(by 6 people)
Who is PaintDog (aka Ann Ranlett)?
I'm an artist and illustrator specializing in nature subjects and pet & animal art. I love animals and really enjoy working with my clients to create portraits of their cherished pets.
I work in 2 styles and various mediums: my "Paintings with Petzazz" pieces are done in watercolor on Yupo (a synthetic paper) - they're vibrant and fun and although they're painted in a "loose" style they still capture the personality of my subject. My realistic portraits are created in either ink on scratchboard, graphite pencil, or mixed media which is usually a combination of watercolor, ink and color pencil on Claybord.
My work is custom and unique and the end result is an original painting or drawing, not an altered photo or assembly line product. Because creating these portraits takes time, planning and thought, I have a waiting list, but I'd be happy to discuss a portrait of your best friend with you! Visit my pet portraits page to find out more and see plenty of samples of my work.
More About the "Paintings with Petzazz" Process
Bright, Fun Critter Paintings
This painting of "Essie" was done in my "Petzazz" style - I choose a limited palette of watercolors and paint quickly on Yupo (see the section below to learn more about Yupo). Find out more about my "Paintings with Petzazz" process and how you can commission your own Petzazz art of a favorite pet. What is Yupo?
A most wonderful painting surface!
Yupo is the brand name of a synthetic paper that was originally created for use in the print industry. It's made of polypropylene, it's slick, opaque white (there's also a slightly transparent version) and non-absorbent.Somewhere along the line, watercolorists got hold of it and found that it was pretty neat stuff. It's very different from traditional watercolor paper 'cause the water & paint sit on top of it (instead of soaking in) - so the colors remain vibrant. Because of this quality, the paint puddles and dries in interesting ways and leaves great shapes and watermarks. You can see those puddles in the background of "Llemon-Llime Llama".
The other thing about Yupo is that it's easy to lift the paint off. That's good and bad - depending. . .
GOOD when you want to lift out a highlight, whiskers, tuft of fur, etc. as I did with the fuzzy edges of the llama's neck. It's BAD when you have an area you don't like and you try to fidget with it - that lifts off everything you put down in that area and leaves you with an obvious spot. I've found that you have to do a little planning and then just let things happen.
Yupo is available through a number of on-line art supply catalogs (and Amazon.com, see the link in the next section) - get some and give it a try!
Buy Yupo from Amazon.com
Yupo Pad 9 x 12 - 10 sheet pad
Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 07/20/2008)
What is Ink on Scratchboard?
My Other Favorite Medium
I used ink on scratchboard to create this portrait of "Hershey". Curious about my ink on scratchboard process? It's very time consuming, but I really enjoy the challenge of creating a pet portrait or drawing using only shades of grey. Visit my demo page to find out more. If you're curious about commissioning a unique, detailed portrait of your favorite companion, click here.You can also find out more about scratchboard on Wikipedia.
Scratchboard Books on Amazon.com
Scratchboard for Illustration
A terrific book about scratchboard - my all-time favorite!
Amazon Price: (as of 07/20/2008)
The New Scratchboard
Amazon Price: (as of 07/20/2008)
New Art
My latest originals
A commissioned ink on scratchboard portrait of Chevy the golden retriever. Click on the image to find out more.
A pencil drawing of Cocoa the American Pit Bull Terrier. I did this piece to benefit Pit Prints Rescue. The director sent me the photo of Cocoa that I used for reference. Pit Prints has the original, but I have cards & magnets of Cocoa on eBay. Click here to find them.
A commissioned ink on scratchboard portrait of Sami. Click on the image to find out more.
An ink on scratchboard drawing of Belgian horse's eye. Click on the image to find out more.
A pen & ink drawing of a flamingo on a real ostrich egg. I've been creating ostrich egg art since I worked at the Sacramento Zoo over 15 years ago. This egg is available in my Etsy shop, click here for the listing.
ACEOs - Affordable, Collectible Mini Works of Art
ACEO = "Art Cards, Editions & Originals"
I started creating ACEOs in December of '06 and have created approximately 40 of them and have sold quite a few. They're small, so they don't take long to do and they allow me to try out some new ideas/images that might someday become a larger painting or drawing.
Check out my YouTube video - it's about ACEOs and features a selection of my cards. watch the video
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"Black Knight" is a mini drawing of a chess piece in vibrant colors. This one's in color pencil.
This one is drawn on black scratchboard. The look on this llama's face just says "How YOU Doin'?"
This one, "She's Got Legs" is graphite pencil with color pencil on the giraffe's legs.
These are currently available on eBay and I have others on ArtCardsWanted.com
I'll list future ACEOs on eBay and you can check the eBay section below to see what's currently listed or you can subscribe to my blog to get updates when I post the latest ACEO offerings. My Blog
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"Gimme Some" a color pencil drawing of 2 goats has sold, but I wanted to share.
My Art on eBay
Seller Name: drawdog5
I have a store on eBay and I list some of my art in eBay auctions. Look for prints, earrings, magnets, note cards and ACEO originals. See the section above for more information about ACEOs (aka Art Trading Cards).
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Art for Critters - Art Sales to Help Animals
Search "A4C" on eBay to find art that benefits animals
I'm now a proud member of "Art for Critters", a group of artists who sell their work on eBay and regularly donate a portion of the sales to various animal rescue & support organizations. It was an honor to be nominated for inclusion in the group and I'm very happy to be a part of this team of talented, supportive and charitable artists!
There are 2 ways to make donations from eBay sales - through their "Giving Works" program or by having a previous arrangement with a specific charity and posting a letter from that charity in the auction listing.
The Giving Works program is coordinated through MissionFish. When a seller lists an item on eBay, they can choose to select a charity from a list provided by MissionFish and then specify the percentage of the final sale to donate. Giving Works auctions have this symbol
next to the auction title.I have a selection of items in my eBay store and at auction that benefit animal charities either through MissionFish or A4C. By being a member of A4C, I can support additional animal charities approved by A4C and I have access to the required letters from these organizations.
My A4C auctions
My Giving Works auctions
Not enough characters left in this module to have a link for ALL A4C auctions, but you can type "A4C" in the eBay search box to find 'em.
Etsy for Animals - More Art Sales to Help Animals
I'm also a member of Etsy for Animals!
Etsy.com is another site where you can find great art. All items are handmade by the artists who sell there. One of the many groups on Etsy is "Etsy for Animals" - a team of artists who donate a portion of the proceeds from their sales to animal charities.
I've listed a number of items in my Etsy shop to benefit animal charities. Click here to find them.
Visit the EFA shop where 100% of the sales benefit the designated charity of the month.
Visit the EFA web site
Art on eBay - Part 1
Info and Links
Here are the eBay artists' groups to which I belong:
Professional Animal Artists Online (PAAO)
Art Squared/art2 - square format art up to 14". To find art in this format, search listings for "art squared" or "art2". Visit the Art Squared web site.
Small Format Art (SFA) - art that's no more than 14" on one side. To find art in this format, search listings for "SFA".
ACEO/ATC Enthusiasts - A number of artists offer ACEO listings - small original pieces measuring 2.5"x3.5" - also known as Art Trading Cards. An affordable and fun way to start collecting original art. ACEO stands for "Art Card Editions and Originals". When artists list these little gems, they put ACEO in the title, so it's easy to search eBay for them. There's also an ACEO/ATC web site.
K9 Dog Art Show - "creating Doggone Good art".
**More groups listed in the next section**
Often, a single piece of art will fit into a couple different categories - for example, I often paint small, square format pieces - so one of those could be categorized as SFA AND Art2. Technically, an ACEO is also an SFA, but ACEO suffices for listing purposes because there's a whole group of collectors looking specifically for ACEOs.
Check out my other Squidoo lens for more info about buying art on line.
Art on eBay - Part 2
Info and Links
Scratchboard Artists (SBA) - a group of artists who work in scratchboard (one of my favorite mediums). Visit the SBA web site.
All About Color Pencil - our new acronym is CPAC (Color Pencil Artists and Collectors) - we're going to start using this in our auction listings. Visit the color pencil art web site.
Art for Critters (A4C) - artists who donate proceeds from art sales to benefit animal charities. Visit the A4C web site.
Adorable (and Good) Little Video Camera!
Get it at Amazon
Click here to check out the first video I made with this cool little camera!
Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 60-Minutes (White)
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/20/2008)
My Favorite Links!
Pet & Animal Art and Gifts & More. . .
- My Main Web Site
- Find out more about me and my art. Lots of samples and info!
- My CafePress Shop
- Colorful merchandise featuring my pet & animal art. Some veggie art too! Great gifts for animal lovers - find a gift for yourself or someone you love :)
- My Web Site Store
- Prints, note cards, earrings, magnets and more featuring my art. Buy direct from me and pay via PayPal.
- Find out more about my Custom Pet Portraits
- I accept commissions for custom pet portraits in my "Paintings with Petzazz" interpretive style or a realistic style. I work in watercolor, mixed media or ink on scratchboard - depending on the style.
- My eBay Store
- Check out the ACEO originals, matted prints, earrings, magnets and note cards in my store.
- My Etsy Shop
- All the listings on this art sales site are hand made by the artists who sell there. You can find my ACEOs and other originals, prints, cards & earrings here.
- My Zazzle Shop
- I recently found out about Zazzle - I was looking for a site that offered square magnets for my square-format art. Zazzle is it!
- My Blog
- Find out what's happening in my world: events, latest portraits & projects, thoughts about animals & art, etc. (Check out the RSS Feed in the next section to see the latest posts.)
- Pet Art Gifts
- A selection of gifts featuring pet & animal art.
- More ACEOs
- Find a few of my ACEOs here.
- Art by Us - Real Art. Real Artists.
- A site where artists list their work for sale. I occasionally list some items, but haven't been very active there.
- Auburn Old Town Gallery
- A wonderful co-op Gallery run by a talented group of artists. Our gallery consists of local and regional artists who show their work and staff the gallery. It's a great place to get a unique and special gift of art for yourself or someone else. Located in the historic Old Town section of Auburn, CA
- My DotPhoto Album
- Check out my photos and buy prints.
- The Pet Gazette
- A monthly publication for the responsible pet owner - this is the web version. They occasionally feature my art on the cover.
- My YouTube Channel
- Videos of my art and works in progress. Also check out my "favorites" list to see other art-related YouTube videos. Some animal videos too, of course!
- My Space Page
- Sign up to be one of my friends and receive occasional bulletins about my art and the latest listings on eBay.
- A lot more links
- This is the links page of my web site. It features links to my clients, art info & animal info.
Some of My Photos . . .
. . . and links to info about pet photography
See more photos on my web site.
Read my tips on taking good pet photos:
My photo guidelines document
Click here to read an article I wrote about pet photography that appeared in the Sacramento Pet Gazette.
Also check out this Squidoo group: EverythingPhotography
RSS Feed from my Blog
Info about upcoming events, portraits in progress, recently finished work, etc.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byMy Stuff on CafePress!!
Great gifts for yourself or others from my CafePress shop
You can design & sell your own CafePress merchandise too - click here to find out more.
Cattitude Rectangle Magnet
The text says: "Don't like my Cattitude? Call 1-800-Get-a-Dog"
Price: 3.99
More Great Stuff on CafePress
FieldHaven Feline Rescue Shop
Buy Fine Art Materials & Craft Supplies
Great prices & selection
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Tools for Artists from Amazon.com
A great little (affordable) monitor calibrator and some of my favorite watercolor books
Pantone huey MEU101
A reasonably priced (under $100) monitor calibrator - really helpful if you do your own printing.
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/20/2008)
Painting the Things You Love in Watercolor
Amazon Price: (as of 07/20/2008)
The Watercolor Bible - A Painter's Complete Guide
Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 07/20/2008)
Watercolor Painting Outside the Lines
Amazon Price: $18.47 (as of 07/20/2008)
Light Up Your Watercolors Layer by Layer
Amazon Price: $21.16 (as of 07/20/2008)
Books About Animals from Amazon.com
Some of my Favorites
A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me
Amazon Price: $10.36 (as of 07/20/2008)
The Big Cats: The Paintings of Guy Coheleach
Stunning paintings of the big cats: tigers, lions, cheetahs, leopards, etc.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/20/2008)
Dogs for Dummies
Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 07/20/2008)
The World Of Robert Bateman
Masterful paintings of all kinds of critters
Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 07/20/2008)
On-line Sources for Pet Foods, Supplies & Meds
Of course, since I love pets, I have pets - so I make sure they get the best!
Reader Feedback
Comments, Questions, Ideas - add 'em here. . .
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mllamb46
Hi Ann! Thanks for the nice comments. I REALLY enjoyed this lens. You are so versatile in your work. I especially enjoyed all the step by step links. Posted March 17, 2008 |
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riff999
You are very talented. I really enjoyed viewing your art. Best of luck. 5* Posted March 17, 2008 |
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PR-Sammi
You've done a lot fo work here and there is so much to check out... wow! The Yupo paper sounds cool too. I really like your pet photos as well. Posted March 12, 2008 |
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d-artist
Ann, you do beautiful artwork! 5*s for u... Posted January 24, 2008 |
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mllamb46
Hi Ann!!! I gave you 5*s and lensrolled ya. :) Posted August 24, 2007 |
Some Art Venues in Placer County
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