Jaks Jelly Bean

I finally finished up the portrait of Jaks Jelly Bean...I am pretty content with it.

I just have to clean up the scan & then I'll be seeing what Society6 products it looks good on.

Working With Rabbits Outside

Here is another Micron ink pen portrait I started back in the summer...

Maybe you can't tell from here but this one is of our Leisel...I'll show you the finished piece soon.

When working outside I need to use mediums that I can pick up & drop super easily because

I am usually watching the buns in the yard at the same time, honestly some days I get no work done!

Henrie's Ink Portrait

As many rabbits as I usually draw,

I don't actually draw my buns all that often, not their portraits anyhow

Well I've been craving to draw them more so here is how Henrie's ink portrait turned out.

I will be adding a portraiture page to my new website & I am excited about that.

Pet Portraits

Animals are hands down my most favorite thing to draw and colour.

Just in case you don't already know,

I can do simple, small and sweet custom pet portraits for you...

Prices would vary from $60cdn-$80cdn for 4x4"-5x7" and they'll be done like this cutie,

in coloured pencil which is than cut out and mounted onto a painted wood canvas.

Just email me if your interested in me doing something small of one of your precious pets.

A Most Beautiful Amazing Gift From Natascha Rieper

This arrived a few weeks ago...

one of the most beautiful and generous gifts I've ever received.

When most people in my life just didn't really seem to get how lost I've been without my sunshine

and how that was making me feel even more discombobulated and lonely and lost,

one super kind, lovely, fellow animal loving friend who've I never even met in person said to me

'Send me your favorite photo of your girl,

I want to do something for you'

The talented and wonderful Natascha Rieper made this insanely beautiful clay portrait of Teela.

She knew through my blog how special Teela was and how much she meant in my life

and she gifted me a memorial plaque that I will cherish every single day.

I put it on my side of the bed...

I go to sleep gazing at my beautiful bestie's face and I wake up to it.

It's so so special and so incredibly beautiful and

even more so because of the kind-hearted spirit it was made and given in.

If you've never seen Natascha's blog or work do click on over and check things out...

her blog is here, her shop is here and her Instagram is here.

She's a big hearted animal lover with a house full of different fur-babies, I am sure you'll be hooked.

And thank you again a million times my friend not only for this gift

but for the connection, the shoulder via email and for the friendship

XOXOXO

Progression Of A Portrait: Zoey

When it was time to do a custom portrait I was more than happy to

break out the old pastels after a long time away from them.

This is a portrait of a puppy named Zoey

want to see some of the progression?

 

I love drawing animals, probably more than anything else.

Being able to capture a precious soul and family member on paper for people is a lovely feeling.

If your interested in portraits of your fur-family just send me an email Whimsy@MandySaile.com

We are currently working on a short little video for YouTube on the making of this portrait.

She Nurtured Her Kindred Spirits

This is to date, my favorite illustration yet.

 

"She Nurtured Her Kindred Spirits"

 

 

This is one of those rare occasions where the tangible turns out better than what was floating about

in my head.  I love the mood I achieved with the painted background mixed with the

crispness & fun of the foreground bits.

 

Here's a closer look...

 

This image is for any animal lover.

Especially those who love the coziness of rain and of September...

It's for those souls like me, who rush outside everyday to feed the furry monkeys out there

as well as any monkeys you may have inside.

 

And yeppers, you once again guessed it.  Prints are already sitting in my shop for you.

 

Thanks SO much for dropping in this week....see you all next week.  XXOO.



Portrait

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  For us, it was the perfect weekend to just stay home, catch up on bunny snuggles, read, sketch & watch old movies.

Anyhow, time to show you something new....a portrait...

I LOVE doing portraits but hadn't done any for a long time so I thought it was high time to make one.  I decided on a portrait of the beautiful dog, Tassie, that my parents used to have.   

Most of my portraits have been in black and white (you can view them on my website if your interested)  this is only the 3rd portrait I've done in full colour...and the first one done strictly in coloured pencil.

I am quite happy with how it turned out and my folks loved it. 

I am going to make sure I do more portraiture in 2011.

Happy day to you all...XO M & Ella Luna, Roo, Jinny and Jaks.

An Old Jewel Just Found

Long ago, I must have been 7 or 8 I suppose, my parents and my big brother went to Canada's Wonderland. At the time I wouldn't go anywhere without my best-est doll, which was a cabbage patch kid that I named Tia Celeste, ha ha...Whiles there at Wonderland on a hot sunny summer day with my doll, my parents paid a caricature artist to draw my portrait and my brothers...I remember thinking this was sooo huge, to have my picture drawn and I remember being so so pleased with how he drew me, ha ha...

This is that drawing....I just found it...

Abit worse for wear, abit crinkled and yellowed and faded but a fantastic find nonetheless...I still love it, ha ha...I don't know who the artist was, I can't make out the signature...but wow, what a wonderful treasure to have from my childhood...so I am sending out coodos to that long ago unknown artist and my parents who sweetly had their daughters drawing done:D....

Heh, if any of you guys have drawings, caricatures/portraits of yourselves, post them and then leave your link here in this post...let's get some good memories and heart squeezes going on:D

I have no new work to show you today for we are still on 4 day weekends so my studio time is much less lately and than lasts week we found ourselves happily back in Toronto for a short visit & than recently a bad headache knocked me out of the game for abit once again...I have alot to process, alot of exciting plans that I don't quite know how to go about quite yet, alot to get done, I think my creative engines have stuttered abit, but I'll be back with new work and new plans before probably even I know it, ha ha...have a wonderful day.  XO M.

A Few Of My Portraits

Hi Everyone, I don't have time today to conjure up a new painting unfortunately, but as I tried to sleep last night I did conjure up two more possible children's book ideals. I am so excited to have started work on them, though it took me a long time to decide which one to work on first as I've had many ideals over the past few years. However, I probably won't want to show anyone until it's all complete, that's always been my way!

Anyhow, today I am busy getting some things together for my dad to bring to my grandpa, just some old black and white portraits I've drawn up over the years. I love drawing from old black and white photos. After I am done this, we'll head over to my parents place for lunch and to hang out abit, before we go to the airport to see my dad off, he'll catch a flight here in North Bay to Toronto and then from Toronto straight to Zurich. I wish that I was able to go with him for support and to my beloved Germany and our people there, but there was simply no time for me to get my passport in time so I stay behind with a heavy heart.

The above portrait is my beautiful grandma Katie when she was quite abit younger, maybe in her early 20's. Let me show you some more (don't forget you can click on the images for a larger viewing)...

This is a picture of my grandma with my handsome grandpa, when they were just a young beautiful couple.

This is my grandma again (as you can see my grandma Katie is one of my most favourite people to draw from) here she is with her youngest son and my uncle, Rolf.

And here is my uncle Rolf as a little boy again. I just loved the composition of the old photo and though I changed it slightly, it's still pretty true to the original.

p.s. I do indeed take portraiture commissions.

Well, that's all for today. I think I'll share a few more portraits over the next couple of days. But for now, I just need to let myself be how I need to be and I look forward to an evening of just cuddling up with my honey and watching some movies. Take Care Everyone and until tommorow or Monday, Be Well....and stay cool!