Showing 8 posts from June 2008
Seems a lot of you enjoyed the feature on Felted pets. I love them too. If only I could afford one. Or four :P
So I'm back in the painting mood and got a bit done last night while watching Beauty and the Beast. Actually more like listening to Beauty and the Beast - I let random favorite movies play on my laptop in front of me while painting. I focus on the painting but look up on occasion. And sing/say along any lines that i happen to have memorized. Its more lively that way. (psst... what do you guys do to keep the surroundings less quiet while crafting?)
I've always felt so weird painting Jack Russells standing still. It seems to really defy the essence of a breed that never stops moving. So I painted one flying. Okay well not flying, but mid-gallop as they prefer to be.
Actually, thinking back to the first JRT I painted... he wasn't really standing still either.
This guy was rolling around and being a silly puppy. This was one of my earlier shells that sold several months ago. Its fun to note changes in my style. I must have painted him in January (when i officially started the painted shell 'business'). I was experimenting with poses and the colours that i outlined the dogs with. I am still learning shading with acrylic paint, but it was something i really didn't have a handle over then. I also used any random shells, whereas right now I try to use ones that have the most even surfaces. Yep, you live, you learn. To be fair, i used to price my shells a lot more generously in my more rudimentary days.
Here's a more recent Jack Russell I painted, another shell that sold. This is the only JRT I have painted that's actually standing still. And honestly i've never liked this shell, it feels very awkward and unnatural. But someone else liked it obviously, so at least it has some merit.
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And here is another shell I painted last night - only it is not going into my shop. It will be a gift for someone that i promised to give a shell to probably two months ago. Hopefully she won't think that i have forgotten about her!
I tried something different and painted the background a bit of blue. Actually a lot of blue. I normally prefer to rely on the background of the shell itself, but this one was stark bleach white and looked like something was missing. I'm not sure about how i feel about the blueness. Its an experiment.
So I'm back in the painting mood and got a bit done last night while watching Beauty and the Beast. Actually more like listening to Beauty and the Beast - I let random favorite movies play on my laptop in front of me while painting. I focus on the painting but look up on occasion. And sing/say along any lines that i happen to have memorized. Its more lively that way. (psst... what do you guys do to keep the surroundings less quiet while crafting?)
I've always felt so weird painting Jack Russells standing still. It seems to really defy the essence of a breed that never stops moving. So I painted one flying. Okay well not flying, but mid-gallop as they prefer to be.
Actually, thinking back to the first JRT I painted... he wasn't really standing still either.
This guy was rolling around and being a silly puppy. This was one of my earlier shells that sold several months ago. Its fun to note changes in my style. I must have painted him in January (when i officially started the painted shell 'business'). I was experimenting with poses and the colours that i outlined the dogs with. I am still learning shading with acrylic paint, but it was something i really didn't have a handle over then. I also used any random shells, whereas right now I try to use ones that have the most even surfaces. Yep, you live, you learn. To be fair, i used to price my shells a lot more generously in my more rudimentary days.
Here's a more recent Jack Russell I painted, another shell that sold. This is the only JRT I have painted that's actually standing still. And honestly i've never liked this shell, it feels very awkward and unnatural. But someone else liked it obviously, so at least it has some merit.
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And here is another shell I painted last night - only it is not going into my shop. It will be a gift for someone that i promised to give a shell to probably two months ago. Hopefully she won't think that i have forgotten about her!
I tried something different and painted the background a bit of blue. Actually a lot of blue. I normally prefer to rely on the background of the shell itself, but this one was stark bleach white and looked like something was missing. I'm not sure about how i feel about the blueness. Its an experiment.
Hey its been a while since i did a feature of stuff I found on Etsy. I don't have any new art to show you, so lets talk about the art of others :)
Lets talk about needle felting. More specifically, needle felted sculptures. I've heard of felted hats and bags and stuff, that's easy. But until I came to Etsy, I have never heard of needle felted sculptures. It turns out that a handful of etsians specialize in needle felted sculptures of pets - many will even make custom sculptures of your pets.
Let me start by saying that this is an art that I really know absolutely nothing about (hell, i don't even know how to knit besides "knit" and "purl"). But from what i gather, this is a process of carefully matting yarn into specific shape and texture with the use of a needle. Needle Felted sculptures are not cheap and this is because they require a lot of time and skill to make. I admire needle felters a lot - I have seen a lot of magnificent pet sculptures on Etsy :)
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This lovely Pomeranian in full coat comes from Gfelted made by Gerry. The fur texture is amazingly realistic-looking (and I'm a groomer, I can tell ;). Gerry has a huge range of dog breeds in her shop, with all sorts of fur textures, from silky to double coated to wiry to corded. 
The little Chinese Crested on the right shows a combination of smoothness and silkyness. Wonderful skill! 
and of course... I just had to include this last one - and Italian Greyhound! I'm in love! Definitely click on these pictures and see a larger version to see the detail!
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Amelia of Amelia Makes Art makes felted sculptures in a very different style. Those big expressive eyes are felted along with the rest of the sculpture. I particularly love how she handles patterned coats, such as this brindle puppy below... 
Most of Amelia's work is custom and these are examples of dogs based on other people's pets! Pet sculptures are not the only thing in her shop - she's also got felted soap, paintings and prints of her artwork, as well as commissioned pet portraits.
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Kay of KaysK9s makes keychains with the felted portrait of your pet. The details in the face are amazing. She also has a vegan options, for those that are allergic or do not wish to use animal fibers but still want one of these amazing sculptures. 
Kay also makes full body wool sculptures, brooches, pins, and adorable cards and magnets featuring lovely photographs of her sculptures.
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Like I said, I am totally in awe of their talent. There are many other needle felters on Etsy - and not all of them focus on pets - search for it. They are an amazing gift for a fellow pet lover, or for yourself. And a wonderful tribute to pets that are no longer with us.
Lets talk about needle felting. More specifically, needle felted sculptures. I've heard of felted hats and bags and stuff, that's easy. But until I came to Etsy, I have never heard of needle felted sculptures. It turns out that a handful of etsians specialize in needle felted sculptures of pets - many will even make custom sculptures of your pets.
Let me start by saying that this is an art that I really know absolutely nothing about (hell, i don't even know how to knit besides "knit" and "purl"). But from what i gather, this is a process of carefully matting yarn into specific shape and texture with the use of a needle. Needle Felted sculptures are not cheap and this is because they require a lot of time and skill to make. I admire needle felters a lot - I have seen a lot of magnificent pet sculptures on Etsy :)
-----------
This lovely Pomeranian in full coat comes from Gfelted made by Gerry. The fur texture is amazingly realistic-looking (and I'm a groomer, I can tell ;). Gerry has a huge range of dog breeds in her shop, with all sorts of fur textures, from silky to double coated to wiry to corded. The little Chinese Crested on the right shows a combination of smoothness and silkyness. Wonderful skill! and of course... I just had to include this last one - and Italian Greyhound! I'm in love! Definitely click on these pictures and see a larger version to see the detail!---------
Amelia of Amelia Makes Art makes felted sculptures in a very different style. Those big expressive eyes are felted along with the rest of the sculpture. I particularly love how she handles patterned coats, such as this brindle puppy below... Most of Amelia's work is custom and these are examples of dogs based on other people's pets! Pet sculptures are not the only thing in her shop - she's also got felted soap, paintings and prints of her artwork, as well as commissioned pet portraits. ----------
Kay of KaysK9s makes keychains with the felted portrait of your pet. The details in the face are amazing. She also has a vegan options, for those that are allergic or do not wish to use animal fibers but still want one of these amazing sculptures. Kay also makes full body wool sculptures, brooches, pins, and adorable cards and magnets featuring lovely photographs of her sculptures.
-----------
Like I said, I am totally in awe of their talent. There are many other needle felters on Etsy - and not all of them focus on pets - search for it. They are an amazing gift for a fellow pet lover, or for yourself. And a wonderful tribute to pets that are no longer with us.
I was on a roll, posting new shells often over the last two or three weeks... That sort of thing never lasts, does it? Alas, I've gotten caught up.
In the last week or so I've been subject to...
An art history exam. Got a nice 97.
Shakespeare in the Park - we saw Hamlet (my favorite Shakespeare play ever!!) and it was absolutely magnificent. The graphic on the left is sorta tacky though. Not that i took that photo or it was actually there, i found it online.
Attended a dog show in Staten Island... Perry was chosen as Best of Opposite Sex and took 2 points. Marco took Reserve and was behaved superbly.
We took a brief trip to the beach to let the dogs celebrate their good job in the ring...
And now I'm working on nursing an iggy with a very upset stomach (probably due to his chewing up a linoleum tile).
...on top of all that, you can add in work, class, volunteering, paying attention to the boyfriend, cleaning the house, and feeling totally under the weather due to the unfortunate consequences than come with being endowed with "girly parts".
As you can see I've had my hands full. I've barely even had time or interest to check Etsy too thoroughly. And all of yesterday, I was on the Our Dogs Online forums, trying to figure out what would soothe Perry's stomach... He seems to be doing sorta alright now, fingers crossed that he continues this way.
But anyway, just for show and tell, here's a fun picture that i drew a few years ago :P
In the last week or so I've been subject to...
Shakespeare in the Park - we saw Hamlet (my favorite Shakespeare play ever!!) and it was absolutely magnificent. The graphic on the left is sorta tacky though. Not that i took that photo or it was actually there, i found it online. Attended a dog show in Staten Island... Perry was chosen as Best of Opposite Sex and took 2 points. Marco took Reserve and was behaved superbly. We took a brief trip to the beach to let the dogs celebrate their good job in the ring...
And now I'm working on nursing an iggy with a very upset stomach (probably due to his chewing up a linoleum tile). ...on top of all that, you can add in work, class, volunteering, paying attention to the boyfriend, cleaning the house, and feeling totally under the weather due to the unfortunate consequences than come with being endowed with "girly parts".
As you can see I've had my hands full. I've barely even had time or interest to check Etsy too thoroughly. And all of yesterday, I was on the Our Dogs Online forums, trying to figure out what would soothe Perry's stomach... He seems to be doing sorta alright now, fingers crossed that he continues this way.
But anyway, just for show and tell, here's a fun picture that i drew a few years ago :P
Kingston's mom sent me a picture of him posing next to his shell. What a cute smile he has! I just love seeing photos of the shells' new niches. -------
I took this picture of Perry a few days ago and I'm just absolutely amazed...
I am so in love with this dog - he is one of the most beautiful dogs I've ever seen! I'm thrilled with how clear and pretty this shot came out, too (click to see it bigger). It would be perfect if his back leg was a liiiiitle further. But i didn't want to touch him or I'd lose his gorgeous pose.
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Just a fun note - its Horseshoe crab spawning season. The other day we were at the beach and met just the hugest populations all coming out on the shore to spawn and hang out. It was a high tide and a full moon later that night, and i think that's their spawn trigger.
PS - if you ever see an overturned horseshoe crab on its back, make sure to turn it over! Otherwise if the tide leaves, they will be stranded and will die either from seagull attack, or from drying out. They can't hurt you, so don't be afraid to help them out.
So a couple of new things. First, I spontaneously decided to get rid of my .com site and redirect it to my Etsy shop.
So now http://shellvergel.com = http://shellvergel.etsy.com
I did it cause mostly shellvergel.com was useless. I made it before i had an Etsy shop. And I was just too lazy to update it with the new shells and pictures and whatever. I've got Flickr for a gallery. I've got this blog to let everyone know what I'm doing and what's going on with my works. And I've got an Etsy shop... where i can actually sell stuff. The .com was useless.
But i have six more months of hosting, an extra email address and the .com is printed on hundreds of business cards. Shame to let it go to waste. So with the help of a little html, I just made it so that it automatically redirects. Now I won't have to tell people "go to this address, not that one" when handing them business cards. Not everyone knows what Etsy is obviously, so this will save me time on explanations on why I want them to go straight to my shop, not to the .com.
If you have a domain you want to redirect to your own shop, have a look right here.
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Moving on! We've got some new shells done!
This wrinkly dude is in my shop now:
He's a happy English bulldog. I've been painting a lot of smiling dogs lately. I like it - doggie smiles are much easier to capture in paint than people smiles, for one thing. This guy's painted on a hard clam, which is super sturdy and can probably survive a fall or child or two (not that that's a guarantee, but just saying).
And we have a custom shell - featuring an inscription!
Kingston is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi - another happy smiley guy. And, man, I love how he came out. I had no idea I could paint like this. I'm seriously thrilled :) I know, I'm so humble... The inscription was a request from his owner. Its the first time I tried something like that. I never offered to caption pictures... because doG did not bless me with penmanship at all. But the owner asked and I couldn't say no (are we seeing a pattern here?). I tried super hard to stay neat, though, and the letters came out okay. So yah. super proud cause sometimes I just need to be.
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I found me a volunteering gig. Today was my first day helping out at Animal Haven at their SoHo location. Technically I need some hours volunteering for my Vet school application. But I also do want to help out, I'm not a totally bad person after all. The SoHo location is a very small facility, they've got about five dogs and maybe 15 cats. The dogs have little "corrals" and the cats have two rooms where they all hang out. They also have a boutique storefront whose proceeds go to help sustain the facility. I spent some time walking Mollee all around SoHo (and getting to know the town cause i don't know that area of Manhattan at all):
and some other pups. Walking big dogs is definitely a change from my 13 lb guys :P got some good exercise out of it too...
So now http://shellvergel.com = http://shellvergel.etsy.com
I did it cause mostly shellvergel.com was useless. I made it before i had an Etsy shop. And I was just too lazy to update it with the new shells and pictures and whatever. I've got Flickr for a gallery. I've got this blog to let everyone know what I'm doing and what's going on with my works. And I've got an Etsy shop... where i can actually sell stuff. The .com was useless.
But i have six more months of hosting, an extra email address and the .com is printed on hundreds of business cards. Shame to let it go to waste. So with the help of a little html, I just made it so that it automatically redirects. Now I won't have to tell people "go to this address, not that one" when handing them business cards. Not everyone knows what Etsy is obviously, so this will save me time on explanations on why I want them to go straight to my shop, not to the .com.
If you have a domain you want to redirect to your own shop, have a look right here.
----------
Moving on! We've got some new shells done!
This wrinkly dude is in my shop now:
He's a happy English bulldog. I've been painting a lot of smiling dogs lately. I like it - doggie smiles are much easier to capture in paint than people smiles, for one thing. This guy's painted on a hard clam, which is super sturdy and can probably survive a fall or child or two (not that that's a guarantee, but just saying).
And we have a custom shell - featuring an inscription!
Kingston is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi - another happy smiley guy. And, man, I love how he came out. I had no idea I could paint like this. I'm seriously thrilled :) I know, I'm so humble... The inscription was a request from his owner. Its the first time I tried something like that. I never offered to caption pictures... because doG did not bless me with penmanship at all. But the owner asked and I couldn't say no (are we seeing a pattern here?). I tried super hard to stay neat, though, and the letters came out okay. So yah. super proud cause sometimes I just need to be.
--------------
I found me a volunteering gig. Today was my first day helping out at Animal Haven at their SoHo location. Technically I need some hours volunteering for my Vet school application. But I also do want to help out, I'm not a totally bad person after all. The SoHo location is a very small facility, they've got about five dogs and maybe 15 cats. The dogs have little "corrals" and the cats have two rooms where they all hang out. They also have a boutique storefront whose proceeds go to help sustain the facility. I spent some time walking Mollee all around SoHo (and getting to know the town cause i don't know that area of Manhattan at all):
and some other pups. Walking big dogs is definitely a change from my 13 lb guys :P got some good exercise out of it too...
