I have so many images of the wild life found in our yard, especially the raccoons Several weeks ago our raccoon stopped visiting us…I am not happy about that for I tend to get attached and worry about them. Going by the past years it seems normal that we would stop seeing them….only the short period early summer are they really out and about during the day….and this one was. Oh well, maybe she will visit again with us next year….or I will happen to catch a glimpse of her for her favorite trees are right behind my home.
Late yesterday I got to hang out with a few friends for a little while. Needed an image or two of Rusty so that I can paint him (Molly the Beagle is too cute to have not shared her with you… and she is one of Rusty’s best friends)….looking for that look that his favorite person adores. You all know the look…the one that just melts our hearts. Each of our furry friends have an expression or two that conveys just what they are thinking…or feeling. I know….so many believe it impossible that our furry friends can have such feelings as love, Oh but they Do!!!! I have shared my life with several wonderful furry friends, as have based my career around working along side these wonderful beings….I know this to be true
Today found the dogs and I hanging out…playing, exploring and even resting a bit. Look at each of their faces and really, what is there not to love about them. They are adorable…even if only through my eyes The best thing about them…they are the best fun police dogs! They know when I need to get up from the PC and just play and romp with them. Have you had fun with your dog<s> lately? Weekend is here…go for a nice walk…explore, have fun. Don’t forget to bring your camera along, make sure you share those images with us!!!!
Several months ago I painted the above portrait of Miss Caraboo. I often will ask if at all possible, a photograph be taken when the painting arrives. Some folks are wonderful and take the time to respond, some just get too busy. To those like Beth and Miss Caraboo, I so Thank You for taking the time, as I am pleased that both of you are so very happy with Miss Caraboo’s Portrait. She is lovely and it was such a joy to paint her
Yep, the time has come to have another Big Give Away. I love these This is just a little teaser to get you all excited…
This Big Give Away will be a Paw Prints Studio Tee Shirt…Stay Tuned for I have to make a new design for the Tee Shirt (I do this every so often)… and a video has to be produced. Maybe in a week or two.
It will be the same as our last give away…in order to get the tee shirt you will have to be a subscriber to both the Paw Prints Studio blog and Paw Prints Studio You Tube site. Just my way of saying Thank You to my faithful subscribers….you get the chance to win free stuff and all the discounts and special coupons come to you first! Once you have viewed the video all you have to do is leave a comment on the you tube site and your name will go into the the basket. Oh…one more thing…we actually want you to send us a photograph of you wearing the Tee Shirt (or even a You Tube video if you like) and it will appear on our blog. As in our last Big Give Away…one of the puppies willl be choosing the winner.
Not a subscriber, no worries you actually have up until we are ready to pick the winner to subscribe. Check back for further details and to get a peek at the Tee Shirt (oh, did I mention there will be something a little extra included with the tee shirt….it is a secret and only the lucky recipient will know what it is). Check back for further details
This lovely portrait of sisterly love was created in Corel Painter X.
Working on this portrait made me think of my sisters, I have two. Sadly…we are not very close. One sister I have not spoken to in over a year and a half…the other… once in a while. When I was younger I so thought family was important…I worked hard at keeping in touch with everyone when I moved to GA. I craved their friendship, companionship. I would imagine the fact that I am the “baby” of the family made those feelings stronger.
These days I do not work very hard at it. I never know just what “Not” to say to the one for she will just cut you out of her life over the littlest things and your left wondering just what you did, said. After one to many times I am afraid I have decided it is best to not put myself in that position, family or not. The other….well we are just so busy living our lives, living a distance away from one another….I guess too many years of that have gone by.
I know in my heart that one day there will be regrets. It is not that I do not want to be close to my sisters….after many years I just stopped trying. Still, I know that regret can be such a heavy burden. I often think that I could be the only one with those regrets. I learned over the years….and it really took me a very long time for this life lesson….you cannot force people to be part of your life, family or not!
It is heart warming and a joy to see a family that truly enjoys each others company and have the ability to be there for one another.
Our next online course for Digitally Painting Animals starts July 15th, there is still space available as well as time for you to enroll. The above was completed by Jack Heard one of our students who had so many nice thins to say about our online course. Thanks Jack….great work!!!!
Please know our class is geared towards those wanting to learn a few Corel Painter X techniques painting animals. Each week is broken down….painting the eyes and nose, backgrounds, fur (do you reallllly need a “special” fur brush)? Paper, textures and brushes. Last class is printing and hand embellishing your prints with acyclic paints. Four images are supplied for you to paint and practice with, however for those truly wanting to create their own art, your welcome to use your own images from the start. There are no filters used (unless adding a texture), this is a painting course. You are the Artist deciding on how painterly, colorful your masterpiece will be.
Dee is very free with her time for those students with a desire in improving their painting skills. The class forum is open to students only, a safe environment for you to visit at your convenience….class size is limited. There are also a few short videos for your viewing pleasure
Those students (such as Jack Heard) that have been the most successful with the course have completed the assignments and shared their work allowing the instructor to view for feedback…maybe a suggestion or two…then up to the student to work on until they are satisfied. This five week course goes by very quickly…and again, the forum is there for you 24 hours a day so you can work at your own pace.
Whenever I post any reference to Niki' spinal surgery I get several questions....please feel free to post any comments and questions in the comments section of each post, lots easier for me to answer in a timely fashion that way. Niki is a ckr mix, her spinal surgery was about a year and a half ago ...although it seems like such a lonnnng time for me. The emergency clinic that originally treated her made a huge mistake in her care....while the treatment choice was correct they dropped the ball and did not check on her throughout the night as they should have for her serious type injury. They did not and to this day, do not, have the proper amount of staff, or experienced staff for them to be called an emergency clinic. there is no access to surgeons....most importantly they do not refer you to clinics that can properly care for your dog. That was very costly to Niki's future and ability to walk. I no doubt, although she is a happy dog now....this will be a problem for the rest of her life.
There are several rehab facilities in the Atlanta area....all of which are a bit costly...you must try all to know what will work best for your dog. The facility that did the surgery was on the North side of Atlanta....that is all they did and we had o support from them after the surgery. We were told there was no hope of her regaining the ability to walk. From the moment she was home and healing I did research and started rehab with her myself. We also ordered her a doggie cart and once she was on the mend I allowed her time throughout the day for cart runs. I taught her to balance on her own....soon she had some feeling in her spine, her legs could move although little to no control of them. I took her to water treadmill therapy....which is about an hour away from my home with out hitting any traffic. They wanted me to drop her off for several hours and then pick her up when they were finished. I was told to not use the cart for she had to learn to do this on her own. Well....I disagreed. Niki had plenty of time cart free however when she was tired she would lie down....the cart gave her the ability to run with the pack and play, smell....she remained part of the pack which in my opinion did more for her then anything else. Once I saw little improvement with the treadmill therapy I stopped bringing her....the warmer weather had come and I decided to have her walk in a kiddie pool, and swim in a larger sized pool. For Niki this is what has been so very beneficial and the stretches and exercises. It was not very long after the cart was just being dusted and we packed it away for safe keeping.
Including with this post a video that already appears somewhere on this blog (too lazy to look for it) ...8 weeks after her surgery, not a happy pup and we had not yet properly fitted her into the cart....with the company's help that made the cart, images forwarded to them they told us where to make the adjustments. So, lots of help from us in the form of exercises, stretches...the ability to remain part of the pack....lot of love and devotion from all pack members and slowly she healed. She is not a 100 % but as you can see in comparing her today vs this video clip....She's come a long way Baby ;--)
Earlier today as I was painting the above, due to my eyes bothering me as of late I was continually having to stop and put a cool cloth over my eyes. Rather then detail I used color and my brush strokes. When you cannot see well the details are just not there for you paint….as for the use of color…again, not having the ability to see well you tend to use darker tones….lots of contrast in your paintings, at least that is how it is for me.
Taking off the reminder of the day to turn my attention to things around the house…the dogs. Still hot here in the SE so out door time will be short….my canine friends are not enjoying the warmer temps, like me they prefer it a little cooloer.
I do not have any children, and in no way have I ever referred to my dogs as my children (very disrespectful….adore your dogs for being just that and do not try to make them little humans with fur). In my home we do however acknowledge Mother’s and Father’s day. We celebrate for we have no family close enough to have a family get together…usually something special is cooked….today for Father’s Day the Menu will be Eggplant Parmigiana and Macaroni (meat sauce…say NO to jarred sauce and make your own . I will post images a little later as will I include the recipe.
To all the Father’s out there….Happy Father’s Day!!!!
