NEW - Fine Art Resin Pendant Necklaces!

This weekend marks the 10th Annual Holly Days Art and Craft Show at Sanderson High School in Raleigh. The event lasts for two days and I'm really looking forward to it! (For more info, see the flyer at the end of the post.) In order to prepare for it I've created numerous new hand-painted resin pendant necklaces, including some new 1.5-inch circle pendants.

If the new pendant necklaces don't sell I'll be adding them to my Etsy shop. And if you're curious about the process of adding a resin finish to a wooden tile like my pendants, take a peek at this Resin Tutorial.

Another new item that I've added to my Etsy shop is the Custom Hand-Painted Pet Portrait Resin Pendant Necklace. It's the same concept as my usual oil paint pet portraits, except this is much smaller, created with acrylic paint, and wearable! I recently finished a portrait pendant of Melissa's adorable cat Drusilla. Melissa also has an Etsy shop called Crafts By Alice, and she is also a fellow NCTriangle Team member. Here's the pet portrait pendant I created for her.Another new creation I've come up with is a unique way to show off your artwork! It's my Custom Hand-Painted Resin Pendant Necklace Of Your Artwork. April Paige of April Paige Fine Art contacted me with this idea. She wanted her original Buddha painting turned into a hand-painted resin pendant necklace. Here's her original painting and the pendant I created for her.

Do you have a favorite painting or print that you created? Send me an image of your art and I will recreate and hand-paint it with acrylic paint onto a wooden tile, turning your art into a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry. You can choose between a 1.25 inch (3.175 cm) square pendant and a 1.18 inch (2.99 cm) by 1 inch (2.54 cm) rectangle pendant. You can also choose your cord color; black, white, off-white, or beige. Your miniature painting will be created with high quality acrylic paints on a wooden tile. The painting will then be sealed on every surface, and then receive a high-gloss resin finish which gives it a very polished look. The finished effect is similar to that of a heavy glass pendant, but it is actually very lightweight. The pendant features a large silver-plated aanraku bail securely fastened to the back, and comes with an 18 inch (45.72 cm) Chinese silk cord with a lobster claw clasp.

So if you're still looking to get some holiday shopping done, come visit me and numerous other vendors at Holly Days this weekend. Have a great day!

A Step-By-Step Journey Through The Creation Of A Pet Portrait

I have just completed another commissioned oil paint pet portrait on canvas, and this one I can share with you! In anticipation of sharing what is now one of my favorite portraits, I took photographs of the work in progress from beginning to end so that I could share with you what I do from the moment a client contacts me to the delivery of the painting.

Step One: I am given a photograph, either digital or print, to work from. It is important to keep in mind that the better the photo, the better the portrait. (For tips on taking great pet photos, click here.) The client and I discuss how he or she wants the portrait to look, and I get started. Here's the original photo I had to work from for this portrait.

Step Two: Next I sketch out the portrait on gallery-wrapped canvas with staple-free edges. I usually begin painting the background and lay down a wash of colors for the subjects.
Step Three: I typically leave the faces of my subjects for last, so the next thing I did was paint in the darks and midtones on the bodies, and some of the darks on the faces.
Step Four: Next I worked on the face of the Great Dane on the right, and then continued to add the highlights to the face and the body. In this photo the subject on the right is complete, except for some minor tweaking I always do at the very end. What a good-lookin' dog! ;)
Step Five: Next I worked on the Great Dane on the left. Here he is with all the midtones and darks, and maybe a smidge of highlights on the face. He looks like a zombie dog without all the highlights.
Step Six: Finally, I finish with the highlights on the Great Dane on the left, on both his face and his body. At this point I usually stand back away from the canvas and look at the entire portrait, and then come back and tweak a highlight here and add a shadow there. Then, this is the finished product!
After that, the next step is hopefully meeting a happy client, and giving said ecstatic client his or her portrait. ;) I hope you enjoyed the step-by-step process!

Allover Art Is Featured In Another Blog!

Allover Art has been featured in another blog! I guess my attempts at making my Etsy shop and my work more visible are working. :) This week fellow Etsian NaturalAmber is featuring me in her blog, NaturalAmber's Jewelry Corner, in a post titled "My Top 10 Etsy Picks, 9/21/2008 - Holiday Special." That's her work to the left. Here's what she had to say:

1. AllOverArt. If you love oil paintings or have a loved one you are buying a present for who does, then AllOverArt is a must see shop and a browse shop for you. What is really special about her shop is she does custom paintings as well (keep in mind with the holidays you want to buy early since her studio gets busy!). How special would it be to have a custom picture of the family wrapped and waiting to be opened under the Christmas tree? Please take a peek in AllOverArt’s store, you will see why I absolutely love the work in it! Please see this stunning oil painting she created.

Please visit her blog to read the entire post. The other nine featured Etsy shops do fantastic work as well. Also, don't forget to visit NaturalAmber's Etsy shop! The photo of the fantastic orange and blue bangle is her work.

Thank you NaturalAmber for featuring me in your blog! I am honored. :)