Missing May

Hi everyone.

Just a quick note to let you all know I haven't forgotten about Shelter Painter! I was very sick last month and I'm still not back to 100% yet. I'm working on May's painting, but it's going slowly. I'll post it as soon as I can.

Until then, thanks for visiting! Please keep an eye out! This one's going to be cute!

Beka

April - Where did the month go? And NEW PAINTING: Dewey!

So the month of April has come and gone -- and in a blur, I might add. Writing consumed nearly every waking moment for me, but finally my thesis is now complete! I'm so happy to be updating this again, and hope you all haven't forgotten about us!

This update is a big one! Four new pieces are now available in the shop, including painting #8 (completed on schedule in April but unfortunately not posted until now) and three sketches.  I'll write an entry about the sketches later this week, but for now you can check them out here at the SP website. I should also add that an art donation will be uploaded this week as well. We are so grateful to everyone who has expressed interest in participating in our project, and can't wait to bring this newly donated painting to you.

Now for painting #8

Adoptable Cat: Dewey

Rescue: Animal Resource Center (in Michigan)

Dewey's Profile

Dewey's Shelter Painter Shop

The Painting:

April 18, 2011

Dewey's experimental art nouveau painting is the eighth in the Shelter Painter series!  He is a handsome tuxedo cat who loves to play with fishing pole style toys (so that's exactly what he got in his picture!). Such a cute guy, and we hope he's adopted soon. 

Products Available (or coming soon) in Dewey's Shop

1. Poster
2. Bag
3. Mousepad
4. MINI Print (Postcard with my banner & her info on the back)
5. Magnet
6. Keychain
7. Postage Stamps
8. Christmas Ornament
9. (NEW PRODUCT) I-Phone 3 Hard Case!
10. (NEW PRODUCT) I-Phone 4 Hard Case!
11. (NEW PRODUCT) I-Pad Hard Case!
12. (NEW PRODUCT) Stickers!

More to come! If you would like something that isn't available, just let me know :) 

Remember, a percentage of artist royalties will be donated to his shelter (Animal Resource Center)! 100% of royalties from all products will be donated.  

Coming Soon to Shelter Painter!

This is an exciting time for Shelter Painter! Two, possibly three artists are interested in donating art to our project store, and a couple artists are also interested in actually producing paintings specifically for SP. We are so grateful for this show of support! I am currently working on painting #8 for shelter #8, and hope to have this finished sometime this weekend or possibly next week.

I'd like to take a moment to share a few other new developments here at SP. :) 

1. I'm working on adding new link buttons to the website and may be writing some HTML code to go with these in an effort to make linking to us easy breezy. These will be added periodically, as often as I have a chance to work on them.
   
2. A password protected shelter resource center is also in the works for our website. I'm hoping to develop templates for business cards and postcards that shelters and rescues could use, complete with our paintings and our website information. I'll probably set up a survey for suggestions, so if you're interested in helping to shape this new portion of the project watch for the survey link! I'll post it here, on Facebook, and on Twitter (and shelters will receive links through email).
   
3. When Shelter Painter reaches 12 shelters, we may go into a "retro" stage. What I mean by this is, instead of searching out new shelters to paint, we might return to shelters already in the project and paint a second piece for them one at a time. We'll probably go in reverse order, from the newest back to the oldest - the thinking here being that newly added shelters have less time to sell products than those who were in the project near the beginning. Any thoughts about this?
   
   This also means that if you have a favorite shelter you'd like to see us work with, the time to nominate them is NOW! :) There are only 4 spots left before we reach shelter #12, so send nominations to shelter (dot) painter @ gmail (dot) com as soon as you can. 

That's all for now! Thank you again to all the artists, visitors, and customers who have supported the project so far :) 

Dying Graphics Tablet: Guest Artists / Art Donations Requested

Donations & guest artists are always welcome, but there may be a higher need for both over the next couple months. It looks like my roughly 7-year old graphics tablet is dying (it's shutting down randomly, sometimes refusing to recognize different pen pressures, etc - and there's nothing wrong with my computer).  I'm not asking for donations to help buy a tablet; I'll take care of the expense. I just don't want to see SP sit dormant for a few months if I can't buy one quickly. Art donations and guest artists would help sustain SP if my tablet dies sooner rather than later. 

There's no way to know how long my tablet will keep working, so I thought I'd try to get the word out sooner rather than later. Doesn't hurt to be proactive, right? :) 

So here's an overview of how art donations work: 

You send a high-res digital copy of your artwork with written permission to sell it in our Zazzle store and upload thumbnails to our gallery. We link to your website/blog/store if you like as well. We don't ask for anything more than that. 

These pieces may be related to virtually any subject--so long as they are rated G. They don't have to feature animals at all. 

If you're interested in being a guest artist: 

This process is different in that you would basically be doing exactly what I do every month. Coordinate with me to choose a no-kill shelter in the United States (or I could select one for you if you like), choose a specific animal living in this shelter, and create a piece of art inspired by this pet. Any species is welcome! A great place to look for pets & shelters is PetFinder.com - just make sure the pet is living in a no-kill rescue/shelter. I will contact the shelter and coordinate everything with them. 

When your artwork is finished, you'll email a high-res digital copy to me and I'll upload it to our store & site. Your name, short bio, and a link (if you choose) will be added to our site as well. :) 

Mediums

All forms of art are welcome! 

Contact me at shelter . painter @ gmail . com if you're interested. You can also use our contact form if that's easier. 

Thanks!

Traffic, Poetry, & Lotus Blossoms

I want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has visited our new site & shop! It's very encouraging to look at our Google Analytics data and see the traffic increasing. People from all over the world have found their way to Shelter Painter, and that's amazing! This all started so humbly, so small and personal. It was about my healing, and finding a way for me--a graduate student with two jobs and a thesis to write--to help animals. But it's becoming so much more than that.

Yesterday I was asked about the scope of this project--whether SP is limited to only US-based shelters or will take on shelters in other countries. Shelter Painter is currently limited to the United States. But this question is so exciting. If you live outside the US and want to help local shelters through art, I would encourage you to do so! Start small. Choose one shelter, one pet, and go from there. See where it takes you. And please contact me! I would love to hear about it add would proudly feature a link to you on our website. Shelter Painter may not reach beyond the US, but that doesn't mean the spirit or the idea behind the project can't travel the world.

I'm also excited to share two art donations we received over the weekend. Samantha Rosenfeld, my sister, donated a poem called "At Play." She wrote this piece about my cat, Kassidy, and it meshes perfectly with the painting of Charlie (from December 2010). These pieces have been combined to create products in our store (you can see the available products here). Just goes to show that many different forms of art can be useful here--including text!

The second donation came from an individual who wishes to be known only as RMP. She donated a digital painting of lotus blossoms, which has also been added to the store. It's lovely--thank you so much! This painting has nothing to do with animals or pets, but I think pieces like this are important because they add variety to our shop. Not everyone is going to want to buy a painting of a cat or a dog, but someone might be interested in purchasing a print or an iPad case with lotus blossoms on it, right?

Once more, thank you all--visitors, linkers, shoppers, and artists--for your interest and support! It's so encouraging and humbling, and I hope that this idea will catch on elsewhere. I can't imagine how wonderful it would be to have an international network of Shelter Painters or sister projects. Together we could do so much! Here's hoping it happens someday :)


PS: If you've recently reviewed my old posts, you may have noticed some text has been crossed out (like this!) when I wrote about royalty donations. Before this month, royalties earned from prints were split 80/20 between the shelter (80) and the artist (20). Originally I had envisioned this as (1) a small incentive to get artists involved and (2) funds to maintain the website. I have reconsidered this issue and decided that ALL artist royalties will now be donated! This is definitely the right decision--and I'm so excited about the change.

Shelter Painter.com

I am very excited to announce that our website, Shelter Painter.com, has been launched today!

At our new site, you can quickly and easily browse our gallery, read all about Shelter Painter, and quickly locate our store and our NEW referral links to Amazon and Zazzle (these referral links will earn 15% of all purchases on these websites for SP when you use them). You can also contact us right on the website, view our growing collection of links to pet adoption and rescue sites, nominate shelters, and more!

I hope you'll come see our new home on the web :)

Salty: Battle Ground, WA

Rescue Cat: Salty

Shelter: Second Chance Companions

Salty's Profile

Salty's Shelter Painter Shop

The Painting:

March 11, 2011

Salty's painting is the seventh in the Shelter Painter series!  She is a beautiful adult cat with white fur and different colored eyes.  She's five years old, and so cute! 

I'll check on her periodically and update this post when she's adopted.

Products Available (or coming soon) in Salty's Shop

1. Poster
2. Bag
3. Mousepad
4. MINI Print (Postcard with my banner & her info on the back)
5. Magnet
6. Keychain
7. Postage Stamps
8. Christmas Ornament
9. (NEW PRODUCT) I-Phone 3 Hard Case!
10. (NEW PRODUCT) I-Phone 4 Hard Case!
11. (NEW PRODUCT) I-Pad Hard Case!
12. (NEW PRODUCT) Stickers!

More to come! If you would like something that isn't available, just let me know :) 

Remember, a percentage of artist royalties will be donated to her shelter (Second Chance Companions)! 80% of artist royalties will be donated from prints and posters, and 100% of royalties from all products will be donated.  

Blackberry: Salem, OH

Rescue Rabbit: Blackberry

Shelter: Alchemy Acres

Blackberry's Profile

Blackberry's Shelter Painter Shop

The Painting:

March 5, 2011

Blackberry's painting is the sixth in the Shelter Painter series, and the first rabbit!  He is a baby dwarf rabbit with black fur, and his profile describes him as a very friendly, huggable little guy.  His painting includes blackberry fruit and flowers to match his name. 

I'll check on him periodically and update this post when he's adopted.

Products Available (or coming soon) in Blackberry's Shop

1. Poster
2. Bag
3. Mousepad
4. MINI Print (Postcard with my banner & her info on the back)
5. Magnet
6. Keychain
7. Postage Stamps
8. Christmas Ornament
9. (NEW PRODUCT) I-Phone 3 Hard Case!
10. (NEW PRODUCT) I-Phone 4 Hard Case!
11. (NEW PRODUCT) I-Pad Hard Case!
12. (NEW PRODUCT) Stickers!

More to come! If you would like something that isn't available, just let me know :) 

Remember, a percentage of artist royalties will be donated to his shelter (Alchemy Acres)! 80% of artist royalties will be donated from prints and posters, and 100% of royalties from all products will be donated.  

Follow us on Twitter!

Today Zazzle is having a 4 hour sale on Buttons, Necklaces, Keychains, Stickers -- 50% Off! Check out the link to get the coupon code.

Follow us on Twitter for information on other sales and for painting alerts!

When you use a coupon code, please remember to also use our referral link.  Using this link will earn 15% of all Zazzle purchases you make (from our shop and from any other) for Shelter Painter.

Harlow: Beverly Hills, CA

Rescue Dog: Harlow

Shelter: Mutt Match LA

Harlow's Profile

Harlow's Shelter Painter Shop

The Painting:

February 17, 2011

Harlow's painting is the fifth in the Shelter Painter series!  Hers is one of two paintings planned in honor of Pal/Mr. Chick.  Her profile describes her as a sweet and affectionate two-year-old chow/golden retriever mix--just like Pal.  I can see a lot of similar features between the two, and she's roughly the same age as Pal was when we adopted him...so I think he would approve.

I started painting this on Valentine's Day, so I decided to go with a red color scheme this time. Definitely made her fur more the color of Pal's, but I like the result. 

I'll check on her periodically and update this post when she's adopted.

Products Available (or coming soon) in Harlow's Shop

1. Poster
2. Bag
3. Mousepad
4. MINI Print (Postcard with my banner & her info on the back)
5. Magnet
6. Keychain
7. Postage Stamps
8. Christmas Ornament

More to come! If you would like something that isn't available, just let me know :) 

Remember, a percentage of artist royalties will be donated to her shelter (Mutt Match LA)! 80% of artist royalties will be donated from prints and posters, and 100% of royalties from all products will be donated.  

Zazzle Necklaces: Quality Check

If you've browsed through the Shelter Painter Zazzle shop, you've probably noticed that printed sterling silver necklaces are available. When I created these products, I wasn't sure about the quality of the printed image.  The colors on the preview created by Zazzle looked dull, with very low contrast and color saturation.  So when Zazzle offered 50% off all necklaces, I jumped at the opportunity to check the quality for myself and bought one.  If the print job was not up to my standards, I could simply remove these products from the store.

The necklace arrived on Friday.  So, the verdict?  I was pleasantly surprised!  Take a look at the Zazzle preview and my photo below:

Bolder, truer colors!

As you can see, the colors are beautiful in person.  The Zazzle preview does not do them justice.  I'm so pleased with these results.  They'll definitely stay in the shop!  I'll try to purchase a few more of these later so I can post photos with more accurate colors.

So now I have a question for you...  What sorts of images would you like to see on a necklace?  I'm thinking about doing small paintings for  necklaces and other small products (like keychains).  These could be animal-themed or not.  Any ideas?

We love you, Pal

My family adopted a golden retriever / chow chow mix named Pal when I was a kid, and he filled our lives with chaos, mischief, humor, love, loyalty, and safety.  We lost him yesterday at age 16.  He was a wonderful dog and companion, always ready with a big goofy grin or a hug when you needed it.  I miss him terribly, we all do.

Our Pal :x

I had a painting in the works for this month already--but that's going to be put on hold for now.  I'm not sure how, but I would like to honor Pal in a painting this month.

In his honor, for the rest of February 100% of artist royalties from all products will be donated to shelters (prints/posters are usually 80%).

Emmi: Yukon, OK

Rescue Dog: Emmi

Shelter: Pets & People Humane Society

Emmi's Profile

Emmi's Shelter Painter Shop

The Painting:

January 15, 2011

Emmi's painting is the fourth in the Shelter Painter project!  She's also the first dog to be included.  Pets & People was nominated by a visitor to the blog, and as I was browsing the extensive list of pets available for adoption I found this beautiful dog.  Her profile describes her as a playful and smart two-year-old lab mix with beautiful golden eyes, which I tried to capture in the painting.  :)

In her profile, her foster mom goes on to say:

I don't get many calls on Emmi. I would think with her being mostly Lab she would be considered more, but she is black, and black dogs have a hard time getting adopted. I know there is a perfect, forever home out there for sweet Em!

As soon as I read that, I had to paint Miss Emmi.  If I ever get a dog of my own, I'll definitely give the black dogs a second look. I wish I could give them all homes!

I'll check on her periodically and update this post when she's adopted.

Products Available (or coming soon) in Emmi's Shop

1. Poster
2. Bag
3. Mousepad
4. MINI Print (Postcard with my banner & her info on the back)
5. Magnet
6. Keychain
7. Postage Stamps
8. Christmas Ornament

More to come! If you would like something that isn't available, just let me know :) 

Remember, a percentage of artist royalties will be donated to her shelter (Pets & People)! 80% of artist royalties will be donated from prints and posters, and 100% of royalties from all products will be donated.  

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Mine is off to a good start, and I'm excited about starting the next painting this week! Hopefully it will be done this weekend.

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Interested in shopping from other stores on Zazzle.com? A portion of your purchase can still be donated to animal shelters.  Just start your shopping experience here at our shop. Anything you purchase, even from other Zazzle stores, will earn a 15% referral for Shelter Painter without costing you anything extra. Read more about referrals on Zazzle.com.

Watch for the next painting in the next week. Happy New Year!!