You've probably noticed, I'm much more active on Tumblr, Facebook, and Insta than I am here. Social media is just easier, ya know?
Also, I was talking with Geary about my creative cycles and we hit on something very interesting about my most productive periods of the year, and in spite of painting on commission during those months, the holidays are my creatively fallow period. So I go a little radio silent during those times.
But here I am!
And to tide you over, I offer here a DawgArt image the likes of which have never been seen before!
Not really. You've seen stuff like this before from me. But look at this roly poly little guy posing with his portrait. Make you want your own, right? Portrait I mean, not dachshund. Or, I dunno, maybe you do want a dachshund. Then you could get it painted!
Anyway, love you guys and I'll check in again soon.
I've finally started work on the DawgArt ABC book. Every original painting will be available for sale, as well as prints in the Etsy shop here and eventually customizable posters with the entire series.
I'm painting them all on 11x14 inch canvases. Here are the first two paintings in the series!
Aqua Afghan Hound
Apple Green Airedale Terrier
What a fun and silly project. Which breeds would you like to see? Any suggestions?
The new art technique instruction book for kids, DIY Dog Portraits, is available for preorder on Amazon! It features eight techniques for capturing your favorite canine's likeness, including a step-by-step DawgArt project! Perfect for the budding artist who loves animals OR for a DawgArt collector.
In other news:
I have had a few people express interest in an online class teaching painting techniques in acrylic. Paint-along classes! If you're one of these people, time to get excited.
Anyone interested in doing an online class with me, please email me at dawgart.info [at] gmail [dot] com. Once I have a list of interested folks, I will move forward with putting together logistics. Share this news with your creative friends!
(For those in the valley -- metro-Phoenix area -- I may be starting in-person classes too. I'll keep you updated on that.)
Meet Fawn, the sweetie cow from Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, an animal rescue located in Woodstock, New York.
Fawn captured the heart of people everywhere with her beautiful spirit and inspirational story. You can read it here. Or watch this video.
I created an original painting of Fawn, and DawgArt is having an art auction to help raise money for the direct care of the rescued animals at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary. Here's the painting:
It's 16x20 inches, acrylic on canvas. It will arrive wired and ready to hang.
If you don't have a budget for original art, you can buy a print. Proceeds from the sales of prints will go to Woodstock as well. Here's the link to the DawgArt Etsy shop.
80% of the proceeds will be donated to Woodstock Farm Sanctuary.
Those of you who have been waiting for the right time to get a DawgArt portrait, here it is! For two days only, custom paintings, preexisting paintings, and gift certificates in the DawgArt Etsy shop are 25% OFF. That's right.
To get your discount, simply use coupon code: DADDIO15 when you check out in the DawgArt Etsy shop.
For those of you who would prefer not to go through Etsy, or want a size not available in the shop, click here for commission guidelines and then message me with questions.
Act now to get your gift certificate in time for Father's Day and happy shopping!
THE DAWGART SALE ENDS TOMORROW! CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS!
In other news:
So whenever I get photos from clients, customers, or people who happen upon DawgArt out in the world, I always get a little tickled.
Today, I got a link from VCA Alaska Pet Care Animal Hospital to an awesome video. Awesome for two reasons. The first is that you can learn some valuable information about CPR for pets. Awesome also because you can see DawgArt on the walls!
Betcha didn't know DawgArt offers gift certificates. Visit the Etsy shop, choose the size of canvas you want for your favorite gal, add your custom message in the transaction notes, and don't forget to use the coupon code. You will get a customized gift certificate for a custom pet portrait emailed directly to your inbox. Print it out and you're good to go!
Your favorite mom can follow the instructions on the gift certificate at her convenience and be involved in the fun and exciting commission process. Her favorite pet will be immortalized on canvas, and you'll go down in history with the best Mother's Day gift. Ever.
With only a few days left until Mother's Day, this is the perfect last-minute gift for your favorite animal-loving mom/grandma/aunt/wife/sister/daughter.
Just use coupon code: WELOVEMOM15 in the DawgArt Etsy shop when you check out!
The bidding has opened on Dancing Nathan's DawgArt portraits! Read about the fundraiser here.
Scroll down for auction links.
Each painting is 16x20 inches, acrylic on canvas, and will come wired on the back and ready to hang. Proceeds will go to Bald is Beautiful Dog Rescue to help homeless animals. Spread the word and have fun bidding.
(An important note about how bidding words on Daily Paint Works:
Enter the highest bid you are interested in doing and the computer can input the bids for you while you are away, just like eBay. If you attempt to enter a bid and Daily Paint Works prompts you to enter a higher value, that just means that someone's highest bid is higher than your current bid so far. You will be prompted to enter a higher value until your bid can beat someone else's current highest.)
Getting excited for the Bald Is Beautiful Dancing Nathan art auction? What's that? You haven't heard about it? First things first.
Meet Nathan!
Dancing Nathan is the Chinese Crested, hairless, dancing dog who brought all sorts of awesome publicity to the rescue who gave him a second chance. See his dance moves here.
And meet DawgArt!
DawgArt is the fine art brand created by Alicia VanNoy Call specializing in brightly colored pet portraits. I LOVE rescued animals, and I love the angels who work in animal rescue. I know their jobs are tough, having to deal with heart-breaking stories every day. I know that after people helping through adoption and awareness, rescues need money. That's where DawgArt comes in! I paint a portrait of a special rescued animal and we offer the painting for auction. Then the proceeds are donated to the rescue to help animals in need.
With a personality as bright as Nathan's, DawgArt and Bald is Beautiful thought my artwork would capture his vivacious spirit.
Here are his paintings, and they were so fun to make. What a personality this guy has!
Each painting is 16x20 inches, acrylic on canvas, We're going to offer both portraits for auction to raise funds for the rescued animals at Bald Is Beautiful. The paintings will be listed over on the DawgArt DailyPaintWorks Gallery. We're going to spend the week telling the world about the auction, before the paintings are available, to get everyone excited.
Get ready for the auction by seeing how I made both portraits. Click here for the big grin, and here for the profile, or scroll down to see them embedded.
Want to know how you can help? Fans of Nathan and DawgArt, share this blog post to help spread the word. And then stay tuned for links to the auctions. See you soon!
Check it out! The Dancing Nathan's second pet portrait is done:
Dancing Nathan, the silly Chinese Crested hairless dog, whose dance moves have appeared on The Ellen Show, helped bring attention to his organization, Bald Is Beautiful Dog Rescue.
Now DawgArt and Bald Is Beautiful are teaming up to raise money for rescued animals! Details here.
Want to join in the fun? Tune in tomorrow to see where the paintings will be listed for auction and how you can help.
You guys know Dancing Nathan, the Chinese Crested pop sensation? His dance moves went viral, gaining much-needed publicity for Bald Is Beautiful, a hairless and small breed dog rescue operating out of South Carolina. If you haven't seen Nathan's awesome dance moves, check him out here.
Nathan's joyful and goofy personality won over the Internets. His video even appeared on The Ellen Show!
In cooperation with Bald Is Beautiful and Nathan's mom, I am going to be painting a portrait (maybe two) this sweetie-pie dancing diva. The piece will then be auctioned to raise money for Bald Is Beautiful!
Stay tuned to see progress of the piece and have fun dancing!
One of my favorite rescues to work with is Wildhorse Ranch Rescue in Gilbert, AZ. Not only is the founder and chairman Kim Meagher a wonderful person, she's a dear friend. I just love her. She is one of the kindest human beings I know. She started Wildhorse Ranch when she discovered the plight of homeless horses in 1995.
She and her children privately rescued horses until 2000, when she applied for non-profit status for WHRR. With the help of many friends, volunteers, and donors, Kim and WHRR have been able to help save many horses from abuse, neglect, and death.
This past week, when they were travelling back from an event, someone on the freeway slammed into the horse trailer, resulting in serious injuries for Einstein, a much-loved horse rescued by WHRR.
Einstein (pre-accident)
In order to help raise money for Einstein's care and recovery, I volunteered to make some artwork featuring Einstein. We are auctioning these paintings, the proceeds from the sales of which will be donated back to WHRR. Scroll down to find bidding links.
Here are the paintings, both acrylic on canvas with color wrapping around the edges.
"Kick Up Your Heels" - 24x30 inches. This piece is large and stunning with vivid colors. This image celebrates the energy and joy of a rescued animal, rendered in the brilliant colors of the Southwest.
"Little Sister" - 16x20 inches. This piece is smaller, but no less vibrant. It features an image of Einstein meeting his new little herd sister, Pixie the burro. The original reference photo hangs in the barn at the ranch. I love it because it reminds me of the unfailing generosity and devotion of Kim and the rescue angels at WHRR. That a strong bond can be formed between the most unlikely of friends.
Auctions will end on Sunday night, February 1st at 9pm. Please share this post with your friends and your network to spread the word about Einstein and WHRR.
Black Friday is here! And three days after that, Cyber Monday. And for this whole exciting four-day shopping weekend, you can get DawgArt for a smokin' deal.
Visit the Etsy store and get 25% off ANYTHING with coupon code BLACKFRIDAY14 at checkout. Prints at any size, original paintings available in the shop, gift certificates, or custom colorful pet portraits, all 25% off.
Visit the Bitdazzle store and BUY 3 GET 1 FREE with coupon code BLACKFRIDAY14 at checkout.
Visit the Fine Art America store and get 10% off ANYTHING with coupon code SPSZUM at checkout. That's any 10% off any canvas, framed, metal, acrylic, or poster prints.
Visit the Cafepress Marketplace and get DawgArt discounted apparel and gifts with coupon code EARLYSAV. (This coupon code is valid for Black Friday only and in the marketplace only. So you'll have to go the roundabout way to get to my items. Just follow the link and scroll down to find the image/breed you're looking for. Because it's the Marketplace and not my dedicated shop, they won't be in nice organized order, but at least you'll be able to see what's there. Cafepress lists this coupon code value at 25%, but I'm not sure of the exact amount.)
Let me tell you a story. It's a heart-warming Christmas story.
Imagine, you are exchanging gifts with your loved one. They give you a nice sweater, or a gift card to that restaurant you like. You are super happy, because who doesn't like a nice sweater?
Then they're looking at you with that look. You know the look. The look that says, "You only went shopping last week, huh? You didn't think about this until just yesterday."
But much to their surprise, you pull out a good-sized package. It could even be a very large package, perfectly wrapped (because you paid your teenage daughter who's really good at wrapping to wrap it), or it could even just be a big cardboard box with no wrapping. Strangely shaped and they're thinking, "What, did he get me a giant frying pan?" or "I guess it's been cold lately, a duvet will at least keep me warm."
But when they open it up, instead of something boring like a frying pan, they find original artwork. On canvas. Of their best friend (or furbie). And it's painted in their favorite colors. And there's not another one like it in the ENTIRE WORLD.
And you'll get a smile like this:
Or this:
And they'll love you forever for being so thoughtful and creative and secretive and for supporting independent artists.
The End
For details on how to commission a custom painting, visit the Commission Guidelines. To purchase directly through this website, click here. To find prints, apparel, and gifts, click here.
Want the thrill of free art combined with the suspense of a scavenger hunt?
Brilliant illustrator and genuine nice-person Jake Parker instituted World Art Drop Day, which took place today, September 2nd. Hundreds (or thousands, not sure yet) of artists across the globe participated and it was
SO MUCH FUN.
Here's the skinny: artists, somewhere in their city, hide a piece of art. Then they post a clue on social media (for me it was Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook), so their fans can go look for it.
I ended up hiding five pieces all around the Valley of the Sun. Here are the clues:
Hint: San Tan Valley
Hint: Queen Creek
Hint: Queen Creek
Hint: Mesa
Hint: Tempe
If you decide to play and find one of these pieces, take a selfie with the art and post it somewhere on social media. Be sure to tag me and use #artdropday!
Celebrate the end of summer (a big deal for us here in AZ, who are still sweltering). For one week only, get an original DawgArt painting for $249 in the DawgArt Etsy shop! Bring the colors of summer home to brighten your space all year round. Visit Etsy to take advantage of this killer deal.
Details:
Do you paint from photos? Yes.
Painting size eligible for End of Summer Sale? 10x10 inches.
How much of my pet will appear on the canvas? Head or face only.
Can I choose my own colors? Yes.
Are there gift certificates available? Yes.
When does this sale end? Thursday, August 4th.
For full commission details, including a complete price list and guidelines, visit the Commission Guidelines page.
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