Two bits of news

This picture really has nothing to do with my news...I just thought I'd add a picture of our cat, Loki, for your viewing pleasure!

My first bit of news is that I have a new commission. Unfortunately, I can't tell you about it because it's a Christmas gift and I don't want to spill the beans! It's unlikely that the recipient will see this, but just to be safe, I'm not going to talk about it until it's done. This is actually my first commission since I started doing pet portraits again, so it's quite exciting! So my drawing of the Cape Cod Rocks will be put on hold until I get this done.

My other piece of news is that my back surgery will be on Dec. 9. It's quite a bit sooner than I was originally told, but I'm glad to be getting it overwith. I'll be off work for 6-8 weeks probably and I hope to be up and about after about a week or two. I'll be going to Moncton for Christmas, so hopefully I'll be ok by then. This could affect when I'm actually able to get my commission done, but the client is aware and very understanding.

While I'm off work, I hope to be well enough to sit at my desk so I can get lots of drawing done...so watch this space! I'll keep you posted on how things are going.

Cape Cod Rocks - Stage 2

I've managed to do a little more work on this drawing. It's going to take me quite a while to finish it because as it turns out, rocks are very time-consuming!

Cape Cod Rocks

Work in Progress

8x10

Coloured Pencil

Stuff

After a several month dry spell with virtually no inquiries, orders or sales of prints/cards, etc, I've had a pretty busy week. I've had two requests to donate items for silent auctions. One of the auctions is in Maryland, US for a Lab Rescue group and I donated a set of greeting cards and a print of my Chocolate Lab drawing, Ghira.

In addition to the prints and cards, I donated a $100 gift certificate to be used towards a custom pet portrait. The second auction will be held here in Fredericton for a group who is raising money to help a friend in need. I gave them a $100 gift certificate as well for their auction. So hopefully this will drum up some business for me and at the same time, help raise money for some great causes!

And while I was busy getting things ready to be sent out for these auctions, I received a large order request from the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of Queensland, Australia. They are having a show in Dec. and placed an order for 25 prints and a few notecard sets of my Staffie drawing, George, to be used as prizes. So I'm in the process of getting that ready to be sent out this week. Quite exciting!

So things seem to be picking up a bit and hopefully will continue. It's gotten me motivated to get back into drawing again, now that my studio is set up in the new house. I've also been thinking about what theme I should choose for my drawings, that would be popular for prints and cards. At the moment, I'm just trying a bunch of different things, but perhaps I should be more focused. I'm toying with the idea of doing a series of dog breeds, because these are the ones that seem to sell the best from my collection. Or maybe I should do horses...or puppies and kittens...I can't decide! I would be interested to hear what my readers have to say, so I am open to comments. And for the artists, in your experience, what subjects are most popular?