going to be sorely disappointed with all of this rain. Once again, the sky's open and the afternoon is full of drops from the heavens. Although, I've been noticing that the temperature is slowly rising...odd
Another piece of the puzzle, a quick look at a portion of another piece from "The Dogs of Moron". This guy, as seen in the photos from a previous post, had what looked like mange, was very scraggly and seemed not to have a human friend anywhere in sight, but sported some of the kindest eyes I've ever seen on a dog.

More to come as the pieces progress.

In the Beginning ...

In the immortal words of Austin Powers, "Allow myself to introduce......myself."
Is that awkward? Though I've blogged through my own website here, I've never truly been involved with the blog world. So if introducing myself is weird, awkward or frowned upon, well, I'm sorry, but I'm going to do it anyway.
I love art. I'm an artist. I love dogs. I have two. I love fish. I have lots. I love men. I have one, and he loves fish, dogs and chameleons (he has two). There, that wasn't so bad. Actually it was, kind of embarrassing, but who's reading this anyway.
This blog is here to help give me a kick in the pants, get me out of my little slump, force me to be creative not only artistically, but literally as well, and hopefully I will help add some wisdom to someones day.....anyone?
Did I mention I love dogs? Guess I did. Did I mention I love to train and compete? And nothing better to do that with than a Jack Russell Terrier who is smarter than a good 95% of the people I work with (you know who you are). So, for your pleasure and enjoyment, I will share my wisdom of dogs ... among other things.
Alright, that's enough for now, work is calling, though I'm trying to ignore it. I told it I had headache, but it's being persistent.